ice capades

gold medal

When I was a little girl, my parents took me and my sister to the ice capades.  It was absolutely amazing and magical and wonderful.  I love figure skating and it breaks my heart that I won't be able to get out on the ice this year.  Not at Wollman Rink, not at Bryant Park, not at Rockefeller Center, not even at the awesomely awesome new ice skating rink at Coney Island, my favorite place in the world.  I love ice skating.  So much so that I dressed up as a jazzy figure skater for Halloween last year, remember?  But seriously, no skating for me this year because I just had to go and break my ankle, didn't I?  Well, my physical therapist told me that there would be no skating, skiing, or snowboarding this winter.  While everyone's out participating in super fun winter sports, I'll be sitting on the sidelines like "Why me?!" Nancy Kerrigan.

capture the dream!

At least it will give me time to perfect my hot chocolate recipe and look like a cute little ski bunny.  There are a few hot chocolate recipes that I've been wanting to work out from scratch - Mexican hot chocolate, lavender hot chocolate, chai hot chocolate, Earl Gray hot chocolate, mochas, mint hot chocolate, cinnamon hot chocolate, you get the deal, lots of hot chocolates. And it doesn't end there.  I'm dying to try making my own marshmallows - flavored marshmallows to compliment the many flavors of hot chocolate I'd like to taste.  But wait, there's more!  Cakes and brownies that taste just like hot cocoa, cookies and biscuits to dip in your mug, the ideas are endless.  Oh, hot cocoa time.  So, until I heal up, I'll have to settle for fixin' up some cocoas, warming myself by a roaring fire place (ok, a steaming radiator,) and watching figure skating tournaments on the weird NBC sports channel that intermittently comes in through my tin foil covered antennae.  When they aren't showing cycling races on that channel, you'd better believe their broadcasting the latest in international skating competitions.  best. channel. EVER!  If the thought of me sipping a Christmas mug full of cocoa, dressed in my snowsuit and boots, watching figure skating (or Blades of Glory because that movie is amazeballs) from the comfort of my couch isn't cute enough for you, maybe this is -

Awwww, kittens watching figure skating!  For those of you who can go skating this winter, have lots of fun, then come visit me for a warm, chocolate-y treat and some company.  Enjoy your holiday skating, kids!

mistletoe medicine

'Tis the season for good tidings, snuggling by the fire, and making out under the mistletoe.  And though all this closeness is swell and lovely, love and kindness isn't all that's being spread... yup, I'm talking about holiday germs.  And just like the Grinch, these little buggers will come in and steal all your holiday joy leaving you sad and sick.   Though an icky winter cold may seem like the end of your holiday merriment, fear not!  There is a cure, a little Cindy Lou Who happiness in the form of an overloaded pot of warm chicken-y goodness.  Yup, chicken soup, aka sick soup, cures it all - it banishes away the bah humbugs, scares off the scrooges, grimaces at the grinches, and mocks the misers.  It's a good idea to have a few pots of stock stored up in your freezer from Halloween through Valentine's Day as those seem to be the most affectionate months of the year.  The noodles, rice, matzo balls, orzo, dumplings or any other starchy goodness you want can always be added in at the end.  What's really important is creating a flavorful broth that warms you from the inside out, melting away all of your maladies and icky feelings.

My mom may argue that she makes the best chicken soup, but since I make mine exactly the way she taught me and then jazz it up a bit, I think mine's better.  Like many of my recipes, this one is primarily to taste so I can't give you an exact recipe.  But I can give you a list of necessary ingredients and a few tips to making a stock that's sure to make you feel like that Campbell's Soup commercial where the snowman turns into a little kid - warm and fuzzy and full of goodness.  Come on, don't act like you don't remember being kind of freaked out by it.  In case you need a refresher, here it is for your creepy Christmas enjoyment -->     And here are those chicken soup tips I promised you - 

* start with a big pot.  fill it to the brim with a whole chicken and all the gibblet-y parts if they're in there.  then shove a bunch of veggies around the chicken - i like to use carrots, onions (any color will do,) celery hearts, parsnips, turnip, leeks, and dried mushrooms.  you can add some other veggies if you want, but these are the truly necessary ones.  whatever room is left in your pot should be filled with water.  set that sucker on some heat and let it go.

* fresh herbs are so so so important to the flavor of your soup!  beyond salt, pepper and parsley, i like to simmer my broth with fresh thyme, sage, rosemary and dill.  once the stock is complete i just put some extra fresh parsley in it; the other herbs are just for the base flavor while the stock is cooking, but you can put any herb you want in there.

* let it simmer down.  i believe that a good stock needs at least 2-3 hours of simmering and bubbling to get every last drop of flavor out of all those ingredients.  if you're in a pinch and you need to get those bowls out on the table pronto, use a bouillon cube but make sure NOT to add any extra salt.  that would be gross.

