the gift of the year

I love to give calendars.
It's just that they're so useful, and the gift lasts the whole year, and the right calendar?  It can be the most beautiful art in the house.

I've been noticing more and more calendars that just blow me away with their beauty--I could fill a whole room with all of these different artists' ways of illustrating months and shaping boxes for every day.  I like a little art in my schedule.

I have a new friend this year (always the sign of a good year!), and she shares my love for the calendar.  Kari Chapin just wrote this fabulous book, and she's the woman to have on your side while you are perusing etsy for a lovely this or that.  I'm also lucky enough to have her as the prop stylist for my book, and yes, of course, she's fabulous at that too.  But the first time she walked into my kitchen, one of the first things she said was, "Oh!  Nikki McClure!" and that of course sparked our first ever conversation about calenders.  We cut it short, but it was clear that we had more to say.

And so I asked Kari if she might have a little calendar chat with me right here.  Because I thought that it was slightly possible that you might still be looking for gifts for those who need a calendar for artistic or organization inspiration, or you just don't have your own calendar picked out, you might be interested in listening in.  We've been chatting back and forth all week, and now there are even more calendars that I want.

Beware.  That might happen to you too.  Don't say I didn't warn you.  So here it is word for word. Me, and Kari, and calendars.


Alana:
Where to begin?  Searching calendars on etsy has convinced me that I should just fill a whole wall with calendars this year...so many beautiful ways to mark the days!  But how about we start with the sweet lady  who introduced us in the first place, Laurie Coyle.  This year's calendar is all veggie watercolors, and I find the marrow shape of it  especially pleasing. Although it's painful to be yearning for asparagus in December...



http://www.etsy.com/listing/62284638/eat-more-veg-2011-calendar?ref=em

Kari:
Laurie's calendar is a favorite over here at Chixon Headquarters. My husband Eric keeps one in his office and we usually have one in our kitchen too. Bravo Laurie! There are so many great calendars out there, that it's hard for me to narrow it down to just one or two. When I was a a young woman, and just out on my own, my favorite holiday gift each year was a calendar from my home. She would carefully go through all of the months and write all of our families important dates in it for me. So sweet! For 2011, I have a few spaces in my life where I'll need a cute calendar and I'm liking this one, by local artist Sarah Ahearn quite a bit - I like that it comes with a clipboard that you can use again and again. Plus, I think pinning all the months up at once would be very beautiful.


 http://www.etsy.com/listing/63125577/2-0-1-1-calendar

Alana:
Love the clipboard, and Sarah's art is beautiful.  I think we all need a little more collage in our lives to inspire some cutting a gluesticking--the girls have taken to making their own calendars for all of our family schedules, and we've been pasting them all over the wall.  There's just something so lovely but days and art put together- I think it might even change the way I approach my week when I see it all laid out that way.

Our friends Luke and India have brought us this calender two years in a row.  Their friend Kim makes it, and I think that it's outstandingly classy.  The first year, they gave us her hawks and bunnies calender (alternating months) and this past year it was illustrations of songwriters and their lyrics.  It's printed on satisfying paper, and it comes with two little hooks to mount it on the wall:



//thewildunknown.com/calendars.html


Kari:
Wow. That one is really beautiful! I love handmade calendars so much! Can you imagine all of the work that entails? Full disclosure on my next favorite calendar, I know the family that makes them quite well. The ffrench family, from your neck of the woods, has made these silkscreen calendars for years by hand. I love the whole story behind them too. Each member of the family is responsible for drawing at least one month of the year. Their birthdays and special days are all marked by unusual shapes throughout the year. True story about the ffrench Family calender: I was talking with a woman once about these calendars and she told me that she had every single one. For years she wondered what to do with them, until she finally settled on wallpapering her bathroom with the images. I saw a photos the room and it was the most beautiful bathroom I have ever seen.



http://www.etsy.com/listing/58238387/2011-dolphin-studio-calendar?ref=v1_other_2

Alana:
I love the Dolphin Studio calendar... I feel like I've grown up with it all around me even though I've never had one in my own house.  I'd love to see all those images together!
My next calender is from one of my friends too--a few years back, my friend Molly handprinted a calender as a holiday gift for people in her life lucky enough to get one.  Joey and I were among the fortunate few, and for the whole year we had this incredible art on our wall.  Now she and her husband Aurel have made a new calendar for public consumption, and this one comes with a frame to put the present month's page in.  The entire calendar is  hand screenprinted in their little basement studio in Monterey, MA. 

http://www.etsy.com/listing/63833380/2011-silk-screened-calendar

Kari:
Wowzers! Molly's calendar is beautiful. I had never been to her Etsy shop before, and I love her cards too! And her clothes are just as incredible. Lets see, I do have one other calendar I could share with you. And while I am not exactly an "owl" person myself, my sister is and I was pleased as punch to find this really unique calendar for her. This woman, Shivani has got some amazing artists to all contribute images, and it's up to the buyer to design the calendar they most want! The best part is, you can download it yourself and simply print it out. Do you like it? I'd love to see more of these types of things out in the world.



http://www.myowlbarn.com/p/owl-lover-2011-calendar.html

Alana:

I love it!  And Joey has a bit of an owl thing, so that one is definitely making it's way here.  The concept is so great, too.

