Twas the Night Before Christmas

Twas the night before Christmas and all through the house...the children pranced like reindeer-

Santa would soon be near - they must quickly bake for him some holiday cheer - hot cocoa, cold milk, cookies galore - sweet treats and more.

One of my favorite holiday memories as a young adult involved my ex-boyfriend's son - he was about six at the time. Christmas Eve had arrived and he was so certain that Santa would soon pay a visit. We baked gingerbread cookies, put them out to wait and poured St. Nick a cold glass of milk. Liam went to bed excited and anxious. His father carved hoof prints out of a bar of soap, made a path to the cookies and gobbled up the treats. Christmas morning he was absolutely positive that Father Christmas had snuck in the house and it made my holiday.

These beautiful holiday temptations remind me of that night. And, I'll be baking a few of them with my daughter for the night before and Christmas Day! Happy Holidays to All & to All a Goodnight.

Images from Eleni's Cookies - www.elenis.com, Martha Stewart Living www.MarthaStewartLiving.com,

Slow Cooker Happy Dance

Ok, it says alot about me that the arrival of my new All Clad Slow Cooker sent me into an outburst of Happy Joy Dance - but hey - it's the small things especially now. I'm looking forward to January when the shop & restaurant are closed and family dinners once again become the norm. I can't wait to make Maple-Orange Chicken with Acorn Squash & Sweet Potatoes from the Food Network, Chili on Superbowl Sunday and Jambalaya for Mardi Gras. So friends be warned - the slow cooker is coming out with a vengeance and you will be the guinea pigs...but I promise not to cook guinea pig and to always serve a perfectly suited wine.

First Post

Why blog? I seem to have a huge amount to say lately – some of it sensible and some of it a little bit all over the map. This 40th birthday of mine has brought this incredible need for balance in my life and as I look around at these difficult times – I realize that the entire nation is looking for this balance. Motherhood changed me, grounded me, and I see my day to day much differently. It became what I do and not who I am. Foremost, I am a mom, a working mom, a funny mom, a damn good cooking mom – but mom every minute of the day. So my children sit at one end of the see-saw and set the weight that is allowed at the other. I am blessed to have a healthy, beautiful family and I want other people in exactly my situation to realize that they are lucky too. Even when times are tight, and chaotic and stressful, there is so much to be thankful for.

So, I begin this blog giving thanks for my life, my family, my health, my customers, my shop, my co-workers, my mother, my friends and my community. Thank you.

Now when I devote an entire post to fine wine or foie gras - it won't seem so overly decadent.