HAPPY NEW YEAR IN MY KITCHEN!

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Post quickly edited by members of our household……

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, consider taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Starting with gifts….

From our friend Virginia, who spent a couple of hours decorating cookies with me this month, this super cute set of cookie cutters in the shape of a pig, that are the authentic shape for Biscochitos (need to make them again soon!)

From our friends Keith and Sarah, the most amazing pillow! That we will have to keep away from the pups, for obvious reasons….. Slobber, anyone?

From Courtnie and Alex, a super special olive oil,
made from Castelvestrano olives…. amazing!

One of my gifts for Phil at Christmas, a bottle of aged balsamic vinegar…. goes perfectly well with that olive oil…

From our friends Ines, Ben and Gi, Panforte from Siena, they sent us every year, but this time it was a different type, coated in chocolate. Can you say OH MY GOD, loud and clear?

From The Hayden Family, a tea cup with the photos of their beautiful daughters on it! Will cherish it forever….

Now, moving on to things I got since our last “In My Kitchen” get-together…

In our kitchen….

I will have to start with a bang… Our Blue Star range, after a few problems over the past 5 years, finally bit the dust. We bought a new range, not as fancy but definitely with more features and easier repair in case it needs. Meet Thor, the new addition to The Bewitching Kitchen, installed on Dec 28th…

In our kitchen…

Virginia’s gift made me realize how much I love sets of cookies of varying sizes. I do have a box dedicated just for them… Stars, bells, ovals, flowers, they are so convenient… I also love the set of sticks that cut four at a time.

In our kitchen…

We got rid of all our regular non-stick pans in favor of this ceramic brand called Green Pan. They do not have the nasty chemicals (PFAs) that get into the food and stay in our body forever like regular non-stick pans do. Especially if you cook for kids, consider getting rid of those. You can read more about the issues here.

They are a pleasure to cook with!

In our kitchen…

A little sourdough, super simple, just white bread flour, but I liked the way I planned the design on paper and then transferred to the dough. I am easily amused…

In our kitchen…

Have you noticed I bake a lot of cookies? Did you know I have blog devoted JUST for cookies? I hope you do know… But what you may not know is that I’m pretty partial to perforated mats for baking. And this brand, that makes pink ones, is my favorite. The cookies do not darken excessively, bake just right.

In our kitchen…

I love the quality of spices from this company… One of my favorites to use in gingerbread is Star Anise powder. Highly recommend it.

In our kitchen…

A tofu press! I’ve been flirting with the idea of trying some interesting recipes using tofu, but they all call for pressing it before using. You know me, I like to have the right tools for the job, so I ordered this one. Will report back once I put it to use.

In our kitchen…

I bit the bullet and ordered some colors for cookie decorating that do not have artificial dyes. They are all made from natural ingredients – spinach, beets, raspberries. I tried a few color over the holiday season. I have to say I am very disappointed at the red. It is not really red, and to have enough color you need to use a lot but it always ends up with a more burgundy-mauve tone. Other colors behaved better. It will take a lot of practice but it might work in the end. Fingers crossed. This is a recent example of a red that is not quite the way I hoped.

In our kitchen…

Printed wafer paper that can be used to decorate cookies. I got them at evilcakegenius, all in Christmas motifs (click here). They are easy to glue to iced cookies with a little brushing of corn syrup as glue. Here they are, over chocolate cookies.

In our kitchen… or rather…. in our basement!

My “small collection” of cookie cutters, in an attempt of organization, and guarded by Royalty…

That brings to the spotlight our black spotted heroes and their oldest brother Osky, who’s been having ups and downs lately, due to his advanced canine age…. Let them bark their stories, they’ve been anxious to do so since our last IMK chapter.

