Grapefruit Bourbon Punch & all things festive

My dog is stuck in the other room, looking at the freshly mopped floors with complete fear in her eyes. They are slicker than slug slime at the moment. Indoor ice skating rink for a 14 year old young dog. I tried hard not to laugh. They had to be cleaned, not because I actually care but my feet were sticking to them like a dirty dive bar at closing. There might have been a little bit of holiday cheer spilled across the pergo as friends gathered on here last Saturday night.

This is what the holidays are all about, close friends, new friends, good food, festive libations. Welcoming a house full of friends.

I have been up to my elbows in chocolate, creating hand dipped truffles for the holidays. Thank you to all have supported me in my endeavors. Anyone who is looking for a last minute gift idea and live in the Bellingham area, I have some truffles that would love to be gifted.

With all the heavy food around this time of year, including chocolate, chocolate and peanut butter covered in chocolate, bacon cheese logs and Cesar salad deviled eggs (that I really hope shows up at our Christmas), a vegan soup of all things has stole my heart. I just devoured this curried carrot soup. I tossed in a yam for good measure and replaced coconut oil for the canola oil. Make it. Make it for your colon. Be vegan for five minutes like it is no one's freaking business.

Then go eat chocolate for dessert.

Back to the holidays and debauchery. All things laden with heavy cream, cheese, meaty and boozy. I leave you with this punch that we quadrupled for our little party. It will treat you and your little holiday just right.

Bourbon Punch with Pink Grapefruit and Mint 
A twist on the mint julep that's perfect for a party.

Makes 8 to 10 servings By Melissa Clark December 2007

1/3 cup water
1/3 cup sugar
15 fresh mint sprigs, divided
4 cups strained fresh pink grapefruit juice
1 lemon
1 lime
2 1/2 cups bourbon
12 dashes angostura bitter 
1 cup club soda
1 ice block

Stir 1/3 cup water and sugar in small saucepan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Increase heat and bring to boil. Add 5 fresh mint sprigs. Remove from heat; cool syrup completely.

Strain syrup into punch bowl.

Add juice, bourbon, and bitters; mix in soda and 10 mint sprigs. Add lemon and lime disks. Add ice to bowl.

A sweet nibble

I have one more trick up my sugar dusted, butter stained sleeve.

You are sweet. You know you are. You are creative too, so take this basic formula and run off and play.

That is right, one more cookie recipe. Just for you. That is it for the year. I promise.

I am trying to squeeze in (to my jeans) a few treats, including these nibbles, for our lovely friends who will be sending off 2010 off in style with us.

These bars a old school. I made these with my mom, she knew all about them. She uses soda crackers instead of graham crackers.

Old school. It is coming back.

Like tater tot casserole.

Ok not so much.

Like most recipes that fit in the nostalgic bin, they are fast, cheap and the ingredients are usually on hand. Well, that is not nostalgic.

These are good. Like nibble on the "crumbs" when people are not looking good. I promise.

 

First tear open a a package of graham crackers and eat a couple squares. 

This is important. Take note.

Graham crackers are best when the package is first open. 

Then line a cookie sheet with the rest. Don't get gray hairs over the fact that it isn't evenly covered. 

Over medium heat, mix one cup butter with one cup brown sugar. They are equals. Butter and sugar get along well and will get all nice and bubbly.

Once the butter and sugar starts to turn a bit foamy, about 5 minutes remove from the heat. Pour the caramel sauce over the crackers.

Spready - spread - spread.

 I told you it was easy.

Toss it in the oven at 350. 10 minutes. Bubbly. Molten hot lava.

 While the caramel cracker goodness is still nice and hot, bust out the chocolate chips and distribute.

In just a few minutes, the chocolate will be spreadable. Scmear the chocolate. Lick the spatula. It is easy I tell you.

Get creative while the chocolate is still warm. Smashed candy canes, chopped nuts... 

Nibble - nibble......


Graham Cracker Cookie Bars

Adapted from The Tasty Kitchen

• 1 package (10 To 12 Pieces In A Package) Graham Crackers
• 1 cup Butter
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• 1 cup Chocolate Chips
• ½ cups Slivered Or Sliced Almonds

Line an 11×15 inch cookie sheet with whole crackers. It will fill up pretty much the whole space. Use as many whole crackers as you need to fill the space.
Mix butter and brown sugar in a pan to boil. Stir for 5 minutes while boiling on low.
Spread the butter/sugar mixture over the crackers and bake at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes. Sprinkle with chocolate chips and spread over carmel when it comes out of the oven, top with nuts or anything you desire. Cool for 10-20 minutes in the fridge.
Break into pieces.

