The Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ

Tristan's New Year's Dinner

Roast Pork Loin with salt, pepper, sage, carroway, anise, and Jaegermeister

German Potato Salad with Fingerling Potato Medley, celrey, onion, bavarian bacon (sauteed,) egg, vinegar, sugar, terragon, Duesseldorf style mustard, salt, pepper, and dill

Pan Seared Green Beans with red bell pepper, sun dried tomato, sliced almonds, crushed red pepper, and parsley

Red and White Sauerkraut mixed with brown sugar sauce

 

Brut Curvee Champaign

Paulaner Salvator

 

Chocolate Mousse, grated milk and dark chocolate,egg, whipped cream, expresso, Captain Morgan Select Rum, and sugar, dimpled and served with assorted liquers (Bailey's, Chambourd, Kahlua, Ettaler,and Cask and Cream Carmel.)  Accompanied by expresso. 

The parties are over and a beautiful blanket of snow covers the ground.  I arose early, cleaned off the sidewalks around the house and to the root cellar, and headed to the barn.  Cleaning stalls is never really that much work, but the chicken house is another matter.  It is always better when it is cold, and today was the day.  Hopefully the girls appreciate it.  After putting out food for the deer and wild birds, and making some mid-winter adjustments in the greenhouse, we cleaned up and went to see "The Hobbit" at our local cinema.  As a Tolkien fan from way back (I think 1967 was my first time through the trilogy,) I was very disapointed.  The plot dragged, the characterizations were forced, and there were way too many computer generated cartooney graphics.  Last night was another story.  We watched "Der Untergang," a telling of Hitler's last days in the bunker from the perspective of staffers inside fortress Berlin.  It was a powerful film which illustrated the evil nature of Nazi belief and practice and the depths to which human nature can fall, and at the same time preserved the essential humanity of the German people involved.  This was not a wooden story about straw men as American films about WWII often are, but a deeply realistic portrayl of how real people find themselves in difficult times, sometimes of their own making, and sometimes far beyond anything they imagined would happen.  I understand this 2005 film was the first time a German actor had played Hitler.  In any event, I reccomend the film highly.  This afternoon, I started (for about the fourth time) the basic Rosetta Stone course in French.  Hopefully it will be better this year.  I've tried the beautiful French language on several occasions since High School, and have always ended in failure.  Perhaps this time will be different!  Tristan's work on German has inspired me to try again.  I will close because it is almost dinner time.  Traditional pork and kraut with the trimmings.  A family like ours with so many Huffmans and Landerfeldts hiding in the wainscotting has no choice but to enjoy German Cuisine at the New Year.  What a way to spend the Feast of the Circumcision of Our Lord Jesus Christ.  I am ever so thankful that the Second Person of the Trinity decided to identify with us in history and flesh.  We are blessed indeed!  Frohes Silvester!