holidays

A Few Ideas for Those Last-Minute Christmas Gifts

Sips

No matter how many lists you make, this time of year it’s practically unheard of not to leave someone off your list. At the very least you’ll receive a last-minute invitation to a dinner, open house or event and, well, of course you want to bring a little something for the host(ess), right?

collage of 4 alcohols that make good holiday and hostess gifts

A bottle of something is always in season, but for Christmas and New Year’s it’s an especially nice gesture to wrap a bottle in a pretty little bag that they can either share now or save for later.

Courtesy of the folks at W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd., here are a few suggestions that are both festive and affordable for all your holiday giving. Maybe you’ll be lucky enough to have one of these bottles presented to you!

(left) Warm his heart and delight his senses this holiday season with a bottle of Landy Cognac. The holiday season is a time to make him feel special and Landy Cognac will do just that with a refined blend of cognacs from French prestigious origins. Landy Cognac is available in three aging statements – VS, VSO, and XO. He will appreciate it neat, on the rocks, or blended in a delicious cocktail! SRP $ 24.99-$119.99

[Jenn’s Note: Cognac just screams luxury, this is the way to go if you need to impress a boss or maybe a new in-law with something a little different than your usual bottle of wine.] 

(top-right) If you are looking for a great value this holiday consider Barone Fini Pinot Grigio, a reasonably priced white wine with a crisp, clean taste. With its subtle fruit flavors, this wine can be enjoyed with rich holiday meals and allows your guests to enjoy the delicious tastes of the many flavors of the holidays. Barone Fini has long been recognized for producing Pinot Grigio of the highest caliber at a great price point and we would love to share this wonderful product with both you and yours this holiday season. SRP $9.99 http://www.facebook.com/BaroneFiniWines

[Jenn’s Note: We’re always in favor of a good bottle that comes in under $10 and this Pinot Grigio was absolutely delightful. It was perfect in the Rosemary Risotto I made last week and, of course, the rest was great in the glass to go with dinner.]

(center-right) Prohibition may be over, but America’s love affair with Moonshine has just begun! Original MOONSHINE is the perfect gift for the whiskey fan on your list. Made by a third generation master distiller with his grandfather’s authentic recipe, it is hand-crafted from 100% estate-grown corn and distilled four times in a Prohibition-era copper pot still. At 80 proof, our all-natural, recipe is charcoal-filtered for the highest purity, quality and taste. A truly versatile spirit, SHINE can be enjoyed neat, on the rocks or in a wide range of mixed cocktails…perfect for the holiday season. SRP $39.99  http://www.facebook.com/moonshine?sk=app_6009294086

[Jenn’s Note: Moonshine is, for many people, one of those curious novelty alcohols. If you know someone who is always up for something a little different, even having this adorable bottle on their bar will please them to no end.]

(bottom-right) Discover the spirit this holiday season with Ruta 22 Malbec. It’s the only Malbec from Patagonia – the perfect reason to give this unique find as a gift. Wow your loved ones with this one of a kind wine that they can keep for themselves, for that unexpected house guest, or bring to a holiday party and steal the show! Ruta 22 pairs perfectly with red meats, cheeses, and pastas…three favorites at any holiday party, making this wine a great party guest! SRP $12.99

[Jenn’s Note: This was a rich, slightly spicy Malbec that went great with a humble pot roast–I can only imagine what it would be like next to a standing rib roast or other rich and meaty dish. And it’s another steal at under $15!]

Have a wonderful time these next 2 weeks when the conviviality is high on the ol’ priority list! Remember, though, always be safe, use a designated driver and remember moderation in all things. I guarantee you’ll enjoy your holiday more if you’re able to remember it!

Images and product information provided by W.J. Deutsch & Sons, Ltd. Samples were accepted by the blogger for the purpose of review but the opinions expressed in this post are entirely her own.

Setting a Date

Third Time Wife, Wedding Planning
Scattered clear calendar tiles

image via stock.xchng | photograph by mai05

Setting a wedding date is tricky, especially if you’re thinking of having a long engagement. Sure, looking 2 years out means you’re more likely to find the spot you want available on that day, but first you have to figure out the when. It’s kind of a chicken and egg thing–the where may depend on the when and vice versa.

For me, though, there’s one other bit that matters: we already have an anniversary! We met, and got to know one another, online and dated long distance for the first few months of our relationship. We’ve always considered our anniversary, however, to be the day we first met in person–Nov. 2. Mr. Road Trip came to town for the weekend and we consider that Friday, the night of our first date, our anniversary.

