Holiday Party Sweet Treats

I made a different treat each day leading up to the party.  In total, I made 233 cookies, enough for everyone at the party and Santa.

Sunday: Hugs pretzels 
Just lay out square pretzels on a wax paper lined cookie sheet and top each with a Hershey's Hug.  Put them in the oven at 170 degrees for about four minutes and then top with an M&M.  Salty and sweet and so easy. 

Monday: Chocolate Dreidels
More time-consuming than the pretzels, but not much harder - Attach a Hershey's Kiss to a marshmallow with chocolate, then insert a thin pretzel rod into the other side of the marshmallow.  Coat the entire "top" in chocolate, chill and then pipe on the Hebrew letters

Tuesday: Linzer Cookies
These cookies require a special cookie cutter that does the bottom cookie and the top cookie with the shape cut out of the middle.  You'll need to make equal numbers of each type, but I never end up counting correctly.  Make the cookies according to the recipe below and then fill them with blackberry preserves.

Ingedients:
Zest of 1 lemon
3/4 C. ground alnuts
1 C. sugar
3 1/2 C. Flour
3 sticks of butter, softened
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt

Blend together ingredients, roll dough and cut cookies, bake at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes or until cookies are golden brown, fill with delicious jam.

Wednesday: Iced Sugar Cookies
I love playing with colorful sugars, so I did the star of David cookies in blue, gave my snowmen black hats and did red stockings and green trees.  I also did striped candy canes and used peppermint frosting instead of vanilla to imitate the real thing!

Thursday: Italian Rainbow/7-Layer Cookies
These little squares, the colors of the Italian flag, come from making three very thin cakes and stacking them with layers of apricot jelly and topping it with a layer of melted chocolate.  

Friday: Cherry Walnut White Chocolate Chip Cookies
The best thing about this recipe is the touch of salt you can taste in the cookies, plus the fabulous chewy texture.  You can add whatever mix-ins you like.  Originally this was a recipe for chocolate chip cookies.

Ingredients:
2 1/4 C. Flour
2 large eggs
2 sticks of butter, softened
1/2 C. sugar
1 C. brown sugar
1/2 tsp. baking soda
2 tsp. vanilla extract

Blend ingredients.  Add desired mix-ins.  Drop tablespoons of dough onto a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown on the edges.  Mine took about 14 minutes, but some people's ovens take only 8-10 so I'd watch them carefully. 

Holiday Party Decor

I promised you more about my holiday party decor and here it is!  You already saw the centerpiece of it all, my tree, but I added lots of other festive details to get our place party-ready. 

I tied red satin ribbons to these adorable wreaths with pine cones and hung them on either side of my sliding glass doors. 

My grandfather sent me this needlepoint piece of the 12 days of Christmas that my grandmother made many years ago.  Christmas is all about family and traditions, so it was nice to have this handmade piece as a reminder of those things. 

I bought these fabulously glittery ornaments at the dollar store and Target and then one day when I came home Jake had artfully displayed them in our martini glasses alongside our lit garland.  They're so pretty and festive and sparkly, I'll keep them until New Year's Eve!

Holiday Party Feast

Happy holidays!  You already saw the invitations, and now here are the fruits of my holiday party labor!  In this picture you can see the prosciutto wrapped asparagus, the salmon mouse filled cucumber boats, hummus, and my beautiful copper chaffing dish filled with kielbasa in an apricot mustard sauce.  

The salmon boats were a big hit so I'm posting the recipe for you to try.  It's great in the cucumbers, but also tasty spread on, you guessed it, a bagel!

Ingredients: 

4 oz. Smoked salmon, chopped

1/2 C. Greek yogurt

1/4 C. Red onion, chopped

2 English cucumbers

Fresh dill

Combine the salmon, yogurt and onion in a food processor and pulse into just blended. Peel, halve and seed the cucumbers.  Cut cucumber halves into 1.5 inch pieces and fill with your salmon mousse.  Top with sprigs of dill.  

