Christmas Day back in Anchorage

Cold, cold, cold!  We had hoped to ski at XYZ Lakes going out of Talkeetna on the way home today, but it was 16 below zero when we got up, and 15 below when we left about 11 am.  We were led to believe (weather.com) that it was going to be ski-able when we got home, but instead, we drove through 25 degrees below, 30 degrees below, all of the way up to 0 - and it never got any higher!  So we dumped the skiing plans and moved on to wine and appetizers once we got unpacked -- and opening our Christmas presents, which we left til we got home today!  After planning the food for our few days at the cabin, I forgot to plan for Christmas, but I had a baguette and made some bruschetta and others with pesto -- we were almost done when I thought to take the picture!

We got a start on the second season of Downton Abbey, but we've got to go back for the rest of Season 2 tomorrow -- I hope WWI comes to an end!  We kind of resigned ourselves to staying in for the day -- I forgot to mention the skiing yesterday - we went up to our friends, Laura and Klaus in Trapper Creek, about 28 miles from Talkeetna - and it was warmer there but still never up to 0 the whole time that we skied -- a beautiful trail through the woods on our back country skis.  But . . . when we got back, Brian had locked our keys in the car.  An hour later, with darkness descending and the temperature dropping WAY down further, we were finally in and on our way back to Talkeetna, but I think that it took overnight for me to warm up again.  If you look in the background of our picture, taken by Laura and Klaus, Denali was in perfect form!

Klaus and Laura with "Elfie" on the trail.

Our potluck dinner at The Roadhouse was a short walk for us when we got back and cleaned up, and we brought a great new recipe - Risotto with Saffron and Butternut Squash.  We met a couple who had retired 5 years ago and bought a cabin off the grid - it was fun talking to them about the life they've created up here in retirement.

Back home today, we made our food courses as we went along and got hungry -- halibut baked in parchment paper with pesto, tomato and shredded zucchini!

Very yummy!  I'd planned a big dessert finish - Roasted stove-top pears with a dulce leche sauce -- but I forgot that I needed molasses so we opted for Christmas cookies and a little red wine to finish off the day.  Tomorrow we HAVE to ski - hoping the temperature comes up, but we can manage zero degrees if it's not two days in a row!  Jessica arrives on Friday!  We got very thoughtful and well-appreciated gifts from all of our family.  Merry Christmas to everyone and best wishes for the new year!