I'm a wee bit pressed for time, having slated today for making two more batches of caramels for my loyal readers. G and I just returned from the city and a round of Christmas parties, and it's already 3pm and things are barely getting going. And then I remembered my promise: the holiday soundtrack. I have all my picks lined up and ready for you. So without further ado (except to say that I am still and always enthralled by the pieces I recommended last year), here are my musical selections for Christmas 2011. (Chanukkah music is, sadly, not my forte.)A Very She & Him Christmas - This hipster collaboration features the successful though somewhat unlikely pairing of country-folk artist M. Ward and wide-eyed faux naif actress Zooey Deschanel (seen above in an ironically fabulous pose). Highlights: their renditions of Silver Bells and Baby It’s Cold Outside.
Read More...

What a week. Did I mention I am making my first personal appearance for Glutton for Life? My dear friend Peter, he of Best Made fame, asked to me to participate in one of three evenings he is hosting at the Warby Parker Holiday Spectacle Bazaar, a SoHo pop-up happening (for lack of a better word) featuring stuff to eat, drink, buy, see and learn. It was initially pitched to me as a hands-on workshop for a couple dozen people, where I could talk about whatever I wanted—oh, and there's a whiskey sponsor. So mixing cocktails seemed like a no-brainer. Then, to put my own little upstate spin on things, I decided to use foraged ingredients. This seemed to pique everyone's interest. Done deal. Then, I find out they're expecting upwards of 100 people. And I stop to consider that the dead of winter might not be the very best time to forage for ingredients. Um, time to regroup.
Read More...

The countdown has begun. My sister and her daughter (17 years old!) are arriving for a visit this week. Four of us crammed into this tiny cottage should be interesting. I had hoped like hell to have the bathroom renovation completed by now, but we're on country time up here and still praying it will happen in January. There's no snow either, and no prospects for any, even though further north they're up to their eyebrows in the stuff. So no snowshoeing. What will we do? Probably sit in the front of the fire reading, watching movies and eating a succession of wonderful things that will emerge from the kitchen on a regular schedule. (I'll definitely be making crack and white hot chocolate.) Since we'll be welcoming guests, I wanted to make sure the house felt festive. But not kitsch. I'm sure you all have your traditions—the tree dripping with tinsel, the crêche, the knick-knacks and gew-gaws you haul out once a year at this time—and I wanted to show you how, with just a few simple elements, I've added a bit of holiday cheer to my home. The giant glass mercury balls, above, I found on sale at Takashimaya a few years ago. They have a vintage look and I  love how they reflect the firelight.
Read More...