Above, you can see most of the rest of the spread including spinach dip with crackers and veggies, chicken satay with peanut and duck sauce, and a basket of biscuits - some have fig jam and gorgonzola inside while others have garlic and mozzarella.  

There were also mozzarella ball and grape tomato skewers, artichoke dip, and a selection of cheeses that didn't make the photos.  I made the table more festive with red candles, my lantern, two poinsettias and a tulle and ribbon table runner.  But more on the decor to come!

Happy Holidays from The Network

This is me, my co-workers and the Board of the National Network of Abortion Funds.  Every day women call us and our Funds when they are short on the money they need for an abortion.  They've already asked everyone they know to borrow money and sold everything of value that they own, from their text books to their wedding ring to their diaper bags for their children they already have and love.

A couple days ago we got a letter in the office from a woman who was about my age.  She had recently lost her first child at a very young age and was continuing to pay off the cost of the funeral home.  She had left an abusive relationship and was struggling to get her life back on track.  She was incredibly grateful that we were able to help her pay for her abortion.  But we didn't pay for it.  People like you did.

For many women and teens, a small amount of money is all that separates them and the life they imagined for themselves; it's all that separates them from being able to make their own decisions about their lives and their health and having to carry their pregnancy to term.

I really believe in what I do and in what we all do together at the National Network and that's why I gave a gift this year, to be there for women in need.  Maybe if you're in a position to do so you'll click here and join me too.  I promise you there will be women around the country who will be very grateful.

St. Germain Cocktails

I've seen more and more specialty cocktail lists featuring drinks with St. Germain lately.  I had never heard of the concoction but I enjoyed all the drinks I tried with this intriguing sounding liquer.  St. Germain, I have since learned, is a French, elderflower spirit.  And it is delicious.  


Just this past weekend I had a Sparkling Pear cocktail at Sandrine's that was Grey Goose Poire, St. Germain, and cremant de bourgogne.  It had great pear flavor and none of the sharpness I expected from such a vodka-centric cocktail.  


In my exploration of paper and blogs I found this recipe for The Vieux Mot on http://ohsobeautifulpaper.com/.  

1 oz Gin
1 oz St-Germain
3/4 oz Lemon Juice
1/4 oz Sim­ple Syrup
1/4 oz Cointreau

Sounds yummy, no?  And then there's the Yellow Bicycle which is a half ounce each of St. Germain and Yellow Chartreuse with 4 ounces of Prosecco.  


A friend also gave me a tear-out of cocktail recipes from a St. Germain ad - what ingenious advertising!  It features such treats as the Elderfashioned which is 1/2 part St. Germain, 2 parts bourbon and 2 dashes of Angostura Bitters.  Or the classic St. Germain and Champagne, which in addition to being as simple to make as it sounds, also rhymes!  Add some Chambord and a blackberry for a delicious riff on a Kir Royale.  

Holiday Party Excitement

In addition to my tree, the other holiday cheer in my life revolves around my upcoming holiday party.  I have an elaborate menu planned out and I promise there will be pictures and recipes to come.

But first things first: the invitation!  I have been wanting to buy real paper invitations for a long time now and I finally decided this was a great time to splurge.  Let me tell you, the enjoyment I got from them was worth every penny.  From the "oooh fancy" remarks when we asked for people's addresses to send snail mail invites, to merrily addressing them in my new gold paint pen, to the excited reaction when people got them in the mail,  I never knew I could find so much joy in paper! (Okay I suspected, but now I know.)

New Year's Eve and My Addiction to Bad Movies

Why do I want to see New Year's Eve?  I'm not sure.  I should have learned my lesson after Valentine's Day.  But sometimes awful movies are awfully awesome.  Sex and the City 2 comes to mind.  I mean, I watch Jersey Shore people!

All I can think is "How cute!" and "How funny!" and "But what an amazing cast!" "Zac Efron is so dreamy!" And I know that's what they want me to think.  I know it's a ruse.  And yet...who wants to go with me?

Whaling Ships and Letterpress at Mystic Seaport

A few weeks ago I went to visit my parents in Stonington.  We went to Mystic Seaport where you can walk around a preserved maritime village and board the last remaining American whaling ship.  