Hi, Friends of The Bewitching! Here we are, me and my little sister, who is now slightly heavier (methinks it is all in the butt). She has the appetite of a bear fresh out of hibernation, and usually polishes her food bowl in seconds, then goes in search of leftovers from mine and Grumpy’s bowl. Contrary to the male canines, she does tend to get in trouble on a regular basis, and endure that “did-you-do-that” monologue, which is known to hurt puppy’s ears. She IS just a puppy, after all…

Those were apparently “precioussssss” instructions from some toy our Dad bought for himself. Personally, methinks he should be buying toys to play with us, so can you really blame Little Star? Isn’t she the portrait of an angel 99% of the time? You tell me!

Now me, Prince Freckles of Tatarrax, I work hard. I make sure preparations for our meals run smoothly and that they are delivered on time. Humans can be slow and easily distracted from the task at hand, so I rise to the challenge and take the task at my own paws.

Osky is for the most part being Osky, and lacks the elegance and dignity that is so characteristic of Dalmatians.

Oh, you REALLY want to talk about dignity? Elegance? How about your behavior as you ride in the pickup truck with The Humans? Is that “elegance” in the Dalmatian universe?

Well, we just have excessive enthusiasm at times, and if you want to know, there was
a squirrel teasing us! Unacceptable!

I am obviously the most dignified of the canines in The Kingdom, The Alpha Male, The Ruler,
The One with Paws in Charge…. And the one who gets Human Affection on a regular basis….

Yeah, right… but The Dalmatians are the only ones who get to The Higher Territory and enjoy ELYSIUM!

And we are also the only ones who can play the REAL fun games with Mom!

I simply dance to a different kind of tune, my friends……

Well, it’s been a nice holiday season, no doubt… Pups are enjoying slow times, a lot of snoozing around, getting ready for a full new year in The Kingdom of Tatarrax!

SEE YOU IN THE SPRING,
MY FRIENDS!

ONE YEAR AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen, 2024

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, January 2023

THREE YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

FOUR YEARS AGO: Happy New Year in My Kitchen!

FIVE YEARS AGO: Happy 2020 In My Kitchen!

SIX YEARS AGO: Happy 2019 In My Kitchen!

SEVEN YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Happy New Year In My Kitchen!

NINE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: Happy New Year!

TEN YEARS AGO: And another year starts…

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen: January 2014

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Tacos with Pork in Green Sauce

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Maui New Year!

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Natural Beauty

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Sunflower Seed Rye

1Oct2024

IN MY KITCHEN, FALL 2024

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

Starting with gifts…

From my dear friend, and tent-baker Tanya, this gorgeous cup for my evening tea in the shape of my favorite animal! As I always say, I have great friends and they know me well…

From a very dear friend from California this cookie cutter that she sent me when I needed ideas to bake cookies for a special donation box and it really made everything perfect for me…

Here’s what I made with it…

In our kitchen…

Very small wooden boards that are perfect for entertaining! In the picture I give you an idea of their size. They are perfect to offer a small sampling of cheese, crackers, Cristini or dumplings, offering one to each of your guests. Available here.

In our kitchen…

These are silicone trivets that you can use to roast things and avoid making them soggy during baking. In this case, I am showing boneless pork chops, breaded and fried and later finished in a slow oven. I got it at Marshalls in town.

In our kitchen…

One of my favorite vanilla bean pastes. This one comes from Mexico and it is not too expensive. I love the flavor! Available here.

In my kitchen…

A special large Banetton that I bought with a special bread project in mind which in fact I shared with you very recently (click here for post). Banetton available here.

In our kitchen…

A few large stances that I also bought with the same bread project in mind, but that can come in handy for many other uses. I just love their design! Available at etsy.

In our kitchen…

This I offer as a gift to my dear husband. He often makes tacos for dinner and now he has a way to serve them nicely instead of trying to balance them inside some awkward serving dish. We are using them very often. Available here.

In our kitchen…

A small serving tray that I fell in love with when I saw it by accident in a shop at Etsy. I predict it will be used for many cookie pictures in the future!

In our kitchen..

If you decorate cookies, you absolutely totally completely NEED these! A bought a set of three, small, medium and large. Perfect to fill piping bags with Royal icing, they thought about EVERYTHING when designing these containers. Get them here.

In our kitchen…

When it comes to black cocoa, this one is quite a bit more mellow than others I’ve tried. It will be my brand of choice, although I tend to continue exploring possibilities as they show up in my horizon. It is intense and perfect to make Oreos and other cookies with similar “personality”. Available here.

AND NOW IT IS TIME TO HEAR WHAT
OUR BELOVED FOUR-LEGGED FRIENDS HAVE TO BARK

Life has been quite awesome, according to the pups. Our humans did not take any trips, so we enjoyed all the amenities of The Kingdom of Tatarrax without nasty interruptions… For us youngsters, it involved daily trips in our favorite vehicle!

Osky, the Grumpy does not dig rides in trucks. He prefers to stay behind and exercise his pseudo-alpha-dominance in the backyard…

We love our backyard also, but for us Royals and Superstars it is more about playing…

Either with a ball, or even better, K9 X-Games, as narrated by The Queen Mother, check it out:

So much playing sometimes gets my sister in trouble, she is known to dig in mud, preferably after getting a bath…

I don’t normally get in trouble. But, if I am to bark honestly, I do have daily requests that need to be fulfilled. Early, very early in the morning, as The Dad is preparing coffee for the Zenless, I stare at the box of puppy goodies they keep in that area and won’t move until I get my morning treat. And due to The Canine Equality Act, my siblings get one also. After that, we proceed to take our extended version of the morning nap.

Obviously… Sleeping is better with a toy!

Some beg to differ, though….

Who is he trying to fool?

Wee see you, Grumpiest!.

This year has also been super special because my little huge sister is getting trained into the complicated game of golf. She has caused a few issues because she insists on running to greet every single group of players in the field, but that’s what superstars do…

At home, we play pretty much non-stop, except when we do stop. It is called The Toy Impasse, and we might stay like that, evaluating each other’s jaw power until one of us gives up. As I am Royal and therefore magnanimous by definition, I often allow my little huge sister to run away with it.

I must confess, though, she recently hurt my royal feelings, by getting all infatuated with another guy. Look at the way she looked at him!

I have to bark, I was not digging it at all, particular not all that kissing!

Once that “gentleman” left, she was despondent and playing difficult with me….

Thankfully that did not last for long. Because who could resist my Royal charm?

Life is now fully back to normal in The Kingdom, the only dark cloud in the horizon: constant disapproving looks by The Grumpiest…

But he is the only one with grievances against us…

That’s all for now, folks, we have squirrels to chase, mailmen to bark at, and bellies to be rubbed!

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, Fall 2023

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, Fall 2022

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2021

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2020

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen (and Beyond), October 2019

SIX YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2018

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, October 2017

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Little Bites of Paradise

NINE YEARS AGO: Coxinha de Galinha: A Brazilian Delicacy

TEN YEARS AGO: Prosciutto-Wrapped Shrimp Skewers

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: A Simple Dinner

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Brown Butter Tomato Salad

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Spelt and Cornmeal Rolls

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Roasted Potato and Olive Focaccia

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Multigrain Bread Extraordinaire

1Jul2024

IN MY KITCHEN, SUMMER 2024

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

This post is dedicated to Eha, one of my most supportive readers, hoping she will soon join the online world again and be back to brighten my blogging world..

In our kitchen…

A little tiny blue frying pan I found at Marshall’s. It somehow jumped into my shopping cart and refused to leave! Odd how these things happen, right? It is perfect to fry a single egg…

In our kitchen…

These are pizza pans that you can use either to bake the dough in a super hot oven, or to serve pizzas straight from the grill, which is what we normally do. I was always struggling to find ways to get multiple pizzas served and cut, and these pans are fantastic for that. Order info here.

In our kitchen…

A very timid attempt at cappuccino-art… We cannot quite make those beautiful patterns with the foam, but using the icing needle to pull some details on a blob of foam was not that hard…

In our kitchen…

Three small rolling pins from Poland were added to my collection, they were from this store at etsy. I have not yet put them to use… so many cookies, so little time!

In our kitchen…

A Wilton collapsible silicone bowl, perfect for candy melts and chocolate… You can find it here. Of course, the color called my name really loud.

