19 Dec, 2008
This is the Teen’s Christmas gift for friends, classmates, teachers, family, etc. this holiday season. I thought it was brilliant. The run-up to the holidays is a crazed (but happily so) period in our household. Not only do we do everything to pull off a relatively over-the-top Christmas, we also get…
18 Dec, 2008
Very crisp and fragile, these are melt-in-your mouth sugar cookies…
18 Dec, 2008
They look like something out of a Gourmet Magazine December cookie special photo shoot. Lined up on a diagonal are some 6 or 7 different cookies, as festive as the 200 year old, and massively heavy silver butler’s tray is stunning. And yes, you will often find this selection of cookies at…
16 Dec, 2008
When I wake up the early morning, it’s like turning on a switch, the light is either “off” or “on”. The primary exception being really cold wintery mornings, preferably with snow outside where the prospect of sitting on a really cold toilet seat is enough to keep me bundled up in a down…
16 Dec, 2008
All of these recent posts on ensaimada and the incredible responses they have received from readers, the most amusing from Marc, along with the roasting chestnuts post, had me thinking about the original ensaimadas from which our own probably evolved. I had several Mallorcan and Mallorcan-style ensaimadas on a trip to Barcelona a…
15 Dec, 2008
Chestnuts roasting on an open fire (earlier post here) is a favorite holiday song of mine. However, the reality is that they typically EXPLODE when roasted that way, and unless you have those really cool copper chestnut roasting contraptions that have a cover, you don’t really want searingly hot chestnut projectiles into your…
15 Dec, 2008
This unusual yet beguiling wreath arrived at our door the other day, a present from a friend. Wrapped in clear waterproof floral cellophane, it had earth friendly details like tiny vines used instead of scotch tape or staple wire to seal the present. The vine wreath, simply decorated with gorgeous ribbons and twelve…
15 Dec, 2008
A few years ago, in the midst of my first ensaimada obsession, I must have baked more than 150 ensaimadas to try and master a recipe. As I gave away the experiments to friends and family, one of our best friends let on that the secret to the coiling and airiness of her…