Seriously - it's unbelievable how funny it all is. The tree is ginormous. Not kidding. For those of you who have been in our house, try and remember the vaulted ceiling in the "formal" living room by the front door. Those big windows up by the ceiling? The tree almost reaches them. You'll see for yourself when I post the pics. Every time I walk into the other room, it's like seeing it all over again and I just laugh and shake my head...
Getting it home was tons of fun, too. Took the kids right after picking up Liam from school, assuming the tree would be ready to go. Um, no. We were there for about an hour, maybe a little more, and just like Sunday, it was absolutely freezing. My hands were on fire, then they just went numb. There were a couple of guys trying to load the tree on the truck - I think they were surprised I was going to have the tree loaded that way instead of, say, a trailer?
We got the thing home, and Phil went to get one of the neighbors to help us get the thing in the house and up in the tree stand. It didn't fit in the tree stand. Too wide. After all the hassle to find a tree stand that would fit a 12' tree, and the trunk was too wide to go in. So, we cut it. Phil used the saw to cut bits and pieces off the side until it would fit. When we finally got the tree standing up and reasonably stable, Liam started to cut off the string...and branches started flopping everywhere. They hung over the couch on one side and touched the love seat on the other. We moved the love seat back about 3 feet, just to make room. So, I say, welcome to The White House! We don't have personalized M&M's or a personal chef, but we have a damn fine tree and some pretty good basic cookin'!
Speaking of good cooking, we ate well tonight. I dug up a recipe that I had only made once before, but it had gone over so well that one time, I went ahead and put it in my personal cookbook. It's not complicated, and it's got a great flavor. Phil was raving about it, wondering why we hadn't had it in a whole year. I like to keep 'em hangin', I do ;0)
Spaghetti Bolognese
2 TB butter
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
2 tsp. garlic, minced
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, peeled and diced
6 bacon slices
1 lb. ground beef
1 tsp. dried oregano
1 c. red wine
1 8oz. can crushed tomatoes, undrained
10 ounces spaghetti
Directions:
1. Cut the bacon into 1-inch pieces. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook for 2-3 minutes or until soft. Add the garlic, celery and carrot(s) and cook, stirring over low heat for 5 minutes.
2. Increase the heat to medium-high and add the bacon pieces, beef and oregano and cook for 4-5 minutes or until browned.
3. Pour in the wine, reduce the heat and simmer for 4-5 minutes or until absorbed. Add the tomatoes and season with salt and pepper. Cover with a lid and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally.
4. Meanwhile, cook the pasta in a large pot of boiling salted water until cooked through but still firm to the bite. Drain and return to the pot. Serve the pasta with the sauce and parmesan and serve.
A few last pictures to leave you with - I've been whining for the last few days about how cold it has been. I took these this morning - this is the "pond" in the backyard...and the dog walking on it.
Take care and stay warm!
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