Hugs for Santa

I think Lenny took the big man by surprise.

A Children's Treasury of Vintage Christmas Advertising

It's Christmas Eve.  In case you need any last minute shopping advice, I've got you covered...

A Clockwork Christmas?

Was this a thing? Anyone? I can't decide if this is genius or disgusting.

...and now I want chicken.

Don't disappoint Bob!

She WILL be happier with a Hoover, especially if give her that instead of this next gift...

SEE?!?!?!

Because nothing says Merry Christmas like a carton of cigarettes.

Except maybe a carton of cigarettes endorsed by a future President.

Or, you know, cigarettes that won't make Santa's throat scratchy.  Ho, Ho, HACK!

Because you're going to need to freshen your breath after all those cigarettes.

I have nothing snarky to say about this.  Nothing but love for Sammy.  And Alka-Seltzer.

Christmas 2012: 5 Clever Holiday Cards for Geeks

Narrowing this list down to my 5 faves was no easy task.  Internet, keep up the good work.

Santa Geek via uluckygirl on Etsy

Chewbacca the Red Nosed Reindeer via Castle McQuade on Etsy

Bah Humbug via twras on Etsy

...and this one made me lol...via a sea of ink on Etsy

If this isn't the ultimate...I don't know what is via sweetgeek on Etsy

What Christmas looked like at our house this year.

Lenny's take-over of our home made it clear to me that I would not be able to put up our Christmas tree this year.  Or, come to think of, probably not next year either.  I did not want to have one of those trees that was bare on the bottom two feet. I missed it, but I think I managed to come up with some pretty charming seasonal alternatives...

Tuesday Tuneday

I LOVE Jimmy Smith's Christmas Album.  This is Holiday music that's great all year round...

Recipe: Honey Preserved Clementines

I like to try and make a certain number of Christmas gifts every year, but try as I might, I am not crafty. This means that any homemade gifts generally take the form of photography or something from my kitchen.  The thing is, I try to avoid baking.  It takes so much time and precision...I just don't enjoy it.  All those batches are waaaay too much work for someone as pathetically lazy as I.  Eliminating baking from the equation really does limit what you can give though.  Over the years I've done jars of Cranberry Sauce and Caramelized Onion Confit and homemade Vanilla Extract as well as some savory (less batch-intensive) baking like Black Pepper and Parmesan Biscotti.  All of that stuff has worked, but I didn't want to repeat myself this year.  I had been toying with the idea of preserving some Meyer's Lemons but somehow that didn't seem particularly festive.  Clementines though...what says Christmas more than Clementines?

I found the recipe in an issue of Fine Cooking Magazine and did not deviate from their instructions in the least.  I figured since this was my first attempt at preserving I had better pay close attention to the rules.

What you'll need:

1 cup honey
1 cup granulated sugar
5 whole cloves
2 green cardamom pods
1 four inch cinnamon stick
1.5 lbs. firm clementines (5-7), cut horizontally into 3/4 inch thick slices


I couldn't find whole cloves, cardamom pods or even cinnamon sticks at the grocery store, which surprised me.  I mean, cinnamon sticks?  That's not exotic, people.  And it's Christmas.  There's gonna be cider. People need cinnamon sticks.  As a result I ended up at the Bulk Barn, with the hippies.  Let me tell you something about the Bulk Barn.  They had everything I needed and it cost next to nothing.  Let me tell you something else about the Bulk Barn.  Those weird old hippies that shop there?  They straight up STEAL from the Bulk Barn.  I saw at least three people "sampling" from the bins.  And when I say "sampling" I mean making a meal out of the peanut butter pretzels.  Then one woman just TOOK a root beer flavoured candy which was shelved near the door.  She had already paid for her order and then stood there, considered the candy, held it out at arms length, looked at it, smelled it and then PUT IT IN HER BAG. Without even trying to hide the fact that she was shoplifting! WHAT IS GOING ON WITH THE CRAZY OLD HIPPIES AT THE BULK BARN?!


Wine pairing:  The Lackey - South Australian Shiraz (2007).  My girlfriend Annette introduced me to this wine and I always trust her taste.  She is way more knowledgable about these things than I am.  It's a seriously yummy wine, look it up!


Listening:  If you're making these for Christmas gifts like I was, then I dare say that Christmas music is mandatory listening.  I've got a number of "must listen" recordings over the holidays like Nat Cole, Oscar Peterson, Mel Torme, Vince Guaraldi and Harry Connick Jr. but my all time favourite is the Sackville Allstars Christmas Album.  It's simply the best.  Check it out.

Directions:

1.  In a 4-quart saucepan, bring 1 cup water and the honey, sugar, cloves, cardamom, and cinnamon stick to a boil over high heat.

2.  Gently slip the clementines into the liquid without stirring. (If any slices are mostly rind, place them rind down.) Return to a full boil and then reduce the heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10 minutes. Remove the pan from the heat, cover, and set aside overnight, at least 8 and up to 12 hours.

3.  Spoon and gently pack the slices into a 1-quart canning jar. 



4.  Bring the syrup in the saucepan back to a boil over medium-high heat; boil 3 minutes to concentrate the flavors.



5.  Pour the syrup over the slices to cover; discard any excess syrup. Cool to room temperature. Seal and refrigerate for at least 1 week before using. The clementines will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.

Serve your Honey Preserved Clementines over Vanilla Ice Cream, Yogurt or Mascarpone or with waffles or pancakes.  If you're ambitious and like to bake (unlike some people) they'd make a lovely cake decoration!


Verdict:  I'm hoping these go over well and that folks enjoy them, but even if they don't favour the taste I think they are beautiful to look at and make a festive, cheerful addition to your fridge.  Nothing wrong with that.

East York Santa Claus Parade

I seriously love our neighbourhood.  It's funny, but when I talk about why I love our 'hood it's often about it's proximity to other places in the city.  I can be on the boardwalk after a half hour walk or a 5 minute bus ride.  I can be in Yorkville or Downtown in 20 or 30 minutes on the subway.  That sort of thing.  Yesterday reminded me that there's more to it than that.  We went to the East York Santa Claus Parade and frankly, I wasn't expecting much but it was WONDERFUL.  And It was a 10 minute walk from our front door! I felt so warm and fuzzy that Lenny's first parade had both production values and community togetherness.  I know this is going to be a family tradition for us now and it couldn't please me more.

See more pictures from the parade, including a vintage Toronto cop car and Michael Jackson (that's right!) here.