Heart of Light

Simple, fast

2012-01-20T05:02:00.000-08:00

Way back in November I made a birthday cake for D's mom (the same one I made last year) and it was looking plain. I didn't have enough frosting left to do anything fancy. I didn't feel like reprising the walnut decoration I did last year. So ...

{balloons}

I made colored sugar (since I wrote that post, I have never again purchased decorating sugar - love it) and cut out a quick balloon stencil on wax paper, sprinkled a bit and it was done. I drew the strings on with a toothpick dipped in a bit of food coloring. It doesn't look bakery-level professional, but I'm okay with that.

Reading, lately

2012-01-19T06:11:00.000-08:00

I'm not even sure what I can say about this book. I don't know when I last read something that I enjoyed this much.

{the house of tomorrow - cover image}

It's hilarious, full of teenage angst and punk dreams and some genuine sadness and it's set in a geodesic dome. You should probably just read it.

Kindle update:
Since I shamefacedly admitted to buying a Kindle back in October, I can officially tell you that I'm obsessed. I was already a pretty voracious reader, but I tended to re-read books I already own because I'm not so great at planning trips to the library around my working hours. Now I'm reading something new nearly all the time and it's so much easier to tote around on the bus. Love it. I've only actually purchased one e-book, because I prefer to check my e-books out from the library and then buy a physical copy if I really love the book and know I'll re-read it. I'm mostly using my Kindle as a portable public library. It's not nearly as photographic as real books, of course, and I can't take it in the bathtub. Nothing is perfect.

Lemon ginger cookies

2012-01-18T05:14:00.000-08:00

I made these cookies last weekend for my cousin's wedding. The original recipe makes thick cookies that you slather with a lemon buttercream. Perfect showstoppers for a wedding, but it's hard to justify a buttercream sandwich for everyday eating.

{cookies, stacked}

The cookies by themselves on the other hand? They are perfect for an afternoon treat. The addition of almond meal makes the texture delicate and the flavor almost wheat-y. They're more lemon than ginger, though, and I'm a ginger addict. I think in the future I might try finely chopping crystallized ginger and adding it to the mix. You can double this recipe in a stand mixer with no problem at all.

{baking}

Lemon ginger cookies (makes 18 if you're going for 3" cookies - original recipe from here)

2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 cup unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoons lemon zest, finely grated
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup whole blanched almonds, toasted, ground (I used 4 oz of TJ's ready made almond meal, which is amazing and a huge time saver)

:: Mix the flour, salt, ginger and cinnamon in a large bowl and set aside.

:: Whip the butter and powdered sugar together until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes on high (I usually get this going and then measure out the rest of the ingredients).

:: Stir in the lemon zest, vanilla and almond meal.

:: Stir in the flour mixture. I found that it worked best if I used the mixer on low speed to incorporate most of the flour, but I had to finish it by working the dough by hand briefly. The dough is fairly dry but it rolls out beautifully once you refrigerate it.

:: Divide the dough in half and shape into discs. Refrigerate about one hour, to make the dough easier to handle.

:: On a lightly floured surface, roll out one disc at a time to just under 1/4" thick (this is pretty thick, especially if you're used to rolling out 1/8", which is more standard) and cut your preferred shape. I used 3" scalloped edge circles. Set aside the scraps and then repeat with the second disc. Gently knead the scraps into a ball and roll them out to get a few more cookies. I only did one re-roll, although you might be able to eke out one more without affecting the texture too much. We just opted to eat the scraps instead.

:: Bake the cookies in a 325 degree oven for about 14 minutes, until the tops are firm and the bottoms are golden brown. You don't want to overbake them as they'll start to taste burned quickly. The original recipe suggested 20 minutes, but that was way too much for my oven (the little stack you see in the top picture is overbaked!). I would start checking at 14 minutes and add extra time if necessary.

These don't have any eggs - that's not a typo (trust me, I checked the original recipe about 20 times to convince myself I wasn't messing it up when I made them). They really don't need them. I was worried about the dough being cohesive enough, but it really does come together. Promise.

The weekend, briefly

2012-01-17T06:25:00.000-08:00

{destruction}

{cutting}

{tea and cookies}

{road trip - wedding}

{wedding}

{home brew}

{the reception}

:: Notes ::

We've been slowly attacking the gingerbread houses. Makes me feel like Godzilla.