Well, we could go on and on.  But let's finish with Nicki...the calender that is always guaranteed to hang in my kitchen.  I just got the new one, and it's going to be a great year.

http://www.buyolympia.com/q/Item=nikki11

if you're not giving cookies

A friend of mine asked me this morning, and rightly so, "Where is the holiday baking around here?" Well, the week has just begun, and although Hanukkah is over, we have a few more holidays left. But I did have a few answers for her, and I'll give them to you too.

The first is that I have a very emotional and gluten free almost seven year old tyrant stomping up and down the hall. I have, as you know, chosen not to become the master of gluten free baking (I leave that to others more capable), especially because, in exactly 11 days, the doctor has given us permission to try out the wheatiness again and see how the girl takes it. But in the mean time, sweets that the tyrant can't eat are met with tyrannical tantrums, and really who can blame her.

Of course there are many other sweets to create. For days I have been planning a repeat of last years treats in little white take-out boxes, a layer of these, and a layer of these, of which I was so very proud. And there's also this, which I dream of sending out in little mason jars. If you receive a little package from me, that is what it will contain, and the surprise is really whether I'll get it together to do it, and my sense from the two kids whining into either ear at the moment is...
maybe, possibly, no.
But perhaps I should do a January treats mailing this year. Don't you all have enough sweets coming to you now? Maybe we'll give it a few weeks, and then you will have deprived yourself of sugar because you went on overload, but now you're just about ready. We shall see, we shall see.

We all know that handmade gifts are the best, right? I'm sure you're all filling your tins as we speak, and hooray for you. But for those of you who, like me, are failing in the homemade department (shame!), I thought I would offer a second option- cookbooks.

I only bring this up because the Thanksgiving Hot line seems to have been replaced by the holiday gift cookbook hot line around here. I have given so many cookbook suggestions, I am confident in saying that the food publishing business is doing fine this year, as long as it's not in magazine form.

Cookbooks are a pretty fabulous gift to give. Beautiful, instructional, sometimes life changing, cookbooks are something most people covet, but refuse to buy themselves. So for you, I offer a brief list of cookbooks for all of your loved ones.

Before we start, I must make a heartfelt plea for your local independent bookstore. There are other options, I know, that cost less, but right now if we don't support our local independent bookstores they will be gone, and fast. So if you are buying books, buy them from your local bookstore, or if yours is gone already, feel free to support mine. It is quite lovely.

Let's get back to it then.



I Know How to Cook by Ginette Mathiot

I just mentioned this book, because it arrived on my doorstep on my birthday. My friend Alice thought it would make me happy, and she was so right. This is the French equivalent to The Joy of Cooking, a basic primer in French Cooking. It is huge, and satisfying, and it stays open to the page that you want. It also has the most oddly hip illustrations in this new printing.




Pure Dessert by Alice Medrich

Yes, I've told you about the caramels, the tangy lemon bars, the bittersweet citrus tart with jasmine cream and the sour cream ice cream. But I wish I could show you how beautiful this book is. Just the titles of the desserts read like poetry, and as you read through them one by one, I promise that you will commit to making the entire book.


The River Cottage Meat Book by Hugh Fearnly Whittingstall

I don't own this book, but I get it out of the library every few months, and one of these days I'm going to stop paying late fees and put that money into buying the book for my very own. For anyone who is interested in sustainably produced meat, or just good tasting meat in general, this is a fabulous gift. It goes through every cut of every animal, tells you what it is, and how to cook it. Although the cover is not kidding around, the interior of the book is filled with lovely photographs, and the thing reads like a novel.


Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
I know, that meat book ain't cheap. But here's a good ten dollar paperback for you. If you've been around here this past fall, you've been a voyeur to my love affair with Laurie Colwin, and maybe you've had one with her too. These are the very best food essays peppered with with the very best recipes. And if you'd like to spring for them both, there's also,

More Home Cooking by Laurie Colwin
You don't want the first book to end, and so it doesn't have to. And this is the one with the gingerbread recipe.


The Art of Simple Food by Alice Waters
I have sold every copy of this book off the shelves of my local bookstore. Whenever I'm there, drooling over the cookbooks, there is always someone asking the counter person for a good general gift cookbook. Usually they are led to The Joy of Cooking, or perhaps The Gourmet Cookbook. I have an endless amount of respect for the people who work at the bookstore, but usually I can't but add my own little tidbit (those of you who know me know that this is a bit of a habit for me, and I have to actually hold my mouth shut if I want to keep my two sense out of the conversation), and when the counter person walks away from the cookbook buyer, I say, "Have you seen this one?" I can't help but gush over it. It is just so beautiful, philosophical without being dogmatic, and the recipes are perfect. Last time I was at the bookstore, both copies were sold in my presence, and a third was ordered. If you know someone who doesn't have it, this is the one.





Well, there are a few for you. If you need more, give me a direction- you know I love a challenge. And I'm sure there will be some cookies around here too- they always seem to happen somehow. I'll let you know how it all comes out.

Lavender Fleur de sel caramels

OK, I have to admit a few things here. I'm a little bit done with food. I've been cooking some, eating a lot, and I'm starting not to feel so hungry. I've got a bunch more cooking to do this week though, so I'm working on getting my appetite back.
My children, however, are having no problem with their appetites. They are asking for food constantly. And they are so fixated on sweets that I'm starting to become a genius with the bribes. So much so that sometimes they really don't make any sense.
Example: Last night Sadie says, "Mom, can I have more asparagus?"
And I snap back, "Not until you finish your rice."
OK, who exactly is this person speaking out of my mouth? And why is she withholding vegetables to prove a point? And exactly what point is that?
Yes, I am losing it for good.
Anyway, I made some caramels. I don't really like caramels, but these are pretty good and they make pretty gifts. This is a recipe from the illustrious Alice Medrich, with my lavender obsession mixed in. It was definitely my most successful caramel experience yet, with the exception of the cutting step. The things just shattered under the knife, as you can see below in the photo.





Lavender Fleur de Sel Caramels
adapted from Alice Medrich's Pure Dessert

Ingredients
1 cup golden syrup (NOT corn syrup, you can get this in most higher end grocery stores)
2 cups sugar
3/8 teaspoon fine sea salt, preferably fleur de sel
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons lavender flowers
1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into chunks, softened

Equipment
A 9-inch square baking pan
Candy thermometer

Procedure

Add the lavender to the cream and let sit.


Line the bottom and sides of the baking pan with aluminum foil and grease the foil. Combine the golden syrup, sugar, and salt in a heavy 3-quart saucepan and cook over medium heat, stirring with a silicone spatula or wooden spoon, until the mixture begins to simmer around the edges. Wash the sugar and syrup from the sides of the pan with a pastry brush dipped in water. Cover and cook for about 3 minutes. (Meanwhile, rinse the spatula or spoon before using it again later.) Uncover the pan and wash down the sides once more. Attach the candy thermometer to the pan, without letting it touch the bottom of the pan, and cook, uncovered (without stirring) until the mixture reaches 305°F.


Meanwhile, put the lavender and cream in a small saucepan and heat until tiny bubbles form around the edges of the pan. Turn off the heat and cover the pan to keep the cream hot.

When the sugar mixture reaches 305°F, turn off the heat and stir in the butter chunks. Gradually stir in the hot cream, pouring it through a strainer to separate the lavender; it will bubble up and steam dramatically, so be careful. Turn the burner back on and adjust it so that the mixture boils energetically but not violently. Stir until any thickened syrup at the bottom of the pan is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Continue to cook, stirring occasionally, to about 245°F. Then cook, stirring constantly, to 260°f for soft, chewy caramels or 265°F; for firmer chewy caramels.


Remove the pan from the heat and stir in the vanilla extract. Pour the caramel into the lined pan. Let set for 4 to 5 hours, or overnight until firm.

Lift the pan liner from the pan and invert the sheet of caramel onto a sheet of parchment paper. Peel off the liner. Sprinkle the fleur de sel onto both sides of the sheet, pressing it into the caramel.

Cut the caramels with an oiled knife. Wrap each caramel individually in wax paper or cellophane.

Chocolate Blocks with ginger and cranberries

Are you feeling gift stress? I suggest that you channel this into baking and sweet making. The sweets will be fabulous gifts, and eating them will ease your stress as well. The whole thing is pretty cost effective and you can be sure that your gifts won't go unused.

We're on our second snowstorm in 3 days. The kids are going crazy, my husband is compulsively crafting, and I'm popping out sweets faster than I can pack them. So this will be the first of a few recipes I'll pass along. Get ready.

These are Chocolate Blocks. The originally recipe for these babies come to me through Orangette, who in turn had gotten it from Gourmet Magazine. You can find the original recipe here, but my version changed the insides a bit.

Some of you reading this will be receiving these from me over the next week. Forgive me for ruining the surprise, but trust me- you'll want the recipe as soon as you eat one.
Oh, and this one wins the super easy award. Have fun with it....

1 1/4 lb of good quality chocolate, bittersweet
2/3 cup candied ginger, cut into little pieces
2/3 cup dried cranberries
1 1/3 cup almonds, chopped small
good quality sea salt
vegetable oil, for greasing

Line a 9x9 baking pan with foil and grease it lightly with vegetable oil.
In a double boiler or metal bowl over a pot with a few inches of water, melt the chocolate at a medium temperature. The water should just be simmering. Stir until the chocolate is smooth. Stir in the fruit and nuts.


Pour the chocolate mixture into the prepared pan. Smooth with a spatula and sprinkle the whole thing with sea salt.

Cover lightly and put it in the fridge for at least 4 hours.
Pop it out of the pan and cut into squares.


These can be stored in the fridge for two weeks, layered with wax paper between them. This recipe makes about 60 blocks.