Christmas Survey

Hope you all are having a happy holiday so far!

Yesterday I went to yoga class; they had just one all-levels class for Christmas Eve. While you could modify to make it more challenging, it was overall more meditative and relaxing than the class I usually do. I didn't even go into downward dog once, just stuck to child's pose in between flows. It was a lovely start to the holiday.

The teacher read a Nhat Hanh poem at the beginning of class that was quite appropriate to enjoying the holiday: 

The miracle is not to walk on water. The miracle is to walk on the green earth in the present moment, to appreciate the peace and beauty that are available now.

A Christmas survey:  

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate?

Hot chocolate, for sure! I can't remember if I've actually tried egg nog and found it gross, or am just assuming. But it definitely sounds gross.

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?

Neither, Santa only fills stockings.

Actually, when I was a kid our family didn't even have stockings, we did have one (wrapped) present that was from Santa. (Though some relatives would have stockings for us if we were at their houses on Christmas, or sometimes even after - "Santa knew you'd be coming by here later.") For our future kids, I like the stocking thing, rather than a designated larger gift - I don't love the idea of Santa (as far as promoting it to kids), so I feel like stockings, having small and useful things, would let one keep it a bit more low key.

We still do stockings (my mom got stockings for our immediate family at some point, I think around when I was in middle or high school?) for my immediate family, and I enjoy buying the little, generally more practical, things for those than I do buying the "real" present for each person. 

3. Colored lights or white lights on the tree/house?

White lights (or another single color, like all blue or such) - I prefer a simpler aesthetic, at least for my own decorations. I enjoy seeing others' decorations with more going on, though.

4. When do you hang up your decorations?

The Friday after Thanksgiving at the earliest! Any time before that is too early and not acceptable. 

5. What is your favorite holiday dish? (excluding desserts)

Croissants. Or rolls. Mashed potatoes are good, too. Any kind of carb, really. 

6. Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?

Sometimes. We don't have a really consistent tradition here, either in my family or Abe's. Depends on where we are and who we're seeing on Christmas Eve versus Christmas Day. Once we have kids, I love the idea of everyone having a book to open on Christmas Eve.

7. How do you decorate your Christmas tree?

Not extensively. This year we just have this dowel tree, and while in theory I'm sure I could finagle some way to put ornaments on it, it just didn't seem worth while (and potentially dangerous, being that close to the ground near the cats). I think it looks nice in its simplicity, just the white lights.

8. Snow - love it or dread it?

Love it, so long as I don't have to drive anyway in it. We very rarely have snow here. About six years ago there was ridiculous storming and we had a couple feet of snow on Christmas day (I ended up being stuck here instead of flying to see my family because of it; a friend graciously invited me to join her family locally instead); it made for a pretty Christmas, at least, but we definitely don't know how to handle it here since it's so infrequent.

9. What's the most important thing about Christmas for you?

Spending time with family. Cookies and stockings are fun, too.

10. Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?

Just that we open presents with immediate family (or whoever's staying the night wherever we are) pretty much first thing in the morning. We usually have a somewhat more extensive than usual breakfast (maybe pancakes and eggs; we got cinnamon roll dough to make this year), then all gather in the living room for gifts.

PRC Peacock Lane Run

The Peacock Lane run is a free run hosted each year by Portland Running Company (I meant to do it last year, but can't recall why I didn't!). No timing or anything, but a chance to run in a big group down to see the famous Christmas lights on one of their pedestrian-only nights. 

We got there a few minutes late, but my friend Karey was there and said the store was ridiculously packed, and about 5:00 people just started running. We got to the store, checked to see if she'd left yet, and headed out probably 10 minutes after. There were still a few stragglers, and we passed some walkers as we approached the lane. It wasn't as social of a run, but I think that might be better than being in the huge crowd! 

It was 2 miles each way to the lane (and I surprised myself at how fast I ran it - it was a comfortably hard pace trying to keep up with Abe, and ended up averaging just over 10:30 pace both ways!). So we got the lane just after 5:30, and realized all the runners were now standing around waiting for the lights to officially being at 6:00. (I'm not clear why not start at 5:30 to arrive right on time? Some would arrive after 6, but that's ok, the lights stay on for a while!)

