Ah, Christmas Dinner…which I now post only at the request of two dear friends and former students of mine. They suggested that it also might be a way to cheer up the atmosphere of Lionandox.com since the last pre-election post was a bit on the darker side.

So Merry Christmas! And nothing says Christmas dinner better than a bone-in rib roast!

We will let the pictures tell the story.

I acquired this beautiful rib roast from a reputable market and the butcher graciously tied the bones back in.  Those bones are scheduled for a delicious beef broth tomorrow.

Rubbed some olive oil,  salt and pepper into it and then tied the Rosemary sprigs on top.

after twenty minutes at 450 degrees then at 250 for a couple hours it came out looking splendid.

Looks a little ‘done’ in the photo- but the roast was juicy and rare to medium-rare on the inside.

Then of course all the other preparation of the table by various unseen hands- I never quite know how this all gets done….

I was the happy recipient of several nicer bottles of wine this Christmas, and so I chose a bottle of 2014 “Decoy” Sonoma county Cabernet. Lush and fruity, rich tannins, oaky…yum! The kids drank some sparkly drink of one sort or another.

The asparagus was cooked to a perfect “al dente” texture. Still just a little crunch to the bite and very fresh tasting. It’s so easy to overcook asparagus.

And some crunchy beans with walnuts bacon and brown sugar. Delicious!

Perfection!

Whoops,I forgot to mention the scalloped potatoes! I don’t know how Stephanie manages to make that sauce- but it was creamy and cheesy and the potatoes were cooked just right.

And these lovely home made buttery rolls.

After dinner we dug into a box of Enstrom Almond Toffee which my father sends every year just in time. It is now a Langley family tradition. Goes wonderfully with tea and coffee.

Merry Christmas!