I spent Saturday baking cookies for my cousin's wedding. We ate way too much cookie dough and I drank more than my allotment of tea.

We roadtripped it up to the wedding (in a rental car, unexpectedly - ours is finally getting the bumper patched up following a rear ending that happened all the back in November). And I do mean road tripped - 200 miles up, 200 miles back, all in a single day. A hotel room just wasn't in the cards this weekend. We had a really amazing lunch in Los Alamos on the way up and just enjoyed the scenery on the 101. So gorgeous. I changed into my wedding frippery in a Starbucks bathroom. The wedding was lovely and our other cousin made all the beer himself. Very impressive.

Purchases - workout pants + make up

2012-01-16T18:37:00.000-08:00

Make up from Korres (mineral foundation, illuminating powder, mango lip butter)

Tristan recommended the mineral foundation and I've learned to take her recommendations seriously. I got a sample from Sephora to test it out and then a coupon came up on Gilt for $50 for $30. I'm not sure this was the smartest move for me, because the foundation is $28 and I didn't need the other two items that I purchased to get up to $50, but I'm happy to have them.

Four pairs of workout pants

I forgot to put these on my list last week, but they were on my mental list. I bought two pairs of Lululemon pants last year, realized that my long suffering sweat pants were not adequate workout pants but then couldn't bring myself to suck it up and pay the (exorbitant) price for another few pairs. I'd been dragging my heels and hoping to find a decent substitute and then Frontrunner's had these on 60% off over the weekend. I got all four pairs for about $10 more than a single pair of Lululemon pants would have cost and they are just as good. One week of workout pants is all I need, so I can happily check that off my list.

The spending strategy for 2012

2012-01-13T05:34:00.000-08:00

Resolution: Post every single purchase I make this year

Background/blathering ...

I posted in-depth about my spending thoughts this time last year. You guys, I think a lot about shopping/spending/consuming. I won't re-hash that here because I think I covered it pretty thoroughly.

Basically, in 2009 and 2010, I did the shopping hiatus inspired by Joslyn. Last year I tried to mix it up and gave myself an annual allowance. That failed, miserably. By which I mean, I got lazy and just didn't enter anything in the spreadsheet and pretty much forgot about it I started thinking about 2012 resolutions. It was a good idea, but I'm not so great with month to month follow through.

I'm thinking I should just look to Jos again, since she seems to come up with the best ideas. Last year she resolved to honor her stuff and then started operation simplicity where she blogs about what she's acquired + some inspiration.

In that spirit, I'm committing to post all purchases here, for the entire year. This means every single thing I buy. I'll tag them with "purchases 2012" so I can pull them all together at the end of the year and see what I'm doing. I'm also hoping that the listing part of it might make me think twice about my purchases. You know, like when you write down everything you eat. Which I'm not doing, but should possibly consider. But I would need to wait until I finish decimating our gingerbread houses.

Rules, for myself:
- All purchases other than food or necessary toiletries have to be posted (toilet paper, toothpaste, etc. = necessary, new mascara = not necessary)
- I'll reserve the right to hold off on posting about gifts until after the recipient has received them, but I'll make a draft post right away so I don't forget

This will either be really embarrassing or really awesome.

I've also developed a list of items that I think would be the best use of my funds. I don't plan to go on a shopping spree, but I'll be keeping my eyes out for these in the future. I realize it's a little shoe heavy. I just don't do much shoe shopping and it has become apparent that I'm deficient in a few standards.

On the potential list for this year -
- flat boots in brown (to mix it up a bit and to take a bit of the stress of my grey pair)
- good black flats
- rain boots (I've never owned a pair and I never remember that I need these until it starts raining and I spend all day at work with wet feet - a commitment to public transit requires foot protection)
- round toed black leather pumps (wish I hadn't even seen these because they are ridiculously good in person and I won't ever be able to buy them, might end up settling for these if they go on sale)
- a couple more pairs of jeans (may have gotten a jump on this at the Barney's sale, but I'm still debating returns it's really hard to justify premium denim if I still find myself reaching for my F21 jeans instead)
- a couple of versatile tops, ideally in silk - sometimes the tees don't quite cut it.
- a clutch that is large enough to sometimes transition between daily bus commute + happy hours (this one, specifically, if I can ever make a decision about color). I need to be able to carry my giant wallet, assorted lip stuffs, phone + kindle. I seriously considered a hipster backpack but decided I wanted to get away from the giant bag issue altogether. So awkward in bars.
- good cardigans are always on my list because I wear them to death. It's what happens when you live in a temperate climate and work in a building that overcompensates for the weather. I need LAYERS.