We found Karey and chatted during the wait. There were some lights on early, but not everything, and the street wasn't totally cleared of cars until the 6:00 start time. Then, we got to head down and enjoy the view! There was no running here - not only a lot of people on the PRC run, but lots of other pedestrians (this weekend, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday, were pedestrian only nights, with the street closed to traffic. Normally, cars can (slowly) drive down to view the lights, while walkers stay on the sidewalk.). We took about 10 minutes to walk the 4 blocks (about 0.15 of a mile). 

I have to admit I was teensy bit underwhelmed (I'm not even sure what I expected, to be underwhelmed compared to, though), but it was still cool to see the lights at least once! I think I saw one house that wasn't decorated, but everything else was lit up to varying degrees, many with some sort of theme. 

We ran the 2 miles back to the PRC store, where there was hot cocoa, beer, and cookies! It was fun after to be back in a crowd of runners and enjoying a warm, festive atmosphere. (The rain held off just long enough! There were sprinkles as we were coming around the last block at the end.) I don't think I'll do this every year, but it was fun to do once! I think walking would definitely be the best way to see the lights at Peacock Lane (I can't imagine driving down the 4 blocks at 2 mph - definitely park somewhere and walk it!).

(This seems to be taking a minute to fully load, but it's a slideshow!) 

Tacoma City Turkey Trot 5k 2015

For every Thanksgiving since college, including the past five years since I've been running, I've not only been somewhere that's not home, but schedules have worked out that I've been traveling wherever that is on Thursday morning. I've always wanted to do a Turkey Trot Thanksgiving morning, but never been able to.

Finally, this year it worked out to travel to Tacoma (where we were all convening, and where my sister and aunt live) on Wednesday, leaving Thursday morning totally open. But the holiday is about being with family... so I talked my immediate family into doing a turkey trot, too! (My parents and sister - Abe's done plenty of races with me, so he went to explore to new-to-him disc golf courses instead.)

My dad used to run (and did the occasional race), but this was my mom's and sister's first race ever! They all walked; when I first talked to my mom about it I told her I'd walk with her, but since she had others to walk with her I went ahead and ran.

My parents did packet pickup for all of us Wednesday afternoon, since Abe and I got in a little later in the evening, but it sounds like it went smoothly. There were a few minor organization issues the day of: my parents had been told at packet pickup that the Fleet Feet store would be open for people to hang out in before the race, and it wasn't (at least when we went by about 45 minutes before the race start time). The people manning tables for day-of pickup seemed to be willy nilly trying to hand out bags to anyone walking by, rather than having some system to give them to people who were actually getting their bibs. The race also started about 10 minutes late, with no announcement that was audible at the back of the lineup as to why or when we would actually start. 

Things went fine once we got going, though. It was a small-ish race, just over a thousand people, so there weren't waves or corrals, but people seeded themselves decently and it was easy to get settled into a nice pace as people spread out. There were friendly volunteers at every turn directing runners and helping traffic. 

The Tacoma City Turkey Trot takes place in the North End of Tacoma, the course being a loop that starts in a small shopping area (by the host running store), and mostly goes through residential areas with pretty older homes. While cautioned to arrive at least an hour before the 9 am start to ensure close parking, we go there closer to 8:20, and quickly found a spot two blocks away; as we walked to the start we also saw more spaces even closer, including in the Safeway lots in the block behind the start. 

It was definitely chilly (right around freezing) at the start; more of a problem for running than walking (e.g., more discrepancy between number of layers needed for before and during), but we were able to go across the street a Starbucks to stay inside for a bit. We headed over the start line about 10 til 9, and then waited about 20 minutes for the race to actually start. 

I was nearer the back of the pack with my parents, but started running and didn't have to do much weaving once people spread out. Since I haven't been doing any real training since the marathon, plus have enough to worry about in trying to get pregnant without adding additional stressors like a PR-effort race (TMI: knew I was on the verge of ovulating, so didn't want to delay it if it hadn't happened yet; had I been earlier in my cycle I might have tried to see what I was currently capable of), I wasn't going all out, but just putting forth a solid, tempo, hard but not breathing that hard, kind of effort.

