Month: December 2008

Travel27 December

South Carolina Christmas

Merry Christmas y’all. This year, S and I decided to trade hot weather for a nice wintry holiday visiting my best friend from high school, who lives in the USA. More specifically, he lives in Columbia, South Carolina. We decided to fly into Charleston (which is a two hour drive from Columbia), both because the flights to Charleston were cheaper and also because we had heard it was a gorgeous city in which we should spend a few days eating, shopping, and taking in the sights.My friend J met us in Charleston airport… wearing a short-sleeved polo shirt. The weather here, surprisingly and at first annoyingly but I will admit, now, pleasantly, has been unusually warm. T-shirt warm. Which means all of S’s and my winter fantasies of huddling in front of a fireplace sipping hot mulled cider have been replaced with knocking back chilled glasses of eggnog (Melissa’s recipe, of course) – which isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It’s just that we didn’t expect it.

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Recipes14 December

Simple savoury souffle

One of the easiest ways to impress friends, when entertaining at home, is by making a souffle. Souffles, as anyone who has made them will attest, can be a total pain in the butt. Dessert souffles especially are tricky and can lead to embarrassment and failure if not executed perfectly. Over the years, however, S and I have realized that savoury souffles are considerably easier to make, and a slightly fallen cheese souffle is fine, whereas a limp and soggy chocolate souffle is simply icky.

S’s favourite savoury souffle (to make at home, that is) is a zucchini souffle. She really likes that the mixture can pretty much be assembled ahead of time—save for the whisking of the egg whites (and, of course, the baking). I think she also likes that this dish is somewhat healthy. Well, once you get past all the egg and cheese, it is technically a vegetable course.

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