merry christmas eve!

through the tender mercy of our god;
whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us.
to give light to them that sit in darkness
and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
luke 1:78-79

holiday foods

during the holidays i have a sort of mental list of recipes i want to try. it never seems to stop growing...this year:

cauliflower and chestnut gratin- last meal on earth goood!
sauteed chestnuts with bacon and onions- these look so succulent.
chex mix- i don't think i've ever made this.
buckwheat crepes with orange- christmas morning!
gougeres- savory cream puffs...you can even deep fry them.
roasted dates with pancetta, almonds and chile- michael symon you genius you.
white chocolate tiramisu trifle with spiced pears- so elegant...white on white.
buche de noel- for the meringue mushrooms alone!

made: roasted dates and gougeres
will make: crepes, buche de noel and/or pear trifle
my sister, nicole, is teaching our family how to make tamales today.
i'm not in charge of christmas dinner, so the rest of you recipes will have to wait.
oh if only christmas could last a little longer...

what's cookin in your kitchens?

come on snow...

it is so cold on our hikes, our sinuses are freezing up!

i'm not sure if lottie should wear a sweater, wish she would tell me.

don't want the other dogs teasing her.
do slugs stay alive when it's icy?

or do they turn into slugcicles?

december the first!

if you have a turkey carcass still hanging around and/or thanksgiving guests that just won't leave...make a bubblin batch of this stock, add some veggies and meat and have yerself some delectable turkey soup! michael ruhlman shares a brilliant oven method here.

also...check out my new pastry blog bread & chocolate with 12 days of cookies.
oh man i'm gonna get fat.

happy day after the day after thanksgiving!

the chestnut pie was fun to make...
but definitely an acquired taste.

:0)

eeesh

man i’ve been having some horrible sleeps this past week.

the other night i dreamt that my bottom front tooth was falling out and the dentist wanted to replace it with a tooth from an old navy mannequin. later that night i dreamt i had a vet appointment at 5am, but slept in till 7 and missed it. then i woke up for real at 7, stressing out.

last night i was dragging moving boxes overflowing with my possessions into church. after the meeting i was sitting with some teenage boys at a table and i spilled a jug of olive oil all over the table and the floor. then this lady came in and started yelling at me and I had to drag the heavy boxes out of the church, all the while legos were spilling over and the boxes falling apart. what is the meaning of this?

anyways…back to reality…reminiscing w/ lindsey today about a few years ago when everybody was advertising products to give you that “j. lo glow”. yes, we did purchase some glotion, but now I think it was a scam to market greasy skin. today we stuck with the pleated plants at gap.

going to make a chestnut pie for thanksgiving! went to pike place and picked up these delightful 'bargains' at delauranti!some chestnut creme and chestnut puree. the creme comes in a handy little travel tube...take it on the plane, pack it in your diaper bag or simply spread it on a toothbrush. lottie says yum.

why are there no thanksgiving songs?

moss terrariums

i've been craving these for a while now. hope they work...
first i layered gravel, active carbon (for fish tanks), a little spanish moss and potting soil.

next, i collected different types of moss from outside.
found a little baby earthworm hiding in there!
grosss.

i plan on misting them with water every few days and keeping them out of direct sunlight. hopefully they will stay green!

no i am not a donkey or a bunny!

saturday morning

quiet walk

fruity shampoos wafting out of steamy bathroom windows

frosty pine needles crackling under our feet

and in each little house, breakfast...

glorious lazy breakfasts!

nice day

sttttrrrrrrrreeetch!!!!!!

woke up to this tree through the roof! i don't remember any wind last night...

...then found this little guy on our walk this morning.
i think its a sign.