Place: Centreville, VA 26/45
Main activity: Wed - Christmas, cooking
Notes: Woke early again, chatted w/ Jo over Signal first thing until she went to bed. Had coffee, Michelle went out for couple hrs to celebrate with Grant - while I went thru room stuff, organized and prepped a bit for packing. She returned ~1045a, we shortly got going on the cooking. Prepped the standing rib roast, thawing the scallops (got from Julie's freezer first thing). I cleaned and cut potatoes and started roasting. She cleaned the green beans and set aside for later steaming. I put the beef in then and made the cream sauce (just threw it together w/ cream, coco cream, butter, shallots, EVOO - thickened a little at the end w/ tapioca starch, came out good!). Michelle steamed the spinach lightly and we mixed the cream spinach and set aside. I made the big batch of remaining oyster mushrooms at the end while cooking the scallops - green beans took the longest and finished last. I cut the beef, was still pretty rare so we put slices in the new toaster oven for a bit. Her friend Sarah arrived early - before 130p I think. We ate a little after 2p when everything was ready - all turned out pretty well. Sarah brought NA red wine, Fre brand, was quite good. We cleaned up a bit and then had some pumpkin pie. Played a little Skyjo, I did a couple rounds and then stepped away to my room and called Al at the assisted living in Spring Hill, FL - he actually answered this time and was all choked up that I called (someone had fixed his phone so he hears it now) - his roommate was also removed so he's doing well mentally and feeling good. Was great to talk to him for a bit. Stayed in my room a bit more, 2 football games on Netflix today (a first), KC beat Pitt in the first one. Sarah left then and we had some ice cream, watched Home Alone 2!