The internet is already abuzz with (2009) best of lists and holiday gift guides. April and I decided to throw our giftie picks into the mix…

HANNAH’S PICKS

Sarah Utter’s Only Love Can Break Your Heart. Wonderfully typographic, and so true.
Via Jen Bekman
$15

On a recent trip to New People, I discovered the perfect stocking stuffer: MT Japanese masking tape. Get one for yourself so that all of your packages will be uniquely wrapped.
On Etsy
Set of 5 for $18

The Sartorialist (Penguin) by Scott Schuman (also known as the love interest of French blogger Garance Doré). The inspiration to put your fashion maven hat on everyday.
$25

Just genius. Deadwood, the Complete Series. Ian McShane slays me, seriously.
$97.49

Very cute retro-patterned glasses from IKEA.
$5.99 for a pack of 6

Turquoise Chopper Headphones at Urban Outfitters. Making listening to tunes at work fun.
$70

Über lovely Eames Rocking Chair to dress up the old abode.
$475.00

APRIL’S PICKS

Dusty Groove: I have never been to this store, only bought from their site, but they have some seriously great music. I have never regretted anything that I bought from them. I’m sending gift certificates to far-flung friends who I am not sure of what they already have in their collection.

Some picks:

Funk Soul Sisters: this collection of some awesome ladies layin’ down seriously funky tracks. Have you ever heard Spanky Wilson’s version of “Sunshine of Your Love”? Get this just for that alone.

A Certain Ratio: Funk meets Punk in Manchester, England. You may recognize their excellent cover of “Shack Up.”

Magazine Subscriptions
I love to read magazines and what is better than a gift that arrives fresh and new each month?

Bust: my kind of feminism: strong, crafty, girlie, smart, creative, and sexy.

Harper’s: a great way to learn about our world no matter if you have 10 minutes or an hour to read.

Jewelry

Ever walk through a mall and stop to look in the jewelry store window and wonder, “Who wears that stuff?” If you like unusual, artisan jewelry, try Robert Redford’s Sundance catalog. Well-made, unique pieces.

My pick for my mom who loves Southwest style:
Expansive Turquoise Ring

For my Lady Friends

Holly GoNightly Sleep Mask: Just like Audrey Hepburn!

Pacifica candles, soaps and perfumes
These natural scents are captivating and pleasant without all the chemicals in commercial products.

For Paul, my super-cool, super-geek friend:
Star Trek Enterprise Bottle Opener

What I Asked for…
I am a big Edward Gorey fan, so I wanted this lithograph from his Gashlycrumb Tinies from the Signal catalog.

Cheers!

Hannah + April
(Entertainment Marketing Manager & Entertainment Publicist)

We’re pleased to bring you four great new mobile applications for our bestselling (and relaxing) series from Darrin Zeer, produced by our partner Kardeo. Introduce some relaxing rituals into your busy schedule with Everyday Calm. Tap into stress-relieving stretches perfect for the cube environment with Office Yoga. Treat yourself to an invigorating herbal tea steam or try some foot reflexology under your desk with Office Spa. And ease the aches, ease the pains, and ease on down the road with Travel Yoga.

The Missed Connections illustrated blog by Sophie Blackall is finding lots of followers. In fact, there’s even a short video about the blog made by Babelgum. Blackall reads Craigslist’s Missed Connections and posts her pictorial vision of these fleeting moments along with the text from the ads themselves. They can be sweet, funny, and at times just plain strange. Her illustration style, with its delicate lines, soft colors, and editorial quietness, lends itself beautifully to this project, and usually adds intrigue and mystery to the described scenario—often one of impossible romance.

Maira Kalman’s blog for The New York Times, called And the Pursuit of Happiness, is based on moments from her own life. She visually narrates her adventures, quotidian moments, and grand realizations. These monthly posts are often funny, peculiar, personal, and inspiring, not unlike her illustrated book, The Principles of Uncertainty.

