Bake and Shake

Wrap you up in my love. All over, All over.

Merry Merry Christmas, and a Happy, Prosperous New Years.
Thank you for this past year - every e-mail, comment, link, whatever. Thank you for populating the web with your wit, intellect and insight. Thank you for inspiration and kindness. You're all wonderful, and I hope you're reminded of it on a daily basis, this holiday season.

A little light

12 edible reasons to hate yourself: Those 'effing potatoes

"This is why Grandpa won't come over to our house anymore. He doesn't feel the bathrooms are safe."

I feel like this recipe is one we've all eaten before. You've probably made a version of this before, because you're in the advanced class and I'm in that class where you get to go to lunch early, and nobody talks about it when you eat dirt on the playground. You have parties a lot, in that class, and buy only stickers at the book fair. Gumnut Cottage. I'm in Gumnut Cottage, and if you recognize that, I'd just like to say you're not a Bogan. Year 7's are so hot.

But if you haven't, let me blow things up. I hope you've tasted something like this before, where instead of sectioning things off they're piled on top of one another. If you've ever watched 'Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives', and I make a point to whenever I can, then you'll recognize this sort of thing, where food is transformed into piles, recognizable ingredients meld together to form something that might be the cause of a plotline on E.R. or Grey's Anatomy, the Diner Disaster - "Basically, six eggs, a tin of Fancy Feast, some corn nuts, velveeta and green chiles, Guy."

"The snow is taller than the dog."

There is snow, deep and powdery, on the ground, giving the best excuse to not report for duty. Sun in the blue, blue sky. A whipping wind. I'm listening to Lily Allen's new one on repeat, and making Christmas cookies. I hope today finds you with just as much pleasure in your bones. Also, a few more finalists need to claim their spots before I can do that drawing and finally get that cashmere shipped off. Come on now.

Cashmere Finalists. Finameres. Cashalists. Cashfins?

First - 20, not 10, finalists. It is the holidays. We are in the midst of a crazy time. So many of you entered that I was floored, and so I doubled the finalist spots - I really did not expect more than ten or so entries. Also, I'm so sorry about being a few hours behind schedule, a crazy morning and a busy yesterday are to blame.

Here is what you do from here: If your name/comment is on the list, awesome. Please leave a comment, saying anything, this is just to make things simple and non-fussy and random, and that will be how we assign numbers - first comment (by a finalist) ON THIS POST is number one, second comment (by a finalist) is number two, on and on until we have all twenty numbers claimed. Then Random.org will throw up a number, and boom, there we go.

And thank you, for entering, for sharing - I laughed at so many, and there were more than a few that made me cry. I cannot thank you all enough for opening your holiday vaults. I hope that you make many more memories this year, and have the happiest of holidays yet. I wish I had forty-five sweaters to give away.

Finalists (in no particular order, picked because they made me feel, Grinch Style), their entries - with a few words about why I picked each entry, and honorable mentions after the cut.

Get out of the car: Time to win some Cashmere, pink or otherwise

DONE! Thanks to all forty-five of you who entered, I was totally surprised by the numbers. And I love reading your comments, the stories and moments and seeing which were mentioned several times, and who threw out a few curveballs. Lovely. Also, there was a hilarious (to me), moment where two ladies named Emily both mentioned the same holiday movie moment - I checked e-mail addresses, because I was like 'No WAY,' but really, it happened. And I love it. Thank you again for participating in the first-ever giveaway, and I hope it won't be the last one.

So, a few weeks ago I posed a question to anyone who cared to answer it - Would you be interested in entering a giveaway, the first I've ever done, if the prize was a Cashmere sweater. The comments I received seemed down, so if you're not down, talk to those six or seven fools who ruined it for you. Put on your rowdy pants.

I have one of these sweaters, black and V-necked, and it is gorgeous. I once wrote about wanting a magazine that would do touch-tests on affordable cashmere, letting a panel of five year olds decide which was softest and nicest. I don't have five year olds at my disposal, currently, maybe that will change in the new year, but I do have my own tiny, picky hands and this is soft. This is soft, and beautiful, with a rich, true color (dark, heavy black) and it fits nicely, it doesn't just box out - it is tasteful, I think, but I wasn't expecting it to feel as modern as it does, and I wasn't expecting the silhouette to fit in as nicely with my wardrobe and 'look' as it did. Lands' End even included a tiny packet of spare cashmere thread, in case any holes (store with cedar!) need stitching. But the shape, is lovely and I can wear it on dates and on dates. With my Grandpa. My sweater makes me feel like Joan.

And, it is a nice, personal luxury, which I think most of us are unable to give ourselves right now. This is guilt-free, fools. You are going to pay nothing for this. And if you like, you could even give it as a present. I'm down with that. If you've got someone who would love this, and you're that into it, send their size instead of your own. I fully support that. Now, let's get you into this sweater.

ETSY Gift Guide '08: Michelle Chang Jewelry

I ordered one of these necklaces for my youngest sister the other day, and have since been going back to look at the picture, over and over again, on a daily basis. Michelle Chang Jewelry, way to go. Way to go. I hope you don't stop making them, because I plan on ordering one for my other sister, and myself. If I had a million dollars, or maybe just a thousand, I'd order one for each of you, too.

I'm going to post about a few specific shops/designers that I can't get enough of - when I was putting together the other guides, I realized that I couldn't choose just one single thing to include. So this is my solution. I hope you enjoy it, and as always, if you have a shop or any 'til death favorites, let me know.

12 edible reasons to hate yourself: Burn all the pants

 

"Alan brought Hummus. Sarah brought some homebrew. Nick, nothing. And then she brought a plate full of boobs."

So, I want to try and do 12 specific, Holiday/Entertaining recipes for you. Some sweet, some savory, hopefully all done in time for you to actually make them for your holiday celebrations. To start with, cookies. This is an adaptation of my favorite chocolate chip cookie recipe, with the sugar rations reversed, an extra yolk, some jam, and a glaze. Otherwise, they're the same beast, and I love them so.

I wish that I could say I had this vision in mind from the start. I didn't. I mistakenly believed I could make thumbprints from this dough, but it spread, leaving me a half-sheet pan of mammeries. So then came the glaze. And the result was a delicious, spirited cookie that I think would be a welcome respite, nestled among the ginger and chocolate and cloves and nuts that this season is about to let rain down on us, as we weep and rend our garments, clawing at the heavens and begging for mercy, as bells send their hollow, hateful peals through the streets and we collapse in the rivers of peppermint that threaten to sweep away the innocent.

Thanksgiving: Pie, and "She's just used to cats!"

 
"I'm making a giblet pie, next year."

I made two apple crostatas, one vanilla bean cheesecake with caramel sauce and candied pecans, two pumpkin/sweet potato pies and one pecan pie for Thanksgiving. The day after, I had to make another pecan pie, because it was all gone. There is just something about that dessert - it makes people happy, it is an extremely traditional, almost sickening hallmark of any meal. And when it is done right, there's nothing I'd rather be eating.

Thanksgiving was a trip this year. Colorful, is the word I'd use if I was a dainty seventy-seven year old woman trying to dance around people and their personality quirks, that can lie dormant for 364 days but if a turkey is present, so is someone's chance for maximum fits. The good news is, the main offender(s) are either not related to me, or I only see them once or twice a year. I learn so much about my family, good and bad, on holidays. It makes me love them more, after I'm done wanting to throw down.