My dating history, by the way, leaves something to be desired. What I lacked in quality, apparently, I made up in quantity if you count all those first/blind dates that never went anywhere.There seemed to be a few pretty steady lines of demarcation:

  • If we were still talking after the first date, 3 weeks seemed to be the next drop-off point.
  • If we were still dating after 3 weeks, 3 months was the milestone it most likely ended upon.
  • If we made it past 3 months, though (and this was rare), at a year things fizzled.
  • Unless, of course, we decided to get married. In which case, we never quite made it to 3 years.

Yes, you read that right: neither of my previous marriages lasted 3 years. I also had the nickname of gypsy for a while, 3 years being the longest I’d lived in any one place and even then most were shorter stints.

Looking back I kinda have to wonder why I’ve always considered 3 my “lucky” number.

So Mr. Road Trip comes along. A bit more than 6 months after we start dating, he moves to Florida. A year after that we move in together (signing that lease was a scary thing, indeed!) and then we renew our lease. It shouldn’t come as any surprise that, as we approached that 3 year point, I was a bit nervous. Okay, I was paranoid.

But here’s the thing: we were still talking. We were more than talking, we actually LIKED being together as much as we possibly could. We’d gone on trips, even a 7-day cruise, and hadn’t needed time apart.

So, now that we’s achieved the illusive 3 years and were still going strong (a major factor in my thought process in the me vs marriage debate) I didn’t want to give up those years we’ve already logged in our relationship. I don’t want to have to pick another date and start all over at day 1 again.

I want to get married on our anniversary.

When I realized this I grabbed my calendar to check out the upcoming years. (Keep in mind, this was still pre-proposal, so I might have been jumping the gun a tad but, hey, a girl’s gotta know what she’s working with!) Turned out, November 2nd falls on a Friday in 2012 and a Saturday in 2013–perfect! And, hey, if we want or need to make it a really long engagement, there’s still a Sunday in 2014 (though I hope it doesn’t come to that, honestly–I said I wanted to try a long engagement but not that long!).

And, yes, I did broach the subject with Mr. Road Trip, pre-proposal–mainly because my head was swimming with ideas and thoughts and maybes and maybe-nots so I wanted us to be on the same page. Turns out, the way he saw it, he’d considered himself ahead of me when it came to future-thinking and my obsession has managed to catch us up to each other.

Did you have any date dilemma when planning your wedding?

Which came first, the when or the where?

Reviving an Easter Tradition

Nibbles

When I was a little girl, we lived with my grandmother for a few years before moving several states away from all of our extended family. Of that time, holidays always seem to stand out in my memories. Easter was no exception.

We’d color eggs the night before, making sure that each egg bore the name of a family member and then, before I went to bed, we’d leave the carton with the colored eggs out on the table. In the morning I’d get up, run to the kitchen table and peer up at all the eggs nestled amongst that cellophane Easter grass on a big silver platter.

One year I swear I saw the Easter bunny hopping away down the driveway, but everyone says I just dreamed that.

Well, last fall my aunt–the youngest of my father’s siblings–was in town and we were reminiscing after dinner and this story came up. Turns out my aunt was in possession of said silver platter (Maw-Maw having passed away while I was in high school, many [many] years ago) and a couple of months ago that very platter was FedExed to me at work.

So this year, with friends coming over for Easter dinner (my family was either out of town or otherwise engaged on Sunday), Todd and I revived that tradition by making everyone an egg with their name on it (plus a few more) and, just before they arrived, set them all out on the tray.

Easter Eggs on a family tray

In year’s past I’ve gone to various lengths with egg dying (the year of the plaid-dyed eggs stands out as the most memorable) but this year we went old school–colored dye dots and a wax crayon. Instead of the shredded cellophane, though, I used the edible Easter grass (looks and feels like Styrofoam but is actually pretty tasty)–some things are worth updating!

One of these days we’ll buy a “real” dining room table

With 8 people* for dinner we swapped out our small (yet completely functional) IKEA kitchen table for a folding table and our patio table brought in for extra elbow room. These tables work great but they’re still not wide enough to hold place settings and the serving dishes so the meal was served buffet-style from the kitchen. Except the rolls, those fit on the table.

Brioche Bunny Rolls

To dress up the plain ivory tablecloth and plates, I cut egg-shaped place mats from wallpaper sample books and added mismatched napkins from my magpie-like stash (I buy random cloth napkins when they go on sale and use them as covers for hand-bound journals)–no two anything matched. A mini-“basket” (cocktail cup full of candy) at each place-setting finished the suddenly festive table.