My new favorite blog, Letters of Note, features actual found letters, postcards, telegrams, faxes, and memos impeccably curated by Shaun Usher. These correspondences are selected because of their fascinating content and history, not for celebrities and gossip. There are letters from soldiers that reveal amazing stories (I’ve been brought to tears). A letter to Jesse Owens from the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People pleads with him not to participate in the 1936 Olympic Games. It’s amazing to get different accounts of history in this firsthand sort of way. It’s also enthralling from a design perspective to see these artifacts uncropped and legible (a transcript also follows each one).

Last week we wrote about how Anthropologie catalogs feature a rich level of storytelling with their design, through photography and playful layouts. It’s not unusual to experience a larger story reading a collection of separate posts on curated, single-author, or theme blogs, whether it’s intentional or not. And if fashion catalogs can tell stories, most certainly illustration (and found-material) blogs can, too.

Suzanne M. LaGasa
Designer

A colleague and I took a little field trip for the last hour of our day last Friday to catch the Avedon show at the SFMOMA before it goes away at the end of this month. What can I say? It’s divine. The whole show is really fantastic—HUGE prints of fascinating faces, including many very famous folks. But by far my favorite room was the very first one you walk into at the beginning of the show, which features a great selection of his early fashion work. You walk into the room and you’re facing a print—taller than you are—of the iconic image “Dovima with the Elephants.”

All images by Richard Avedon on view at SFMOMA

Now, as it happens, a poster of this image hung in the dining room of my childhood home the whole time I was growing up. So to see it in person, gigantic and glowing in that way really sumptuous black and white prints do, was such a treat—one of those images that’s seared into your brain and then you get a chance to see it in a whole new way—the comfort of the deeply familiar combined with the shock of the new. Terrific.

There were a ton of other great fashion images in that room as well—ones of Twiggy and Jean Shrimpton and a lot of other amazing 50s and 60s models. Here are a few that were my faves:

But maybe my most favorite of all was this one:

The print was teeny tiny compared to all the other huge prints—maybe 8 inches square. I just love this image of Avedon and Twiggy dancing together! It shows so well his gift for capturing motion, and it makes a shooting process that’s generally regarded as tedious look like so much fun!

And if this post has whetted your appetite for great black and white fashion photography, you might try this:

Or this:

And coming next year we’ll have a new edition of legendary fashion maven Diana Vreeland’s classic compilation of fashion and fashion-inspiring shots, Allure, with a brand new foreword by none other than Marc Jacobs himself! I am beyond excited.

Bridget Watson Payne
Associate Editor, Art + Design

I sit down to read
And turn the first page,
Expecting to watch
One plot take the stage:

One princess, one moon,
One tin man, one train—
But wait—change that tune!
It’s one giant chain

Of riddles and hooks
About picture books!

A riddle book—about books? Yep, that’s right! In our recently released picture book Spot the Plot, thirteen witty and wacky poems challenge readers to “Name That Book.” With a glass slipper here and a spiderweb there, Lynn Munsinger’s sweet illustrations lead young readers to the solutions. From Goodnight Moon to Madeline, children and parents alike will smile when they recognize their favorite stories.

Can you spot the plot? Guess the popular children’s books from the three riddles below, and post your answers in the comments for the chance to win a $25 Chronicle Kids Picture Book Collection! We’ll choose two winners at random from everyone who correctly guesses all of the riddles in the blog post by November 30, 2009 5:00pm PDT. Happy sleuthing!

1)
Being brave
is all about
getting your appendix out!

Ambulance comes
and takes away
lucky me
from school one day.

But it turns my classmates blue –
they want an
appendix, too!

Paris, France,
is where I shine.
fill me in – I’m
_____________!

2)
A magical telling,
a pig for the selling,
a spider is spelling
out words that amaze.

Do you know this spider,
this spiderweb writer?
The pig will delight her
the rest of her days.

3)
Dear Friends,

A worldwide hike is what I took
And fell into this picture book
of many mini shots of me,
though I am very hard to see.