* all those flavoring veggies that you won't be using in the end result soup because they're gross and mushy - eat them!  don't just throw them out.  they are tasty and delicious and make a great snack since the smell of chicken awesomeness will probably make you go mad with cravings.

chock full of holiday health

* when you're done simmering and you've devoured all the tasty veggies, remove the chicken to a bowl and strain the broth into another pot or bowl (you'll put it back in your stock pot after the draining) through a lined colander.  this removes a good amount of fatty grossness and herby stems and bones and skin without holding on to any of the flavor.  don't pick at any of those tidbits.  they're icky.

* when tearing apart you're chicken and picking the best bits to put back in your soup, start with the dark meat.  it's for sure the most flavorful and the tenderest so it will be really wonderful in your soup.  but don't neglect the white meat either.  it's nice to life a spoon out of the bowl and have a few different chunks of chicken - dark and white, hearty and tender, juicy and lean.

* keep it simple.  you're sure to have a ton of flavor in your broth so you don't necessarily want to add too much to the pot you'll end up serving.  no matter what starch you choose to use (my favorites are matzo balls or extra broad egg noodles,) stick to only a few veggies.  i like chopped carrots and celery, diced onions, and sliced mushrooms.  the onions can go in whenever but i like to keep the carrots and celery a little crisp.  the mushrooms barely need to cook so toss them in last.  oh yeah, toss some fresh parsley in there, too.

* if you aren't eating your soup right away, store the starchy goodness in a separate container.  if you keep it in the broth, it overcooks and soaks up a lot of the stock leaving you with more of a stew than a soup.  and don't ever freeze the stock with the noodles or whatever in it - they just get super soggy and unappetizing.

* strain off some of the fat, but not all of the fat.  you need a little bit of fat to add to the flavor.  trust me, a little fat can be good for you and your taste buds.  plus, it doesn't hurt to put on a few extra pounds this time of year - it keeps you warm.

* if your chicken was really big and you don't use all the meat in your soup, make a chicken salad.  shred it up, salt and pepper it, mayo and mustard.  now you have lunch and dinner.

In case you needed any other reasons to whip up a big ole pot of soup, how about this interesting fact - Judy Garland, singer of one of the greatest Christmas songs ever and all around awesome lady, ate nothing but chicken broth for a long time.  Granted, it was because jerky movie execs and producers thought she was a bit of a chunker and wanted her to stay skinny so they didn't let her eat anything else, but she ate chicken soup and sang Christmas songs.  And we love her.  Sure it's kind of a sad story, but the holidays are supposed to be melancholy sometimes because it makes the happy moments even better.  Anyways, think about Judy while making your soup and singing carols.  It'll be wonderful and merry.

holiday quickies

Parties abound come holiday time and since everyone ends up spending all their spare cash on gifts, the festivities often take on a potluck kind of feel.  So, whether you're hosting or just attending the party, you'll want something quick and easy to share with the rest of the party people.  And let's face it, a bottle of booze isn't the same as a homemade treat.  How about something warm and creamy with just the right amount of heat?  That's exactly what you get with my baked mess of veggies and creamy goodness.  It's always a hit a hit at parties and since it's served warm, people think it's a much more complicated dish than it really is.  Plus, the green spinach and the red pepper flakes are totally Christmas colors, so it's appropriately festive!

warm spinach artichoke dip
ingredients
16 oz frozen artichoke hearts
16 oz frozen chopped spinach
1/2 c sour cream
1/2 c mayonaise
12 oz cream cheese
2/3 c plus a little extra grated parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp red pepper flakes
splash of hot sauce
directions
1. Boil artichokes and spinach until tender, then drain completely and put in a deep casserole dish.  Add all other ingredients and mix well.  Sprinkle extra parmesan cheese and red pepper flakes in top.
2. Bake for 20 minutes at 350.  Serve warm with tortilla chips, sliced veggies, fritos, tiny pieces of toast, pretty much whatever you like to dip.

Be prepared to pass out the recipe to other curious partygoers and have a couple copies on hand.  If you want to get all extra fancy (like me,) you'll have them written out on custom recipe cards from my gal Lauren of Two Turtle-Doves stationary.  These also make a great holiday gift for the chef or baker in your life -

a day for decorating

As little girls, my sister and I were eager, jubilant, excitable kids, especially around the holidays.  Not much has changed.  Because of our obsession with the holidays, our parents had to set a timeline for the many of them, as I'm sure other parents did and still do.  It was just little things, like how we weren't allowed to look at any Christmas catalogues until after Santa closed out the Thanksgiving parade.  And how every year on December 2nd two big events rolled around - my Aunt Kathryn's birthday and the time to finally start putting up all of our Christmas decorations!  Well, almost all of them... the tree still has a little bit of a wait before it gets all glammed up.

my library may not be quite so glamorous, but it's still pretty festive!

