welcome, twenty-ten, only a few days late

i'm not even going to try to apologize for not posting in so many days. nor am i going to try to explain what i did. because that's long.

buttttttttttt. happy new year!

i do not like to make year-long resolutions. i am resolving one thing each day.

today's resolution was to make croissants. but my mom wanted me to make split pea soup out of the ham bone from last night's dinner, so i decided to make crusty rolls instead (i got a bread book for christmas). they're hot and steamy under a towel right now, waiting for another hour for us to eat them.

i also got some other cookbooks christmas that i'm dying to try out. i know how to cook and julia's kitchen wisdom should keep me busy while i'm not having class (oooh, yeah second semester senior!) on mondays, wednesdays, and fridays. and i <3 macarons will be a fun adventure in perfect little desserts.

on the non-food front, santa surprised me with a gorgeous kate spade purse, a new burberry scarf, and the most fabulous strand of tiffany's pearls. i didn't expect any of that. thank you, santa and mrs. claus... i will miss christmas at home.

it was my last christmas at home, per se, and decidedly my last winter break. the latter depresses me. i want to grow up and be an adult in the real world, but i do NOT want to give up my vacations. i'll have to make the most of my 25 days off.  shh. i know that's 5 weeks. shh. let me wallow.

i am tired from all the baking/cooking (though soup and bread are two of the least involved and demanding things you can make). i think it's time for my daily nap.

photos from christmas/toronto up soon.

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days whatever and 23:

yeah, being home makes me a slacker. but just a computer slacker... because i don't think i sat down other than dinner in the past 2 days. i've baked 3 types of cookies, made 2 dinners (really good pork loin inspired by bobby flay and salmon i made up last night), celebrated christmas with two different sets of neighbors, and worked part of my growing butt off at the gym.

no, seriously, only my butt is growing. i've NEVER had a butt. and suddenly, POOF, it's there. and it's round. and it's not fitting into jeans.

anyway.

i will be taking a hiatus (again) for a few days. tonight begins the epic marathon christmas. leg 1: our little immediately family opens 400000 pounds of presents, making us all feel a little embarassed but secretly thrilled. tomorrow we leave for pittsburgh, thursday night it's off to akron, come back on sunday, and leave for toronto on tuesday. all driving.

maybe i'll finally finish making that scarf i've been crocheting for a year.

merry christmas and happy new year!!

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days 18 & 19: home, sweet, thundersnow?

i failed to post yesterday because i had to wake up early, finish packing, clean out the fridge, clean up the kitchen, pack up the car, take a final, eat the waffle shop (if that place can poach an egg when there's a line 100 yards around the building, then the freaking deli in silver spring can poach an egg..), and then drive home. i then had to lay on the couch, watch 4 hours of law and order, go to wegmans, eat chicken, help mom and karen make 2 pans of lasagne and a pan of stuffed shells, drink coffee and eat cookies, watch 2 more hours of law and order, and go to sleep.

so you see, i just didn't have time.

but this morning, i've already gotten up, eaten some toast and cranberry juice, elliptical-ed for 30 minutes, biked for 20, did 100 sit-ups, showered, had a cup of coffee, ate an apple, and just got this lovely picture from my sister:

that is the view of vp's snow-covered snowman. yay for thundersnow. i don't care how it comes down, i just want my white christmas!!

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day 14: sharing the wealth

today i dropped off all of my christmas cookie gifts =). getting to this point, however, was intense. let me take you on a little trip.

it started with biscotti -- double-dark chocolate biscotti with dried cherries, using the dark chocolate cocoa powder i bought at hershey park over thanksgiving. i relied on trusty david leibovitz for this one.

and then we had the great cookie debate...

followed by fantastic gingerbread (click here for a pdf of my recipe. it's divine.) in 3 shapes (the reindeer were not feeling photogenic):

(how much do you love my pink christmas tree?)

and then there was assembly...3 types of cookies (well, 4, if you count the two batches of chocolate chips), little cardboard boxes, a lot of parchment, tiffany's blue ribbon, handmade labels, and the greatest christmas mix ever blasting from my mac.

and tada! the final product, all ready to go to the professor that I've TA'd for the past 2 semesters (and will be again in the spring). lovely, dontcha think?

mm. i like to give a variety of flavors, textures, and sophistication. the biscotti was rich, crisp, and decadent; the gingerbread was spicy and elegant with frosting and silver pearls; chocolate chip cookies remind everyone of their childhood. i also stepped one of my boxes (my room might be a bit messy), so i had to eat the broken cookies (remember, broken cookies have no calories). i think they were all quite a success!

(oh right... and that thing called a final that i had in econometrics today was a piece of cake, i'm pleased to announce. two more to go, plus a paper! wooohooo.)

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day 6: I wish

wouldn't it be great if we could bottle the christmas spirit to unleash in.. oh.. the dead of february? i think so =)

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day 5: st. nicholas day!

According to both my mother and encyclopedia britannica, tomorrow is St. Nicholas day! The latter describes today as follows:“Little is known of the life of the historical Nicholas. He was the bishop of Myra (now Kale in southwestern Turkey) in the 4th century and developed a reputation for generosity. In 1087 Italians stole his remains from the church in Myra, by then under the control of Muslims, and took them to Bari for reburial, and during the Middle Ages he became extraordinarily popular. After the Reformation, St. Nicholas was largely forgotten in Protestant Europe, although his memory was kept alive in Holland as Sinterklaas. There St. Nicholas is said to arrive on horseback on his feast day, dressed in a bishop’s red robe and mitre and accompanied by Black Peter, variously described as a freed slave or a Moor, to help him distribute presents to good children or lumps of coal, potatoes, or switches to bad ones.”

A few comments:
* I don’t know what a “switch” is, other than some sort of railroad prop.
* I don’t know why someone would steal remains.
* Perhaps Black Peter is the same as the black wise man we have in our manger set.. along with the twins (no, the backstory isn’t funny).

Happy St. Nicholas day!! Put something in your shoe tonight, take it out tomorrow, and celebrate!

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twenty-five (plus 6) days of sparkle and shine

amanda over at slow like honey has a great idea to slow down and savor the happy days of december. she's going to take the time each day to post a picture or a thought, just a little something to stop the frantic mess that this time of year usually brings. for me, it'll be a great way to get back into my blog and keep a sane, level head while winding down the semester, studying for finals, finally finishing my thesis, and getting ready to celebrate with my family.

i took this photo when i walked back into my room after making dinner and saw my candle on my desk. i really wish i could keep all of christmas in a little jar on my desk and preserve the feeling of it for the rest of the year.

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