Mile splits: 11:26, 11:11, 10:41, 8:35

For only being a slightly hard effort, I'm pretty happy with my time, official of 34:08. Of course, as I got close to the end and saw I was just over an 11:00 average, I had to give it a final kick to bring it down. :)

Once I crossed the finish line, I ran back about a half mile on the course to see the rest of my family. My sister ended up finishing in a bit under an hour, and our parents in about 1:03. At the beginning of the race, since they started near the back and were walking, at one point they realized they were literally last - but that motivated them to walk faster! They ended up with more than 20 people finishing after them, but I also witnessed plenty of walkers cutting the course at the corner where I was watching (it was sort of easy to do accidentally, if you weren't paying attention, but obviously the volunteer there wasn't doing a great job), so they probably actually beat at least 30 or 40. 

Once I saw my parents, I ran back to the finish line, arriving just in time to hear my sister's name being announced, and then wait a few minutes for the parents. Despite the cold, my mom had fun (she routinely walks 45-ish minutes several times a week for exercise, so this was a little bit of a stretch in terms of distance/duration but not tons), and said this would be a fun Thanksgiving tradition to keep up! 

Despite the delayed start and minor disorganization, I enjoyed the race, and would definitely do it again on years when our Thanksgiving is in Tacoma. The course seems like it would be relatively PR-friendly if you were trying, some slight inclines and maybe more turns than ideal but mostly pretty flat. Parking really isn't that hard to come by, and it's near a Starbucks and a Safeway (in case you need anything last minute for Thanksgiving dinner!) After the race there were at least bananas and water bottles (wasn't paying much attention if there was more, it was basic but sufficient, I think); but there wasn't any water on the course - even though the weather was cold, with walkers being out there for over an hour I think one water stop would be nice. The shirt is cute. It's a good number of people - the course didn't feel crowded after the first couple minutes, but even nearer the end where my parents were they weren't so spread out that you couldn't see other people either. It was very friendly to all abilities, with plenty of walkers and also lots of speedy finishers.

Are You a Turkey, Tofurkey, or a Turducken?

Well of course I am!

You Are a Tofurky

You're the type of person who likes to pay it forward. You are a big believer in karma. You have trouble partaking in the biggest Thanksgiving tradition. You feel bad for the turkey! You are compassionate, kind, and selfless. You are a big believer in justice. You don't push your beliefs on others. You think that differences should be celebrated.

Are you a Turkey, Tofurkey, or a Turducken?

Blogthings: 100's of Fun, Free Quizzes!

Hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving!

From 1985 to 2015: Back to the Future 30th Birthday Party

Let's time travel back to January, when I celebrated my 30th birthday. If you do the math, that would mean I was born in 1985. What else happened in 2015 and 1985? Doc Brown built a time machine in 1985, and used it to bring Marty to 2015, of course.

(PS: the real Back to the Future Day (the day they arrive in 2015) is coming up on October 21.)

I've actually had the idea of a Back to the Future 30th birthday party since sometime in college when I realized the 1985/2015 connection, so I was really excited about it and put waaay more time into planning and making decor than it really warranted. But I really like the final results (maybe we'll make a Back to the Future themed nursery when the time comes, so as to get more use out of them?), and had a blast making the props and having the party.

Costumes

Abe and I dressed, sort of - abstract interpretations of, maybe? - as Doc Brown and Marty, in their 2015 apparel.

Doc Brown: Loudly patterned (pink checkered was as loud as Abe has in his wardrobe) button up shirt, translucent tie, metallic sunglasses.

Marty: Iridescent cap, maroon tee shirt, inside out jeans (and of course, keep your hoverboard handy!)

Three Things Thursday: My Favorite Things About Christmas

1. Cookies. Of course! In my family there are always Nanaimo bars, meringues, spritz, hello dollies, sugar cookies, and I'm sure I'm forgetting something else. I've gotten better in more recent years at not going too overboard in eating them, but really I think it's ok to go a little overboard on special occasions.

2. Playing the piano. I took piano lessons growing up, and played sporadically since, even after I bought a digital piano. I enjoy it, it just seems like a lot of work, I guess, to get back to a level that I deem acceptable. But ever year at Christmastime I still sit down and re-learn some carols, and really enjoy it.