Lara Starr
Marketing Manager, Children’s

This post was written by Jimmy Contreras, who recently worked with Chronicle author Kayte Terry on a workshop in Philadelphia to launch her new book, Appliqué Your Way.

My name is Jimmy Contreras and I recently opened my very first store: a home, gift and baby boutique in the gentrifying Italian neighborhood of South Philadelphia – or as we like to say, “Souff Philly.” My store is on East Passyunk Avenue. It’s like a small town’s Main Street, lined with mom-and-pop shops — butchers, bakers and tailors – and dotted with two small piazzas. If you’ve seen any of the dozen or so “Rocky” movies, you’ll instantly recognize South Philly. I’m also only a few blocks from Pat’s and Geno’s, famous for their cheese steak rivalry. (Geno’s is my favorite, btw – ordered “whiz whit.”)

I met Kayte Terry on a hot summer day. It was June or July, not long after I opened JimmyStyle. This is a neighborhood being revitalized, and at first glance, she looked like a typical South Philly hipster with her funky glasses, vintage outfit and graphic designer husband. (She has this sense of style that’s hard to describe but instantly recognizable.)

She told me she worked for Anthro (as Anthropologie, which is HQ’d here). At that point, she had just moved to Philly from New York. She was trying to get to know the neighborhood. I ask everyone where they’re from – that’s my thing, I ask everyone. She told me about being a freelance stylist and window designer, and so we started talking about things I wanted to carry in the store. I needed books. And, get this: Kayte had a book coming out with Chronicle in a few months. I couldn’t believe it! It was fate.

Fast forward a few months, and I’m at the New York International Gift Fair. Chronicle had a huge booth there, filled to the brim with books and anything/everything Moleskine. I asked about Kayte and the rep pulled out an advance copy of her book. It was beautiful. I was on the phone the next day with Kayte. I wanted her to do something, anything, at JimmyStyle!

At JimmyStyle, we have an artist-of-the-month series. My only mandate is they have to be local – you can paint with mud, but it better be from the park at 13th and Wharton.

I thought: let’s introduce Kayte to Philadelphia. It just seemed like the neighborly thing to do!

We ultimately did two events with Kayte: a Wednesday evening press reception and a hands-on workshop on Saturday, Nov. 7. As luck would have it, our press event ended up falling on the same night as Phillies’ World Series Game – and during a mass-transit strike by SEPTA, which crippled the city. But we had a solid turnout and great coverage! (Check out PhillyChitChat.com for some more photos. ) We had a dozen media outlets represented, including “Philadelphia” magazine, which is photographing Kayte’s craft room for their Web site! Our friends at Paradiso Restaurant did the food for the press event, and Pure Design gave us a beautiful centerpiece inspired by Kayte’s work.

To get ready for the events, Kayte did a display in my bright-pink storefront window. I have this old fireplace mantle painted white, and she did a little living room vignette with paisley, quilted “fish” trophies and fabric logs and flames in the fireplace. She also made these streamers from scraps of fabric that have been all the rage on the Avenue. Our friend Marnie Hall, who hosts The Gossip on Philly.com, came by to interview Kayte while she was working. It was Marnie who coined the phrase “Philadelphia’s Martha Stewart.”

Kayte’s mom, Patty, came in from Connecticut to help with the workshop on Saturday. Patty made these adorable little kits with all of the materials to make three of the projects in Kayte’s book: woodland felt ornaments. It was a craft she and Kayte made years ago, when Kayte was a kid, so it was awesome to have Patty here to demonstrate it!

I loved Patty’s tights. The number one thing I loved was her cool, fashionable tights. She looked like she was ready for a photo shoot. I saw where Kayte – sorry, Katherine – gets it from. Her mom.

We had a great turnout. We’re a small store and it was our first hands-on workshop, so we capped it at 12 people – well, 13 if you count me. I totally got my craft on.

The kits (and the book) are still available at JimmyStyle, 1820 East Passyunk Avenue, while supplies last. They make great holiday gifts for the crafters on your list.

