By Kat on 12/27/2008 7:53 PM

You may notice that this is now a skeleton of what the site normally is; I assure you we'll get back to our glorious ways ASAP! I upgraded to a new server and I'm still trying to figure it all out.

Christmas was lovely here in the Neighborhood! I hosted 11 of my family and friends in our tiny home. The food was wonderful and the company was even better!

Here is something new I tried and boy was it wonderful!

Kat's Christmas Day Kranberries

	On Christmas Eve, pour 2 cups of sugar into about 2 cups of water in a small saucepan – stir over low heat until the sugar dissolves. Simmer but do not boil (the cranberries do not like hot, hot water and they will pop!). Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of cranberries.
Pour the mixture into a bowl. Don’t look at the berries that popped – my water got too hot!   Cover and refrigerate over-night (or 8 hours).
	Before you open presents, drain cranberries over a bowl (save the liquid if you want). Place ¾ of a cup of sugar (superfine if you can find it) in a shallow dish.
Add the cranberries, rolling to coat with sugar.
	Place them on a clean dish to dry for 1 hour or spear them with toothpicks and let dry for one hour.   These make great garnishes for cocktails, cider or appetizer trays. The sugar compliments the tartness in a yummy way.   Store them in an air tight container in a cool place for up to a week. Enjoy!

By Kat on 11/10/2008 1:50 PM

There are many differences between living in the Midwest and living in Southern California. I will give in to the fact that perhaps times have changed but I noticed this from the moment that I set foot in the heartland; football is king and soccer is a backup option. Alaska has its Hockey Moms, So Cal has its Soccer Moms and the Midwest has Football Moms.

I will say that it is quite hilarious to see a bunch of 4 year old run around in full padding and see if they can keep their balance, let alone if they can perform any sort of function with a football. Maybe it's because Southern California doesn't really have a football team to root for and it seems that every state over here has a great team.

All I know is that growing up, my siblings and I participated in ballet, basketball, gymnastics, karate, rollerblading, cheerleading and softball. Other than these sports, my friends were in swimming and soccer. We attended various camps, trainings and expositions for these sports but until high school, I don't remember hearing my classmates talk about football practice over the weekend or football camp over the summer.

Why is football such a BIG deal over here?

By Kat on 11/8/2008 3:29 PM

By Kat on 10/10/2008 1:50 PM

 The outdoor weather is ending so life in the suburbs will begin to be lived out in secret. Yes, it's that time of year where we are getting ready to bring in the patio furniture (well, we would if we had room in our garage to store it), I've planted various fall shades of mums, my bulbs are in the ground or on their way into the ground, we have one final camping trip planned and the festivals and fairs are moving indoors.

We had such a great weekend of trying to cram as much outdoor activity time in as possible.
Fall flower shopping and planting.
Outdoor music and wine event at a local winery.
Renaissance Faire with giant turkey legs.

We have a couple more weekends planned like this. My hope is that when they are over, I'll be so exhausted that my hatred of cold weather will turn to a welcome just for the rest… What kinds of activities and events are you trying to pile in?