Best things I bought in 2011

2012-01-12T08:29:00.000-08:00

{boots!}

These skinny jeans.

These super soft tee shirts + tanks.

These flat boots.

Add a cardigan and you basically have my day uniform for the entire year. I know it's boring. It has made such a huge difference, though. Having everyday boots is sort of a revelation.

It's interesting to look back, because I don't always correctly guess which purchases are going to get the most use. My goal is always to purchase the fewest number of things that will get maximum use/enjoyment. In that spirit, I've been trying to evaluate my wardrobe and decide what pieces I could really use this year. And I have the newest form of the shopping hiatus rattling around in my head, ready to be posted soon.

Habanero tequila gifts

2012-01-11T05:10:00.000-08:00

We've been going through a major habanero tequila + grapefruit juice phase for the last few months, so it only seemed natural to package some up as Christmas gifts. Oh, and those little peppers there? Not purchased as photographic props, I promise. We're replenishing our personal supply this week.

{habanero tequila}

We managed to co-design a wrap around label that includes the recipe for the drink. We only argued about fonts/spacing once. Mostly because we were both too tired to keep going.

{habanero tequila}

Notes:

We were working from this recipe. It's great, but we've learned a few tricks.

Start with a decent affordable tequila. You don't want an anejo for this, mostly because it would be a waste of aged tequila. We used a Cazadores reposado, although I'd like to try it with a blanco soon.

Taste your peppers before you use them. Not all peppers are created equal and every once in a while you get a crazy hot one. Take a tiny bite first, and then decide how to handle it (you can reduce the steeping time, or you can remove almost all of the seeds - both will help).

Set a timer and taste every hour to make sure you aren't going beyond your spiciness tolerance. If it accidentally goes too far, you can mix it with regular tequila to help balance it out.

And once you want to make the drinks ...

Highly recommend using only unsweetened pink grapefruit juice. This could be my prejudice against sweet cocktails, but I think the strong flavor from the grapefruit is all you need. No sugar here.

The recipe is for a large batch. We basically break it down into parts so we can scale it. They recommend a 1:3 ratio of alcohol to juice, but you'll want to see where you like it. I'll sometimes do 1:3 but other times go for a 1:2. A normal drink has 2 oz of alcohol (1/4 cup).

Oh, and I used these bottles for packaging. I can promise you that I checked every website known to man and this ended up being the best balance of price + shipping. It drives me nuts when shipping is almost as much as the product, but I guess you can't really get away from that when you're purchasing glass.

The weekend, briefly

2012-01-10T05:39:00.000-08:00

{the collection}

{sandwiches}

{couch}

{satsumas}

{getty}

{sunset + clouds}

{getty at twilight}

{moon over los angeles}

:: notes ::

We had a leisurely Sunday afternoon lunch, and the cakestands got to make an appearance. Normally I have them distributed here and there throughout the apartment, so I had to hunt to gather them all up. They're being loaned out this week, so I had them all spread out so we could pick and choose.

The washi tape flags were a last minute addition to designate the vegetarian sandwiches from the rest. I didn't have time to make dessert, but we made do with a bowl of satsumas and some really good coffee. I'm still mostly caffeine free, but I'll generally give myself one day a week to enjoy coffee and one cup of tea per day. So far, so good.

A last minute trip to the Getty with just enough time to catch the crazy sunset and see another of the Pacific Standard Time exhibitions. We left at closing and walked down to our car instead of taking the tram, enjoying the moonlight.

Facing 2012

2012-01-06T05:10:00.000-08:00

We spent New Year's Eve just the two of us, which is actually how I prefer it most years. No driving worries, no over hyped parties. We made it up till midnight, somewhat miraculously if you consider our previous night.

{the beach, new year's hike}

{the city, new year's hike}

{smoke city}

We took a hike on the Monday holiday. Such a good way to start the year. And then we drove straight from the hike to eat some barbecue, which is also a pretty good way to kick things off.

