Hi! I Just Realized That Christmas is Only a Week Away

I got started on wrapping gifts yesterday. While being a fan of the beautifully wrapped package, I have no facility for that. My packages always look like they have been wrapped by a 5th grader, no matter what I do. (Hat, please to be adjusting expectations accordingly). I'm sure the fact that I don't much enjoy wrapping presents has something to do with it. Much as I appreciate seeing a box covered in glossy paper and festooned with ribbons and bows, it always seems a little silly. I'll spend 5 minutes wrapping something, only to have someone rip, shred and tear through it in 10 seconds. I am tempted, every year, to employ a technique Dame Judi resorted to: she sewed up six burlap bags in Christmas colors and filled them with unwrapped gifts. We'd sit on the floor, bags tightly closed in our eager little fists, taking turns digging in, without looking mind you, to pull out our gifts. I so totally understand why she started doing that. I just have to wrap gifts for 2 people and a handful of friends; but it's still just a glorified chore.

The chore part is the actual wrapping. The glory of it, which is what keeps me going year after year, is imagining the delight of the recipients. (Well, The Spouse not so much. He is one of those people who opens a gift and says, "Oh, that's nice. Thank you". Very hard to get a hearty "OH! WOW! FANTASTIC!" from him. It's not that he's not grateful but after 16 years I still don't think I've ever given him anything that made him plotz with amazement. And let's face it, isn't thrilling and amazing someone kinda the point? I digress). I know The Child is going to love her "big" present. I'm pretty sure The Hat will love her "big" present. And there are all sorts of little treats and surprises as well that will elicit some "yippees" and giggles. No one is getting underwear, which is always a good thing. So I enjoyed wrapping up presents and thinking about the joy and laughter of Christmas morning, because that's the point; not the fact that I can't seem to line up the ends of the paper (it looks like rows of Christmas ribbon) to match or make perfectly sharp corners.

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I've lost about 10 pounds this week. 10 pounds of worry and concern, that is. My mind has been too much occupied with financial considerations and all the high school hooha. But I'm on the other side now. We signed papers last night to refinance the house; we didn't have a sub-prime loan or anything but with an interest-only equity line and some credit cards and me not working until the new year, it was all getting a little fraught. Especially when every time I turned on NPR there was another story about how bad things are going in the economy. I wanted to consolidate everything into something safe, fixed and low interest and now we have, freeing some nice handfuls of cash month to month in the process. So that's a load off. Mundane, but a load off.

As for high school, The Child had a pleasant enough time at Second Choice High yesterday but she came away sure that First Choice is indeed first choice. I asked if she'd be OK with SCH in the event that she didn't get into FCH and she said, "Oh, yeah", which was a relief (one doesn't want to hate one's back-up). Never mind that I now feel fairly certain that she'll be accepted to FCH. The email from our priest saying he'd sent "glowing letters of recommendation" on her behalf helped. (He's kind of a big deal in the archdiocese. Just saying). The fact that all of you have your fingers crossed helped. Seeing her enthusiasm and determination, that really helped.

She was so cute when I picked her up yesterday. She said, "I've made a list!" and pulled out some note paper (note paper, btw, emblazoned with a logo for FCH) on which she'd noted pros and cons of both schools, complete with scoring system. It ranged from the sensible (smaller classes at FCH) to the silly (awesome pizza bagels at FCH) but it was fundamentally thoughtful. It went to what she values, what she's looking for and I found myself more than a little amazed.

I mean, here we've been in charge of her decisions for nearly 14 years and we still fundamentally are for the next 4 but she's now arrived at that place in her life where she truly is thinking for herself, weighing her options, judging what she values and wants. It was a blessed thing to see because that is, after all, the point of parenting. Our job is to teach her to think for herself so that we don't have to hold her hand all her life. First Choice has been on Papa's and my radar for years but now she owns that, for all her own reasons. Realizing that yesterday was right up there with watching her take her first faltering steps. She really is growing up.

And now I must away. I've gotta cram for my emissions test, finish wrapping presents and bake the annual eggnog cakes for the faculty and staff. I've decided to gift everyone this year, not just The Child's teachers, because I'm feeling just a little varklempt about this being our last Christmas at St. G and I want to show my appreciation to all the hard-working angels at the school. I can't give them all a million dollars, so brandied eggnog fluffiness will have to do.

