Posted by Nicole
Being home has been such a treat! Recap time…
Sunday Night
I finally met up with my best friends for a productive night of Christmas shopping and a bit of partying. We went to Santana Row (best outdoor mall ever) and then Valley Fair. Spent way too much money…
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After the shopping frenzy, we relaxed with a bottle of champagne. Cassie’s pup got a little too wild…
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So good to be reunited with these two.
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We decided to brave the Sunday night bar scene in Los Gatos. There wasn’t much going on, but it was fun to spent time with some high school friends.
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Christmas Eve Eve
I woke up early on Monday to finish laundry and pack up for our annual San Francisco trip. Lauren flew into the SF airport (from Denver) around noon and my mom and I conveniently picked her up on the way. The city weather was beautiful — not a cloud in the sky!
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We checked in at the Palace Hotel, dropped off our bags, and started our shopping adventure.
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We paused shopping for an early dinner with our aunt Cori, uncle Peter, and cousins Collin and Morgan. Lauren conveniently got us a last minute reservation at Bluestem Brasserie.
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We started with a few appetizers – baked brie en croute (candied chestnut, mulled wine poached pear, rosemary honey crackers) & grilled flatbread (pear butter, blue cheese, lardo, pomegranate).
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My mom ordered the cheese board and we all dug in ;)
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Taking pictures was difficult in the dim light, but I managed to snap a few photos of our delicious main courses. For our mom – arugula & red mustard greens salad (compressed apples, roasted grape vinaigrette, pepato cheese, spiced walnuts).
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For our aunt – a blurry shaved brussels sprouts salad (pork belly ‘croutons,’ almonds, spiced pumpkin dots, pomegranate, squash frizzles, mustard vinaigrette).
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For me – stuffed spiced kabocha squash (apple, fennel, root vegetables, housemade paneer, ginger glazed dino kale, pecans, pomegranate). I loved this! So filling and the dressing on the kale was awesome.
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For Lauren – seared scallops & lobster ravioli (seared day boat scallops, vanilla-scented lobster ravioli, mussels, grapefruit fondue, almond, root vegetables). She thought the grapefruit was kind of odd, but the dish was good otherwise.
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The cousins! It’s always fun when we get together.
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We opened gifts while eating two decadent desserts. Choco Banana (caramelized banana ice cream profiteroles, dark chocolate caramel sauce, spiced cinnamon creme, salted walnut praline) – this was soooo good. I’m a sucker for banana ice cream.
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And the Honolulu Hangover (chocolate rum layer cake, toasted coconut, marshmallow meringue) – the coconut frosting was so good. Ordering dessert was a smart idea!
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After dinner, we stopped by a few more stores before getting our free drinks from the hotel bar. Irish coffee, kahlua coffee (which I willingly gifted to my mom… bleh), and a glass of red wine. Ladies night with my two favorites is always fun.
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We spent the rest of the night watching TV and hit the hay relatively early.
Christmas Eve
We woke up, packed, got a much needed cup of coffee, and sought out breakfast. We eventually settled on Bread and Cocoa. My mom and I both got the Haight Sandwich, Lauren got the frittata, and we got a bowl of oatmeal to share. I almost forgot how much I love breakfast sandwiches… but my memory is definitely refreshed now.
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The next couple of hours = swiftly moving between groups of people and hurriedly picking up last-minute gifts.
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We left with quite the haul of gifts.
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We got back to San Jose just in time for our early Christmas Eve dinner.
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David and Sam were nice enough to prepare diner while we finished up our official shopping business in the city. Roasted sweet potatoes, oyster soup, stuffed portobello mushrooms, tri-tip, and a spinach & beet salad. Those guys sure can whip up a good meal!
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Such a lovely dinner!
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After dinner and [first] dessert, we opened up gifts. Lauren and I got fisheye lens caps for our iPhones and had lots of fun taking pictures with them.
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As always, we were far too spoiled and very thankful for our gifts. A bit later, we changed into comfy PJs and headed out for a neighborhood walk.
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Only a few houses stepped up their Christmas light game. We were lucky to see a few good ones!
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We hope your Christmas Eve was great and your Christmas is relaxing and fun as well!
- Nicole