Christmas Wish List Part I

Two books I would love to have.  One preferably before Christmas!

Cookie Craft Christmas: Dozens of Decorating Ideas for a Sweet Holiday

I Love Macarons

Shocking...I know ;)

A Christmas Cupcake and more...

I am already in the holiday spirit and Christmas is still 46 days away!

I found this adorable ornament at Pier 1 Imports!  I never really shop there but remembered that they sell ornaments when I passed by the store last week.  This will be the second cupcake in my Christmas sweets collection.  My friend gave me this adorable cupcake ornament last year. (That's Ollie trying to sniff it in the background!)

I also picked this one up at a local Home Goods.  I love tartan plaid everything, so couldn't resist it.

They were both only $5 each!  I can't wait to get a tree :)

Make a Child's Winter Wish Come True!!!

Dear Readers,

As the holiday season approaches, we are often excited and overwhelmed by thoughts of shopping, entertaining, decorating, and eating!  Sadly, many families do not have the means to purchase even the most basic holiday gift. But we can make their wishes come true!  NY Cares partners with hundreds of homeless shelters, community centers, and other deserving nonprofit organizations to provide holiday gifts for children, teens, and families.  

Gift requests can be mailed to you and are typically for items $40 or less before delivery.  You will receive one letter for each wish you offer to fulfill. Each letter will contain the delivery date (early December in most cases), the delivery address, the recipient's name, and a tracking number to include on the front of the wrapped package. You will be responsible for purchasing, wrapping and shipping the gifts.   If the gift request is too expensive or difficult to find, you may substitute it for your gift of choice.  It is not required that you spend $40, please spend whatever you are comfortable with.  Please find gift suggestions for children and teens attached.

If you are interested in making a child's holiday wish come true, please email me at confectionateblog@gmail.com by Friday, November 13th and be sure to include the following:

1. How many children's wishes you would like to fulfill (approx. $40 plus shipping each)______

2. How many teenager's wishes you would like to fulfill (approx. $40 plus shipping each)______

3. Your mailing address so I can send you your letter__________________________________

You should receive your letter by the second week in December at the latest.  It is important to send all gifts as quickly as possible to ensure delivery before the holiday.

In order to create a team, we  need to commit to fulfilling 20 gifts.  So please send this along to any friends or family members who you think might be interested!!! They can email me directly as well at confectionateblog@gmail.com.

All gifts donations are tax deductible. For more information, please visit http://www.newyorkcares.org/volunteer/holiday_volunteering/winter_wishes/index.php for more details.

Please feel free to reach out to me with any questions. We can make all the difference!

Warm Wishes,

Liz

Holiday Ornament Preview at Sur la Table

"Christmas is coming, my ornament collection is getting fat".  I've gotten to a point where I have enough Christmas ornaments that I only buy ones I really love. Now is the time when all of the stores are starting to show off their 2009 collections!  Sur la Table always has tons of fun foodie ornaments, but there are just a few I personally have my eye on.

The Candy Cane:

The Bee hive:

The Vegetables (specifically the pea pod):

Some of the others are just a little too "foodie" for me.  Although I am Italian and proud of it, hanging prosciutto and a wild boar on a Christmas Tree just really isn't my thing!

'Gourmet' is Gone

In case you haven't heard the news...

Gourmet Magazine is folding at the end of the year.  RIP~favorite of mine :(

The Little Bookroom - The Paris Series

I stumbled across the most adorable, perfect and "so me" book today.  'The Patisseries in Paris' by Jamie Cahill details one woman's opinion on the best sweets and treats in Paris! The book is the perfect size to fit in your purse and has lovely photographs.  

After spotting it I realized there were a whole series of Little Bookroom books focused on Paris!  I also browsed through 'Quiet Corners of Paris' which detailed gardens, historic homes, churches, winding lanes, etc.  Exactly the type of places I enjoy spending my free time.  

When I got home, I checked out the The Little Bookroom website and discovered they have 25 books on France, 12 on Italy,6 on the United Kingdom, 9 on New York, and more on various other cities.  It seems they have something that will interest everyone.

Some of the other Paris books that excited me were:

'Markets of Paris'

'The Historic Restaurants of Paris'

'The Best Vintage, Antique and Collectible Shops in Paris' (for Kevin)

'The Flea Markets of Paris' (for Kevin too)

Now I know it would be somewhat of a waste to have all these books on one city, but how fun would it be to have such a neat little collection?!  'The Patisseries in Paris' would be the perfect stocking stuffer for someone like me ;)

Take me to Paris please...

On my day off today I started the morning by making garden veggie omelettes and bacon, read for a while, headed to the cafe nearby for lunch and finished up the afternoon by going to the movie theater to see 'Julia and Julia'!  I have been wanting to see it since the summer, and finally did.  

Although I found Amy Adam's character a bit unappealing, I loved the movie as a whole!  Meryl Streep did such a wonderful job as Julia Child (no surprise here).  Every one of her scenes was perfection...from her acting, to her wardrobe, the scenery, and most importantly the food! If you have a love for food or Paris (or both...like me), you HAVE to see this film! 

Visit to Fort Tryon Park

Last weekend Kev and I made the LONG subway trip to Fort Tryon Park.  We walked around a bit (it was surprisingly beautiful), enjoyed a picnic lunch and then headed to The Cloisters Museum (a reconstructed medieval monastery).

Afterwards we headed to the MET for a bit since we already had admission. (Cloisters is owned by the MET).  Below are some pics from our little outing on a gorgeous day in NYC :)

Fort Tryon Park-getting ready to pose for a shot in front of the Hudson River/George Washington Bridge, but of course Kev took the shot too early!

Kev admiring the park


The garden inside the Cloisters

Yes, we matched, and yes everyone stared at us all day :)