Two days-in two days we leave! I remember when Christmas and driving were months away and now, I’m trying to use what Greg calls “brain skills” to make sure I have things packed, made, cleaned, put away and scheduled. I’m fairly good at this and kind of thrive on prepping for events. Today is laundry, cooking, more packing and re-checking the piles of things I have around the apartment that will be packed into nooks in the car. (It’s already full of camping gear we’re taking back to my dad.)
Greg will get to showcase his skill of packing a vehicle efficiently come 5AM on Wednesday. I think he’s been dreading the Chicago traffic…we learned our lesson when it took 3 hours to go 10 miles and will be avoiding, as best we can, that area. When it’s an “off time,” it shaves off quite a bit of time but we’ll be strolling in around rush hour and I don’t want to see Greg cry. (It’s pretty rare and he’s such a happy soul. That would be like killing a unicorn…that was more for my own enjoyment, sorry.)
Tomorrow will be my last post until Monday, January 4th –although, if I get a chance, I might write a little something while I’m home. I will probably still be posting on twitter and at least one of my foodbuzz accounts, if you’d like to check that out. I’m thedabble on twitter and awitkamp or thedabble on foodbuzz.
The weekend was strangely calm and relaxing (besides our trip to pick up a few items). We watched some classic Christmas movies (It’s A Wonderful Life, Elf and National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation) and some non-classic/non-holiday movies (Planes, Trains and Automobiles and the Great Outdoors). We went to Trader Joes in Woodbury and St.Paul, looking for salted caramels….out. I knew that I should’ve bought more the last time I was there. The crowds were crazy and I could tell by Greg’s face that he was not enjoying this trip either but we kept reminding ourselves that Christmas is less than a week away. We wished several persons a happy holiday and I even wished horrible drivers one as well….although that was mostly out of sarcasm and kept me from screaming one of my usual slurs.
While we watched a few movies, we sipped cranberry margaritas, a recipe found in Sunset magazine. I’m not sure that I would add actual cranberries next time. I am not a fan of pulp and the crunchy factor caught me off guard every once in a while. The cranberry juice would suffice alone but that’s just our opinion. You’ll find this recipe below and this link for other amazing holiday cocktails brought to you by Chow. I am also an eggnog fan and know that Alton Brown’s recipe is one of the best around. This year the eggnog will not be all over the floor of the car, as we discovered last year, after jumping for joy when we crossed the Illinois/Indiana line.
Happy holidays and cheers!
Cranberry Margaritas
Serves 4
Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups cranberry juice
½ cup sugar
1 ½ cups fresh or frozen cranberries, rinsed-optional
¾ cup fresh lime juice
¾ cup tequila
½ cup orange-flavored liqueur (Cointreau perhaps)
3 to 4 cups crushed ice (place in blender with the lime juice before adding the other ingredients to crush)
Pour ¼ cup cranberry juice into a shallow bowl and pour 3 tbsp sugar onto a plate. Dip glass rims (6-8 oz. glasses) into juice and then sugar. Set aside.
If you wish to garnish with cranberries, reserve 12. In a blender, place the ice and lime juice (you might have to do this in a few batches) and crush the ice. Add the remaining ingredients and blend until slushy. Taste and add more alcohol or juice if needed. Divide among the glasses and garnish with the 12 cranberries by skewering them on toothpicks and placing on the side of the glass.
Maybe you are looking for a specific kind of salted caramels, but I know I’ve seen such things at the Golden Fig on Grand Ave…
I will have to check that out or make my own, I was lazy when it came to caramels this year.
yum!
this look so good!!
You are right about the real cranberries, they make the drink to crunchy. But I love them as garnish!