shoes and pie

November 23, 2007 · 11:21 am

New, Improved (?) Worst Holiday Gift, 2007

Faithful readers will remember my selection of the Deer Rider as the Worst Holiday Gift for 2007. But, oh, the gifts just keep on giving. While flipping through a sale circular, I was introduced to the Mangroomer.

According to the Mangroomer site, this product is “the essential do-it-yourself electric back shaver.” Essential, folks. It will also, according to their copy, “improve your life” in numerous ways, including sparking up your romance, giving you confidence, preventing embarrassment at the beach or pool parties, decreasing sweat and body odor, and emphasizing muscle definition. And yes, they actually suggest it as a gift.

Oh, my. Available at Bed, Bath & Beyond for $39.99 or at Amazon for $39.95.

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Filed under holidays, shopping

November 22, 2007 · 11:01 pm

Final Tally

Food items, planned-but-forgotten:

leek purses

Food items, skipped in sudden moment of sanity:

roasted pumpkin
wild rice with cranberries

Food items, unexpected additions:

fig-topped brie
bruschetta with fresh tomato/cilantro topping (and roasted garlic!)

Food items, noticeably missed:

milk or cream for coffee (doh!)

Mishaps:

burn on forearm from roasting pan
broken martini glass
chipped Waechtersbach saucer
bonking of cat on head with plate (I don’t think he even noticed, but the bonk-er felt very bad about it)

Festive use of word “fuck”:

I dunno, I was drinking too much to keep track ;)

Good conversations and laughs with great people:

countless

In this, our time of gluttony

While you’re dining with family and/or friends tomorrow, eyes glued to the football game on your 52″ flat screen TV, eating your 16-lb. turkey and beans and THREE kinds of potatoes and TWO kinds of pie, please consider for a moment those less fortunate than yourselves.

Then, if you’re planning on hitting the 4am store sales, you might remember to pick up a couple of items for a kid whose Christmas would otherwise be sparse, or find an extra coat in your closet for a dad whose own has become threadbare.

In the Denver metro area, the 77th annual Santa Claus Shop, is now open for business through December 17; bring new and gently used toys to your local King Soopers store, where volunteers will sort, clean, and distribute them to underprivileged children. Coats for Colorado, in its 26th year, will be accepting your used coats through Nov 30th. Bring your jackets to Dependable Cleaners (30+ locations), who will distribute the donations to nonprofit organizations in need.

And remember to say thanks.

home cooking isn’t dead

I’ve already posted the preliminary t-day menu, but here is the final roster for Neil’s info (and my own notes, so I don’t forget anything tomorrow!):

leek “purses” (store bought)
organic turkey (injected with wine, for extra juiciness)
organic gravy (store bought)
stuffing (made by friend)
cranberry-apricot relish with cardamom
wild rice with cranberries (made by mom)
roasted herbed organic potatoes
mashed potatoes (made by friend)
pureed sweet potatoes with goat cheese and truffle oil
candied yams (made by friend)
green beans with toasted pine nuts
roasted organic pumpkin with lemon and rosemary
pecan pie (store bought)
pumpkin and caramel apple cheesecake slices (store bought)
Hawaiian fudge (store bought)
lots of booze (store bought) ;)

Yeah, okay, I just made myself hungry. Chinese takeout for dinner tonight! Safe travels, everyone.

kung-fu silicone grip

Tonight, I made the cranberry relish I mentioned in an earlier post.

Usually, I buy the canned stuff, and I still like it. Timber had his own “secret” recipe, and I enjoyed his citrus-y contribution for a number of years. He has inadvertently guilted me into home-made sauce each year. But I must respect his secret, so I had to strike out on my own. Dean & Deluca sell a cranberry-cardamom sauce, but for $25. Um, no. (Quick check on their site indicates that they’re sold out. Whoa.) Epicurious set me up with a reasonable-sounding recipe, so that’s what I made. Lemon juice, honey, apricots, cardamom… and cranberries.

Cranberries are just the cutest little things. I’ve had them in the house before, but never before cooked with them. I was instructed to boil them until they popped. Bubble, bubble, hisssss… hey! It popped, alright… and spit hot cranberry juice at me! The nerve.

Ah, right, the point of this post. Last Christmas, Mandy bought me an assortment of kitchen gadgets in my “signature” color, red. Potentially the oddest item, a silicone utensil clip, has turned out to be an absolute wonder to have in the kitchen. Forget about gloppy, sticky spoon rests. This doohickie fits right over the edge of my saucepan. It’s heat-resistant and malleable enough enough to securely hold any spoon/spatula/whisk/whatever without me having to sully my counter, stove top, or another dish. The utensil drips neatly back into the pan, and stays within easy reach. It cleans up in a snap, too.

End, public service announcement.

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