In our kitchen…

Fleur de Lis wax stamp, ordering info here. I have recently blogged about using these stamps not only for chocolate but also for fondant (see posts here and here), so I got a new one to play with. You cannot go wrong with a Fleur de Lis!

In our kitchen…

Isn’t that the coolest gadget? You can make your own sprinkles in all sorts of colors. Cookie Countess has many shapes available, you can get tempted with a click here.

In our kitchen…

An electrical spiralizer from Hamilton Beach… I am really in love with it, works much better than the hand-cranked ones I’ve tried over the years. You can find it on eBay (if you are lucky) or that place to order all things desired (click here for amazon). I love to spiralize 3 medium zucchini, leave the spirals in the fridge inside the plastic container that comes with the machine and have it ready for my meal.

In our kitchen… a few things from our trip to France and Spain

These crackers are absolutely amazing and I wish we could find the exact same kind in the US. They were sold at a tiny grocery store near the house we stayed in Avignon. They made it back to Manhattan, KS although a little beaten by the plane ride. Still tasty, though! NOTE ADDED AFTER PUBLICATION: they are available at amazon and I am now a happy camper… Check it out here.

How can you go to Provence and not stock up on the real deal? We have enough Herbes de Provence to last for a while…

From a great street market in Barcelona, I could finally get wonderful saffron, as my reserves were getting dangerously low…

And now, it is time to allow those who own tails
(and are not afraid to wag them) to bark their piece…

Life was going smoothly in the Kingdom of Tatarrax once the weather warmed up… We worked hard in training, doing all the routines we excel at, from shaking to rolling over, laying down, twirling, high-fiving (well, that one only The Royal really gets)…

Ziggy Star Barker often demands her training to involve more sophisticated machines, but so far her wishes have not been granted.

She also got in considerable amount of trouble because her hunting instincts, particularly good at all things insects caused quite a bit of commotion late one night in the backyard…

Speaking of the backyard, we worked hard to inspect all the work The Dominant Alpha Human made in the backyard, making sure all the dirt he hauled in was properly leveled and “seasoned”.

Our brother Grumpy Osky is no help for that. He is partial to air-conditioned spaces and leather sofas. We are afraid to death of him, but truth is we think he does not know how to have fun.

We ate well, took our beauty sleeps several hours each day, enjoying all the amenities The Kingdom has to offer…

And we are now proud to be a team of two dashing through the golf course with our humans…

And we are lobbying for a new competition for the Olympic games: The Synchronous Roll-over on Grass! We should take Gold.

But then, chaos, tragedy, horror came out of nowhere! The three most dreadful words in canine universe: LUGGAGE… TRIP… KENNEL!!!!

It was A Nightmare on Tatarrax Street. Our sordid humans seemed quite sad when they abandoned us. I think I even caught glimpse of tears on Zenless’ face, but truth is, we gathered evidence of their crimes. We have solid, undeniable proof that the two of them actually HAD FUN while we were locked in the Depths of Hell. You don’t believe us? Get a load of this:

SO. MUCH. SUFFERING.

Soooooo, in light of these recent developments, we introduce and will be enforcing
THE NEW RULES OF THE KINGDOM.

Rule #1: no more shaving of my beautiful fur, and I shall be allowed to roll on rugs right after they’ve been vacuumed. That’s when they are at their best!

Rule #2: The Red Pillow belongs to Star, and so does the sofa where said pillow is resting. When she is done with her beauty sleep, Humans might be allowed to profit from that piece of furniture.

Rule #3: A bandana shall be part of my daily outfit, and the color scheme should change to match upcoming holidays and/or seasons.

Rule #4: When The Prince requests sampling of treats, The Prince shall get sampling of treats. Same rule applies to his siblings, including The Grumpiest.

Rule #5: The Higher Territory should be open to our visits as often as we feel like it.

Rule #6: Once in the Higher Territory, bed prohibitions shall be a thing of the past.

With these new rules in place, we feel that The Kingdom of Tatarrax is getting closer and closer to paradise! And yes, we forgive you for leaving us behind. How could we not?

That’s all for now, friends, see you in October!

ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, Summer 2023

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, Summer 2022

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2021

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2020

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2019

SIX YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen – July 2018

SEVEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, July 2017

EIGHT YEARS AGO: Secret Recipe Club: Falafel and a Bonus Recipe

NINE YEARS AGO: Chocolate Toffee Banana Bread

TEN YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, June 2014

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Strawberry Frozen Yogurt

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Baked Coconut and “The Brazilian Kitchen”

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: Honey-Glazed Chicken Legs

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: French-Style Rolls

FIFTEEN YEARS AGO: Chicken Breasts, Coffee, and Serendipity

3Apr2024

IN MY KITCHEN, SPRING 2024

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

.
In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see whateverybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, considering taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Starting with gifts….

As you will notice, my friends know very well what moves me…

In our recent trip to Brazil, my sister Norma and my niece Camila offered us these super special gifts, inspired by our beloved pups… Notice the black patch on the eye… Reminds you of someone? And yes, my sister did the embroidery… amazing, right?

From our friends Lorne and Wasu, a super cool Birthday gift for this humble baker! Decorating pens (and also a nice bag of vanilla pods from Madagascar!). Thank you, thank you, thank you!

The best Birthday cards ever, from my dear friend Elaine! Look at those cutie pies!

From my friend Caro, a Birthday gift to warm my heart forever… It is already hanging in our kitchen, of course!

Yet another Birthday gift, from The Haydens, this super special (and with the right amount of flexibility) spatula to inspire my bakes! THANK YOU!

In our kitchen…

We have dreamed of a Marzocco espresso maker for what seemed like forever. Finally, the husband took a deep breath and ordered one. It does take a while to arrive, as they build the machine, test it, and then finally ship it from Italy, but wow, we are totally in love with it! Here you see the very first espressos we made…

In our kitchen…

A concha press, which I intend to try very soon… I do have a recipe in mind, so stay tuned for a blog post once I go for it.

In our kitchen…

I finally caved and bought containers to proof bread dough, from King Arthur. They come in sets of two, and are the perfect size for most baking projects. On the left you see dough for kolache after overnight fermentation, and on the right the initial stage of fermentation of pizza dough. I am totally in love with these containers… Link to get them found here.

In our kitchen…

Total impulse buy from yours truly. I could not resist it. Do we entertain a lot? No. I have no explanation for falling into temptation. If you have a good therapist to recommend, contact me ASAP.

In our kitchen…

I do a lot of chicken parmigiana and have always wanted to get a nice set of pans to use as “breading station”. They are perhaps just a tad too big, but the advantage is that things stay contained and by the time I am done, there is no mess on countertops. I found mine on eBay, they don’t seem to be available anymore, but they are also on amazon, although quite a bit more expensive. Check them out here.

In our kitchen…

This was not cheap, but it is a game changer for cookie decorating. It is from The Sweetest Tiers, and available on etsy. I am so glad I bought it, because I can finally use stencils with Royal icing and get perfect results. It also works great for air-brushing. Excellent quality product.

In our kitchen…

A gift I offered my beloved husband. We have oysters often when in they are in season, and he works super hard to get them ready for us, so these gloves make his job a lot safer. You can order them here, several sizes (I have one to use with my mandoline).

In our kitchen…

These are too cool! I saw them online and realized I could not live without them. Ok, at least I could not bake brownies, loaf cakes, sheet cakes without them. You clip them to the edge of the pan to hold the parchment paper folded away from the surface of the cake. Works like a dream! Order them here.

In our kitchen…

This is a simple gadget recommended by America’s Test Kitchen to sharpen knives. We love it so much we bought a few to take as gifts to family and friends in Brazil. All our knives are back into great shape, and it is so simple to use! Ordering info and a video showing how to use it can be found here.

Take a look at this old knife we’ve had for 10 years!

