Christmas Eve Dinner @ Lazy Bear

Lazy Bear is an underground restaurant. They do dinners every so often at an undisclosed location. Seats are limited so we were thrilled when we landed Christmas Eve reservations. We found out about Lazy Bear from another underground foodie event we attended in October, called 25SF. Dinner this evening was held at Chez Poulet in the Mission, which was an old warehouse (location is revealed after you confirm your reservations by making your online payment for dinner). I loved the setting - it was basically a large loft, like ours :)  Chef David Barzaley did a great job explaining each dish and the preferred method to eat it. (Sorry the photos are dark - they were taken with my phone)

I forget to bring my bottle of wine, so we ended up grabbing a bottle from the liquor store around the corner. Fat Cat at Lazy Bear, hehee.

Smoked Beets - we licked our plates (literally).

Swordfish Belly

Dungeness Crab

Steelhead Roe

Steelhead

Goose Confit

 Potato Puree

Goose Breast

 Grapes

Pastry

 Treats

...which included Spiced Rum

Holiday Gifts

I didn't have time to make holiday cookies like I did last year. So, I decided to make and send drink mixes in mason jars to my friends and family. I ended up making at least 15 jars of Mexican Cocoa, Peppermint Stick Cocoa, Mocha Hot Cocoa and Orange Creamsicle.

I also made Peppermint Marshmallow Sticks:

You would be AMAZED at how simple and easy these were to make. Just melt chocolate chips in the microwave (for 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir - until completely melted). Then dip marshmallows in melted chocolate and then in crushed peppermints.

This isn't food related, but I'm really proud of myself because I MADE ALL THIS for all the babies born in 2011/late 2010. Thanks to Chez Beeper Bebe for the tutorials! What's extra cool about the bunnies is that they were re-purposed from old t-shirts (except the polka-dot bunny - I used leftover fabric from E's dress). Cool, right?

for babies M, E, E, and A.

A First: Cake Pops (+ J's Bday Dinner)

Party for two!

It was J's birthday a couple weeks ago and I wanted to do something special. I made a steak dinner and  those cake pops/cupcakes for dessert! It was my first time making cake pops, and you know how ambitious I am...I decided to go all out and borrowed Bakerella's Cake Pops book from my friend Robin With An I.

Here's a closer look at the cake pops:

They turned out well, for my first attempt. I have to say, it was pretty frustrating to get the technique down. I did lose five cake pops due to my FAILS:

Overall, I was happy with the seven I was able to make. (I planned to make a dozen). The lions were my favorite and way easier to do than the pandas. Birthday boy was super impressed with my work. He didn't want to eat them (but he did). So, that was dessert!

Here's what I made for dinner: Rosemary Rubbed Filet Mignon served with roasted brussel sprouts & bacon and garlic primavera risotto

My little jar of minced garlic always comes in handy. I do this to save time and it really does save a lot of time! I basically mince 2 heads of garlic and combine with oil. Store this jar in the fridge and use it for almost anything. One of the best tips I picked up from TV.

 Brussel sprouts! Before and after: