Snowmen!!

Ok, so I will admit just right off the bat : these Christmas cookies are a little (a lot) SandraLeeSemiHomemade-ish. But they are incredibly adorable, and as obviously a once-a-year highly processed indulgence, I think they are a-ok.








Easy as pie, they are all fun and festive and zero mess or hassle. They're totally awesome! You really don't need a recipe, all you do it melt some white chocolate and dip nutter butters in it. Decorate. Repeat. Heck, I don't even recommend that you eat them!



See, I even committed the cardinal sin of chocolate - I put them in the fridge! Then again, white chocolate is considered by many to be the cardinal sin of chocolate, so maybe it's a wash.




All I know is they're adorable and bursting with Christmas Cheer. Maybe you might eat one, it'd taste pretty good with some whiskey-d up egg nog....

Lately

Thanksgiving, last minute, with friends. Macy's parade, coffee, turkey prep (David's handiwork), long walk...



Excellent wine (thanks Morgan!)



Low key, tasty, fun.



gingerbread cookies with Jessica + boatloads of Christmas music, after a bloody mary & a trip to the Lower East Side's infamous jungle of sugar, Economy Candy...



CANDY destined to become little gingerbread men buttons and cookie tree lights.



We had a christmas party! It was very necessary to have a party this year of all years. A bad year calls for a really good party, so I decorated my heart out, as best I could.



Made plenty of food, with reckless disregard for health or moderation.



Those cookies again! They were gleefully devoured, much to my - and I'd venture the cookies as well - great delight.



I would have taken a picture of the vat of velveeta dip on the stove but it was sort of hard to get a good picture with all the people constantly crowding around it/ having velveeta dip fights...David and Stephen I am looking at you.



But all was quickly forgiven. After all, there was plenty velveeta to go around, as is always the case with cheese products at Miranda&David hosted events.



OH! And I made Mai Tais, from SCRATCH! Which means I spent a large portion of the afternoon juicing limes! I'd complain, but this is what underemployment means - and I accept that. Plus they smelled really really good.



I encouraged people to take drink umbrellas. I believe that drink umbrellas are a really essential element of a Good Party. They're so cheap they're almost free, and they are absolutely no work at all to put out. They're INSTANTLY festive and make people happy. They are a must, in my opinion. Lots of partybang for your buck. Umbrellas!



Final Product!




Yummmmmmm

So I messed around a bit with a few different recipes and ended up with these proportions :

Miranda's Mele Kalikimaka Mai Tai!

2 parts Rum
1 part Lime Juice
1/2 part almond syrup (I just put a little bit of almond extract in simple syrup)
1/2 part cointreau
1/4 + part Orange Juice (to taste)

i don't need to tell you that this is a strong drink, as are all properly made tiki drinks, so FILL those cups with lots of crushed up ice. Enjoy!