I'm an entire week late on this, I realize, but I do have some New Year's-y things kicking around in my brain (a look back over the last year, new strategies for this year). I was feeling super unmotivated about all this last week which was somewhat disheartening because I usually get pretty pumped for naval gazing and life tweaks. I guess I was just running a bit behind - will probably get some posts up next week, when all of you are already feeling over your resolutions. Sorry.

The in between week

2012-01-05T05:09:00.000-08:00

D and I both got to take most of the week off and it was amazing. I realized we really haven't had that much time together in years. Guess what? We still like each other.

We started it off at home in LA, doing some damage at the Barney's sale, stopping in at APC (where I just browse because while I love looking at their stuff, it all looks terrible on me), eating at ink.sack (liked it, but didn't loooove it).

{ink sack}

We had a mini-post-Christmas gingerbread house party, which is slightly heretical (how do you know when you are allowed to eat it?!), but mostly low key and fun.

{mini gb house party 2011}

{snacks}

I got our thank yous written and posted. Love the holiday stamp design this year - should have remembered to stock up now that I think about it. We never got around to doing Christmas cards this year, so I only bought a couple panes of stamps.

{thank yous, out}

We snuck away for a night down in San Diego. We initially intended to make it a single day - we were just going to see a museum exhibit* so we didn't bother booking a hotel room. But we were late getting out and decided it was easier to stick around and see the second part of the exhibit** the next day. Things fell into place. Jamie had sent us some sweet recommendations and we found a hotel in the general vicinity (only to realize that we'd stayed at that exact hotel 6 years ago! weird.) and cabbed it over to North Park and made the most of a full night out. I think we hit every bar on 30th St. It was excellent.

{light exhibit!}

{30th st ipa from green flash}

{30th st, san diego}

* The exhibit was SO GOOD. It's only open till January 22nd, but you should go if you can. I don't have any pictures because it was against the rules and I'm terrified of being reprimanded by museum guards, but they wouldn't do it justice anyways. Full room installations, gorgeous cast resin pieces, super interactive. Loved.

** I love a good museum but I have about a 1.5 hour tolerance, max. Which means I can either look at a special exhibit or part of a permanent collection, but never both in one day. Splitting up the exhibits usually works best for me. D will happily spend an entire vacation in various museums. We generally solve the issue on vacations by me sleeping in late while D visits a museum each morning. Later day joint museum visits are carefully planned around food/drink stops.

Christmas, briefly

2012-01-04T05:50:00.000-08:00

Our Christmas is always fairly hectic, as we attempt to maximize family time and minimize mileage. I was typically lax about documenting much of the actual merriment, but managed to capture a few quiet moments.

{egg nog, homemade, with bourbon}

{packed!}

{circe feet}

{pups}

{cookies, see's}

{czech santas}

{wrapped and ready}

{holiday tea}

:: Notes::

I took a cue from Erin and made time for homemade eggnog on our last night at home. I baked those cookies two more times. I bought See's*. We loaded up the car and saw two families on Christmas Eve and two more on Christmas Day. I made our savory bread pudding** in both veg and bacon laden versions. I woke up Christmas morning with a pile of pups. I drank holiday tea with real cream. We finished off tired and sated and ready for a couple days of sleep.

* We are second generation Californians, therefore we eat See's on holidays - it's mandatory, I'm pretty sure. My personal fave is the rum nougat and happily I have no competition because everyone else thinks it's grandma chocolate.

** It's become a Christmas day tradition and for good reason. I can put it together the night before, put it in the oven whenever and we can eat it hot or cold.

Merry and bright

2011-12-23T15:05:00.000-08:00

Christmas feels particularly poignant to me this year. We've spent two of the last three years celebrating this season in the hospital. It's changed how I feel about the holiday, about the month leading up to it, deepened my understanding of the joy we can bring to the day even in the face of adversity. And this year, for the first time, I am married. Our families are at home. Life is huge and complicated. We are lucky.

I'm not religious, but blessed is still a word I use when luck doesn't seem to cover it. We're blessed with another year, another day, another chance to gather with people we love and celebrate that love. I'm ever more convinced that it's all that matters. There are no guarantees in life. We should love each other as fiercely as we know how, for whatever time we're given together. And that is what I intend to do this weekend.

{r&r christmas}*

Merry Christmas to any of you stragglers out there still reading! Go eat a cookie or something.

* That is my little sister and me on Christmas, I think 20 years ago. Guess what?! I still have that sweatshirt. NOT KIDDING. It's on its last legs, sadly - I think this might be its very last Christmas and I haven't yet found a suitable replacement. Also, I have that haircut again. So basically, that's what our weekend will look like. Minus the Barbies. Possibly. Also, our mom now has a better couch, I'm happy to report.

Around here

2011-12-22T06:25:00.000-08:00

The edibles are slowly being stocked.

{gifts, accumulating}

Teeny tiny glittery tags are being made. *

{mini glitter tags!}

{tagging}

I finally got a chance to use the message in a cookie cutters that I got two years ago (my set is old, and I can't find anything exactly like it online to link to, sorry!). The verdict - fun, but sort of hard to get the hang of it. I think I'm improving.

{gingerbread cookies}

{cookie messages}

Also, practicing being nice to myself. I'm not going to get everything done and that's fine. There won't be a ton of genius gifts this year and that's fine. I attempted to go buy a man's shirt yesterday and got so overwhelmed by the color choices and the crowds that I walked out of the store and went straight home and decided to re-watch Harry Potter instead. And that's fine. Actually, it's more than fine.

Because let's be honest - a long (self imposed) to do list and an overabundance of parties is hardly a hardship. Suck it up, lady.

* I've mentioned before that we have a glitter ban in effect around here and yes, it is still in full effect. But we are also both pro-sparkle, so solutions must be sought. These tags are in compliance because they are made out of purchased glittery metallic paper that doesn't shed. I think I need to go buy more, quickly. The tiny tag punch is an old Martha Stewart one, I have no idea if they still make it, but it's perfect for when you don't want to have to write anything except the person's name.

Printable holiday labels

2011-12-21T05:00:00.000-08:00

In case you're doing a bit of last minute edible gift making ...

{gifts boxed}

Here are the fleur de sel caramel sauce labels I used last year - there are a couple different sizes on the sheet, because I had different sized jars. I just cut them out and spray glued them to the lids of the jars. The recipe I use is from Deb, except I use a good pinch of sea salt rather than salted butter. I've made this sauce for the last three years and I plan to keep going. I know that technically Deb recommends you use it within two weeks, but I'm not quite that conservative. If you keep it refrigerated, it's going to stay perfectly good for a long time. Mine has never lasted more than a month (because I can't resist it) but I did have a family friend hoard his over the course of several months and he swears it was delicious to the last spoonful. I recommend using it within one month and that's what the label says.

And if you think my expiration dates are totally sketchy or just want to write on the labels yourself, here is a blank version.

I don't think I got a photo of these last year, but they are fold over labels that work beautifully on glassine envelopes. Just print on cardstock, cut them out, fold them over the top of your envelope and staple them (or sew them) closed. I used them for toffee and for gingerbread cookies, amongst other things. If you'd like blank ones, I've made a sheet of those as well. They're handy to have around.

I still have to design labels for our edible gifts this year, because we're adding a couple more to the roster. But I haven't even started yet. We'll get there. I hope.

*All of these PDFs are provided via Google docs, so when you go to the link, just click on "file" and then select "download original" to save a copy to your computer.

Christmas, accomplished (melomakarona)

2011-12-20T05:57:00.000-08:00

I fell in love with melomakarona when I was in Greece. They are bite sized Christmas, infused with citrus and cloves, spiked with a wee bit of brandy, soaked in honey, rolled in walnuts. I purchased them from every bakery that had them, taste tested them rigorously, vowed I would make them every year.

{citrus}

The first attempt, it did not go so well. There are difficulties when working with Greek recipes. Many of them seem to assume that you grew up with a yia-yia who taught you how to bake properly and the recipes are more memory aids than explicit instructions - how frustrating is it when the recipe simply says "add flour as needed"?

Then there is the olive oil issue. Olive oil desserts are popular in Greece, and they're delicious. Good olive oil is light and sharp and it plays well in baked goods. Try using the olive oil we have readily available here and you will quickly regret it - the flavors are muddled and overly strong.

So that first batch of cookies was dense (I kept adding flour) and redolent with the scent of cheap olive oil. I shelved my baking aspirations and bought the cookies for a couple years.

{shaped melomakarona}

But this year, if I managed nothing else, I was determined to make melomakarona. I was prepared to fail and learn, if necessary. I researched several recipes and read all the notes I could find. I decided to go light on the flour and use walnut oil rather than olive oil (you could also use standard vegetable oil, but I had walnut oil leftover from another project and I highly recommend it). We didn't have normal brandy so I winged it with a bit of slivovitz (multicultural cookies, you guys!).