-Jimmy

Kayte Terry will be doing two events in San Francisco this weekend, click here for more info.

Two weeks ago my first book, I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas officially launched. It all started off in San Francisco at Parc 55 at a party hosted by my dear friend Zem Joaquin (who wrote the foreword to the book) and Ecofabulous. The event was well attended.

Zem Joaquin, Ecofabulous and myself. Photo courtesy of Heather Wiley for Drew Altizer Photography

This week Rachel Sarnoff and Ecostiletto with Ecobash Events put together the LA launch at Environment Furniture (my favorite sustainable furniture company). The Border Grill truck provided food and Christmas music played in the background.

Amy Smart, Rachel Sarnoff and myself. Photo © 2009 Sarah Strack

In between, I have signed books for women in Orange County, Teens Turning Green in Marin County, have done TV interviews and segments (for the internet too) and have been Facebooking and Tweeting like it’s going out of style. Not to mention there have been months of phone interviews leading up till now. It’s all been a blur. Next week I start the radio interviews that will be airing across the country… And now I am ramping up for the release of my upcoming organic cookbook in April, Anna Getty’s Easy Green Organic.

In I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas, I talk about getting out of the frenzy, getting back to basics if you will. Today as I took a lovely Fall walk in the Descanso Gardens and watched my daughter running between the trees I was reminded how much I love reconnecting with nature and simplicity. My friend and I strolled with our babies in baby carriers peering out at the falling leaves. I had a lot of gratitude. So I remind you again, yes be green this holiday season, make small sustainable changes but also see if you can slow down, take a walk in the great outdoors and connect with gratitude.

Over the next few weeks I will focus on a few of the key green tips in the book around decorations, entertaining and gift giving. So check back for more!

Have a Happy Sustainable Season!

Anna Getty, author of I’m Dreaming of a Green Christmas

Chronicle is thrilled to sponsor Baby Loves Disco—an afternoon dance party featuring real music spun and mixed by real djs at real dance clubs blending classic disco tunes From the 70s, & 80s. The fun spills out from all corners of the club: bubble machines, baskets of scarves and egg-shakers, a chill-out room (with tents, books and puzzles), diaper changing stations, a full spread of healthy snacks and dancing, LOTS of dancing. But at its core, Baby loves Disco is a community event that brings kids together with kids and parents together with parents.

Everyone who attends goes home with a nifty gift, such as Small Paul pajamas or a collection of Chronicle’s Paul Frank goodies.

And, we’ve got a set of 4 tickets to give-away to this weekend’s Baby Loves Disco Pajama Party at Ruby Skye in San Francisco!

Ruby Skye
420 Mason @ Geary
San Francisco, CA 94102
November 21, 2009
2:00-5:00pm

Leave a comment below. We’ll announce the winner at 5:00pm PST on Thursday, November 19th. Good luck!

Lara Starr
Marketing Manager, Children’s

This week we continue our menu from The New Thanksgiving Table by Diane Morgan, a nationally known Turkey Day prepping and cooking expert. For last week’s brining methods, click here.

Tell us what you think of these recipes–do they make you want to try them? Have you tried them out and have some insight to offer? Enter to win a copy of the book by leaving a comment letting us know!

Maple-Glazed Roast Turkey with Applejack Giblet Gravy

This burnished, maple-glazed roast turkey combines all the luscious fall flavors of New England—crisp apples, pure maple syrup, and, in the Yankee spirit, a gravy spiked with applejack brandy.

1 large yellow onion, quartered
4 cloves garlic
2 Golden Delicious apples, cored and quartered
4 sprigs fresh thyme
4 fresh sage leaves
One 12- to 16-pound brined turkey made with Apple Cider Brine (recipe follows)
6 tablespoons (3/4 stick) unsalted butter, melted
Freshly ground pepper
1 cup homemade chicken stock or canned low-sodium chicken broth
1 cup apple cider
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
Applejack Giblet Gravy (recipe follows)

Position a rack on the second-lowest level in the oven and preheat to 500°F. Have ready a large roasting pan with a roasting rack, preferably V-shaped, set in the pan.