Scenes from Twelfth Night

The Three Kings finally arrive at the crib....bringing gold, frankincense and myrrh. The Child and The Neighbor sharing a holiday moment.Chimichangas. Told you they were bigger than your head.
Searching for the charm. Look who found it!*Once the charm is found, it's a lot easier to dig into your cake.The Neighbor enjoyed hers. Until she couldn't eat any more, what with the whole "bigger than her head" chimichanga that she'd gamely worked on earlier.
The Dog did not understand why he couldn't have chimichangas or cake. Isn't he part of the family, too? He paid his queen homage, but probably just because he thought maybe then he'd get a treat.The paperwhites lasted through all the 12 days of Christmas.

*I was really only queen by proxy. As the evening wore on The Spouse wasn't feeling well, though he was gamely entering in to the festivities. After cake was served he beckoned me over with a "come here, honey", gave me a kiss and popped the charm in my mouth. Yes, he'd found it, but he knew he wasn't up to reigning, with all that it required. So I ruled in his stead. Please don't tell The Child.

12th Night, or Morning as the Case May Be

I will be baking cakes today. Lots and lots of cakes. You may recall that I had baked a dozen mini eggnog bundt cakes to give our to the teachers and staff at The Child's school. That same night the worst storm in 412 years blew in, disrupting our lives for a week. Which meant that the cakes were given out to neighbors and hungry linemen.

I had decided to make another batch by the time school began again but the general laziness of Christmas week prevented me from caring. So I figured, hey! I'll make 'em for Epiphany. Which is today, but the point is that there will be a little token of appreciation for all the nice people at school come Monday and won't they be surprised what with Christmas being over and all that?

Then we also need a 12th Night Cake for dinner. I'd hazard a guess, because I could care less about researching it, that there is a traditional recipe for 12th night cakes and I'll just bet you lots of dried and/or candied fruits are involved. Which would make that a non-starter around here. So every year I make up a nice light orange cake that is very delicious and which looks very pretty when baked in the bundt pan that looks sort of like a cathedral and then sprinkled with confectioner's sugar. All I have to do to make it into a proper 12th night cake is remember to stir a charm or coin into the batter. The person who finds the charm (hopefully without breaking his or her teeth) is the King or Queen of the Feast. And since 12th Night is falling on a Saturday, we'll actually be able to give the King/Queen their proper due, which is to be allowed to choose the entertainments for the evening. Oh! And I need to make a crown. There's some tinselly stuff around here somewhere.

The Spouse will shortly be making enchilada sauce. The Child is going to help me "make the table small", one of the final of the Christmas rituals, as it turns out. For 2 weeks now it has been stretched out full, all leaves in, surrounded by chairs and taking up quite a lot of room. It has accomodated a lot of friends and food and that's been very nice. But 12 days of feasting really is enough, thank you very much. It will be nice to take down the very last of the Christmas trappings, burn the greens from the mantal on the fire tonight and sit cozily around a table sized for four.

The Neighbor will be joining us for our last feast, which will be lovely. (And which makes me think that this year's Cake should be individual bundts because with just 4 feasting we might have to eat our way through a lot of cake to find the charm. Eating a lot of cake may sound like a good thing but The Spouse is making his amazing bigger-than-your-head chimichangas for dinner and there won't be a ton of room left for cake. Trust me).

Hope you have a very nice Saturday...come on over to Here's the 80s for a little musical fun. That's likely where I'll be the rest of the day.

Scenes from a Feast: The Menu

Dwayne and Mark brought lovely little filo bird nests stuffed with Gruyere, onion and pear. There weren't many left.


















Second course was a creamy butternut squash & ginger soup with garlic crouton. We had a wee guest of 4, who came up to me with her bowl and said, "Very good soup, thank you. I'd like more, please". And that is also the point at which the Children's Table vacated, the 2 little girls into The Child's room to play princess and The Child and C., who is 10, off to the family room to play computer games.

Salad was a mesclun mix with sugared pecans and dried cherries, in a shallot vinaigrette.

(Here's the trick; it is the yummiest dressing ever:

Shallot Vinaigrette
An hour or two before making your salad put 1 Tablespoon of good quality vinegar (red wine or sherry) into a bowl with a pinch of salt. Into another bowl place about 1 T. of minced shallot and 3 T. extra-virgin olive oil. Let them sit on the counter and just before salad time, whisk the vinegar and oil together and toss with the salad. I don't know what it is about steeping the shallots in oil but it is a little vat of yum).

Then it was time to announce, "Lords and ladies, please be upstanding for the goose".
The Spouse is just wicked with a roasted bird.