{melomakarona success}

They are perfect. I am over the moon. And I'm putting my notes and directions here, in all their tedious long winded glory, because I want to be able to replicate this year after year.

{melomakarona}

Melomakarona (makes about 4 dozen, recipe pulled from several sources + my own memories and preferences, but mostly from here)

For the cookies:
1 cup walnut oil (highly recommended, although regular vegetable oil will be fine - only use olive oil if you have a really good source)
1/2 cup granulated sugar

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup fresh orange juice
Grated zest of 1 orange (and I also used zest from 1/2 lemon)
1/4 cup brandy

1 cup finely chopped walnuts

For the syrup:
1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup honey
1/2 cup water

Dash of cinnamon (or a cinnamon stick, if you have one lying around, which I never do)
A few strips each of lemon and orange zest (just use a sharp paring knife and try to get as little white as possible)

For the finishing touch:
1 1/2 cups very finely chopped walnuts, practically ground (you can finely chop them, like I did, but next time I'll be getting out the food processor because it took forever!)

Directions:
:: Preheat your oven to 325F.

:: In a large bowl (I used a mixer, but you don't really need to), start to beat the oil and sugar.

:: Meanwhile, whisk (or sift) the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and cloves together in a bowl and set aside.

:: Combine the orange juice, orange zest, brandy and baking soda. It will foam a bit! Add this mixture to the oil and sugar and mix until well combined.

:: Add the chopped walnuts, followed by the flour mixture. Mix until your dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and easily forms into a ball (this doesn't take very long, actually).

:: Have a couple of baking sheets handy, either oiled or lined with parchment paper or Silpat. Form the cookies by breaking off pieces of dough the size of an unshelled walnut and roll them between your palms to create small mounded oblongs. Place about an inch apart on the baking sheets and bake until the bottoms are lightly browned (about 20 minutes, but start checking at 15).

:: While the cookies bake, make your syrup. Combine the sugar, honey and water in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat, add the zest and cinnamon and simmer for about 10 minutes before turning off the heat.

:: As the cookies come out of the oven, submerge them in the syrup in small batches for a few minutes on each side. Remove them with a slotted spoon and allow them to drain briefly on a cooling rack before dipping them in the ground walnuts.

Notes (in case I've forgotten this by next year) -

Most recipes describe the dough as "stiff", but I think that's a bit misleading. The dough should be cohesive, pulling away from the sides of the bowl, readily willing to be shaped, not at all sticky. But it is still very soft and pliable. It will look greasy - don't panic! The baked cookies are not greasy in the least.

The dough should be formed into balls that are "the size of an unshelled walnut" (this comes from multiple recipes sources, so I guess it's standard). I have trouble estimating size, so I used a cookie scoop and then cut each scoop in half before rolling. They are a little bit smaller than bakery melomakarona, but not by much. The cookies will swell in the oven, so don't make them too large.

You should bake the cookies until the bottoms are pale golden brown. Mine were just about spot on at 18 minutes in the 325 oven.

You can experiment with the soaking time, but I found that 3 minutes for each side was just about perfect. This is assuming your syrup and cookies are still warm, if not piping hot. As they cool, you'll need more soaking time. If they are boiling hot, you can get away with 2 minutes on each side. You want the cookies nicely soaked but not to the point of mushy-ness. There should still be a good texture.

PUT A PIECE OF WAX PAPER UNDER THE COOLING RACK. Cleaning up the honey-sugar-walnut mixture from our counters wasn't that fun.

The weekend, briefly

2011-12-19T05:21:00.000-08:00

Things are decidedly more Christmas-y around here.

{christmas 2011}

The tree is up!

{ornament box}

{ornamenting}

{satsumas}

{at home}

{giraffe}

I successfully made my favorite Christmas cookies. For the first time ever. I feel victorious.

{christmas baking}

We had our 13th annual girls' Christmas party.

{flocked tree}

It's getting good.

Getting in the spirit

2011-12-16T09:56:00.000-08:00

{pre-christmas prep}

This is what our apartment looked like at this time last year. We are so not there right now. I'm hoping we'll get a little closer this weekend. I'm resolving to get our tree up, to get that tablecloth out, to stock up on baking supplies and pull out some recipes.

