On December 7th we celebrated our fourth Christmas Party at Anne's home, which has become a much anticipated tradition each year. The ambiance was an experience we wish for all this Christmas Season. What a lovely time.
We enjoyed a variety of cheeses from our new Wegmans which were the hit of the evening as all were delicious and interesting.
For our International Cheese Board, we selected:
Wensley Date with Cranberries
BB Stilton Date and Orange
Le Marechal
Emi Cave aged Gruyere
Emi Winzer Kase
Sticky Toffee Cheese from England
Cypress Grove Chevre with Purple Haze (this is a very soft cheese with herbs)
We also had Baked Brie dressed with Blackberry Jam and fresh Blackberries.
Another hit was a cream cheese topped with a recipe I would love to have.
From the dinning room we enjoyed sliced Chateaubriand. a side of Horseradish sauce~ A beautiful Ham and assortment of mustards~which both were the centerpieces of the evening. There were baskets of Costco Rolls which were sliced for finger sandwiches. A dish of veggies plus a chafing dish of meatballs. We tried the Wegmans Fruit Cake which we wouldn't recommend, however, the Costco Tray of Cookies were DELICIOUS.
Dirty Santa was a hoot!
Tom Hawkins was MC and a good time was had by all. 
Actually the gifts were pretty darn good this year, which kept the fun going. Many wanted the "Hand Clapper" ...don't remember where it ended up.
There was a ceramic pot that Mike kept trying to give away ...but no takers.. have a feeling it's going to turn up somewhere as a "prize." Maybe for the worst chili of the evening for our Chilli Tasting Evening in Feburary.
HERE IT IS...Recipe for Chateaubriand
3-4 lb. beef (eye of round is good)
We used beef tenderloin, however, the eye of round slices better)
Meat tenderizer
Seasoned Salt
Sprinkle meat generously with seasoned salt and tenderizer. Wrap in Saran Wrap and refridgerate overnight. The next day, bring to room temperature. Place in a roasting pan and bake at 325 degrees 25 minutes per pound. Baste often with the following sauce.
SAUCE:
1/4 c. water ```````````````2 (3 oz) cans mushrooms in butter
3/4 c. beef consomme` ````1/4 c. parsley and chives, minces
1/2 c. Dry Vermouth ``````3 tsp. lemon juice
4 oz. butter
Add all together in saucepan and bring to simmer for 10 minutes to blend flavors and use to baste often~
The recipe came from an Air Force Wife ~ and I've been recieving raves for 34 years with this one. ENJOY !
A little business meeting was held and our year was filled with each month being requested, reserving October for the Traditional Halloween Party, leaving space for the other two couples who were not able to attend.
What a lovely, lovely, lively, warm and wonderful group of friends we are to each other.