Place the onion, garlic, apples, thyme, and sage inside the chest cavity of the turkey. Truss the turkey.  Using a pastry brush, brush the turkey with the melted butter. Season the turkey with a few grinds of freshly ground pepper. Place the turkey, breast side down, on the roasting rack. Add the stock and apple cider to the pan. Roast for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 350°F. Baste the turkey with the pan juices and roast for 30 minutes longer.

Remove the turkey from the oven. Using silicone oven mitts, regular oven mitts covered with aluminum foil, or wads of paper towels, turn the turkey breast side up. (It won’t be very hot at this point.) Baste with the pan juices and return the turkey to the oven. Continue to roast, basting with the pan juices again after 45 minutes. At this point, check the internal temperature of the turkey by inserting an instant-read thermometer into the thickest part of a thigh without touching bone. (As a point of reference, when the internal temperature of the turkey reaches 125°F, the turkey is about 1 hour away from being done. Of course, roasting times will vary, depending on the size of the bird, its temperature when it went into the oven, whether or not it is stuffed, and your particular oven and the accuracy of the thermostat.  During the last 20 minutes of roasting, brush the turkey with the maple syrup. Return the turkey to the oven and continue to roast until the instant-read thermometer registers between 160° to 165°F when inserted into the thickest part of the thigh without touching bone.

When the turkey is done, tilt the body so the juices from the main cavity run into the pan. Transfer the turkey to a carving board or serving platter and cover loosely with aluminum foil. Let the turkey rest for 30 to 40 minutes before carving, to allow the juices to redistribute. (The internal temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees while the turkey rests.)

Carve the turkey and serve, accompanied by the Applejack Giblet Gravy.

Serves 12 to 20, depending on the size of the turkey

Applejack Giblet Gravy

A touch of applejack spikes the flavor of this gravy, adding a subtle hint of the fermented and distilled, tree-ripened apples. It’s a terrific complement to the apple cider–brined turkey.

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
Cooked heart, gizzard, and neck meat from the Turkey Stock for Gravy (recipe follows), finely minced
1/4 cup instant flour such as Wondra or Shake & Blend
2 1/2 cups Turkey Stock for Gravy (recipe follows)
1/4 cup applejack brandy, or more to taste
Kosher or sea salt
Freshly ground pepper

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter and swirl to coat the pan. Add the minced heart and gizzard and sauté until heated through, about 1 minute.

Meanwhile, in a small bowl or measuring cup, whisk together the flour and 1/2 cup of the stock until the flour is dissolved.

Add the remaining 2 cups stock to the pan and bring to a simmer. Whisk in the flour mixture and simmer until the gravy thickens, about 5 minutes. Stir in the applejack. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add more applejack, if desired. Keep warm until ready to serve.

Makes about 3 1/2 cups

Do Ahead
The gravy can be made up to 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate. Reheat gently just before serving.

Apple Cider and Ginger Brine

I especially like to use this brine when barbecuing a turkey because the sweet apple cider flavor is a perfect match with the hickory smoke–infused bird.

2/3 cup (3 ounces or 85 grams) Diamond Crystal brand kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
6 whole cloves
1 teaspoon black peppercorns, crushed
2 teaspoons whole allspice berries, crushed
6 quarter-size slices fresh ginger
2 bay leaves
6 cups unsweetened apple cider or juice
2 cups hot water
4 cups ice water
1 large navel orange, cut into 8 wedges

In a large saucepan, stir together the salt, sugar, cloves, peppercorns, and allspice. Add the ginger and bay leaves along with the apple cider and hot water. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil over high heat, stirring frequently until the salt and sugar have dissolved. Boil for 3 minutes, then remove from the heat. Add the ice water and orange pieces and stir to cool the mixture. Set aside and let cool to room temperature.