I want to make melomakarona this year, my favorite Christmas cookie that always seems to get passed over because I run out of time. This recipe looks like it might be promising.

I want to candy orange peels and make caramel and bake more gingerbread. I want to sew a few little things and wrap a few other things and spend some time drinking my holiday tea and reading.

But I'll be happy if we put out the tree and sit still for an hour or two. And I can always buy melomakarona (LA people - Papa Christos usually has them). So there's that.

I'm making pies this weekend. Lots of pies. Stay tuned.

A few little things ...

2011-12-15T07:00:00.000-08:00

So I closed my shop for the summer because of the wedding and then decided not to re-open it for the holidays this year. I'm so grateful for that. If you run a shop, you know that you have to be prepared for the holidays by early November, period. It ramps up from there. I was still recovering from the wedding then. I do miss the holiday bustle of orders, emails with customers, wrapping up packages. But I'm glad to have this little reprieve.

All that said, I happen to have a few of the more popular gift items in stock and I'm happy to make them available to you readers. It's on a first come, first serve basis, as I won't have time to make more of anything this year.

:: four phrases napkins. $30 per set of four napkins + $5 domestic shipping.

:: chalkboard gift tags. $25 per set of four re-useable tags + $2 domestic shipping.

:: "check one" gift tags. $10 for a set of eight tags + $1.50 domestic shipping.

~~:: silk + leather headband. $25 + $2 domestic shipping.~~ {SOLD OUT}

:: woven headband. $25 + $2 domestic shipping.

If you're interested, send me an email right quick and I'll hook you up. I'll ship everything on Saturday, so domestic orders should arrive in time for Christmas, although I can't control the postal service!

I plan to re-open the shop eventually, but it's all about balance right now, you know?

The weekend, briefly

2011-12-14T05:25:00.000-08:00

Jam packed.

{the cake}

{nest beer}

{cheese platter}

{AOC family style}

{gb party 2011}

{circe, dressed up}

{my house}

I got to play sous chef on Saturday and help make the cake for a friend's wedding. And then we attended the wedding, which was intimate and amazing (just 28 people!). We talked and ate for hours. So good.

As a result, I was a lot less prepared than usual for the annual gingerbread house extravaganza, but we managed to get the houses all put together with just 15 minutes to spare and I relaxed (apple cider + brandy may have helped). It's one of my favorite parts of the season, even when things get hectic. Circe discovered that she loves royal frosting, which means that she now gets excited when she sees pastry bags. I was stepping on her all afternoon. She really is the weirdest dog.

The weekend, belatedly (and not so briefly)

2011-12-08T07:18:00.000-08:00

So it's December! Thursday feels like Monday! Posting will happen whenever I can manage to make it happen!

We got hit with a confluence of real work, holiday festivities, general festivities and family needs. I looked at my calendar last week and started to throw up my hands, thinking that we'll just have to power through this month and hope to sleep in January. Or maybe February.

But that isn't very festive. Then the Border Grill, as part of their ongoing quest to make up for our wedding (they really are very nice, you guys), invited us to their holiday cooking demonstration/meal. I wrung my hands at D for about half an hour (via chat) going back and forth about how it wouldn't work out, we couldn't spare the time. And then I realized it was time to man up, make a decision and stop thinking about it or justifying it. So I declared that we would take Saturday off from everything, go to this class and go slowly, via public transit. It was awesome.

{library}

{lights}

{cranhattan!}

{downtown}

We bought day passes and took the bus + subway across town (I know this is LA, but this is easier than people believe it to be - I did it that entire month I had jury duty), walked the few blocks up to the Border Grill. The cooking demonstration was hilarious, the food delicious, the drinks strong. And when we were done at 4 pm, we wandered around downtown, got holiday macarons at Bottega Louie (they have eggnog and peppermint right now!), hit up Más Malo for a couple of leisurely happy hour drinks (the pinata smash is AMAZING) and then meandered back across town, hopping off the bus for a YogurtStop fix and even managing to squeeze in an errand at Century City.

We still fit in some dog time and helped my parents get a jump start on their holiday decorating on Sunday.

{snowy head}

{lenox snowflake}

My parents are working on simplifying, so this year in lieu of a tree they're just displaying their collection of Lenox snowflakes. They've been buying one each year since they got married. Awww.