Easter TableThe menu was

Appetizers
(deviled eggs, pimento cheese with celery, chocolate covered matzo, & spinach dip with crackers)

Decorated Deviled Eggs

Andalusian Lamb (come back for the recipe on Thursday)
Roasted Vegetables (red potatoes, rutabaga, turnips, parsnips, carrots and onions)
Broccoli and Brussels Sprouts Salad
Fruit Salad
Brioche Bunny Rolls

Easter Buffet

And one of our guests brought Cheesecake for dessert with a choice of toppings. Everything was delicious (though I still need to tweak the dressing on the broccoli/sprout salad, should I ever make it again).

The kitchen table got moved into the library to hold all the Easter goodies. Frankly, I’d hoped our guests would have taken more candy home with them–we still have quite the sugar haul for just 2 people.

Easter Candy Candy Candy

After dinner we kept on with the traditions (this time, a newer one) and played a round of Killer Bunnies and the Quest for the Magic Carrot, snacked on candy and engaged in light-hearted smack talk as we tried to be the last bunny standing with the right carrot. Todd was that bunny.

It was a wonderful afternoon spent in even better company with enough leftovers that we don’t need to cook for at least another day. A win all the way around.

*we were supposed to be 8, but a couple of last-minute cancellations brought us down to only 6

~~~oOo~~~

Food safety note: I’m sure (I hope) my family didn’t actually leave the eggs out all night. Most likely they went back in the fridge right after I went to bed and someone got up very early and set them out before I got up. At least I hope so. Even hard-boiled eggs should be refrigerated, folks.

Nothing Says I Love You Like…

Nibbles

They say (whoever they are) that the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. Despite the anatomical argument against it, it very well could be true. Cupid knows the first, second and future dates I’ve procured due to the promise of my culinary skills.

With today being Valentine’s Day, the most loving of holidays (at least according to Hallmark), what foods of love are you serving up to your nearest and dearest?

Will it be the tried and true(?) aphrodisiacs of oysters and chocolates?

Dinner out, brought in!

Dinner out, brought in!

Will you be dining out? (If so, I hope you have a reservation someplace or are willing to wait a good, long while.)

Or will you skip dinner and go straight to dessert?

The other day we’d decided to seek dinner out a little too late on a Friday night to find any place without at least an hour’s wait and a line out the door. Rather than give in and pick up fast food, we got the idea to pop into Fresh Market and check out their ready-to-eat deli selections. We made a fabulous meal with a couple of pop-in-the-oven items, fresh fruit and cheese. Add in a bottle of wine from the fridge and a fire in the fireplace and it was a wonderful dinner out, brought in!

It’s Todd’s turn to cook this week so he’ll be cooking dinner but I’ve got dessert all ready to go: a lemon-blueberry cheesecake. Want to make your own? Check out my basic cheesecake recipe and not-so-secret secrets to getting the best results possible. This one features Lemon Snaps as the crust as edging, the cheesecake batter is flavored with a bit of Limoncello and then has lemon curd swirled-in along with fresh blueberries.

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

Lemon Blueberry Cheesecake

So, what’s the way to your heart?

Grill Mastery

Nibbles

Ah, yes, weather permitting (and even sometimes not), thousands (millions?) of grills across the country will be fired up to char something with family and friends.

My first tip for the grilling-minded is for barbecue chicken and it comes from Mom. She takes leg quarters and marinates them in Italian dressing (straight from the bottle into a large baggie and if you can let it sit overnight in the fridge, even better), to start, and then pre-cooks them a bit in the microwave. Now, don’t shriek, it’s actually an excellent idea since it’s SO tough to get the chicken to cook evenly on the grill without one part getting over cooked or it taking forty forevers. So you par-cook the legs in the microwave and THEN put them on the grill to finish cooking and get that lovely caramelized finish and a good brush with the barbecue sauce of choice.

Did you know that chicken should be cooked to an internal temperature of at least 165 degrees? Now you do. Get out those meat thermometers and make sure the fleshiest bit is up to temperature before serving yourself or your guests. Pork should also always be cooked fully (no pink!) to reduce the risk of trichinosis. Beef and lamb can be cooked anywhere from 140 (rare) to 170 (well done) without too much worry (though why you’d want well-done lamb is beyond me!).

Most recipes suggest throwing out the marinade once it’s been used but you can actually use it for a sauce IF you bring it to a boil and keep it boiling for several minutes (5 is a good number) to “cook” any of the raw meat juices that are in there.

Finally, a true tale of grilling no matter what. It was my high school graduation party and the house was pretty full of guests. The plan had been to grill but the weather was atrocious: rainy and grey. But, the show must go on so Mom changed into her swimsuit and shorts and went outside with an umbrella to tend the grill as needed. Of course, if you’ve got the grill lid in one hand and tongs in the other, how are you going to hold the umbrella? In your cleavage, of course.

So don’t let a little water dampen your party this Memorial Day weekend.