Our Lady of Cusco

We finally got our painting from Peru framed. The lady we bought it from said it was the Madonna of Cusco, the city in which we were staying & the gateway to the Sacred Valley of the Incas. Love the frame. Kudos to Arrowhead Framing on Guadalupe. We are hanging it in the living room above the couch. Looks like we live in a cathedral!

Braaaains!

Yellow cauliflower from Johnson's Backyard. Beautiful color and really good steamed with butter.

Gang of Six Dinner

My girlfriends and I have been having annual dinners since we were in high school. This year we met at Hotel Icon in Houston and had an 8 course meal (complete with wine pairings) in the hotel's wine vault. Swanky! I was most impressed with the meal, and the wine pairings were excellent. Thanks for setting this up Tosh!

Mushroom Soup "Cappucino", crimini mushroom, truffle foam, porcini powder
Rotari Brut Prosecco - Piedmont, Italy

A Patchwork of Baby Beets, cheesy girl "buff", prosciutto, micro arugula, beet caramel
Radog dry Gewurztraminer - Monterrey County, CA

Tartare of Yellowfin Tuna, cilantro puree, chili oil, sesame powder
Hopler Gruner Veltliner - Burgenland, Austria

Potato Gnocchi, chanterelles, brussels sprouts, prosciutto
Batasiolo Gavi - Piedmont, Italy
(forgot to take a pic of this one)

Black Sea Bass, cauliflower puree, fennel, orange
Louis Jadot Pouilly-Fuisse - Burgundy, France

Honey Laquered Duck Breast, pear mostarda, orange braised salsify, black pepper gastrique
Artazuri Garnacha - Navarra, Spain

Organic Suckling Pig, napa cabbage, butternut squash, apple cider sauce
Felino Cabernet Sauvignon - Mendoza, Argentina

White Chocolate Panna Cotta, espresso ice cream
Chateau La Rame Sainte Croix Du Mont - Bordeaux, France

More of Mic's Dream Destinations

Jimi and I spent another evening sitting in our guest room staring at the wall, which prompted me to do a google search for the most beautiful places in the world. I found this nifty site and have now come up with another list of places I'd like to see.

In random order...

Ha Long Bay, Quảng Ninh province, Vietnam

Petra, Jordan

Gocta Falls, Peru

The Temples of Bagan, Myanmar

Guilin Karst, Guangxi, China

Travertine Pools, Huanglong, Sichuan, China

Wulingyuan, Hunan, China

Meteora Monasteries, Greece

Mont Saint-Michel, Normandy, France

Plitvice, Croatia

Djemaa el Fna market, Marrakesh, Morocco

Lauterbrunnen, Switzerland

Roast Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Port Sauce & Sweet Potatoes with Fried Sage

I still have a craving for cranberry sauce even though the holidays are over. Found this recipe on Epicurious. The port tenderloin was pretty tasty, but the sweet potatoes were the bomb! The fried sage makes it. Have to watch the cooking time on the potatoes, since they tend to burn on the bottom.

Recipes:
Roast Pork Tenderloin with Cranberry Port Sauce
Roasted Sweet Potato Rounds with Garlic Oil and Fried Sage

Jimi's Dream Destinations

Angkor Wat

Stonehenge & Scotland


Egypt

Easter Island

Galapagos Islands

Greece

And Michelle's sneaking in a vote for King Kong Island, otherwise known as the Marquesas (home and final resting place of Paul Gauguin).