Goodbye 2011

Happy New Year!

Time is such a funny thing, isn't it? Years seem to fly by but when I actually look back at what our year consisted of, the events seem part of ancient history. Where we *really* riding camels in Morocco last year at this time? Living in Europe? Walking down cobbled streets in Bruges? Apparently so.

2011 was a year of transitions and goodbyes. It was also a year filled with travel, friends and some amazing good times. Here are some highlights, month by month.

January

Relaxing trip to Agadir, Morocco.

February

Ski trip to La Clusaz, France.

March

Trip to Bruges.

April

My MIL and her sister & brother visit us in Lux.

May

My mom visits and we drive to Venice!

June

Family trip to London.

July

WE MOVE BACK TO SEATTLE

AugustWe enjoy apartment living in South Lake Union

September

The girls start their new school and we move back into our house.

October

We enjoy celebrating Halloween all month long.

November

My sister, BIL and nephew visit. We host Thanksgiving.

December

Celebrate Christmas surrounded by family!

Happy, Merry to you!

Wishing you all the comforts of home!
Merry Christmas!
Katy xo

Yule Log Challenge

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Friends, I've assigned myself a challenge this Christmas; to make a Buche de Noel for Christmas dinner. Since I'm not hosting and am only responsible for the dessert, I'll have energy (fingers crossed) to make something very special.

As you know this is the Christmas dessert in Luxembourg. Since we're home now, where this classic French dessert is virtually non existent, I thought it would be fun (in a challenging, potentially frustrating, possibly hair pulling way) to make one.

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So, I'm looking for advice. Chocolate cake with chocolate mousse filling? Yellow cake with chocolate butter cream filling? Chocolate coating? Meringue mushrooms? (wishing I had a pack of the red fairy sugar mushrooms that they sell at the grocery stores in Lux. They are on every buche over there!) What do you think?

I looked at Martha Stewart's recipe and it looks a bit complicated. The directions on the Youtube tutorial look pretty good, but I'm sort of settling on the recipe I found at Saveur - unless you have a fail proof one for me to try!

This Year's Christmas Cookies

2011 Christmas Cookies

Peppermint Bark by Orangette

Peppermint Cookie Bark

Gingerbread Trees (there is still dough in the fridge waiting for the girls)

Thumbprints (Audrey has stopped calling them Fingerprints. That was so cute.)

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies (first year making these. They are like little brownies. A friend told me about adding peppermint or espresso powder to these. yes, please.)

What did you bake this year? Leave a comment!

A Christmas Spirit

Looking for a special aperitif (or grown-up drink) to serve your guests this year? I must share one with you that I had at a friend's party. It is called a Barney and is made with BroVo Spirit's Ginger liqueur. Now, let me assure you this isn't your Grandma's liqueur, not that there is anything wrong with your Grandma or her liqueur. I'm just saying this one is different.

BroVo Spirits are made with with fresh, local (WA state) ingredients and produced in small craft distilleries; in true artisanal style. They are not sickly sweet and syrupy. And they are lady made! To find out where they are sold, click the Find Us tab on their website. For you locals, I bought a bottle at the liquor store on 15th in Crown Hill. BroVo is also served at Tom Douglas restaurants.Barney
4 oz sparkling wine
1.5 oz BroVo Ginger Liqueur (about a shot)

For a festive touch, serve with a twist or a single cranberry.

These are delicious! They have just enough ginger flavor to make the sparkling wine more interesting, but not enough to overpower.

Look for other interesting BroVo flavors - Douglas Fir, Lemon Balm, Rose Geranium, and Lavender. Look for Rhubarb in the spring.

A Crafty Afternoon

I didn't pull it together this year to host an ornament making party for the girls and their friends. Instead we had a mellow crafting afternoon with a close friend. We organized 3 crafts but due to time constraints we only got to two of them (the girls did the 3rd on later on.)

We made tissue paper votive holders

Apple Santas (these are so adorable! love this craft.)

Candy cane mice. This was a great craft and would also be a nice gift for kids to give to their friends.

More edible gifts

The girls, especially my 7 year old, have gotten into giving gifts this year. It is great to see. Eva wanted to make something for her friends and teachers, naturally Audrey did too. I suggested these chocolate lollipops I'd seen on an Ina Garten cooking show. Both girls thought it would be a fun project and a great gift to give.

For my part in the project, collecting the supplies and getting them organized was easy. I love that. Here's how we did it.

Materials

1-2 lbs of chocolate (depending on how many you want to make. We had 1.5 lbs all together and it made 23 medium-large size lollipops.)

