Yay! Snow! Three inches of Snow!

Okay, color me crazy, but I *love* snow. I love the sight of it, the feel of it, the touch of it, the sound of it, and YES, the taste of it! It makes everything feel brand spankin' new! I love to shovel snow at night with a thermos of hot spiced wine with the neighbors. I love looking out the window and feeling cozy with my tea and a good book. I have already caught a serious Christmas Feelings Bug. It stems back to the many wonderful Christmas times I had as a child, with the huge blue spruce adorned with the many ornaments my mother collects, and family gathered around for the one time a year we were all together.

Now I spend the season with tea and the Food Channel. Still, it is a wonderful and homey time for me. A great time to surf for Kewl Thangs.

Your Daily Portion of Cool:
















http://www.greenhome.com

"About Outdoor Lighting

There are lots of ways to create the right mood with outdoor lighting, and also to ensure your safety with the correct amount of it. The problem is that lights take electricity, and that typically requires the conversion of fossil fuels, damming up rivers to create turbo power. Green Home's outdoor lighting solutions help the environment while allowing you to have the best in quality and comfort. Browse through our elegant hanging lanterns, holiday lights, and flood lights to find the ones that best fit your needs."


On a personal note of Cool:

I went to a little consignment shop on Friday to look for some wonderful containers to pack some presents in. I found all sorts of great stuff, Including the teapot which is not destined to leave my home. The frosted jar is heading to a friends house after I fill it with some yummy goodness. I use cast iron almost exclusively, and I have been searching for a pot like this for a while. I was so thrilled to find this for under $10.00. So, let's see here...only 1/3 of my purchases are heading out the door for gifties...Must work on that ratio.






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Your Daily portion of Wonderful Design:

Billy Wilder designed this awesome bookshelf system called "Pimp My Billy"





















http://www.ding3000.com

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Your Daily portion of Inspiring Words:




“We live in illusion and the appearance of things. There is a reality. We are that reality. When you understand this, you see that you are nothing, and being nothing, you are everything. That is all. - Kalu Rinpoche

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Your Daily Portion of Wicked-Good Food:

As you may imagine, I have a metric boatload of food blogs and links I visit daily. I am never disappointed when I go visit David Lebovitz and his "Living the Sweet Life in Paris" site. I have already begun macerating the cherries (with Amarreto). Later today I will make this and take some shots for the blog. I am thrilled to have an alternative to that Yucky Yuletide Fruitcake of Years Past. (You know, that doorstop mentioned earlier?)

In the meantime here is a photo place holder:

Chocolate Cherry Fruitcake
2 nine-inch loaves

1 1/2 cups dried cherries (or cranberries)

1 1/2 cups red candied cherries (or other dried fruit)

1/4 cup + 6 tablespoons rum or brandy

1 1/2 cups unsalted butter

2 cups sugar

5 large eggs, at room temperature

2 1/2 cups flour

3/4 cups unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 1/3 cups buttermilk or plain yogurt (regular or low fat)

1 cup (6 ounces) chocolate chips

2 cups walnuts or pecans, toasted and coarsely chopped

Butter and flour two 9" x 5" loaf pans.

1. In a medium sized mixing bowl, mix together the dried cherries, candied cherries and 1/4 cup of the rum or brandy. Set aside for 1 hour.

2. Adjust the oven rack to the center of the oven and preheat to 350 degrees. Either by hand, or with an electric mixer, cream together the butter and sugar for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, until completely incorporated (if using an electric mixer, stop and scrape the bowl once or twice).

3. In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. Add one-third of the dry ingredients to the creamed butter mixture, beat briefly, then add the buttermilk or yogurt, then the remaining flour. Mix just until smooth.

4.Stir in the cherries (and any unabsorbed liquor) and the nuts.

5. Pour the batter in to pans and bake for 65-70 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

6. While the cakes are warm, pour 3 tablespoons of rum or brandy over each cake. Let cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack.

If you're not going to serve the cakes within a few days, you can either freeze them, well wrapped in plastic wrap for 3-4 months, or brush them all over with additional liquor (be generous!), wrap in plastic film and store in a cool, dry place.

This recipe is adapted from The Baking Sheet (holiday 1998) published by the King Arthur Flour Company. (http://www.kingarthurflour.com)