So, to celebrate this day of dazzlement and decor, I plan on Christmasing up the library.  That's right, all the holiday books are going on display!  And this year, I even have a little plan with the school's archives.  A holiday archive display - why not?!  The hardest part about setting up a holiday book display in the library is probably deciding what books to put out.   There are so many good ones; we literally have stacks and stacks of beautifully illustrated, whimsical holiday tales and not nearly enough shelf space to show them all off.  The other tough bit is keeping the display balanced - or keeping it Kosher.  C'mon folks, we need some more Hanukkah books to balance out all the Santas and Rudolphs and Wise Men and Nutcrackers!  I can't bear to put up more than one copy of Hershel and the Hanukkah Goblins this year (though it's a pretty great story.)  So a PSA to all my dreidel spinning friends - let's start writing some more festive Hanukkah books for the kiddies.  I digress...

1893 Christmas edition of the school magazine The School Companion

With all the festivity abounding in the library, you may wonder what about the apartment?  Well, I cheated a little and started setting up a few decorations around the Sweetest Spot last weekend.  Give me a break, I was all hopped up on cough medicine and hot toddies; in my melted mind it probably was December 2nd.  The place isn't fully festive just yet, I still plan on putting up some lights, maybe a wreath or poinsettias or holly, bells, and of course, mistletoe!  Tonight I plan on busting out my inner Martha and making the place look even merrier.  I especially like her 23 garland suggestions - there can never be too many garlands come Christmastime!

i want this only inside my apartment!

But let's not forget that this day is not solely about filling our homes with red and green and gold sparkles.  Today is also the day we celebrate the birth of my lovely Aunt Kathryn!  So a very happy birthday to you, Kathryn.  I'll be sure to eat some cake in your honor tonight... I've been working on a hot cocoa cake for the holiday season but, you'll have to be patient and wait for that in another post.

dear santa,

Tis the season, folks.  Happy December!  Thanksgiving is done and now it's time to start counting down to Christmas and this year, I have a whole lot of extra cheer.  So, in an effort to reign in all that ho ho holiday goodness, I'm going to attempt a 25 days of Christmas Blog Spectacular!  Yup, this kind of spectacular -

Everyday I'll bring you something festive and joyous and jolly and bright!  To kick things off right, I'm going to share with you my Christmas wish list.

Dear Santa,
Though there may have been some naughty list moments this past year, I think I've still been a pretty good girl and would like you to please shimmy down my fire escape and put some awesome presents under my tiny tinsel tree.  You know that I make some darn good Christmas cookies and you better believe that there will be a plate of them (probably warm from the super hot radiator) waiting for you with a glass of organic milk.  So, for Christmas this year I would like -


an awesome new bike to replace the one that bent around my leg.  I think you'd agree that I totally deserve this and if you have room in your big red bag, maybe it could be this one because then, when my metal parts get tired, I could just have one of my friends ride me around and I can sit in the comfy little seat!

please please please

a telescope.  A really good telescope.  The kind of telescope that I could use to see other galaxies.  I used to ask for science-y stuff all the time and I haven't in awhile but I'd really like this.  I think it will come in handy when someone finally names a star after me.  And I promise not to use it to spy on my neighbors.

a new acoustic electric bass.  I unfortunately had to return the one I had back to it's original owner and I really miss playing it.  Plus, now I have an awesome salon / parlor and I'd like to be artsy fartsy in it.

a lifetime supply of butter, sugar and flour so that I never run out mid-baking.  And butter is super expensive and I'm getting tired of spending all my grocery money on it.

sequins.  Any article of clothing with sequins on it.  A girl can never have too many sequins.

a fancy new DSLR camera so I can take really great pictures of all the tasty treats I make and share them with the entire world through the magic of the internet and my blog.  Also, maybe an iPhone so I can remote blog.  That would be pretty cool.

a spa day.  I could use a massage and my bangs need some trimming.  Maybe it could be tied into the vacation I'm a little to shy to ask for... vaca-spa-day?

and, as usual, I would like to ask for world peace, no more hunger, no more unemployment, no more sadness, and no more worries from anyone ever.  

I think that wraps up my wishlist.  I don't want to get unreasonable and start asking for things that I know are too much so we'll just leave it at that.  Think you can handle it, big guy?  Like I said, there will be some phenomenal radiator-warmed cookies for you if you swing on through Brooklyn.  Hello to the Mrs. and all the elves.  See you in 25 days!

Love,

Jillian

So yeah.  Totally legit Christmas list.  I'm keeping my fingers crossed that I've been good enough to get it all.  More holiday excitement is on the way so stay tuned!  Until tomorrow...