Unless you suspect you may be recieving something from her, go see the stuff ljc made for her loved ones for Christmas. It's terrific! and branded! and tagged with shrinky dinks!

They have all sorts of goodness going on over at Yum Food including some of my favorites: sugar skulls (no mold required) and a whole section of Halloween recipes and vegan recipes! Their articles, recipes, reviews, and book reviews are all excellent. Check out the list of movies about or featuring food. And the article on true basalmic vinegar will make you smart.

chocolate!

• a visit to the Scharffenberger plant at ReadyMade
• a bunch of recipes on the Scharffenberger site - including hot chocolate which tastes the way I imagined the stuff seen in the movie Chocolat would have, and clear tips on tempering their chocolate
• how to temper chocolate at marthastewart.com
• recipe for nonpareils
• a mega huge chocolate turkey
• mr. chocolate's tips
• nice chocolate molds, take a look at all the flower ones, at Dad's Follies (linked from marthastewart.com)
• a bajillion chocolate recipes
• an archived exhibit about chocolate at the Exploratorium

Got any chocolate tips/recipes/concepts to share?

Digs Magazine does it again -- I want to know how to use my coffee press properly, and what do I find? how to use my coffee press properly!

Stitches West (a huge knitting convention which I just learned about, coming here Feb. 22nd) is just a Bart ride away for me, hopefully they will have some of that non-wool yarn I lust after.

good tips for roasting chestnuts over at marthastewart.com

Allrecipes has a few recipe a day coundowns going on - cookie, candy and cake. They also have collected recipes into a Christmas Guide.

how to make those sugar scene ornaments (like the easter sugar scene eggs) on the carol duvall show. check it out - it's very similar to making bath bombs! link via project annie, thanks!

and I want to make these lovely golden syrup window biscuits - recipe at podular in the kitchen

things I definetly plan to make for the holidays*:

• chex mix
• individual chocolate melting cakes
• sugar cube house
• gingerbread house with meringue powder royal icing
• little chocolate trees and I nearly forgot the Christmas morning treat!
• The Best French Toast Ever

* does not imply suggestion or promise of producing any of listed foods

yippee! guess what very excellent addition to my (as of yet nonexistant) gingerbread house display just arrived? these are so great!

I was hoping to get around to photographing some instructions for these but I don't think I will: how to make paper snowflakes (also known to a select few as Office Snowflakes) with George the Gnome and this guy also, diy decorations at the Hoopla Advent Calendar - I'm going to make that chain and string it from cubicle to cubicle here