Let it snow.........

If you are living under a rock (or perhaps snowed in like us) you would have read that NYC is covered in a blanket of snow.

Here are some pics from our back door....


















..........our poor BBQ......















.......those chairs look cold......














...........thankful we don't have a car :)

Dinner at the Plaza

Nothing says New York fabulous on Christmas Day than dinner at the Oak Room at the Plaza. We had amazing view of Central Park and it was definitely time to celebrate!















Thanks to Diane we had traditional Christmas crackers to pop open, hence the ridiculous hats and confetti in my lobster and corn bisque.














Ruth and Sinclair joined us and it was truly a special day for everyone.














We enjoyed a great meal of traditional lobster bisque & bibb salad, steaks the size of our plates, gorgeous pink salmon, fresh berries with chocolate cake & cream, all washed down with australian wine - oi oi oi!















We are so thankful for all the blessings in our lives this year, we hope you enjoyed the holiday season!

Santa & his elves.........

Judging by my stocking this year, I was well and truly on the nice list with Santa!















And going by the presents under the tree, David was on the list as well!














Nothing to say, except Merry Christmas to all, may the joy of the season be yours and that there are 2 spoilt Curtises in NYC!

Christmas Eve

Friday was Christmas Eve and we celebrate by attending midnight mass.


















Ruth & Sinclair join us for the festivities, and we enjoyed some wine by the tree before braving the cold and heading out.














In true Christmas spirit we saw Santa on the way - impromptu photo shoot!

Miss Annabelle

This week we had Rachel, Ritchie and Miss Annabelle over for a late thanksgiving/early christmas get together. Miss Annabell was all frocked up in her best gear, and looked just adorable!

She was a great help in the kitchen passing me things.......


















.......before relaxing with dad with a wine in front of the tree........


















......before finishing up some work on the ipad!














Seriously, this thing is like kiddie crack, put it on the list for Santa!

Kept her entertained for hours, much to the delight of the adults :)

Oh Christmas tree...

Last weekend we got our Christmas tree........all 7 feet of it!

This is one of the best things about the holidays in the USA, the plentiful abundance of gorgeous trees for the taking.

I love love love it and our little flat just reeks of fresh pine and Christmas spirit!

Thanksgiving

Thursday we celebrated Thanksgiving at Chez Curtis!

This is not a holiday for the faint hearted or those with small tummies! Preparation started the week before and the morning of, I was up at 6 am, sorting platters, soaking cranberries, defrosting beans, re-heating soup, assembling ridiculous turkey themed decor, re-organising the oven shelves, doing some last minute cleaning, boiling rice, chilling champagne, whipping cream, chopping walnuts, and averting a potential wardrobe crisis - phew!

Finally the table was set.........and our guests arrived!














Oddly, David was the only American, so we had an "Australian American Thanksgiving" with a fusion of Aussie and American traditional family favorites.

We started off with sausage rolls & party pies along with a cheese plate, courtesy of Sonia and Ruth, cheers ladies!


















oi oi oi!














We then had a twist on a Thanksgiving staple - Pumpkin & Coconut Bisque with Shrimp.

Our main meal again was lamb, due to David's allergy to turkey, that was marinated for 2 days in garlic and rosemary, and paired with green bean casserole and potato gratin.........


















........candied yams and wild rice stuffing, as well as cranberry cream salad and fresh baby spinach salad with feta, peas and sun-dried tomatoes, thank you Sinclair!















Dessert was a combination of tim-tams and whipped cream on home made pumpkin pie (ahem!) that turned out pretty good for a first attempt, and was gobbled down before a photo could be taken!















So Happy Thanksgiving to everyone! We hope you shared it with your loved ones and expressed your gratitude for all of life's blessings, and of all the things to be thankful for.

I especially give thanks for excel, champagne and stretch pants for without which, I may have not made it through the day!