3. Stuffing stockings. The general gift-giving stresses me out a bit (worried about spending too much money on something they won't even like), but I really like buying stocking stuffers! Which is kind of odd since I lean somewhat minimalist, don't buy random crap just to buy crap, etc. But I like buying small, but useful, things for my loved ones - chapstick, nice chocolates, pretty soaps, and so forth. 

Merry Christmas!

Toastmasters Speech: A Gift From Canada

The third speech in the Toastmasters Competent Communicator manual is called "Get to the point". It focuses (no pun intended) on identifying a general purpose (to persuade) and a specific purpose (to convince the audience that Nanaimo bars are an amazing Christmas cookie they should consider making for the holidays), and remaining on that focus throughout the speech.

(The title of the post is what I came up with after the meeting in which I presented the speech; sadly I couldn't think up something creative before and just named it "The Best Christmas Cookie: The Nanaimo Bar" - accurate yes, but one of the pieces of feedback I received in the evaluation was to title it something that doesn't just give away the main point, create some interest and mystery with the title.)

Last week, we talked about traditions, and I mentioned that my husband and are forming our own holiday traditions as a new family, pulling things from both sides that we like. One thing from my side, that was non-negotiable, though, was making Nanaimo Bars. We have a lot of Christmas cookies - my sister’s the primary baker - and though there are several standbys, including Hello Dollys, spritz, meringues, and sugar cookies, the Nanaimo Bars are the most important. 

Today I’ll showcase a few of the reasons they’re so great - they’re easy to make, very rich and decadent, and easily adaptable. And hopefully convince you to add them to your family’s holiday recipe repertoire. [At the Toastmasters meeting, I brought some Nanaimo bars for them to try] This batch is vegan and gluten-free (see recipe here - I used gluten-free graham crackers, 1 Tbsp chia seeds + 3 Tbsp water for the egg, Earth Balance for the butter, and baking chocolate that happened to be vegan without any dairy). 

Unlikely many standard Christmas cookies, it’s possible many of you haven’t heard of these before. They’re around in a few places - I’ve seen them once in Portland at a party with a hotel-catered banquet, but usually when I make them for an event or gift, people have no idea what they are. The story is that they originated from a housewife in Nanaimo, British Columbia, in the 1950s, who submitted it to a magazine contest. My understanding is that they are much more common in Canada - some relatives even found a boxed mix for them on a trip there once, but it’s a shame they aren’t more well known in the US. 

First, these are really easy to make. They don’t require any baking (leaving the oven free for sugar cookies). It’s just three layers - some ingredients melted on the stovetop, or just mixed - that you put in the fridge or freezer (depending on your timeframe) to chill and set in between each one. There’s virtually nothing you can screw up in presentation, so you’ll always have nice and neat layered bars on your cookie platter: you can’t over or underwhip egg whites for the meringues, or have problems with the cookie press that make your spritz cookies come out in unrecognizable patterns. 

You also don’t other issues that come more generally with baking, such as what type of flour to use, measuring with a cup versus weight, all those factor that could have a significant impact on the final outcome when baking. I’m not much of a baker or cooker - growing up my mom did the cooking and my sister did the baking, and now I have a husband who does both, but even I, with my lack of talents in the kitchen, find these quite manageable to put together. 

Second, Nanaimo bars are great because they’re extremely rich and decadent, just as holiday treats should be. The size of the bars I cut for [the group] to try [6 x 6 in a 9" square pan] - that’s not a smaller “sample” size because I was bringing them for a group - that’s a normal serving size! Now, I suppose that’s not great for moderation and watching your calories over the holidays and so forth. I’ve never calculated the calories in those small pieces, because I’d really just rather not know. (But they’re worth it!) 

 And finally, they’re very versatile and adaptable - both in flavors and allergens/sensitivities. As I mentioned I made this batch vegan and gluten-free - easy to get gluten-free graham crackers - and the rest of the ingredients are already gluten-free, and use vegan options for the chocolate and margarine, and an egg alternative. As far as egg alternatives go, I’d definitely recommend the chia seed option - I’ve tried other “egg substitute” recipes, including flax seed and arrowroot, and they don’t work in this, I think because you’re not baking it. It needs to be gooey to really hold it together, and so the chia seeds that gum up in water work well. 

