Guess Where We Went For Christmas!!!

  I'll give you a hint.

The sun shone, the ocean sparkled and the sand was warm.  It was heaven.  There are forty little islands that make up the Turks and Caicos and we washed up on the shores of Providenciales the main island which can only be described as idyllic. I became quite expert at hopping across the sand with one foot and a pair of crutches.  While I basked in the sun my husband and the girls splashed around in the water, delighting in the beauty of it all and the finally feeling WARM.  The food was a fabulous, we rather indulgently hired a private chef for two dinners.  He was a sweetheart and a wonderful cook.  We could not have asked for a better Christmas present.

I should of course have taken more photos but I was too busy eating, it was all SO delicious.  These are the highlights. 

I think I could live on these appetizers.  Alex, our chef found some sesame crackers, added a touch of wasabi, cream cheese, smoked salmon, topped with a spinach leaf and a sprinkle of tamari sauce.  Simple, elegant and SO delicious.  I'm making these for every party I ever give. Except I'll probably eat them all before the guests arrive.

Alex pretty much came up with the menus and I loved the surprises he had up his sleeve.  I wouldn't  have thought of serving eggs and asparagus in the middle of a meal, I always think of it as decedent breakfast but it tasted wonderful as part of the feast.  The eggs came from Alex's own chickens, boiled for 4 minutes and then plunged into cold water to stop the cooking process.  The asparagus was grilled to perfection, just a slight bite, sprinkled with salt, pepper and parmesan. 

OK, hold on to your hats.  This was simply marvelous.  Lobster wrapped in bacon and baked in a little white wine.  What more can I say?

This is where the fun really started.  Flambeed pineapple in gallons of island rum. 

then served with vanilla ice cream and orange cookies:)

Great fun, great food.

We've arrived home in time to see the New Year in.  Look what's greeted us!

I can't help thinking nature is a beautiful thing.