This is the hull of the Charles W. Morgan, currently being restored.  It is the last remaining American whaling ship in existence and you can board and tour it even as it is being restored!

My favorite shop in the village was the old printing press.  Can you see the cases of letters on the left?  All the large letters are in the "upper case" and all the small letters are in the "lower case."  You learn something new every day.  

They still do their own letterpress printing by hand here and they created these beautiful sheets about the Charles W. Morgan.  So authentic and so pretty!

Decking the Halls with Christmas Memories

I love Christmas and I love having a real tree in my home.  I really believe that every tree can tell a story, and here is mine.  

This Santa is an Annalee doll; we've always had them in my home and when I think about Christmas I always remember my flannel sheets, Christmas blanket and my Annalee elf that wrapped around one of the posts of my bed.  On the right is an antique ornament, one of many that have been in our family for what feels like forever and are now split between me and my siblings.  

I was the first child.  It's pretty clear from these ornaments my grandfather made out of my photo.  Also, I received about a million different bear ornaments since people called me (and sometimes do still call me) Sara Bear or Sara Bear-a

Some of my early hobbies: violin and ballet

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                             My donkeys!  The first because I'm an eternal pessimist and because we went to Disney World. The second to represent my 2004 summer in Boston and my progressive values.  Also a foreshadowing of my most recent move!

Hand-blown glass ornament made for me by my little brother.

One of my favorite ornaments in the bunch. I bought this to represent Jake and my first Christmas together in our own home.  

And if you happened to be wondering "Where are the bagels?" you just found one!  My classic order was a toasted sesame with scallion cream cheese. Mmmmm mmmm good.  

Rick Perry Doesn't Know the Voting Age

I love a good train wreck so I really love this Republican primary.  

If only this was the dumbest thing to come from a Republican primary candidate.  

Letterpress from Linda and Harriett

Let's restate some things we all know from reading this blog: I love pretty things; I love a deal.  So when Paloma alerted me to an outlet sale on letterpress cards from paper goddesses Linda and Harriett I was all over it.  

Individual cards were on sale for $1.50 (regularly $6) and packs of six note cards were on sale for $5 (regularly $14.50).  I had to edit my extremely large shopping cart, but I ended with some pretty awesome stuff.  

And one of the greatest things was the customer service.  You wouldn't think that an online retailer would be so fabulous, but when I accidentally selected express shipping I emailed them and they said they would change it and refund me the difference.  Pretty and polite!  

Police Clear Occupy Movements in Philly, L.A., Could Harvard be Next?

If only.  I support the Occupy Wall Street Movement.  I support the idea that we need to work to increase equality in America.  I believe we need to reinvigorate the American dream.  I believe that American workers have been left behind in favor of moneyed interests.  I want a more progressive taxation system.  I want a focus on social welfare programs and smart job creation (e.g. not the kind that relies on millionaires to create them with their tax breaks).

But Occupy Harvard is just annoying.  Harvard has locked down the entire yard for a line of about six matching tents that someone's daddy probably bought them at REI.  Everyone without a valid Harvard ID has to walk all the way around the yard and it has made my already inconvenient commute to work even worse.

  Photo Credit: Boston.com

The movement is so small and since it's clearly not public it's not getting very much attention outside the ire of local residents.  It's also hard for me to take seriously a couple freshman protesting the 1% from inside their ivory tower.  Let's just say that never since college have I more looked forward to winter break.

Pentatonix Wins the Sing Off

Thankfully for all the remaining groups the votes had all been cast by the time the live finale aired because I don't know if it was excitement or nerves, but everyone was pretty pitchy.

Each of the groups got to sing with one of the judges and I was so excited to see Ben Folds perform.  He's just so nerdy and AWESOME.

Although, like most results shows, it was mostly filler it was still a pretty entertaining episode and in the end my guys won!  The futuristic a capella fivesome will now be recording an album.  Here's one of my favorite performances of the season:

Oh and as a little side note, lead singer Scott of Pentatonix totally reminds me of my days crushing on Ashley Angel of O-Town.  Oh the 90's.