 It’s also versatile in flavors - instead of the basic chocolate and vanilla layers, you can readily find recipes and ideas to make mint chocolate, or raspberry and white chocolate, to name just a couple. Google and you can come up with many other ideas, or just mix and match your own favorite flavors in the layers, and you’re sure to come up with something just as good as the original template. 

I hope you’ve enjoyed hearing about this lovely treat, and if you’re looking for another dessert for the holiday season, consider the easy, delicious, adaptable option of Nanaimo Bars.

Rod & Ring: A DIY Alternative Christmas Tree

Growing up my family had a fake Christmas tree, but it was all I knew so I've never missed the experience of picking out or cutting down a real one. Plus, though I don't have any true moral issues with real trees, I just don't really like the idea of cutting one down just to have it in my house for a month (I'm similarly not a fan of cut flowers). Yet having a fake tree, which (1) requires storage somewhere for 11 months of the year and (2) is made of plastic and is part of the big commercialism of the holiday, isn't ideal to me either.

Once I was living on my own, I decided to have a real real tree - that is, an actual living tree in a pot (to be set outside during the majority of the year). However, I ended up killing at least two such trees, so it turned out to not be such an environmentally-friendly option for me. Abe would be able to keep it alive now, but he just wasn't excited about the idea.

But I still wanted something! I found a few ideas - this book tree is intriguing, but we don't have enough books to make it work. I also like this spiral tree, but wasn't sure what materials would be readily available and easy to work with (tagboard?) yet also sturdy enough (metal of some sort?). Then I came across this pole tree - it's actually a product for sale, but I was pretty sure I could make a smaller version of it myself.

Once I figured out the best assembly method, this was quite easy to put together, and will be just as easy to collapse and store in minimal space until next year. It's also quite cheap: the core items are 6 dowels at $0.99 each and an embroidery ring for $1.99 - under $8 for the main supplies. I also bought two bottles of paint at $1.39 each (but this could also be done with a natural wood look instead of painting) and two 22' light strands ($2.99 each at Target), and used a paintbrush and low-temp glue gun already owned. 

Supplies needed:

• 6 wooden dowels, 36" long and 7/16" in diameter
• 1 embroidery ring, 12" wide (just the inner portion)
• Paint and paintbrush for the dowels and ring, if desired - I used a white base plus silver glitter paint
• 7 twist-ties (I used ones that came on the Christmas lights bought for this project)
• Low-temp glue gun and glue sticks
• Christmas lights
• Measuring tape and pencil

1. Unless leaving the dowels and ring with natural wood finishes, paint all pieces before assembling. My tip for painting these awkwardly shaped items: do half at a time; while the painted portions are drying, stick the dowels in a vase or pitcher, and hold up the ring with a clip on a chair rung. I did two coats of white paint to fully cover, followed by one coat of the semi-transparent silver glitter paint.

2. Measure the circumference of the ring (if 12" diameter, that'll be 38") and divide by 6 (6 1/3"); then make 6 equally spaced (every 6 1/3") marks on the top of the ring.  On the dowels, make marks 12" up from the bottom (the ones I bought had black marks on one end - each size of dowels was coded in a different color - so I used that end as the bottom, and painted the other end to be the top). 

3. Matching up the measured-out marks on the ring and dowels, use a twist-tie to connect the dowels to the ring. These should be tight enough so the dowels won't just slip out, but loose enough to be able to slightly maneuver and angle the dowel.

4. Stand it upright (with the end with the ring closer to the ground), and pull in the dowels at the top, creating a sort of "teepee" overlapping. Use the final twist-tie to hold these in place.

5. Your tree is now put together! To provide some additional stability, I put a small drop of hot glue on each dowel where it's connected to the ring, and where each dowel is pulled together with the twist-tie at the top. 

6. Cover with lights! It would also be lovely with tinsel or garland (per the original inspiration). If you're using the same dimensions as mine, two strands with 22' of lights (24' total length) will do the trick; if you adjust the size of the tree or want more or less density of lights, here's the formula for figuring out how to properly space the wrapped lights to have enough, courtesy of my engineering-student-husband:

Take the average diameter (diameter at top = 0, diameter at bottom = 19, rounded to 20; average = 10"). Take the total lights available in inches (2 x 22' x 12" = 528"), divided by the diameter times pi (10 x pi = 31.4), which equals the number of rows you have enough lights for. 36" length of the dowels divided by 17 rows means they should spaced just over 2" apart.