This week, I've been getting home from work each evening and immediately putting on my apron. Because this weekend is kind of a big deal around here. (Listening to the David Bowie/Bing Crosby station on Pandora, which can be hit or miss, but is definitely festive)

Finding your place

2011-12-02T05:25:00.000-08:00

An hour before our guests arrived, we realized that we probably should have made seating designations. Even with just twelve people, I think it goes a little more smoothly if people don't have to try to figure out where they should sit.

D made these little name cards to tuck into the napkins and I love that they seem to play off our china pattern a bit, with the handfeel of the font echoing the weave on our plates.

{namecard}

He says that was unintentional. Whatevs.

A little more Heath

2011-12-01T05:30:00.000-08:00

The annual Heath sale started the week before Thanksgiving. We'd been hoarding a gift certificate we got for the wedding and we went with a fairly specific idea of what we could use. Specifically, a covered serving dish.

But then we found this platter. I picked it up and didn't want to put it down again. It's enormous and persimmon orange and it was the only one.

{heath platter + covered dish}

I'm generally pretty good about not buying stuff on impulse. But every once in a while I get a feeling about something. You know the feeling. That tug that makes you pretty sure you were subconsciously looking for that specific thing all along. I've had it with two pieces of art and with my Catherineholm bowls and I still think those are among the best purchases I've ever made. D had it with those decanters we found on our honeymoon.

I struggle a bit with the whole idea of consumerism. Things shouldn't make me happy, and yet sometimes they do. So I try to figure out how to winnow it down so that I'm purchasing a minimal number of things that will give me a maximum amount of enjoyment. I limit my purchases, I listen to my gut, I certainly don't always nail it but I'm loads better than I used to be. A little hint - if you get the feeling all the time, you might want to hit the reset button. The shopping hiatus worked really well for me in that regard.

There's a little bit more about my ongoing relationship with spending money here. I guess I think about this a lot, even more as we enter the SHOPPING SEASON.

This was actually just supposed to be a post about how awesome my new platter is - we used it for the turkey and it was perfect and I love it.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-30T05:34:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving weekend knocked me flat. I'm still recovering.

The actual day? That was wonderful. I did so much cooking on Wednesday that I found myself oddly at loose ends on Thursday midday. I showered, leisurely. I fiddled with the table, which we'd set the night before. It was lovely. There was the inevitable chaos when the hour to eat approached and we attempted to figure out how to keep ten different things hot when our oven will only hold two things at once. The answer? Have another glass of champagne and accept the reality of lukewarm side dishes.

{the table, set}

{rolls rising}

{sage}

{setting up}

{waiting}

{the meal}

We had a cobbled together table to seat twelve, family, good food and lots of chatter. The heirloom lace tablecloth was spotted with cranberry sauce and candle wax. I like to think that the ancestor who painstakingly crocheted it would appreciate that. The use it gets, the love it sees. Things are for using. Period. (And for carefully laundering and mending post use, of course - boiling water takes cranberry stains right out. A quick freeze lets you pop the wax off easily).

{the aftermath, dining room}

{the next morning}

{the aftermath, kitchen}

Post-Thanksgiving, when I prefer to be napping and eating leftover turkey sandwiches, simply refused to cooperate. Unexpected, urgent chores popped up. We were in bed late and up early every day. Our car suddenly developed an unnerving tendency to stall for no apparent reason, and the actual reason ended up being two unrelated problems, one of which was the alternator (ouch), so we were at the shop twice over the course of one day. I've never been so grateful that I've been going to the same mechanic since I learned to drive. Even if he does make me watch a slideshow of process photos after every service visit.

Even in the chaos there are so many things to be grateful for - a family (and a mechanic) who loves you, a bounty of leftover cheese and crackers, a husband (!) who will push a stalled car through a left turn at an intersection with you, a wiry fox terrier who trustingly allows you to groom her unruly fur and doesn't even try to bite you once. I don't have photos of those things, but they exist.

Thanksgivings past

2011-11-23T05:01:00.000-08:00

Prepping for Thanksgiving last year

Thanksgiving weekend last year

Thanksgiving the year before that

Lacy kraft paper napkin rings + printable napkin rings

Paper leaves from last year (totally did not get around to filling these out, but I still think they would be nice)

And if you're feeling overwhelmed ...

Holidays, managed (part 1)

Holidays, managed (part 2)

Holidays, managed (part 3)