So in two and a half hours, friends are descending to decorate these trains with us. I normally bake them the day before so they have the proper amount of time to cool, but that was impossible yesterday. Yesterday was dedicated to other stuff. The morning was all the grocery shopping necessary for the next week. Then, in the afternoon, we went and saw The Reduced Shakespeare Company's production of The Ultimate Christmas Show. RSC is a staple in my house. Craig and I first saw them (the original trio) in London with their Shakespeare show. When we moved to California, we discovered the guys had roots in the Bay Area. They perform often in the Napa Valley (we've seen them twice up there), and their Christmas show is now a regular feature at a different nearby theatre. We originally saw the Christmas show in Napa when they were first workshopping it, but yesterday's performance was at least 50% different material. So funny. If you're not familiar with the company's work, I highly suggest finding a way to watch The Complete Works of William Shakespeare (Abridged) to start with. It's available on DVD, but can also find it on YouTube.
After the show, we had dinner at a highly regarded, local fondue restaurant that we went to once a couple years ago for a birthday party. Craig and I didn't really get to enjoy it then, so we decided to go full out this time. The four of us got the four-course feast, which means a salad, then two cheese fondues (we got whiskey cheddar w/bacon and chive, and italian fontina), then your entree portion. For the entree, you choose two cooking methods the table shares, then three meats apiece (which are refillable if you want). We went a little mad on the various meat options, and chose grilling and the traditional oil. Oh. My. God. Soooooo good. Then two chocolate fondues with fruit and other options. We got dark chocolate raspberry and dark chocolate with coconut.
We didn't get home until almost 11, and after all that food and two amazing cocktails, I was in no mood to bake. That's why I had to get up early to get it done today.
Since I probably won't be online again until late on the 25th, I just want to say Happy Holidays to everybody. I'm so glad I came back to LJ. Having you guys back in my life has been a godsend.