In our kitchen…

These are licky-pads for the pups… You smear peanut butter or cheese (from spray cans) and let them have some fun. Unfortunately, Osky does not care for them, so we got a set of four, but two would have been enough. Many styles, sizes and shapes available online, just google them.

Speaking of pups…

Well, I guess I have no choice but to allow them into my blog.
Reluctantly, I shall do so…

As you may have read in my last post, we had a fun backyard party for our Little Shiny Star, as she turned one year old on March 25th. Check out the festivities and the special cake recipe baked by yours truly with a click here.

During this year of life, and 9 months with us, Star has been one amazing pup! Fun, loving, full of personality and enough energy to power the known universe… Sometimes, just sometimes, she does get in a bit of trouble… Particularly when faced with uncooperative dog beds, mud, and wool gloves left too close to her territory.

But how on Earth could we resist such a face?

Oscar begs to differ…
That face? If you want irresistible, I’ve got irresistible for you!

Oh, THAT is hilarious!!!!

Star does have a point. Clearly, our boy was in desperate need of grooming…

But grooming did happen, and right after that ordeal was over, what can only be explained as The Grooming Miracle! A very rare image of Osky laying next to another, lesser canine. Mind-blowing stuff.

It is far more common for our Dominant Alpha Male to claim all beds for himself…

Yeah, let me bark very clearly now:

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Prince and Star are just inseparable, and bonded in ways that make us so happy! They are great golf companions, both outside and inside!

They hang out together 24/7 and will often fall asleep in the exact same position, after getting exhausted from playing hard…

We could not get a more compatible pair of pups…

Yes, for sure! Clouds only gather on the horizon because Prince is a slow-chewer, and well, his sister does not take well to the fact she is done with hers… So we close this post with one small example of the Opera Singing we go through, pretty much on a daily basis… Wanna move in with us? Never a dull moment, my friends… Never a dull moment…

That’s all for now, folks!

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ONE YEAR AGO: In My Kitchen, Spring 2023

TWO YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2022

THREE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2021

FOUR YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2020

FIVE YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2019

SIX YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2018

SEVEN YEARS AGO: First Monday Favorite

EIGHT YEARS AGO: In My Kitchen, April 2016

NINE YEARS AGO: Spring has Sprung with Suzanne Goin

TEN YEARS AGO: Chai Brownies

ELEVEN YEARS AGO: Pomegranate-Molasses Glazed Carrots

TWELVE YEARS AGO: Braised Brisket with Bourbon-Peach Glaze

THIRTEEN YEARS AGO: The Real Vodka Sauce

FOURTEEN YEARS AGO: Spring Rolls on a Spring Day

1Jan2024

HAPPY NEW YEAR IN MY KITCHEN!

Posted in In My Kitchen by sallybr

This post is dedicated to Kathy McMorrow, who left us on October 19th

In My Kitchen posts are hosted by Sherry, from Sherry’s Pickings. Please visit her site to see what everybody else is sharing this month. I join four times each year, on the first day of January, April, July and October. If you are a food blogger, considering taking part of this fun event. It is chance to share those little things you bought or received as gifts and that make your life in the kitchen easier.

Many gifts this time and a few things I bought myself, so let’s start this virtual walk,
shall we?

From our friends Tanya and Jamie…

When they came to visit us, they brought us this amazing honeycomb! It is like honey on steroids, I had never tried it before. Absolutely lovely!

They also gave us a bottle of honey which I used to make London Fog in one of my favorite tea cups… Thank you, TANYA & JAMIE!

From our friends Marijo and Vlad…

They sent us a huge basket of oranges and grapefruit… my beloved husband made this special treat for me every morning until the grapefruits were gone! He is a keeper, but you knew that already…

From my friend Jennifer…

All the way from California, a set of PERFECT kitchen towels, I just adore the border at the bottom, what a cute detail! Thank you, Jennifer!

From our friend Dave…

Most amazingly juicy pears, they were at perfect stage of ripeness when the family visited, and everybody loved them!

From our friends Pat and Bill…

A nice soy candle and a Christmas-y kitchen towel…. We love them!

