end of the year.

so i think this list of the 19 must-watch food videos of 2012 is amazeballs. i haven't seen them all yet, but i have faith in the list.

i have seen this one:

and this one:

The Daily Show with Jon Stewart

Get More: Daily Show Full Episodes,Political Humor & Satire Blog,The Daily Show on Facebook

yes, i built that.

i made chocolate peanut butter cups at home a la a beautiful mess. they were a bit large, as i only had cupcake liners for big muffin tins, rather than the baby size, but that did not stop anyone from eating too much or cutting them in half.

sadly, i took no photos of this delicious + easy-to-make treat, so here's my dog in a sweater. it's a hand-me-down from houston and might be worn for christmas.

that mariah carey christmas song is still stuck in my head.

so, this year, i baked christmas cookies for the neighbors (the one who my dog has a HUGE crush on, the one who loans me sugar, the one who rakes my yard, and the one who lets me use his internet) and the mail man (who chloe relentlessly barks at, fulfilling a stereotype).

given that i didn't grow up with christmas, i also don't have an arsenal of christmas cookie recipes. but i was ready to cook the cover of the december 2012 bon appetit. it also allowed alex and i to take a trip to southern season for fancy sprinkles and taste the bounty of the shop.

some notes on the recipe:

• i left out nutmeg because i didn't have any, but added in all-spice instead.
• this is a 3-step cookie which means you should plan ahead. do one step each day and it's not a big deal at all. each part is about 30 minutes.
• dusting sugar is stupid expensive, so i rolled the dough in non-pareils and raw cane sugar. 
• it said it would make 90, but mine made 70 and they aren't huge. this is totally fine, but if you are cooking for a big group, i'd make extra.
• i made half the amount of icing and had plenty. 
• they smush a little (the icing) when you bag them up so if you are giving them as gifts, be careful if you want them to look just so. they would be amazing at a party as they'd make even an ugly dish look delicious.

let's have a party; we'll all dance the hora.

i abandoned the great latke recipe of my mother's best friend, marsha, for that of adam rapoport. i am really trying to get the most of the bon appetit these days--i've been in a bean-pasta-carborific food rut for quite a while. the latke recipe did not really change that rut, just the way i intake the carbs. 

but, i digress. 

i followed this recipe to a T, minus the schmaltz, which i might have used if i actually had some. yes, even though i have been a vegetarian for a zillion years at this point.

the entire recipe is at the above link, so i won't repost it, but adam has us put all the grated onions and potatoes into a towel and wring them out. not a terrible idea. 

yep, i mixed all the wet things with the fancy anthropologie kitchen gear of last christmas. 

i made them in the cast iron, with canola oil, because that's what i had (the oil and the pan), but i don't think it really matters. 

this recipe is specfically for crispy latkes, which i actually don't think are my favorite, but they were certainly delicious.

with sour cream AND applesauce. (and a salad so we get some nutrients).

poached birthday.

happy birthday to my dad, farrell, who showed me how to make a perfectly poached egg over thanksgiving. it is his specialty these days.