The goose was served with a fabulously rich sauce full of goosey-winey goodness. It was accompanied by pears, marinated in brandy, honey & herbs, which then had their little cavities filled with bleu cheese and were baked until warm and the cheese was melty. This was served on a bed of fennel and other greens that Dwayne had brought along. There was sage & onion dressing, cranberry relish and haricot vert tossed with caramelized shallots.

Some time later, after the gifts and crackers, it was time for eggnog cake served with a late harvest Reisling. Here, have a glass.

















The Dog got 2 tiny bits of goose and was allowed to lick the roasting rack. He was very happy.

Whoo to the Hoo

Today I recieved my 20,000th visitor to this blog. This lovely individual hails from Spokane, Washington and stayed for a good 30 minutes. (This is important, because I was very afraid that the 20,000th person would come, see that there weren't any dirty pictures and leave, with a log time of 0 seconds. That would have been so disappointing).

So thank you, Person in Spokane, for helping me to achieve this milestone and please accept this delicious eggnog cake as a little token of my appreciation.

Where Did the Time Go?

It's not like I haven't known that Christmas was approaching. The Advent wreath on our dining table will tip me off if nothing will. I have Christmas cards and wrapping paper. But aside from hanging a wreath on the door and buying the tree, I haven't done a lick of preparation. And this morning I realized, "Sheesh. It's Thursday. I have to bake a dozen eggnog cakes!" (My traditional gift to the faculty and staff at school).

I think it didn't quite feel like Christmas was coming because for a while there, it looked like we weren't going to have any guests for Christmas dinner. Everyone who usually comes is going out of town or is recently married and spending it with in-laws. I was pragmatic. Life happens. Traditions evolve and change. Just because no one was coming this year didn't mean no one would ever come again. And yet. We've had Christmas parties with just four guests, Christmas parties with a dozen. But Christmas with just us? The Spouse was positively boo-boo faced about it. At first I thought that was a little insulting. What? The Child and I aren't good enough? But last night he explained that he was afraid if it was just us then we'd be too lacksidaisical about it. That we wouldn't make a fuss and it wouldn't really feel like Christmas. I totally got that.

But the good news is that one family which always joins us is in fact joining us again this year. Yippee. There are some neighbors who might be coming as well. (Not The Neighbor, though, as she'll be in Montana with her loin fruit). And it looks like this year we'll have goose and who doesn't love a nice roasted goose at Christmas? Oh, the joy. Plus, The Bride (who will hereafter be known as Seattle Coffee Girl) and her Prince will be joining us for dessert because, as she put it in an email, "We'll be spending the whole day with his family. I should get to be with my family, too". Awwwww.

So the party is on. There will be splendid food and revelry and Christmas crackers, lights and music and kids oohing over presents and all the other little touches that make Christmas night not just like any other night. Somehow, knowing that we're "on" after all was just the dose of spirit I needed. Now I can starting baking and write out some cards while the cakes are in the oven. Tomorrow I start Christmas shopping in earnest, with the annual coffee-shopping-lunch extravaganza with the Coffee Moms.

Whoopee! Here comes Christmas!

Christmas Cheer

Bad Alice threatened to give The Dog pinecones if I didn’t hand over the eggnog cake recipe. I take these sorts of threats very seriously.

The woman who gave me this recipe did so on the condition that I never reveal my source. (It was neither Martha Stewart nor Scooter Libby). Personally, I find nothing at all shameful in using cake mix. In fact, as someone who has made her share of genoise and sponge cake from scratch, I don’t know why one would bother when a mix will do quite ably. (Health concerns, which are legit, can be addressed by purchasing one of the many natural/organic products on the market. Trader Joe’s has some excellent ones and no, they aren’t paying me to say that). I digress.

Here’s the recipe, sans the name of the woman who gave it to me and I hope you enjoy it. Bad Alice, step away from the pinecones.

EGGNOG POUND CAKE
1 package yellow cake mix
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups commercial eggnog
2 tbs. rum (or brandy or sherry, pretty much anything but tequila or gin)
1/4 cup butter, melted
Combine cake mix, nutmeg, eggs, eggnog, melted butter and rum in large mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer about 4 minutes or 450 strokes with a whisk. Pour batter into greased 10 " bundt or tube pan.

Bake in 350 oven 45-55 min. or until a long wooden skewer inserted in the thickest portion comes out clean.

Cool in pan 10 minutes: invert cake onto a rack and cool thoroughly. Sprinkle with confectioner’s sugar.

