First Christmas Party in Chile

Every year for the last 6 years, David and I have thrown a massive Christmas party. Generally, we decorate the house, make a nice mix of some of our fancier dishes (including a load of cookies and cakes), and then invite everyone we know to come over and enjoy a night of eating, drinking, and conversation.

For those who know me well (which I'm guessing includes most of the people who would bother reading my blog) this party also doubles as a celebration of my birthday, which is December 17th. People probably think I am a little strange, but the present I give myself every year is this party; it gives me an excuse to make the food I love for the people I love.

Anyway, this year proved to be a little difficult. We still had some boxes lying around and I wasn't at all used to the house yet. On top of that, I found out a bit late that unlike graduate school, most people at the observatory have already left town by mid-December. So by the time I had my act together, a gigantic housewarming party was out.

Instead we decided to invite 15 or so people over to enjoy a quiet evening. I made a lavender cheesecake (which unfortunately did not come out quite right, although this did not stop it from being devoured), a chocolate torte, a load of cookies (made with the help of some friends a few days before), and an apple crumb pie. My friend Emma made fantastic chocolate covered shortbreads and my new friend, Peter, gifted me a beautiful blue bowl from Bulgaria (All are pictured above)!

Jayadev looks over the remains of the bounty

We haven't been able to find puff pastry, a staple in a few of our more fancy appetizers, so we decided to experiment with filo dough. I can already see that I am going to be an addict. I had no idea it was so easy to work with! We made fantastic artichoke & shrimp and mushroom & goat cheese stuffed filo triangles that were gone in minutes. We also made pesto and curry flavored deviled eggs (thanks Margaret!) among other things.

Our neighbors Allison, Ryan, Emma, Jayadev, Susan, Rikki, and Chris and our friends Bryan, Nicole, and Peter as well as some visitors from Australia all joined us. We had a fantastic evening and I felt fairly good about my first fiesta in Chile!

Allison finishes off her cake(s)

Bryan chats with some guests from Australia