Salted Butter Carmels - gift giving

My parents were crafty growing up. From stained glass, wood working, cabinetry, sewing, crafts, jewelery making - they tried a lot of different things. We spent a considerable amount of time at craft shows.

My Grandma was the ultimate crafter. I did a new project every time I visited.

Grandma watched a lot of Martha.

Grandma had two rooms in her house devoted to crafts. I love this woman and miss her even more.

Her birthday is/was Christmas day.This time of year my thoughts are filled with warm memories of our time together. I believe she is smiling down on me today, in the kitchen and in my art room.

The holidays, especially this year, with some serious free time on my hands (which I am ever so grateful for), I get inspired and want to make homemade gifts for my friends and family. I am on a mission to figure out a few gifts that are shippable to my great, wonderful, beautiful, dear friends on the west side of the Cascades.

I just received a package in the mail from my dear friend B. Packages are the best - absolutely the biggest smile possible when getting the mail.

As you probably are aware I love to bake but I am fascinated by candy making. The possibilities are endless and the mistakes are grand messes but a successful attempt returns a great feeling of satisfaction.

Carmel. Salted butter carmels.

I have to try it.

This is the first addition to the gift boxes that are to be shipped off this week. 

Have you dove into candy making? What have you made? If not, what better time than now to try something new.

Challenge is GREAT!

I followed David Lebovitz's Salted Butter Carmels. It was spot on with lots of tips and hints. I would use it again.

I also looked through these for more advice:

101 Cookbooks

Zoe Bakes

Smitten Kitchen



Happy Holidays Everyone! Keep it light, happy and fun!

Stuff - ing

I love stuffing.

I know. Thanksgiving is over. I know.

I am going there. I am going to rave about stuffing.

We didn't have stuffing on T-day and were craving a fix. It seems that we reserve the savory bread pudding for this time of year. Absurd. The weather is cold. Some people are dreaming of lots of time in the local mountains. Other of us can't get enough yoga and this other silly workout. We need stuffing.

I am really trying to increase the amount of veggies I eat. It is called "less-meat-atarian"

A rather healthy stuffing that is.

I am about to share with you the best stuffing I have ever had.

There are some people out there who know me and my eating habits all too well that are thinking that this is BS. But I do, I love stuffing.

I had three helpings. The proof is in the pudding! (sorry)

My love was not around for the holiday, but we all make sacrifices, I ate stuffing for the warmth. I believe that some times we are put in situations for some greater good, I needed to make the perfect stuffing and I needed to hang out with my brother even more. My brother was here from the west side, my sweets was across the country. Things change. I learned that brother has grown up. We have arrived. We are pals. He made us breakfast every day. He brought us a truck load of fire wood.

Tonight was the first time that I had made my own stuffing. I am converted. I love the stuff-ing.

There is a secret to not making it a heart attack disguised as a casserole. Lots of soft vegtables.

Artichoke stuffing. There were vegetables everywhere, some bread, an egg, seasoning, beef broth. I will live another day after way too much of the stuff - ing.

Here is what we came up with.

Perfect!

Parmesan Artichoke Stuffing

Serves 4 as a light side

2 cups sourdough bread, cubed and toasted
1 1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese, divided
salt and pepper to taste
1 can of artichoke hearts, drained
1 tablespoon butter
1 onion finely, diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 cup diced celery, diced
1 cup diced mushrooms, chopped
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 cups beef broth

1. Toast 2 cups bread. We used sourdough which gave the finished dish a bit of tang. Use what you have on hand and be really excited if it is sourdough. To crisp up the bread, it is okay if it is stale, 300 degrees for about 20 minutes. Don't worry, this is not an exact science, just dry the bread out. That is all.

2. Saute the onions, mushrooms, celery, and garlic in the butter. Cook them down until nice and soft, playing together well.

3. In a nice sized mixing bowl, toss the crutons,  1 cup of cheese, salt and pepper together. Add the vegtables, mix. Add the broth and the beaten egg, mix it all together.

4. In a lightly greased baking dish, pour the batter evenly across the pan. Top with the remaining 1/4 cup of cheese.

5. Bake at 400 degrees for about an hour, the top should be nice and brown.

Enjoy!

Happy new year, ya'll

A musician must make music, a painter must paint, a poet must write if he is to be ultimately at peace with himself. What one can be, one must be.

