Skip to main content

Like Gordon Ramsey...Minus the Cursing

I can't lie to you guys...one of the things I was most excited about this Christmas was trying out a new recipe. I like to pretend I'm a world renowned chef, but lets be honest I'm more like a Waffle House sous chef (no offense to any actual Waffle House sous chefs). But man I like to think I'm badass in the kitchen.

So I watched a cooking show with Gordon Ramsey and decided that I am totally reality show worthy (HA! HA! HA!) and could make Beef Wellington. Ever had it before? I've only had it once, and never made it so it was definitely new. It's basically a high quality beef fillet, covered in a paste made with onions and mushrooms, then wrapped in prosciutto, and THEN wrapped in puff pastry. YES. Just yes. If you want to make it, this recipe was really helpful.



I also set some kind of record for including butter in every single dish. I'm pretty proud of that. On the menu next to the Beef Wellington: cooked carrots (in butter and brown sugar) green been almandine (with almonds toasted in butter and lemon juice) and roasted potatoes, pearl onions and garlic (roasted in, um...butter). 


There may have been a tipple or two in the mix for the last couple of days as well. A little wine, and a little Baileys....



Some gifts were had, and we opened presents from each other on Christmas eve. Mostly because I couldn't wait any more. Stockings were kept until morning though. Traditions! I couldn't have asked for a better day, honestly. 

The cats loved their presents too...

And hubby loved his stocking filled with chocolate!
So...what did you guys eat for Christmas? Turkey, ham, pasta? Any special dishes that go on your table each year?
There are no real dishes that I eat each year. Usually we have a turkey or a goose, but I wanted to try something a little different since it feels like we just had Thanksgiving! And of course...raspberry crumble for dessert. Yum. 

Best present this year? Either given or received?
Best receive = a really sweet card and framed photo of my marathon finish from hubs. Best given = a disaster. I bought hubby a new video game but it was the wrong region for his Xbox. Whoops!

Comments

  1. Um, as far as I am concerned, you are Gordon Ramsey! I totally am making your gnocchi that you posted the other day :)

    Best gift I received this year: a juicer. I'm in love! Best given: some new surfing gear for my sis. I know nothing about surfing stuff but it was fun to shop for!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Beef Wellington! Very nice and very ambitious too. Good for you, Vanessa.

    Glad you had such a nice Christmas with Tim and the kits!

    ReplyDelete
  3. My husband had Beef Wellington at a swanky local restaurant on our "date" a few weeks ago - it was the first time I had ever seen it up close. I'm impressed you made such a dish for the holiday - Gordon Ramsey though? You don't really aspire to him do you? You're sooooo much cooler than that!!!! I see your Christmas crackers - thought of you on Friday . . . I was at Pier 1 and saw them. Your cats look super festive!!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Yummo. I wish the hubbs ate beef because that looks tasty. I made chicken pot pie and ate some peppermint stick ice cream. mmm. Best gift? My christmas card was pretty damn epic. Cheesy, no? My new ray bans weren't too shabby either.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Mike's family does a traditional Italian dinner for Christmas, so we had stuffed shells (and they had some sort of meat concoction too).

    The best gift I got this year was an awesome pair of Hunter boots from Mike. I can't think of a worst gift...

    ReplyDelete
  6. Nice job on the beef Wellington! The name alone would make me think it's too complicated! We always have steak for Christmas eve dinner

    My favorite gift I got was my kitchen aid mixer and my fav to give was these journals that have a bible verse on every page with the persons name instead of you...makes the verses so personal

    ReplyDelete
  7. Fancy! I'm truly impressed with your culinary skills! I ate so much for Christmas that typing it all into your comment box would take hours....

    ReplyDelete
  8. oh my gosh, that candid of u is gorgeous!! go glad that u and the hubs had a wonderful xmas...even if u got the wrong style game (totally something i would do!) at least the thought was there...lol! :P

    ReplyDelete
  9. Love playing top chef in my kitchen. Still haven't had the desire to clean up from the latest experiment. I got some pretty nifty gloves this year made by saucony that are mittens that convert into gloves and come with a led light. Best gift given would have to be the yard of bubble gum balls we gave to our niece and nephews. I've neve seen such excitement when opening a present.

    ReplyDelete
  10. That beef wellington looks great! I am sure that no matter how much cursing you DID do, it was still less than Ramsey. He is a beast.

    ReplyDelete
  11. I am very impressed with the Beef Wellington...I say you give Gordon Ramsey a good run for the money!

    I got a Vitamix. Can you say heaven?!

    ReplyDelete
  12. Mmm looks delightful. We do Christmas brunch and I always make spinach/ham/bacon quiche and we drink mimosas til we run out of OJ. :)

    ReplyDelete
  13. Wow beef wellington, nice! That looks really hard to mark, very impressive!

    ReplyDelete
  14. I ate so much food. Ham, turkey, cheese dip, sausages, meatballs, shrimp dip, peas, bread, applie pie WITH ice cream. Yeah. I made my mother in law take a picture of me posing like I was pregnant, and the sad part was that I actually looked like I could have been 5 months along.

    ReplyDelete
  15. Yum, I love Ramsey's beef wellington and yours looks delicious.
    We had ham for Christmas. A family favorite.

    ReplyDelete
  16. Your beef wellington looks delicious. It is something I have always wanted to make but never have. Thanks for sharing.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Looks awesome. I'll have to try out that recipe sometime soon. I think deep down inside we all feel we are top class chefs!