Making a List, Checking it Twice

This is the last full day of time alone at home before Christmas break begins. (The Child goes to Catholic school so I get to call it Christmas break. Because we're breaking for Christmas). While I revel in the silence I also have to shake off the vestiges of sloth that still cling and bust a move on my to do list:

1 -Clear my extremely small desk of the pile of ephemera that is occupying half the space. It won't actually take too long to clear it up as most of it is stuff that lives somewhere else but I need to deal with it before it falls on me and hurts me.

2- Pungle some bills and check the Christmas budget. (We learned the word "pungle" on "Sez You" this weekend. It means to "make a payment or contribution of money". I much prefer to pungle a bill than to pay it).

3-Bake 12 individual eggnog bundt cakes for all the teachers and staff at school. (This is actually way less impressive than it sounds as the recipe is predicated on a cake mix and the bundt pan, which makes six cakes at a time, does all the work. Still, at least this year I remembered to do something for everyone who is not paid enough to educate my child. And yes, a check would be nicer but I don't have that kind of dough. Please tell me it's the thought that counts).

4-Work on my book. It's so close to being done and I really don't want to drag it with me into '06. I really don't.

5-Thaw hamburger.

6-Iron.

7-Call my senators to thank them for their votes on Friday against making permanent provisions of the Patriot Act. Must also cheer on Senator Cantwell who is threatening a filibuster on the Defense appropriations bill because of Senator Ted "Am I Screaming Loud Enough for You" Stevens' 11th hour ANWR drilling add-on. What is up with that? If you can't get something passed, tack it onto must-have legislation? I realize both parties do it but shouldn't there be a law to stop that sort of behavior? Like the bucket of oil in ANWR is going to fix anything. Sheesh.

8-Keep The Dog from eating pinecones.

9-Make a booboo face because there isn't a "fresh" episode of "Gilmore girls" until '06.

I was so happy when I woke up this morning and knew I didn't have to drive on a field trip. I am so happy to have my house to myself for one last day. (I will be happy to have The Child and The Spouse home as well but it's a different kind of happy). I'm so happy that I'm going to have some ribbon candy and a cuppa joe while I preheat the Viking (my oven, not The Spouse).

Over the River and Through the Woods

To grandmother's house we'll soon be going. The sleigh is gassed up and there is no snow, although there is quite a lot of fog. I still have to pack and make the bed but I thought I'd get a start on my obligatory "List of Things I'm Thankful for This Year".

I'm thankful that I'm not under indictment, nor do I know anyone who is. I do know some people at Preston Gates and Ellis, the law firm whose name is uncomfortably popping up from time to time in the Abramoff scandal but I'm pretty sure none of them are involved. Pretty sure.

I'm thankful that The Child is so excited to see her cousins. I was usually excited to see most of my cousins but there was one family on my dad's side that had the "weird cousins" and they were the ones we usually spent the most time with on holidays. They were supremely weird. Still are. I'm glad none of my nieces and nephews are like that. They are all super cool kids, very sweet and smart and funny. I'm glad The Child has them since we didn't have the decency to give her a sibling.

I'm thankful that I can look forward to a holiday with the family without cringing over the major doses of dysfunction lying ahead. Oh, sure, from time to time there are those who begin to hold forth about something that requires everyone else to bite their tongue until it bleeds but if we all thought the same way about every little thing it would be rather boring, wouldn't it?

I'm thankful that the thought of 2 hours in the car on jammed freeways with nothing but my husband, child and Radio Disney doesn't make me want to vomit. I got water and road snacks for the trip and frankly, I love singing along with Jesse McCartney and Hillary Duff, so there.

I'm thankful that Bri and Suzanne are going to stay here and watch The Dog. I heart him so much and I would be sad if I had to leave him in a kennel where he didn't know anyone.

I'm thankful that all I have to cook for Thanksgiving this year is an eggnog cake (baking as we speak, yum) and a green bean casserole. I'm thankful for green bean casserole. Further proof that I am a gourmand, not a gourmet.

I'm thankful that the tide is turning against the war in Iraq, thankful that some of our troops will be coming home early next year (even military advisors and Condi said it could be done). I'm thankful that when my dad and I go off in a corner to talk we will be in agreement on the war. (We were in agreement from the start but I just take a lot of pleasure in seeing eye to eye with my Reagan Democrat father, because there were so many years when we saw eye to eye on absolutely nothing).

I'm thankful that my house is clean. I'm thankful I have a house. I'm thankful that I don't live in New Orleans or Indonesian or Pakistan. I'm thankful for running water, cell phones, lap tops and indoor plumbing. I'm thankful for my big ass stove and my comfy bed and interesting people with whom to share my life.

