If you're thinking potatoes...Baby Reds with Lemon Parsley Butter? Asparagus is in season and on sale. Roasted baby spring carrots if you can get them. Think color!

Here's the way I made mine one New Year's Eve: For two Wellingtons: 1/3 lb mushrooms (150 grams) cleaned and chopped very finely scant 1/4 cup minced onion or shallots 2 TBS sherry 2 TBS butter 2 TBS finely chopped parsley 2 TBS fine herb paté ( or other good quality liver paté ) salt and fresh ground pepper puff pastry - fresh or frozen - 1 large or 2 small sheets 2 filet mignon few drops oil 1 egg well beaten 1). Sauté first 5 ingredients with some salt & pepper in pan until all moisture is absorbed and it resembles a paste. Take off stove and blend with paté, mixing well. 2). Sear filets in hot pan in oil a minute on each side to seal. Let cool a minute or two. (This is optional - leave out if you like the meat quite rare.) 3) Spread paté/mushroom Duxelle mixture on topside of each filet. 4). Divide puff pastry in two and roll out until you have a round or oval shape large enough to cover top and sides of each filet. Cover each filet with pastry and tuck edges well under until nearly meeting on bottomside. Use extra pastry bits to form leaves or pastry decorative designs for top. Brush pastry with beaten egg and press designs onto top, also brushing them with egg. 5) Bake in preheated oven 375 F for about 15 - 20 minutes or until golden. Note: I definitely wouldn't pre-cook them in a pan for those who like them rare. SharonCb

this is the recipe i've used several times, from the epicurious.com site--the only thing i did differently was to serve it with bernaise sauce. we consider it to be a really wonderful and special meal. enjoy! FILLET OF BEEF WELLINGTON Some say it was his favorite meal, and others claim it resembled the boots that he wore. Whatever the case may be, the Duke of Wellington has a grand dish named after him, which became the entertaining extravaganza of the 1960s. a 3 1/2-pound fillet of beef tied with thin sheets of larding fat at room temperature 3/4 pound mushrooms, chopped fine 2 1/2 tablespoons unsalted butter 1/2 pound pé de foie gras (available at specialty foods shops) at room temperature 1 pound puff paste (page 196) or thawed frozen puff pastry plus additional for garnish if desired 1 large egg white beaten an egg wash made by beating 1 large egg yolk with 1 teaspoon of water 1/2 cup Sercial Madeira 2 teaspoons arrowroot dissolved in 1 teaspoon cold water 1/2 cup beef broth 2 tablespoons finely chopped black truffles (available at specialty food shops) if desired watercress for garnish if desired In a roasting pan roast the beef in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until the thermometer registers 120°F. Let the fillet cool completely and discard the larding fat and the strings. Skim the fat from the pan juices and reserve the pan juices. In a heavy skillet cook the mushrooms in the butter over moderately low heat, stirring, until all the liquid they give off is evaporated and the mixture is dry, season them with salt and pepper, and let them cool completely. Spread the fillet evenly with the pâté de foie gras, covering the top and sides, and spread the mushrooms evenly over the pâté de foie gras. On a floured surface roll 1 pound of the puff paste into a rectangle about 20- by 12- inches, or large enough to enclose the fillet completely, invert the coated fillet carefully under the middle of the dough, and fold up the long sides of the dough to enclose the fillet brushing the edges of the dough with some of the egg white to seal them. Fold ends of the dough over the fillet and seal them with the remaining egg white. Transfer the fillet, seam side down to a jelly-roll pan or shallow roasting pan and brush the dough with some of the egg wash. Roll out the additional dough and cut the shapes with decorative cutters. Arrange the cutouts on the dough decoratively, brush them with the remaining egg wash, and chill the fillet for at least 1 hour and up to 2 hours. Bake the fillet in the middle of a preheated 400°F oven for 30 minutes, reduce the heat to 350°, and bake the fillet for 5 to 10 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer registers 130°F. for medium-rare meat and the pastry is cooked through. Let the fillet stand for 15 minutes. In a saucepan boil the reserved pan juices and the Madeira until the mixture is reduced by one fourth. Add the arrowroot mixture, the broth, the truffles, and salt and pepper to taste and cook the sauce over moderate heat, stirring, being careful not to let it boil, for 5 minutes, or until it is thickened. Loosen the fillet from the jelly-roll pan, transfer it with two spatulas to a heated platter, and garnish it with watercress. Serve the fillet, cut into 3/4-inch-thick slices, with the sauce. Serves 8. Gourmet January 1991

lol at suzieque licking the plate, too funny. I'd have the dessert brought first every single meal. I want to do an Alaskan cruise, hopefully someday I will. Love all your pics Glenda, so happy for you and your family.