Scented Fire

 We decided to delay putting up our Christmas tree until next weekend so that we would have more room for guests at yesterday's block party. (It was a big success, 26 people! They stayed the entirety and then some and all of the neighbours got to know one another!)  So my decorating relied on bits and pieces scattered throughout the house, but the main source of festive cheer were the scented candles placed around the main floor.
I lit them about an hour early so the scents would permeate the air.  Due to the fact that that I'm very sensitive to fragrance (some give me an immediate migraine) I'm really particular about the brand I buy.  Diptyque candles last a very long time and the unusual scents have never irritated me.  Their holiday edition candles are particularly beautiful.

Hanukkah pillow.

 I didn't put out many sweets but the two dishes I did place out were popular with our youngest guest, a very darling 9 year old neighbour.  I think we can all agree that Toffifee chocolates are the most delicious?  And of course Turkish delight.

Toffifee and Turkish delight.

 The most popular drink was red wine although cognac was a surprise choice, our neighbour the Chef was feeling like something a bit stronger!

The day was cold and overcast, it was that damp sort of freeze that goes into one's bones.  It was so pleasant to see our neighbours walk the short distance over to enjoy a couple of hours of chat.

 Our absolute favourite candle during the winter is Feu de Bois.  It really does smell like the most wonderful wood-burning fire.

Feu de Bois

 Today is another cold and overcast day and I'll be enjoying the fact that I've cleaned the house within an inch of its life.  I'll leave the candles unlit now until the holidays proper (when the older two Rascals arrive home) so they last through Christmas.

 Just before the party began Lil Rascal was leaving the house to go to lunch with her friends.  "Mom why aren't you panicking as you usually do before parties?" It was the food!  Knowing I didn't have to cook anything or wrangle hot snacks in and out of the oven, only then to have to focus on passing everything around with small plates and napkins... what a difference it made.  We were able to just enjoy the gathering, and I have to say the snacks were all popular, in particular the delicious bar mix in the bowl on the right.

I hope your Sunday is a good one,
xoxDani

Bar's Open

Bar's Open
It's the day of the Christmas Block Party.

 How about a caterer's set of 18 wine glasses that are packaged perfectly in a cardboard box suitable for storage?  After today's party this will go into our basement storage room, right next to the chafing dishes that I only use for big dinner parties.
I found some tall slim glasses that are meant for beer but I think they are equally suitable for cocktails.  I'm going to try some special gin-and-tonics today using this cherry gin.

 As far as snacks go this is strictly a "come for drinks" event so there will be no cooking whatsoever.  Lil Rascal suggested hot appetizers but it would be too much faffing around, in and out of the oven with large baking sheets while people mill about in the kitchen (which is where the bar is set up, and folks will always mill about in the kitchen no matter what).

My idea for the snacks I'm serving came from one line in a really excellent article I read a few months ago in the NYT magazine called "The Evening-in-Paris Dinner".  The author mentions the "inconsequential tidbits" that are typically served with drinks in Paris, "usually nuts, olives, salty crackers and, inexplicably, cherry tomatoes in any season".

That sounds easy!
So, I have a bar mix (crunchy and salty), some pretzel crackers, unsalted mixed nuts, chickpea crackers for the gluten-intolerant, salty peanuts, my tipsy olives (recipe shared yesterday) and those bright cherry tomatoes.
I've invited our entire block which is about 30 people.  I wonder how many people will show up?
Hope your own Saturday is festive with salty snacks,
xoxDani

Tipsy Olives

It's such a nice treat to have some colourful flowers in the bedrooms.  It's not something I do very often, maybe a couple of times a year around holidays, but I found these bright blooms at Costco yesterday morning and I thought they were just the thing.

We are hosting our open house drinks party tomorrow afternoon for the neighbours and it will be the first time most of them have been inside our house.  They all know of course (with the exception of the recent neighbours) that we have spent a good amount of time renovating, in fact we gutted this house top to bottom and lived in Gia's apartment across the street while it was happening.

So I'm expecting to give some Five Cent Tours!  I'll get the bedrooms in top shape (not difficult as the third floor is always pristine with the older two both living in Toronto... no more floordrobes up there) and having some nice flowers around is my idea of decorating.
Now I just have to get Lil' Rascal to tidy her room!

Yesterday I purchased my bar snacks for the drinks party and I made some Tipsy Olives.

 Tipsy Olives are just about my favourite bar snack.  They are so simple to make, they are basically just pimento stuffed green olives soaked in the usual brine with the addition of vermouth.

The tiny little jar you see of Tipsy Olives costs about as much as the giant jar of stuffed green olives sourced from Costco ($6).  I bought the tiny jar last week so I would have the ingredient list but I needn't have done, I just had to tip the olives into a fresh jar and splash a bunch of vermouth around them.

Now we have a GIANT jar of Tipsy Olives.

It's Friday and you know what that means... Miller Time.  I'll spend the day prepping the house for tomorrow but hopefully this evening I'll be watching a movie with my hubs.
Watch any good movies on Netflix or iTunes lately? Let me know if you have, I could use some recommendations.
Have a wonderful day with a treat at the end,
xoxDani

A Good Monday

 I have to start in on my Christmas decorating in a very subtle way so that no one notices I am a raving lunatic.  The truth is I really love Christmas, the hype, the lights, the shopping, the wrapping, the eating and the drinking.  I mean, what's not to love?
So I've taken out some ribbon, and of course my Christmas dishes, and I've switched over to red and green in the kitchen:

 This year I ordered a box of greenery from Costco and that thing was a bargain! My gosh, it arrived stuffed to the brim with fresh holly, magnolia and cedar branches.

The holly is getting a little dry-looking already though:

 We've had a really busy weekend which I'm so appreciating this Monday morning.  The last few months have been a bit difficult with one of our best friends struggling through a serious illness.  She's so much better now and she even hosted a dinner last night.  We were so happy just to sit around at a table with her.

 I've started to organize the Christmas bar:

 This year I'm hosting a Christmas party for the entire block.  I know, that's crazy.  But I've realized that if I want to know my neighbours these types of events are key.  There are some really nice people on our street and three new couples... I have two weeks to get my house ready!

On Friday evening we went to L and T's house for a plant-based dinner that was SO delicious.  We had this Ceasar salad recipe that was seriously good.  L sent me the recipe this morning and here it is.

Today I have to work for a couple of hours, do about seven loads of laundry, sort the fridge, tidy the main floor and organize snacks and wine for my Serious Book Club tonight, which I'm hosting.
A Good Monday!
Hope yours is organized and fruitful,
xoxDani