I'm thankful for Jon Stewart, Barack Obama, Bono and Bruce Springsteen. I'm thankful for Steve Martin, Colin Firth and the BBC. I'm thankful for the NY Times on line (but not that completely lame thing they are still doing which requires you to pay if you want to read the "good" editorials). I'm thankful for British literature, Garrison Keillor, NPR in general and "Gilmore girls". I'm thankful that there are so many ways for me to be informed (whenever I feel like being informed), entertained (which I want frequently) and challenged to think.

And chances are, faithful readers, I'm thankful for you. Many of you have been oh so kind and supportive of my little chunk of Blogtopia and knowing you are out there keeps me going.

Here's the thing, there's a lot of darkness (war, hurricanes, Paris Hilton) but there is still much to celebrate. So have a good time with your family and friends (all so fascinatingly dysfunctional in their own special way), enjoy your turkey and pie and please, whatever you do, don't call it the Macy's Day Parade.

Tuesday's To Do List

One must be flexible in life, "the best laid plans" and all that. Today is chock full o' fun but the first thing I had to do was give The Dog a bath (for reasons best not detailed due to the "eeww" factor). He is now running like a rabid thing through the house, shaking himself repeatedly and growling in a menacing way. He does not enjoy the bath.

We leave tomorrow for a brief Thanksgiving interlude with the family. Now that The Dog is hygenic I can get back to my original gameplan:

There will be a trip Out and About during which I will visit:

Fremont Gardens for paperwhite narcissus bulbs. I force a mess of these every year right after Thanksgiving so they will be in bloom by Christmas. The peppery sweetness of their fragrance combines with the aroma of satsumas (which we eat by the boxful these days) to make my signature Advent potpourri.

(Appropos of hardly anything, I noticed today that Sarah Jessica Parker has a "signature" fragrance called "Lovely" which is selling at Nordstrom and Macy's for $65 a bottle. And not a big honking bottle, either. I just remembered why my "signature" scent is Ivory soap).

Bavarian Meats for a sackful of sauerkraut, smoked pork chops and assorted sausages. Today is (the very clean) Dog's first birthday. We are celebrating with his sister, Trudy, and her family. Since the pups are schnoodles, part Schnauzer, part poodle, I'm serving Alsatian Choucroute to honor of their heritage. Sauerkraut, now there's a signature scent for you. (Truthfully, this recipe is so yummy even sauerkraut avoiders love it).

Pike & Western to get a bottle or two of nouveau beaujolais, 'cause it's that time of year. We can have one tonight and one tomorrow night with the pate I'm taking to Mummy's.

Kaufer's for Advent candles and a new Advent calendar. The new church year begins on Sunday and I can't wait. This is absolutely one of my favorite times of year. I have become rather adept, though I say it myself, at keeping Christmas at bay until it's proper time (which in my book is 12/24-1/6). It's very old school but darn it, it works for me.

Finally, somewhere, anywhere I must try to find Swedish fish as The Child promised I'd provide same for a party at school. This provided what the pros like to call a "teaching moment". The lesson: why we don't make promises on behalf of our mother without consulting our mother first.

While the cash card cools down I have to finish getting the house dusted, swept and tucked in for the house/dog sitter. I haven't decided yet whether I'm going to bake the eggnog cake for Thanksgiving today or tomorrow. There really is plenty of time tomorrow morning. Assuming The Dog doesn't need another bath.

Alsatian Choucroute Garni

(recipe courtesy of The Cardinal)

Drain 2 pounds sauerkraut. Squeeze out juice.

Render ½ pound bacon ends in a Dutch oven. Remove meat.

In bacon fat cook ½ c. thin sliced carrots and 1 c. sliced onion, until onion is translucent.

Stir in sauerkraut and cook on low heat for 10 minutes.

Make a bouquet garni of:
1 sprig parsley
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
10 juniper berries (if no juniper berries are available, toss in a shot of gin)

Bury garni in middle of sauerkraut and pour in:
1 c. dry white wine or 2/3 c. vermouth
2-3 c. chicken or beef stock, just to cover sauerkraut. Season lightly with salt.
Bring to a light simmer on top of stove.

Place a round of buttered wax paper over the top of the sauerkraut and place in preheated 300 degree oven and let simmer 4 ½ - 5 hours, until liquid is absorbed.

During the last 45 minutes of cooking remove wax paper. Sprinkle in some caraway seeds and add selected smoked meats (blanched) and browned sausages. Arrange meat in among ‘kraut and finish cooking.