Sunday - Looking forward to Christmas

Stores have us thinking about Christmas as soon as Halloween is over, and after this year's freak snowstorm it almost seemed reasonable.  But the winter holiday season really starts in earnest after Thanksgiving.  I'm so excited to buy my Christmas tree and deck the halls of my new apartment.  On our last day of Thanksgiving break my mom was doing the same thing - hanging garland everywhere the eye could see.  It will be our first Christmas by the shore and the house looks so joyful!

Saturday - Leftovers, Thanksgiving II, and Small Business Saturday

Every year my mom makes a second Thanksgiving dinner, creatively dubbed "Thanksgiving Two."  It's because my mom knows the importance of the thanksgiving leftover.  Whether it's the classic turkey sandwich with stuffing and cranberry sauce, or the inventive "stuffpuppy," Thanksgiving leftovers are as American as, well, Thanksgiving - it's all part of the tradition.

Kristen sent me this idea for the "stuffpuppy," which anyone with an at-home fryer should most definitely try.  It's basically a fried ball of mashed potatoes and stuffing.  I didn't get a chance to put this into action, but it seemed like a worthy enough idea to blog about anyhow.

Saturday was also the answer to Black Friday - small business Saturday.  I obliged by going to the Stonington Farmer's Market to buy blueberry scones and the local coffee shop, The Yellow House, to get a double espresso to sneak into the library for Jake.  The local realtor had a sign in their window that said "Shop Local - Buy a House," but after the coffee and pastries I just didn't have enough pocket change left over.

Friday - Black Friday Deals In the Dark

Midnight openings made it so Black Friday really started on Thursday.  At 11 o'clock, Jake and I lined up outside of Target in a line that wrapped around three sides of the store.  At midnight I was wondering aloud why the line hadn't started to move and the girls in front of me told me that because of some silly Blue Laws, stores in Rhode Island and Massachusetts weren't opening until 1:00am.  I was devastated.  But it felt good to watch the line continue to grow behind us, giving me at least some sense of superiority in exchange for an additional hour spent outside in the cold.

My feet grew quite chilly, but we exchanged Black Friday horror stories and judgments of the teenagers wearing nothing but leggings and sweatshirts with the mom behind us and played along with the Would You Rather game of the three girls in front of us (yes we agree we'd rather have huge ears than a huge nose, but no we don't think choosing electricity over running water is your best bet).

Once we got inside I made a beeline for my new netbook (on which I am currently blogging) at a cool $157 and some other gift items not to be named yet.  Overall, it was a great head start on my Christmas shopping which I am not ashamed to brag is now almost complete!

Despite a long wait in the cold, Black Friday ended beautifully with a perfect golden sunset over the ocean, reminding us all of the truly beautiful things in life (shopping and sunsets, if you were confused.)

Thursday - Thanksgiving Means Pie!

I love to bake and (aside from the stuffing) one of my favorite parts of the Thanksgiving meal is the dessert.  This year I made an apple blackberry pie as well as the classic pumpkin.  I decided to spice them up with with my Nordicware pie crust cutter.

I used the side with the leaves and the apple blackberry pie showcased the negative space and the pumpkin pie used the leftover leaves that were cut out.  

This recipe is courtesy of the Goddess herself, Martha although I admit I used a pre-made pie crust.  

This recipe for pumpkin pie is super easy, and also mostly comes from a box or a can!

Wednesday - Remembering Fall at Rowe

Now the leaves have mostly fallen to the ground, but a few weeks back that wasn't the case.  In October, I went to a conference for work.  I spent three days in the woods learning about fundraising and eating (mostly) no meat.  At first, I was scared (no meat?!?), but Rowe turned out to be this wonderful place full of hippies and happy people where I felt that little piece of me that actually does like nature re-awaken.  So now that we're transitioning from fall into winter, and moving full speed ahead into the holidays, I thought I'd just look back at the beautiful scenery and changing leaves; it seemed like the perfect way to welcome the Thanksgiving holiday!