7. Admire your handiwork, and add ornaments! (And prevent your cats from eating the lights or knocking over the tree.) I'm (1) lazy and (2) busy at work with year-end tax planning stuff so I haven't gotten around to it, but I'm planning to add some ornaments by hanging them from the light strands, and probably come up with something as a topper that will nestle in the little nook where the dowels all come together.

The Introvert's Thanksgiving

Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!

I have much to be thankful for, including a loving and supportive family, but I must say, I am thoroughly exhausted at this point, after a mere 8 hours or so in a small-ish house full of relatives. It did start out quite enjoyable, but by the end of the evening it was all I could do to keep from yelling "I don't care!" to anyone trying to show me the latest vacation book.

It actually wasn't too difficult to find my non-peopled space at family gatherings - my sister and I were both known bookworms, so curling up with a book in a corner of the living room was far from strange. Nowadays, as an adult, I think it would be a bit stranger to isolate from the group with an actual group. It does seem ok to occasionally pull out my phone, but there just wasn't much space to actually get away from the ongoing conversations even while doing so.

Fellow grown--up introverts: how do you make sure you have enough space at family events without insulting anyone?

My Thanksgiving Turkey

No, I haven't changed my mind since yesterday to eat a turkey. I "adopted" a turkey!

Meet Turpentine: 

Farm Sanctuary, a farm animal rescue and advocacy organization, is doing their annual "adopt a turkey" fundraiser. In exchange for your donation to the non-profit organization, you receive a cute certificate and photo of the turkey you choose to adopt.

Did you know [source]:

• Researchers have identified 30 distinct vocal sounds in turkeys.
• Turkeys recognize each other by their unique voices.
• Turkeys form strong social bonds that can last a lifetime.
• Turkey's heads change color depending on their mood.
• Possessing superb geographic skills, turkeys can mentally map up to 1,000 acres.
• More than 46 million turkeys are killed each year for Thanksgiving alone.

You know what most of those facts remind me of? My own cats, the pets that are part of my household and my family, and whom I lovingly care for and protect. They - cats and turkeys - may not be capable of human intelligence, but they are nonetheless smart, beautiful creatures who are capable of loving and being loved.

Maybe, instead of basting a turkey tomorrow, you'll consider adopting Turpentine, Gable, Anna, Tibbott, Elsa, Cecelia, or Martha.

Thanksgiving: The Veg Entree Dilemma

In large part, I can't complain about holiday meals - especially Thanksgiving - even though I'm vegetarian. Rolls, mashed potatoes, pumpkin pie. On Christmas, add in cookies of many varieties. All vegetarian, all things I love.

However, even if it's just a handful of days a year, it's not exactly ideal to have a meal totally comprised of refined carbs. So what to bring as an alternative to the main dish?

For a while, I always brought Tofurkey. My mom always had some, and even my dad would put some on his plate and at least pretend to tolerate it; but the extended family was significantly less enthusiastic. I'm actually not a a huge fan of it myself - I mean, it's ok, especially with ketchup, but it's by no means the most delicious thing ever.

I also really don't like the idea of pretending to eat meat, or something that's overtly trying to take the place of meat. I want a less-carby entree, sure, but utilizing products like a Tofurkey just makes you a party to reinforcing the concept that a main dish is "supposed" to be meat-based. I'd also really like to introduce the omnivores I love to meatless entrees that don't scream that they're vegetarian, so eventually I started branching out into other dishes to bring for my veggie contribution.

2011: A rice-stuffed squash. I can't find the exact recipe I used, but it was less a recipe than just instructions to assemble a boxed rice mix into a scooped out squash. 

2012: Maple coconut baked tofu

2013: My contribution was in desserts (nanaimo bars), but we had Thanksgiving day with Abe's family which mostly leans at least flexitarian, so there was actually a Tofurkey as a main part of the meal, which more than just me partook in!