Lollipop sticks - found at any well stocked craft store (I bought ours at Joann's)

Plastic bags to put over the lollipops (again at Joann's)

Assorted candies, nuts, dried fruit to decorate the lollipops

Bakers twine or ribbon (to tie the bag to the lollipop stick)

Wax paper

Method

Put candies, nuts etc in little bowls, place sticks near by work space. Rip off a longish sheet of wax paper, about 24 inches.

Melt chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler. If you use the microwave (I did!) be very careful not to burn your chocolate. I put it in for 1 minute, stirred and then put it in for 45 second more and it was perfect.

Chop your chocolate into smallish pieces and melt.

Using a tablespoon, pour chocolate onto wax paper. I originally drew circles onto the wax paper but discovered this is not necessary with only 1T* or so of chocolate. If chocolate is especially runny let it cool a bit until it becomes thicker.

Immediately after pouring the chocolate, place a lollipop stick in it. Turn the stick so it is coated on all sides.

Decorate with assorted goodies

Let harden for 2 hours or so (faster in the fridge)

Place in lollipop bags and tie with twine!

Give!!

*you may be tempted to use more than 1 T of chocolate like I was and did. Stop yourself. This makes lollipops that are too big. Most of ours didn't fit into the bags I bought. 1T is a perfect size - enough to be a special treat but not obnoxious.

Christmas Music

Bryce downloaded this album for us and we are really enjoying it! I smile every time Beaker chimes in the on The 12th Days of Christmas.


What Christmas music are you listening to this year?

Speaking of the Nutcracker

which was as wonderful as ever! Here is the Christmas book that was added to our collection this year. If you love Mary Engelbreit's illustrations this is the book for you! The illustrations really capture the magic of the Nutcracker.

Are you enjoying a new Christmas book this season?

A Magical Evening

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Friends, tonight is an exciting night! We are taking the girls to see Pacific Northwest Ballet's Nutcracker! Since the girls were babies I've been anxious for them to see and *love* the Nutcracker. At ages 7.5 and 5, we think they are ready! Thank you to my mom for the most wonderful Christmas gift ever - tickets to the show!!

The Nutcracker has been an important part of Christmas for me since I was about 5. I don't know how or why it happened but at 5 I was part of the Nutcracker myself. I was one of the baffoons (also called bonbons) that danced out of Mother Goose's skirt. Sadly this act has been cut out of the updated version of PNB's Nutcracker.

For years after we'd go see the show each year at Christmas time. As a little girl I remember the music, lights, dancing and the magic of it all. It was a special occasion, we wore dresses, went out to eat and walked down the lit up streets of down town Seattle. We stopped to admire the window displays at Foxes Gem Shop - antique teddy bears and jewels! It was magical. So interesting how memories are recorded in your mind. Who knows how many years we actually did this, but to me it felt like a tradition.

So this year we are sharing the magic with the girls. I can hardly wait.

Edible Gifts

This year I'd like to give little packages of sweet edibles to friends and neighbors. It was Dana's productivity in the kitchen that finally got me going on my own gifts. She made vanilla extract and salted caramels! Yes, I know, don't you wish you were her friend? I'm making peppermint bark; two different kinds. This one has crushed chocolate wafers in it and this recipe (pictured) stands out due to it's layer of peppermint ganache. Mmm, mmm good.

Have you made candy bark before? I hadn't either. I made a batch to take to the ornament party I attended last weekend and experienced how ridiculously easy it is to make. It also looks and tastes great. A winning combination in my book.

What's coming out of your kitchen this year? Do tell!

Stocking Stuffers

I *love* to stuff stockings. Knowing you, you're probably all finished with your shopping but just in case you have that one last thing to buy I've put together a stocking stuffer gift guide.

Here are some stocking stuffer ideas for girls around 5-8 years old.

Stocking Stuffers for Girls 5-8 years old by sycamorestir on polyvore.com

Click on the link above or on the picture for buying information.

1) I love these doodle books that are out right now -A great combination of free coloring and coloring books. These pocket sized doodle books are easy to transport and would be great for restaurants.

2) In my second grader's class the kids are wearing hair bands on their wrists. These bracelets look like hairbands and the money goes to a good cause.

3) Each year my girls get an ornament in their stocking. My youngest is quite smitten with Rapunzel and this seemed perfect for her.

4) Gel pens - I don't know what it is about these but my girls LOVE them. I found a 4 pack of them at the craft store, perfect stocking stuffer size.

5) My oldest is big into Mad Libs and Scooby Doo for that matter. There are also Mad Lib Jrs for younger kids.

6) Book light - Bryce and I received one of these a few years ago and just love it! The girls love ours too. Now they can love their own. They come in fun colors!

7) Books - stockings must have a new paper back or two. My oldest is getting 2 of these and my youngest these.

8) A stocking is not complete without chocolate Christmas balls.

9) Notebooks or journals. These Field Note books look great.

Have you purchased all of your stocking stuffers? What did you buy?