Thanksgiving Week Review

I hope everyone had a great thanksgiving, is happily full of turkey and stuffing, got some great deals, and is grateful for all the good things in their life.  It was a nice long weekend, but it went by very quickly.  There wasn't time to blog about the holiday as I experienced it so now that it's Cyber Monday and we've all slept off the turkey coma I thought I'd do a review, looking back starting with Wednesday, a.k.a Thanksgiving Eve.  So stay tuned for an avalanche of turkey day posts including lots of cooking, shopping, and good cheer!

Republicans Threaten to Shut Down the Government...Again

The federal government is once again on the brink of a shutdown.  I think most reasonable people agree that anything anyone might ever call a "deal" will include both spending cuts and tax increases.  But Republicans disagree.  They are holding the budget hostage because they refuse to accept any tax increases, in any amount, on any demographic.

Democrats have already agreed to spending cuts.  Now they just want Republicans to agree to allow certain Bush tax cuts to expire.  But Republicans have argued that this will hurt the economy.  They have no evidence of course, since before these tax cuts existed, the economy was actually better than it was now, but that doesn't matter.

They also argue that rich people already pay all the taxes.  Rich people do in fact pay most of the taxes - because they make most of the money.  But as a percentage of income they actually pay less in taxes than the middle class.  Go figure.

Holiday Drinks at Starbucks, Buy One Get One FREE

I love the holidays.  I love a deal.  I don't usually love Starbucks.  But from now through Sunday they've combined two of my favorite things.  Right now, when you buy any holiday drink from 2-5pm, you get the second one for free! 

And really the cups are so cute.  You can get a Peppermint Mocha (or a Skinny Peppermint Mocha for just 2 WeightWatcher PointsPlus!), a Gingerbread Latte, a Caramel Brulee Latte, or an Eggnog Latte. 

So go ahead, DRINK and BE MERRY!

I Ate Pig Brains at The Citizen Public House

Let's just say this first - today's specials include fried pickles with bacon mayo.  They had me at hello fried pickles.  But last night I was not there for the pickles, but rather the pig.  I was at The Citizen Public House and Oyster Bar with the Harvard Law Epicurean Society (if you're tempted, as I was, to roll your eyes at how pretentious that sounds just remind yourself: bacon mayo) for their famous whole pig roast.

  

They served us a 35 pound suckling pig, which was brought out to us whole and then carved.  Admittedly, the night seemed more about the spectacle of the pig (and the flights of whiskey) than anything else (the meat was a bit dry and the skin not quite crispy) but it was a good time nonetheless.  The highlights for me were the one bite of pig jowl that I tasted and the salad with truffle vinaigrette. 

Jake ate pig foot, pig tail, pig eyeball and pig brains.  I thought the eyeball was the bravest part of all.  The waiter said it was like an olive, in that it has a soft outside and you have to spit out the inside 'pit,' i.e. the lens.  Jake said it was the same gelatinous texture of the fat in pork belly, but with a more intense pork flavor. 

I was reluctant, but I tried the pig brains too.  Served right out of the skull, I had a bit of brain smeared onto a crostini with lemon and smoked sea salt.  It tasted like...lemon and sea salt, but creamier.  When I was in Namibia I tried a lot of things just to say that I had done them and while some were thrilling, some I never want to do again.  And although pig brains are no caterpillars, I still don't think I'll be ordering it again anytime soon.

L.A. Burdick: Best Hot Chocolate in Cambridge, Possibly the World

The best hot chocolate in the world can be found in only three locations: Cambridge, MA; New York, NY (big surprise there), and Walpole, NH (big surprise there, this time sans sarcasm).  That's because these are the three places where you can find an L.A. Burdick shop.  Based in Swiss tradition, this choclate shop is famous (in my mind) for three things: 1. exquisite quality, 2. chocolate mice, and 3. hot chocolate. 

1. You will not go wrong with anything you buy at Burdick.  Their tagline is "Bon Goût Ne Peut Mentir," which I'm happy to report I was still able to translate without a dictionary: Good Taste Can't Lie.

