Friends, Food, Wine and Holidays

One of my favorite things about the holidays is getting together with my friends. Some of my best friends are scattered across the country and I only get to see them around the holidays, so we always make sure to get together with delicious food and of course, wine. Last night we had an impromptu dinner at my best friend's house. She was already making lemon chicken and rice, so I grabbed every vegetable in my refrigerator and brought them over to cook. I sauteed zucchini, squash, broccoli and mushrooms with a little olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin and fresh lemon juice. Extremely simple, but just goes to show that you can make a quick and healthy meal if you keep a few staples around your house. It was a great night with some of my best friends and the great men in our lives.

Our delicious meal served on antique plates.

Cheers to fabulous friends!

I'm excited to keep the fun going tonight as well. We always have a mom and daughter dinner when everyone is home around the holidays. It's pretty special that we're all able to get together each year and most importantly, that we all enjoy being around one another after all these years. Each holiday I'm reminded that I have some amazing friends and moms in my life.

A holiday get-together with some of my favorites 6 years ago.

Tonight I'll be bringing a bottle of wine (no entry without it) and sweet potato fries. The sweet potato fries are very easy. I actually use yams because they're orange like you see in restaurants, while sweet potatoes are white. Who knew? Peel the yams and cut them into fries. Mix the yams with olive oil, salt, pepper, a dash of cinnamon, minced garlic and fresh rosemary. Bake them at 450 degrees for 18-20 minutes. Broil them on high until they are golden brown and slightly crispy. They're delicious and...healthy!

The beginnings of "sweet potato" fries.