The Culinary Adventures of Christmas

Action Rabbit's Warning:
THIS POST NOT ABOUT RABBITS! BEWARE!

For many people, Holidays are a time for baking.

I don't normally do too much baking, simply because we're not normally home at Christmastime. But this year was different. We stayed home. We were relaxed and didn't go anywhere.

And so I baked.

It started last week with a Sweet Potato Gallette. A gallette is a rustic French dish, which is essentially a really, really easy (and extremely buttery!!!) tart crust filled with whatever you want to fill it with. We usually use acorn or butternut squash, but when I decided to make it last week, we had sweet potatoes, so that's what I used. The perfect compliment to the sweet potato was some Monchego cheese that we received as a gift. YUM YUM YUM!!!

MMMMMMmmmmm... Sweet Potato Gallette

On Christmas Eve day, I made two fun things I'd never made before. Number 1: Eggnog! It was totally easy and completely delish!!! As the Blisschick said, "It was like a custard party in your mouth!"

Yes, well, whatever.

For anyone who is nervy about the idea of eating/ drinking "raw eggs" as my mother said to me when I told her that I had made eggnog ("You mean you made it with real eggs??? Raw eggs???" she said and then proceeded to tell me about a recipe she saw that somehow involved vanilla pudding and not eggs at all , and I was left wondering how it was called "eggnog" without actually containing eggs....?), the eggs are actually cooked. They are not raw. It really is like making custard. So, no worries.

Besides, there was probably enough rum in it to kill any stray whatevers.

Number 2 new thing I made on Christmas Eve day: Stickybuns!! It was a lot of pressure for me to make stickybuns, because I was secretly competing with the Chick's Nana's stickybuns! PRESSURE!!!

My stickybuns, however, were declared Nana equivalent! I was SO PLEASED!!! :)

Mmmmmmmmmm... Stickybuns...

The last new thing I made involved one of my new Christmas gifts: RAMEKINS!! Whoo-hoo! I got two that are about a two cup size, and four that are about a half cup size. Perfect! So, I decided to make the Chick Macaroni and Cheese, the perfect Winter comfort food. I used three cheeses that we had in the house: a simple Farmer's cheese, a Sharp White Cheddar, and a Smoked Pepper Jack. It was a great combo!

Tomorrow, I have to go back to work, but there's still time to make some bread!

I'd better go get busy on that actually.

What did you make that was delish? Did you try any new recipes?

Flip Friday, Christmas Edition!!

Today is Christmas!!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!

Of course, it is also Friday, which means.... ANIMAL MOVIES!!!

We had the best Christmas morning. We brought down blankets and pillows and just spread out in front of the tree with Kittens and Bunnies and espresso and sticky buns. And we all opened presents.

Culled form the events of our morning, then, Zoe and I have three movies for you. One starring Her new kittens, and two starring Herself, the Rabbit, and all Her Christmas Glory!

To come on Monday: reports of my Christmas Culinary Adventures. For now, let's get on with the movies and then more playing under the tree with some eggnog, shall we?

Kittens' Christmas Toys from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Christmas Bunny from marcy hall on Vimeo.

Zoe's Christmas Toy from marcy hall on Vimeo.

The Snowy Day

That title, SADLY, is for the rest of the country except us, it seems.

By now, we usually have TONS of snow! TONS of it!!

By now, in most normal years, I would have made a snow cat or a snow bunny in the yard. I also would have talked incessantly of my (I think, BRILLIANT) idea to buy a used mail truck and drive around to all the sledding hot spots selling hot chocolate to the kiddies and espresso drinks to the parents. In order to carry out my ingenious plan, though, there must be SNOW!!!

We have a little. And I'm not necessarily complaining. But while the rest of the country has feet, we have a couple of measly inches.

It's enough snow to feel like Christmas, though, which of course is coming fast.

We have the most beautiful tree this year.

At first, when we got it home, however, the Chick was not very pleased. "LOOK AT IT!" she yelled as we turned it and turned it trying to find the "good side," and as we had to cut off more and more of the bottom branches to get it to fit in the tree stand.

Admittedly, it did have a homliness as opposed to a hominess about it. Very Charlie Brown.

Miss Zoe wouldn't even come down to look at it. That tells you a lot, right there.

Now that it's decorated, though, the lights put on secretly by the Chick when I was at work (which also meant I avoided the tapestry of obscenities that would hang in space over Lake Erie for years to come , to paraphrase A Christmas Story) and the balls hung as I looked on and handed the balls to the Chick (who just moves them if I put them on!), it looks BEAUTIFUL!

Exhibits A- D:

Also, while decorating, we found this strange box of something that we must have had tucked away since last year. We don't know where it came from!!


Do you know anyone who could use such a thing?

No? OK. We'll keep it, then. :)