2014: We're planning to make this kale salad. I think the cranberries will make it nice and festive, and despite being kale I think most of the relatives there will at least be willing to try it. :)

What's your favorite non-meat holiday dish?

Family Food Traditions

Tonight we had a pre-Thanksgiving meal with Abe's dad and his girlfriend (we have similar dinner plans with his mom for Monday), as we're spending Thanksgiving day with my family. (Our plan is alternate - each side gets one of the major holidays - Thanksgiving and Christmas - each year, and alternate who gets which. His parents are divorced, but fortunately both live in the area, actually both within a 5-mile radius of us, so it's not difficult to share between them, the way it is with my family and relatives spread throughout Washington state.)

So that means his family gets Christmas, and we were discussing some details of Christmas day while at their house tonight. Abe asked what we should bring, and I piped up that I'd bring Nanaimo bars. Though my family has a handful of cookies that we tend to have for Christmas, Nanaimo bars are an absolute MUST! I thought it'd be fun to try to bring that in to my in-laws traditions.

Along with today's NaBloPoMo prompt, this got me thinking about other holiday food traditions. Since I've been vegetarian since high school, the turkey centerpiece doesn't hold much meaning for me (I ate it previously, but it wasn't ever one of my favorite things). I also have a thing with textures, especially anything along the mushy spectrum, so I've also not been a fan of stuffing. Holiday meals, to me, mostly mean three things: rolls, mashed potatoes, and desserts. For Thanksgiving, that dessert is obviously pumpkin pie (the filling's fine, but crust combined with whipped cream is amazing!* For Christmas, it's all about the cookies. Nanaimo bars, hello dollies, spritz, meringues. 

*FYI, my FIL's girlfriend is gluten-free, and the pumpkin pie at tonight pre-Thanksgiving dinner included a premade gluten-free crust from Whole Foods - if I hadn't known it was gluten-free because everyone at the table was eating it, I never would have guessed. If you need a GF crust, I highly recommend it.

Almost more important to me for Thanksgiving is the day after, at least when we're with my mom's side of the family: we get pizza on the Friday after. One year I had a big disappointment, as I spend Thanksgiving with an ex's family, and we went up to join my side the next day. I'd told him about the traditional pizza, and we were both looking forward to it. Our dismay, my family was trying to be nice and held a second Thanksgiving-type dinner for us instead! I think that's probably the most disappointed I've ever been at a holiday meal.

What would be the biggest food disappointment for you on a holiday?

Toastmasters: Quote of the Day - Thanksgiving

My role for today's Toastmasters meeting was the Quote of the Day, on the theme of "Thanksgiving". 

I considered going with quotes about a more traditional Thanksgiving:

I celebrated Thanksgiving in an old-fashioned way. I invited everyone in my neighborhood to my house, we had an enormous feast, and then I killed them and took their land. - Jon Stewart

Thanksgiving Day, a function which originated in New England two or three centuries ago when those people recognized that they really had something to be thankful for - annually, not oftener - if they had succeeded in exterminating their neighbors, the Indians, during the previous twelve months instead of getting exterminated by their neighbors, the Indians. Thanksgiving Day became a habit, for the reason that in the course of time, as the years drifted on, it was perceived that the exterminating had ceased to be mutual and was all on the white man's side, consequently on the Lord's side; hence it was proper to thank the Lord for it and extend the usual annual compliments. - Mark Twain

However, I figured in the spirit of the holiday (regardless of its origins), I should probably go a little less snarky in public, and found a regular quote that I agree with:

Not what we say about our blessings, but how we use them, is the true measure of our thanksgiving. - W. T. Purkiser

Doctor Who Game Night Birthday Party

My standard party/get-together/method of entertaining is a game night. Which is always fun! But lately I've started mixing up the usual food (pizza, chips, veggies, hummus or dip, fruit, dessert) with some sort of theme. Last year, I did a "Margaret" theme (margaritas and margherita) for my birthday. This year, given that I'm entering the last year of a decade, I thought a timey wimey, Doctor Who theme would be appropriate.

