Happy Holidays from Nebraska!

And what better way to celebrate being back in Omaha than with a nice piece of meat. This was my first try at Beef Wellington, a non-traditional version. Instead of the traditional mushrooms and pate, I went with gorgonzola and sauteed mushrooms. We also had twice baked potatoes, green beans and orange-glazed shallots.



The shallots were really the highlight of the meal. I found the recipe in my first issue of a new food magazine, "Everyday Food". When I showed it to my mother, she insisted we have them as an accompaniment to our Christmas dinner.

For the shallots you'll need the following:

1 pound of shallots, peeled, sliced in half, leaving the stem end intact.
1 3/4 cups water
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon olive oil
3 tablespoons brown sugar

Over medium-high, heat olive oil in a large skillet. Add the shallots and cook until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add the water, orange juice, vinegar, and sugar to the skillet. Season with salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and cook over medium heat until most of the liquid has evaporated and the shallots are tender. This should take about 45 minutes.



This is what the liquid should look like after 45 minutes of cooking, all luscious and syrupy.

I've done a bunch more cooking here in Omaha, but I've also been going out and catching up with old buddies.

Which usually entails drinking big beers like the ones Sarah, Jill and I are holding in the picture above. While this is incredibly fun, it does make me lazy during the daytime and has led to blogging procrastination.

More soon,

e