--Abraham Maslow

As the holiday season comes to an end with one final celebration of ringing in the new year, it is natural and customary to reflect on the previous year. I'll admit that some years I make new year's resolutions. John is a firm anti believer of the new year's resolution and he has a point. He explained to me the justification. "I make resolutions daily and I break them daily as well." I am now an anti January first resolutionite. Life is a roller coaster. It changes day to day, week to week, and month to month, season to season. Our lives need to be flexible and react to the current state of matters. Making a resolution that does not take that into account is a recipe for guilt and failure. Resolutions like many other things should happen all year long. Sure the new year in a nice clean date, is it realistic? Sure, resolutions for the new year are the first steps for many, which is important, I am saying why stop there, push yourself and create goals and healthy habits more often. Don't set yourself up for disappointment. Goal setting isn't a bad thing at all, though something about the process of setting new year resolutions almost guarantees they can not be accomplished. I think that's because so many people base their resolutions on their desire to become "better" (whatever that means). The cliched American new year resolution is always about exercise and weight loss. But ... didn't we make that same resolution last year? Self-judgmental resolutions are bound to fail because they rest on a foundation of self-loathing, or at least self-dislike. It just doesn't work. I'm not saying it's wrong to think in terms of changing health habits, I would never say that. Do we really have to start the new year by being so harsh with ourselves? I imagine a little girl, resolving to "eat more cake." Now that's a resolution I want. "Have more fun," "Don't work so much," "Goof off." Wouldn't it be great if we hard working people made resolutions like that?

A healthy wish for 2009 resembles Abraham Maslow's thoughts: May we all be exactly who we are - no more, no less - in the coming year. Who we are, what we love, what we do, is always enough.

Like any good Southerner (vicariously through John...) we will be having black eyed peas to bring in the new year

Black-eyed pea dip, with garlic and bacon

Homesick Texan version

Ingredients:

1 15oz can of black-eyed peas, drained or 1 1/2 cups cooked

4 pieces of bacon

2 cloves of garlic, minced

1/2 cup cilantro chopped

1 teaspoon chili powder

1/8 teaspoon (or to taste) cayenne pepper

1 tablespoon lime juice (1/2 a lime)

1 jalapeno, diced (can be fresh or pickled)

1/4 cup shredded Monterrey Jack

Method:

1. In a skillet, cook the bacon. When done, crumble and place in a blender .

2. In same skillet, cook the garlic for one minute and then add to blender.

3. Pour 1 teaspoon of bacon grease from skillet into blender.

4. Add to blender black-eyed peas and all other ingredients except Monterrey Jack cheese. Pulse until ingredients are well mixed together.

5. Place blended dip into skillet, turn on low heat and slowly fold in shredded cheese. Cook until melted, about a minute.

6. Place in a bowl and serve immediately with tortilla chips.Makes about 1 1/2 cups.

Christmas 101

As I enjoy my post cheer saturation, I realize that most things are going to work themselves out eventually. Somethings are just out of my control, I am going to sit back and enjoy the road, as bumpy as it gets. I will try my hardest to be the change I wish to see.

Our Christmas was full of family. It was wonderful. We made the rounds, trying to visit all of our family here in town since we were so far away from the rest of them.

We had a wonderful Christmas Eve dinner with the Hurlberts and played Wii, games, and caught up on all the years that have somehow pulled us apart. My Dad was the highlight of the night. We got him bowling and golfing on the Wii, I haven't seen anything that funny in awhile.

Christmas morning was a treat. It was the first Christmas that we have had our own house. It was glorious. John got up before me and set out his wrapped presents under our lit tree (it is a house plant...), put my new slippers at the end of the bed and got the coffee going. PERFECT!

We then went to Brenda and Neal's to have breakfast with them, Bryan and my grandparents.Grandma brought her dogs... We taught them a new card game...

John made a tasty breakfast of biscuits and gravy.

All those years in Mexico and Grandpa having a steady diet of pineapple, he was in charge of cutting.

Look at all the men in the kitchen!

Mom and dad have a CRAZY cat named Billy. It climbs on everything!

From breakfast, John and I ducked out and came home for a few hours. We curled up letting breakfast digest, in order to have lunch at Steve and Charlene's. We spent the afternoon with my cousins, monster trucks, lasagna, dogs and some good laughter.

We rounded out the big day with people trickling in to our house. Our long lost friend Steve came over, my bro, and the Dorrs.