    ReplyDelete
  18. Will have to try the beef wellington, makes me think of Hell's Kitchen which I really adore!! Glad you had a great Christmas, just you hubs and the kitties. My hubs was pretty pleased with his chocolate too!

    ReplyDelete
  19. Our Christmas meal tradition is CHILI! Because everyone goes to multiple places for Christmas, when we all go to my parents' we have chili. Everyone is so sick of all the typical holiday fare that mom decided to try something different a few years ago and it went over so well we've stuck with it!

    ReplyDelete
  20. I'm pretty sure I would never even think of attempting to make this! It all looks amazing as usual. Sounds like you two had a great Christmas together.

    In recent years ham has been tradition at my parent's and the array of sides and desserts is normally the same.

    ReplyDelete
  21. Looks awesome!! We have brunch at my moms on Christmas day and lasagna at my aunts and uncles on Christmas Eve.

    ReplyDelete
  22. I never have to cook on the holidays! We go to family and I am never asked to bring anything....hmmm might be a sign of my cooking
    skills!

    ReplyDelete
  23. Stuffed mushrooms, bacon wrapped water chestnuts, and jalapeno artichoke dip are my favorites at Christmastime.

    I surprised a friend that does so much for me with a new Kindle this year! It was THE BEST. Besides my kids, that was my favorite part about Christmas this year.

    ReplyDelete
  24. MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!
    You are looking beautiful and sassy in your wine glass photo!

    Even though I'm not a huge beef eater, your little creation looks great. THAT, my friend, is talent.

    ReplyDelete
  25. If I ever come over, you must make that for me. Also, I think you're a step up from a Waffle House "chef". Sober people eat your food, right? :)

    ReplyDelete
  26. I made beef wellington for the first time last Christmas and it is easier than you would think and so tasty. Plus you sound so skilled when you tell others that you made it!

    ReplyDelete
  27. I made a beef tenderloin roast for Christmas dinner. It was really good. I've never had beef wellington, but I think I'd like it.

    ReplyDelete
  28. Mmm, beef wellington! The best gift that I got was an ornament commemmorating the disasterous Hot Chocolate 15k. It made me laugh and was super cute!

    ReplyDelete
  29. I am totally impressed with your beef wellington you made, gourmet goddess :-), I've never dared try it thanks to its complexity.
    Christmas lunch was pork shoulder in the Weber & slow roasted lamb and onions in the oven (we served with salads as no room in the oven for veggies!!!)

    ReplyDelete
  30. We have zero traditions when it comes to Christmas dinner, but Christmas breakfast is super important. My mom makes these apricot rolls that everyone talks about all year round, plus a mountain of sausage.

    ReplyDelete
  31. Love the picture of the cats, they look a little skepitcal! Hahaha. On Christmas Eve, we always open our PJ's. That's about it at our house. :)

    ReplyDelete
  32. I'm so glad I found your blog...having fun reading it and look forward to future posts. Happy New Year!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Race the Bar 5k Recap (AKA: A Personal Worst!)

Do you remember a few weeks back, when I was all braggy about running in Florida in February/March? Sunny mornings around a lake with a light breeze off the water have turned, cruelly, into humid stretches of time where I am humbly reminded of my own limitations. You guys, I see these gazelle-like creatures, men and women alike, who prance on my running route with compression socks, a soft glow of perspiration at their brow. It's beautiful. It's also a harsh reminder that I am not them. I am currently running in the thinnest, smallest items of clothing I can without offending anyone (shirt stays on, people). I dare not step outside without some awful visor or wide-brimmed hat. When I hop in the shower after a run, my face is a deep crimson that causes my husband to voice his concern for my general well-being. Have I mentioned this is what happens after my easy runs, with a few walk breaks thrown in? Yeah. It's humbling. Now, I'm not complaining. It's beautiful

1st Wedding Anniversary--Celebrating with Chocolate!

One year ago today, I married the love of my life. And I couldn't be happier! In celebration of our very first anniversary, here are some pictures of our favorite moments together: Our first trail race together Hiking together in GA And of course, our wonderful wedding in Hong Kong. We both decided to keep things very simple, with a casual ceremony with a few friends and family and then lunch at the Mandarin Oriental. Exactly what I wanted! With our parents after making it official! Our entire wedding party. Just family and dear friends! Goofing around with my garter at the reception lunch! You think you know what couples do after they get married? You know, their first night at man and wife? If you guessed eat ridiculously delicious chocolates in their bed at the Grand Hyatt, you're right.  Oh, I haven't changed. One year later and I still celebrate with sweet things! Thanks Tim, for being a wonderful husband. I love you!

Brace Yourselves: Cuteness is Coming

One of the hardest things about moving, for me, was wondering how the cats would adjust each time. Although our cats are super travelers at this stage, I feel really guilty every time we have to pack them up and force them onto a plane. I remember my grandma telling me years ago that when she moved with a cat, they put butter on their paws. That way, the cats spent the first day in a new house licking their paws to get them clean, and that was enough time to lose the "smell" of the old house. I love that story, and I wish the same principle applied to longer moves. Anyway, that's a super long intro to say that for the fellow cat ladies out there, our three fur babies are insanely happy in this jungle gym of a home here in Florida. It's warm, there are plenty of sunny spots to curl up a take a nap, and they have lots of room to spread out. Despite the space, of course, they still usually want to take a nap on my head at night. Obviously. They also love climbing on ou