30 more selections from Etsy for your holiday gift consideration…
Egg Cup & Cozy ($20)
Saturday night, Matt & Rachael came by for dinner with Kendrick, his parents, and me, and brought with them an incredible spread from the West Side Market in Cleveland. Said spread included the Great Lakes Christmas Ale pictured at left, which is perfect for a chilly evening in, with hints of cinnamon and a rich spiciness. Almost too intense to enjoy in large quantities, I’d have just one of these while…I don’t know, wrapping presents or something.
The cheeses from the West Side Market were unlike anything I’ve ever tried, and included sage, caraway seed, and mango & ginger. Very weird…but very cool. I’m a goat cheese girl, though, so I ended up hunkering down with the Montrachet and some fresh figs.
The sage cheese is cool looking, no?
I know: I said that the Christmas Ale was perfect for a night in…but it also seems to inspire grand plans for bar-hopping, and Matt, Rachael, Kendrick and I ended the evening cozied up in a booth at Giesen Haus with a pitcher of PBR and a couple of hours of lovely conversation.
The #1 thing I wanted to do on our trip to Ohio was make a repeat visit to Schrock’s Antique Mall, in Berlin, for some Christmas gift-buying. I toyed with the idea of picking up that set of blue marbled cups and plates (they’re tin, which means even I can’t break them), but decided I’m all full up on kitschy tableware for the moment.
This is a Jadeite rolling pin/flour holder, which I obviously loved…but I was in present-buying mode and managed to set it down. If you like it as much as I do, you can buy one here.
Kendrick loved these Apollo 13 “Safe Return” glasses.
After the antiques mall we headed over to Breitenbach Wine Cellars, where we sampled tons of their flavored wines. Most of them were way too sweet for me, but I did really like the Spiced Apple ($9.39), which can be heated up and flavored with mulling spices and cinnamon sticks.
Amish Country cheeses are delicious. My favorite: the super-mild Guggisburg Baby Swiss ($5/lb).
We ended the day with some festivities over at Kendrick’s high school buddy Nathan’s place (above, that’s us with Nathan and Daria)…
…and a little nighttime strolling in the very first snowfall of the year.
…Francesca is performing at the Metropolitan Room! I’ll be in Connecticut for work and won’t be able to go – but she’s a spectacular singer, and it’ll be a great evening of jazz and cocktails. I highly recommend checking it out!
Call (212) 206-0440 or click here for reservations.
Click here for two fun – and easy! – ways to use up your Thanksgiving leftovers!
1. Turkey, Brie & Cranberry Panini
2. Turkey, Apple, Cheddar & Stuffing Panini
(If you don’t have a panini press – I don’t; I borrowed the one I use in the segment – just put put the sandwiches in a frying pan, buttered side out, and flip after a couple of minutes.)
This is my idea of a great night.
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