Moore to Life: Celebrating the holidays

The holidays is a magical time of the year when one gets to share the spirit of the season with family and friends enjoying wonderful food, ambiance and decor.

In this episode of Moore to Life, I will share with you ways to create a truly memorable holiday season.

Decor:

I wanted to transform my living area for the holiday season, so I started by creating a faux facade out of fire resistant dry wall and painting one side with a zebra pattern and the other with a striped pattern for added versatility.

Over the mantel, I used a square canvas from Daniel Smith, which I painted black and decorated with a wreath purchased from Michael's Crafts. I then hot glued bunched up newspaper pieces to create a unique wreath to hang with thick red ribbon from the square canvas. For a finishing touch, I filled the mantel with mercury glass ornaments and hurricanes from Crate and Barrel.

I wanted to add a personal touch, so I created silhouettes by taking a photo of each of my family members, traced their profile, cut their silhouettes on red paper and framed them in clear acrylic frames from Crate and Barrel. To hold the stockings in place, I used purse holders in front of the acrylic frames.

Entertainment:

The Nutcracker is a fantastic story enjoyed by many during the holiday season so, in celebration of the Nutcracker, I wanted to create a truly spectacular Nutcracker-themed party for adults and children.

I began by decorating the adult table using red velvet linen from Hancock Fabric for the table top and black fabric with gold trim for the runner. On top of the runner, I placed various sized Nutcrackers, gold charges and black napkins all from Cost Plus. I used red ribbon with gold trim from Display and Costume to wrap around the napkins. For added ambiance, I included black candelabras from Pottery Barn. I used gold chiavari chairs for an added elegant appeal.

I created a tin soldier theme for the boys' table using a red, black and gold palette. I started with black linen from Pederson's for the tablecloth. The center piece included black ostrich feathers from Display and Costume, tin soldier ornaments from Cost Plus and red plastic soldier hats from Display and Costume. To continue with the color palette, I used glasses with red stripes from Target, white napkins with red ribbon napkin rings. I glued a gold knot loops to the red ribbon napkin rings both from Display and Costume. My favorite decor element of this table was the black chiavari chairs with a strip of jingle bells I purchased from Display and Costume hanging from the back of the chair.

The girls' table was a Sugar Plum Fairy Tale. I used concentric strips of pink toil from Hancock Fabrics and sewed them onto a white round table cloth. It was my very own tutu tabletop! The center piece included a glass cake plate from Cost Plus filed with plastic grapes that I decorated with silver glitter to create the look of sugar plums. I also included purple ball ornaments surrounded by leaves both decorated with glitter for added texture. The glassware was white polka dots and white melamine dishes from Target as well as silver charges from Cost Plus. The final touch for the girls' table were silver chiavari chairs to go with the silver glittered centerpiece.

Be sure to check-out my Nutcracker entertainment piece in the December issue of Seattle Magazine.

Cooking:

I enjoyed cooking with Chef Mason Citarello of 35th Street Bistro, where I learned to cook roasted rosemary lamb with root vegetable mashed potatoes. Chef Mason has a wonderful approach to cooking that incorporates cuisine that is typical to Spain, Italy, France, Greece and quite possibly several other countries on the European continent.  They are known for paying close attention to classic techniques and execution while creating clean traditional flavors.

Recipes:

From Chef Mason Citarello, 35th Street Bistro

Brussels Sprouts

1 pound sprouts cut in half
Salt and pepper
4 oz bacon cut into 1" strips
1 shallot diced small
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts
1/4 cup dry white wine
Two pats butter
1/2 cup chicken or vegetable stock
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon olive oil

In medium saucepan, cook bacon until crisp and remove reserving fat in pan. Add garlic and shallot and cook on medium heat until transparent. Add Brussels sprouts, salt and pepper to taste and stir briefly. Add white wine and cover. Cook on med low until sprouts are semi soft when pierced with a knife.

Uncover and set heat to med high, add stock, nuts, and cranberries and cook until nearly evaporated stirring constantly. Add butter, bacon, and a splash of apple cider vinegar if desired and serve.

Lamb saddle

One whole lamb loin de-boned
One clove garlic sliced thin
Five sage leaves
One sprig rosemary
Salt and pepper
Olive oil

Generously salt and pepper both sides of loin roast then place garlic slices in a line down both halves of meat. Place sage leaves neatly down same line and then rosemary in spaces. Carefully fold roast back into its original shape and tie tightly with butchers twine.

Heat a large saute pan on high and add one to two table spoons oil. When oil is shimmering, add lamb fat side down and sear to golden brown on all sides. Drain fat and place pan directly into 350 degree oven for approx 45 minutes or until a probe thermometer inserted into the thickest part of the middle reads 125 degrees.

Remove from oven and let rest for ten minutes before slicing.

Root vegetable mashed

Six medium sized Yukon gold potato cut into 1 inch pieces
Three medium peeled parsnips cut into 1 inch rounds
One pound butter (unsalted)
One quart milk
Salt and pepper

Cook potato and parsnips in boiling salted water until soft. While vegetables are cooking, heat butter and milk in small sauce pan. Drain vegetables and return to pot. pour a generous amount of butter/milk mix and salt and pepper over vegetables and mash with hand masher until almost smooth. Adjust with butter and milk until desired balance and flavor. 

Sponsors and donors in this week's show:

Fireworks
Hancock Fabrics
Napoleon Olive Oil
Builders Appliance Supply Company
The Home Stores at the Bellevue Collection
Dine Around Seattle
35th Street Bistro