2. The mice come from a Swiss tradition of refashioning bonbon leftovers into less expensive and more adorable treats for children.  Nowadays they're just as cute, but not quite as cheap. 

3. The hot chocolate.  Oh the hot chocolate.  Do not be swayed by the line; it is more than worth your time (and considerable cash at about $5 a cup).  They sell it in three sizes, including the diminutive "demi," that is surprisingly satisfying and filling.  It is truly the smoothest, richest, most wonderful hot chocolate you will ever try. 

Attacks on Elizabeth Warren, Intellectualism

It doesn't pay to be smart in politics.  We all saw what happened to Al Gore and John Kerry - don't vote for that guy in the ivory tower, vote for this guy in a cowboy hat who chops wood, he's way more like you.  Ultimately it's insulting to the voter; it says "these people are so smart, they're so different from you," and even more insulting in the assumption that you're too dumb even to realize you're being insulted. 

Here, they make sure to label her "Professor" Elizabeth Warren so you'll know she's a really hoity-toity know it all.  And we all know we need fewer people like that running the country.  I mean, come on, we don't need intellectual theories here, except the intellecutal theory of "trickle down economics" (which is fine because if it has never been proven or had any evidence to back it up then it doesn't count as intellectual).   

Instead we need solutions people.  Solutions!  But not solutions like using a .7% tax surcharge on million dollar incomes to put people to work on infrastructure projects.  No, that's a "radical redistribution of wealth" unlike the deregulation of markets and a shifting tax policy that has led to a 400% growth in the income of the top .1%.  If you want to talk about crime and the radical redistribution of wealth look at Wall Street, not those protesting it. 

Frankly, I'm surprised this ad didn't end with a photoshopped picture of Warren in a Subcomandante Marcos mask.  It just doesn't pay to be smart, and it definitely doesn't pay to be nuanced.  Most people forget that the average Tea Party member is better educated than the average American.  And you know how I know they're so smart?  Becuase they're smart enought to play dumb.

Jurassic Park 4

I usually wouldn't be that interested in anything that goes on at Comic-Con.  Except this year.  Except when it has to do with dinosaurs. When it comes to dinosaurs, I turn into the same nerdy puddle of excitement as the rest of the crowd when they hear something like "Star Trek" or "Battlestar Gallactica." 

This year, Steven Spielberg announced that he has a writer and a storyline for Jurassic Park 4.  Hallelujah!  Because we all know Terra Nova kind of sucks.  I wrote about it a couple weeks ago and then the New York Times confirmed my feelings when Mike Hale wrote "We've seen it and it's issues before.  It's also so predictable that you might want to fast forward through the domestic-drama scenes [...] stopping whenever you see something that looks like action or a dinosaur."  I do so love it when my opinions are validated by the New York Times. 

One of my favorite scenes from the earlier movies

So now I just have to sit patiently and wait two or three years while they make this new masterpiece, hoping and praying they get Jeff Goldblum on board (it's rumored he already is).  Saldy, YouTube offers no solace as I wait eagerly for any new scrap of information.  You can certainly search "Jurassic Park 4 Trailer" and get a bunch of hits, but be prepared for disappointment.  They are not real!  Who would tease a poor, (highly gullible) dinosaur-loving girl like that? 

I guess it just goes to show there are other fans out there so excited for a piece (or a bite) of the action, they are willing to make it up themselves.  There are also a bunch of fan-created movie posters out there too.  I'll see you in line in two years dinosaur nerds!

Honk! Festival of Activist Street Bands

Honk! is a festival that takes place every year in Davis Square, full of music, activism and general happy weirdness.  Bands from all over the country come to play one hours sets in locations around Davis and then do a march from Davis Square to Harvard Square.  We got a preview when Jake and I stumbled upon one of the bands on a Friday night out (see: A Little Night Music), and we just had to come back for more.  

The people at this festival - families, hippies, musicians, music lovers, old couples, activists, and weirdos of all sorts - had one thing in common: they really knew what was important in life.  There was music and dancing and just a generally joyful atmosphere.  It was a great reminder to live in the moment, have passion for life, and just smile.