Proceed with brining the turkey.

Makes 3 1/2 quarts brine, enough for a 10- to 25-pound turkey

Do Ahead
The brine can be made up to 1 day in advance. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Turkey Stock for Gravy

This is the simplest way I know to make a rich turkey stock, utilizing the turkey neck, tail, gizzard, and heart found inside of the neck cavity of the turkey. (I never use the liver, also found in the packet of giblets, for making stock, because it gives the stock a bitter flavor. Sometimes, I cook the liver separately, chop it, and add it to my stuffing, or I serve it in small quantities to a four-legged friend.

To make a bigger batch of stock that you can cook well in advance of the holidays and freeze, use approximately 5 pounds of turkey wings, thighs, or drumsticks in place of the giblets and turkey neck listed in this recipe and double the quantities of the rest of the ingredients. Brown the turkey parts in a roasting pan in a preheated 400°F oven for 1 1/2 hours, then transfer them to a stockpot and proceed with the recipe, starting after the browning step.

2 tablespoons canola oil
Turkey neck, tail, gizzard, and heart
1 yellow onion, root end trimmed but peel left intact, quartered
1 large carrot, scrubbed but not peeled, cut into 2-inch chunks
1 large rib celery including leafy tops, trimmed and cut into 2-inch lengths
2 sprigs fresh thyme
4 sprigs fresh parsley
1 bay leaf
6 black peppercorns
2 cups canned low-sodium chicken broth
5 cups cold water

In a large saucepan, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the turkey neck, tail, gizzard, and heart and sauté until browned on all sides, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the onion, carrot, celery, thyme, parsley, bay leaf, peppercorns, chicken broth, and water to the pan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to low. Skim any brown foam that rises to the top. Simmer the stock until it reduces by half, about 1 hour. Pour the stock through a fine-mesh sieve set over a bowl or 4-cup glass measure. Set aside the neck, gizzard, and heart until cool enough to handle. Discard the rest of the solids. Let the stock cool completely. Skim off any fat that rises to the top. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. (When you’re ready to make gravy, skim the fat from the top of the stock again, if necessary.)

If making giblet gravy, shred the meat from the neck and finely dice the gizzard and heart. Cover and refrigerate until you are ready to use. (Some cooks prefer to make a smooth gravy and add the diced gizzard and heart to their stuffing.)

Makes about 3 cups

Do Ahead
The turkey stock can be made up to 2 days in advance. Let cool completely, cover, and refrigerate. Refrigerate the neck, gizzard, and heart in a separate covered container. If making a large batch of stock from purchased turkey parts, the stock can be made up to 1 month in advance and frozen in airtight containers.

Purchase The New Thanksgiving Table and kick off your holiday shopping with 25% off plus free ground shipping on your entire order. Use promo code THANKSGIVING at checkout. Ends Nov. 29.

Click here for more great recipes.

Peter Perez
Senior Marketing Manager

On November 22nd 1963, the world was rocked by the news that president John F. Kennedy had been assasinated in Dallas. I’m honoring his memory a few days early with some images from Jack Kennedy: The Illustrated Life of a President.

A young Jack Kennedy, “leaning on a cane amidst the lush tropical foliage of the Solomon Islands, 1943.”

Jack and Jackie; the photo on the left is their “official” engagement photo from 1953.

In one of the vellum envelopes in the book is a reproduction of JFK’s Navy Identification Card, and a reproduction of his physical exam medical file, “which biographer Robert Dallek called ‘a complete whitewash.’”

A reproduction of JFK’s campaign brochure from 1960. From the pamphlet:
Presidential Leadership
Senator Kennedy believes that the goals of the Democratic civil rights plank can only be achieved by strong moral leadership from the White House. “That leadership must be exercised until every American, of every color and faith, has achieved equal access to the voting booth, to the schoolroom, to jobs, to housing and to lunch counters.”

JFK and John Jr. walking along the West Wing Colonnade of the White House.

Hannah
Entertainment Marketing Manager