Holiday Treat

Christmas is around the corner, so get ready to be faced with an array of delicious foods! Aside from the staples of various cookies, pumpkin pies etc. I absolutely love Marie Callendar's Razzleberry pie. It is a mixture of blackberries and raspberries in a flaky crust. My family has it at least once a year, usually during a big holiday. If you want a delicious fresh baked pie (and the luscious smell it emits while baking) without the hassle of making one from scratch this is a wonderful substitue with that homemade taste. It takes less than an hour to bake, so if you have limited use of the oven you can even put it in to bake while you enjoy your holiday meal. What really completes this pie is a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream. If you're searching for a last minute dessert or want something extra on hand when unannounced visitors come knocking at your door, I recommend having one of these pies available to quickly pop in the oven. Oh - watch out for the seeds...although picking them out of your teeth afterwards is totally worth it! Merry Christmas to all!

Songs of the Season

At this time of year you can turn to a handful of radio stations that stream out Christmas music 24/7. If you want a break from the typical Christmas music, but want to stick with seasonal tunes I have two song suggestions for you. I heard both of these in the last week and both made an impression on me.

1. "Soul Cake" by Sting. On his 2009 Christmas album "If on a Winter's Night"

2. "Horchata" by Vampire Weekend.

Sting sings about Soul Cake, which historically was made for All Souls Day to celebrate the dead. Often marked with a cross, each sweet cake represented a soul and when the cake was eaten, it was believed that their soul was freed from Pergatory. The cakes were given out to children and the poor who visited different houses and sang for the deceased. Yes, very much like Halloween. Sting, to create his wintertime song "Soul Cake", based his song on the choruses that were sung by the children on All Souls Day. The song has Halloween-type haunting tones and consists of the mystical and intriguing sounds that Sting often brings to his music.

"Horchata" is on Vampire Weekend's sophomore album "Contra", due to be released in the US on January 12, 2010. View info about their new album and download "Horchata" by clicking here. This song talks about drinking horchata in December and how winter "is too much to handle". If you already need a break from the winter weather, turn up this song and transport yourself to the tropics! It is a fun-loving song and I read that they used a glockenspiel to give this song it's exotic sound...along with a lot of background vocals. I will be downloading this song as soon as possible. It's a fusion of winter and the tropics...a wonderful mix if you ask me.

On another note, I have had the pleasure of drinking horchata...it is a great drink! It's a little complicated to make, so if you can order it somewhere I recommend taking that route. Read all about horchata here. Happy Holidays!

Tea Time

I am a tea drinker. This past weekend we had our first snow here in Pennsylvania and it was a wonderful feeling to be inside with one of my favorite Kusmi teas and watch through the windows, the sparkling snow pile up on the tree branches. The snowfall was the perfect backdrop to the day as we decorated the Christmas tree and listend to the holiday tunes.

My favorite Kusmi tea (so far) is a black tea called Prince Vladimir. Its sweeter, orangey citrus and vanilla flavors are balanced out by bergamot and other spices. One can really enjoy it without sugar, but a little pinch helps the flavors to flourish. This tea reminds me of Christmas and it is now a wintertime staple for my boyfriend and me.

We decided to try an additional one this holiday and we chose St. Petersburg, one of their Chinese black teas which holds citrus, red fruit and caramel flavors. Another winner! We have paired this with pecan sticky buns on weekend mornings and it is divine!

The Kusmi Tea company started in 1867 in St. Petersburg, Russia. As Kusmi has changed hands over 140 plus years, it has moved from London, Berlin, and its current home is in Paris. The tea can be a challenge to find and is a bit pricey, but in the end every sip is worth it. At times, I have been lucky enough to walk into Kitchen Kapers and buy it right off the shelf. I prefer the tea in loose leaf form (you get the most for your money this way too), but if you can only find it in tea bag form I still recommend you pick some up. Another thing, the loose leaf versions come in beautiful tins that you will want to keep. Other places you will find Kusmi Tea are Dean and Deluca and the US Kusmi Tea website. You can also follow Kusmi Tea on Facebook. Think about making Kusmi a part of your holidays or your own personal indulgence!

Day One:

Welcome to my blog! It looks like I am now officially party of the blogging world. I've been wanting to start one for over a year, so I figured why not finally do it today before I am forced to make it one of my resolutions for 2010. It may take me a while to get my footing here, but please bare with me. I have some fun ideas and entries in store!

I'm sure this blog will morph and change over time as all aspects of life do, hence why I chose the title above. My plan; however, is to share with you the things that I come across in my life...from the little to the lavish, from the modest to the luxurious. It's good to enjoy the little things in life (even if they are frivolous), so you may find me raving about a recently discovered body wash one day, and the next you will find an entry on a delectable restaurant I just discovered, and then the next day an entry about an astounding travel experience. Restaurants/food, shopping, travel, books, local events and not-so-local events, art, music, memorable experiences, AND the little things will all appear here one day soon, so if all of that caputures your attention and you have an interest in what I have to say about them please stay tuned and check back soon... Thanks for visiting today!