From our friends Hal and Becky…

A huge box of Leonidas chocolate…. OMG in chocolate form!

From our friends Ines and Ben…

We are addicted to this delicacy from Siena, and they made sure we enjoyed it again this year! THANK YOU! If you’ve never had panforte, you NEED to try some.

From the beautiful Hayden family…

The world’s coolest apron! Thank you so much, the fabric is perfect and wipes clean like a dream (not that I am a messy cook, of course NOT!)

From our friends Keith and Sarah…

The most exquisite Christmas tree ornament… we made sure to place it high, so that the real Dalmatians would not hurt it…

As if all that amazing honey wasn’t enough, Tanya and Jamie sent me a total beauty of a Bundt pan for Christmas!

I intend to put it to use this coming week with a special bake for Friday! Tanya (and Jamie) I don’t even know how to thank you, but Jamie, expect a constant flow of nice puns (wink, wink). It is the MINIMUM I can do!

And now my unexpected special Christmas gift from the best husband in the universe…

MEET HELEN, my new Breville mixer!

I named it Helen, as my friend and virtual mentor Helen Fletcher was the one who got me interested after she wrote this great review about it. I was not sure if I should get it, as I have some KitchenAid attachments that obviously don’t work with that mixer, but Phil splurged and I must say I adore it! Thank you Phil, and thank you Helen!

Moving on… some home improvement stuff

Speaking of a real keeper of a husband! Phil built this set of shelves for the garage and organized all his tools. It is a French cleat system, in which the little things can be moved around freely. Super awesome!

We got a new rug for the kitchen, as a certain puppy damaged the old one pretty badly. Now that she outgrew the chewing phase (fingers crossed), we felt we were ready for the upgrade.

We also got a new rug for the living room, as ours was almost 20 years old and getting really beaten (and chewed by a certain female Dalmatian). Oscar approved the color scheme!

In our kitchen…

Two pretty nice ingredients to play with: Chestnut honey from Italy (I do have a weakness for honey), and Stem ginger from the UK. Stay tuned for adventures with both.

In our kitchen…

A set of bell shaped cookie cutters. I also have a weak spot for shapes in different sizes. I needed a large bell for a recent project (featured here), and this was the best option.

In our kitchen…

A new turkey-size roaster. Ours was super old, and I wanted to make sure we had something nice for this year. Guess what? We ended up roasting NO bird at Thanksgiving and NO bird on Christmas. Oh, well. There is always 2024.

AND NOW, LET’S SEE WHAT OUR FURRY FRIENDS HAVE TO BARK…

We simply cannot get over the funny ways in which Ziggy Star Barker sleeps or gets comfortable…

Funny, who me????

Hey, I can be funny too!

Yeah, let them be funny. I am FIERCE. POWERFUL.
THE ONE AND ONLY ALPHA-DOG!

The dogs were absolutely spoiled this holiday season, as we had two of the stepsons here with the kids (and one bun in the oven, to be born on March).

Here is our crowd at dinner, our house had never been so full!

Did the pups love their visit? Judge for yourself….

Hi, this is my friend Campbell! Guess what? He was a little scared of doggies, but I made sure to be super nice and gentle so that fear is now history! We are buddies for life!

Hi, my name is Sutton, and this is my big furry friend Oscar… he loves to be hugged and even though I am a little too small I do my best!

This is our friend Star, she loves to cuddle on the sofa to watch TV. She had a blast with The Grinch Who Stole Christmas…

Prince is actually partial to 101 Dalmatians…

My name is Greenlee, and Prince is my best buddy, he does tricks for me and I give him treats. Is that going to spoil him? I hope so!

All pups were absolutely gentle with the kids, in this picture Sutton was crying and Star did not know what to do to console her… it was super sweet….

Unfortunately, contrary to our pups’ expectations, their visit had to end…

But what matters is that we had a ton of fun together. Undoubtedly, dogs and kids are a match made in heaven… We wish you a wonderful New Year, and we will see you again in the Spring for another chapter of In My Kitchen, aka Life in the Kingdom of Tatarrax.