What a day! Thanks to everyone for making it wonderful.

blessings of peace

Christmas is here
This year is different from the last and next year will be another ball of wax. John and I didn't travel for the holidays, opting to hunker down in our house and stir up my family. This we did. Over the years as my brother and I have aged, my grandparents aged and passed, we have lost a cohesive family gathering over the holidays. As I have said it is time for John and I to create our own traditions. Thanks to everyone who made this a wonderful holiday and for those who we could not be with, we shall soon.

My blessing for you....

May you find balance.
May you find balance in your life, the physical, mental, and spiritual.
I wish everyone greater balance, thus creating peace as an individual. The only way in which we can live in peace with one another is to find the peace within. Each person must come to terms with themselves, discovering their true identity and embracing it.
Abandon all preconceptions.
Go forth and conquer.
Hold onto stair railings just in case your ascent or descent gets a little bouncy, and grab onto the nearest lamppost if your feet refuse to stay on the ground.
In truth, though, you must depend only upon yourself. Impose your own self discipline and bask in the glow.


Happy birthday Grandma! I will try and eat more dessert than the main course just for you! Never would I imagine how wonderful of a woman you were. You will forever be in my heart.

Simpson side

Since we can't be there for the holidays....

We can enjoy through the pictures.

PRICELESS!

Jack frost

Bellingham has been hit by Jack Frost. I am beginning to enjoy it! I think it is just beautiful! It tends to be a bit chaotic in Bellingham with this weather, lack of snow plows, lack of people with experience with snow driving abilities, and so on. I do enjoy the fact that weather like this puts life on hold. Shops close, restaurants close, people hibernate, people go sledding in the roads. It is fun. The novelty of snow does not wear off year to year.

The view this morning, after another 6 inches fell over night!

We took Natasha out to Lake Padden yesterday for a hike. It was great!

John said yesterday that he wishes that the snow would stick around, that we had more of a winter in town.

HHMMMMMMmmmmm.....

This is the first time that I have actually agreed with him. It would sure beat the rain.

This might be our next move....

Our little princess!

What a sweetie!

She has found the warmest place in the house, cuddled up in the down blanket.

She is a princess too, in her own sort of crazy cat way...

John and I have made tamales over the holidays a couple of times. Jess has been really excited about making them with me. Saturday night we got together and made a batch of yummy pork tamales from scratch. Kudos to Jess for wanting to take on such a grand task. They really are worth every penny the little Mexican ladies sell them for. AND they taste way better made by these wonderful women.... because they are not scared to use lard (the key ingredient!).

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

A simple request....

With the holidays in full swing it is often easy to get absorbed in our little worlds. It is often the smallest gesture that can bring a smile to even a stranger.

At work, people, firms, companies and the sort are send us cards with notes in them explaining that they have sent a donation to the food band in lieu of a holiday basket for the office. What a wonderful idea. It saves us the office from complete over consumption and recognizes that people really are in need this time of year. I just hope that they are as generous to these charities as they are to us. Pete Kremen, the executive for Whatcom County, sent us a memo saying that he was sending $1000 to the Bellingham food bank instead to the treats he usually sends to the offices. Don't get me started on this little soap box.

As I scrolled through the paper this morning I found an article that warmed my heart and gave me goose bumps. I read about this boy here in Bellingham who is battling a brain tumor. We have had fundraisers here at work for him because he is friends with a co-workers child. His request is simple this holiday. He loves to get mail, what is more comforting than knowing that people care. So I know there are people out there who have extra cards from their regular mailing list, please take the time to send one to this family. It takes a village.....

Bellingham boy battling brain tumor asks for holiday cards

Snow.... a good excuse to buy boots

Snow!

It is a wonderful winter wonderland here in Whatcom County. As I look out my office window, I think that we have accumulated about four inches. I am surprised that we haven't shut our doors and gone home. I guess that is just wishful thinking. It has been cold for days now, and it is supposed to hold on through next week. It would be great to have a white Christmas!



I think that the fact that Christmas is next week has finally set in with this weather. Yesterday I spent the day Christmas shopping. I then went home and wrapped up all the goodies I found and did a little decorating. I am getting increasingly excited for this time of year. Hopefully this weekend will be filled with a house of friends, laughter, food, and drink. John and are also planning a little Christmas celebration at our house. We plan on wrangling up some folks for a bike ride Christmas morning and then spend the day with some friends and family at our house.
So these are not the best snow boots.... but this is what I have my eyes on......

I Like:

Dora/Wide Calf
by Fitzwell