Drinks

The Tenth Doctor's sonic screwdriver: Half ounce each of blood orange vodka and blue curacao. Fill half of the rest of the way with sprite/7-up, and the rest of the glass with sparkling water. (I first tried with just the sprite, but even my sweet tooth found it almost too sweet. Half and half for the sparkling liquids seemed to do the trick). [Inspiration]

The Eleventh Doctor's sonic screwdriver: Limeade. I figured one alcoholic drink was sufficient, so this was the best green drink I could think of.

Doctor (Who) Pepper: For anyone tired of citrus from the other drinks. At one point, Abe also mixed a drink with Dr. Pepper and blue curacao - it turned a beautiful deep green color!

Food

Lady Cassandra pizza: Dough, sauce, mozzarella cheese, sliced olives for eyes, and tomato slices for a mouth. [Inspiration] 

Bow ties are cool pasta salad: Farfalle pasta, tofu, chickpeas, and garlic vinaigrette. [Recipe]

I want chips: British chips, that is - fries. Sliced potatoes, olive oil, seasoning. Baked for about 45 minutes at 400 degrees. [Scene]

Tardis blue corn chips

Exploded Slitheen: Broccoli dip [Scene] [Recipe]

Always take a banana to a party [Scene]

Stupid old satsumas [Scene]

The best dessert in the universe: Nanaimo bars - these were in the freezer from Christmas time, and, well, they're delicious, so I found a way to fit them into the theme! [Recipe]

Adipose: Dandies vegan marshmallows, stuck together with a paste of powdered sugar and water, with the faces drawn on with black gel frosting. [Inspiration]

Fish sticks and custard: Sugar cookies (from purchased refrigerated dough, cut in half and rolled into fish stick shape), rolled in graham cracker crumbs for the "breading", with vanilla pudding. [Inspiration]

Fezzes are cool: Rolos. So either I was looking in the wrong place, or it's actually rare to find them in the red wrappers. I actually didn't find any, of any color, in the regular candy aisle. Instead I had to buy a bag of Valentine rolos in red, pink, and gold to get some red ones. [Inspiration]

First Run 2014

Just like last year, I started new year's day with a new 5k PR! If you're in the Portland area, I highly recommend the First Run. The music might be a little loud for my taste, but it's a great party before and after, a mass countdown to midnight, and you start the year off right with a flat, fast race!

Last year the route was super flat, just an out-and-back on Naito (the main road on the west side of the river). There was a snafu with that, though - during the race a train crossed the road, and stopped runners for about five minutes. My friend Karey was one of those stopped. This year, the course crossed Naito, but then went onto the river path, across a bridge, along the river path on the east side, and back across the river. I was a bit worried about the bridges, not being sure how high we'd have to go, but it actually was a lot flatter than I anticipated!

After coming close to my existing PR (34:11, from last year's First Run) at the Holiday 5k a couple weeks ago, I knew I had to get it at this one! Abe knew he wouldn't get a new PR (his is 19-something, I think he said), but he still came in at a very respectable 22:19!

Although not a big race (under 1,000 people) there was still a bit of congestion during the first mile (11:07 pace). As we all spread out, I ended up running near a pair of giggly teenage girls. The middle of the race I kept my pace up by being motivated to get away from them (10:45 pace). I got a bit tired as we had to go up a bit of a slope for the second bridge, but only took one very brief walking break (10:57 pace). The final stretch included some rocky grassy area through the park, to make a little loop (to add up to the total mileage, I guess), but I still kept the pace up (9:22 pace, I think, for the final 0.1 - my Garmin actually measured short, so I'm not sure).

New PR: 33:32!

The Best Christmas Cookie

While planning Thanksgiving with Abe's family, he asked me what food needed to be there for it to really be Thanksgiving to me. Easy answer - mashed potatoes! That, and maybe rolls, are really my favorite thing about holiday meals (even before I became vegetarian, I wasn't a huge fan of turkey). At least, as far the dinner itself. 

Holiday desserts are even better, I suppose; pumpkin pie for Thanksgiving and cookies for Christmas. There are a few kinds of Christmas cookies that my family always has: spritz, sugar cookies, hello dollies. The best, though, are nanaimo bars. I believe, as far as family traditions go, they originated on my dad's side, but my mom's side has them now, too.

If you only ever take away one thing from my blog - make it this recipe!

Ingredients

1/2 cup + 1/4 cup + 1 Tbsp margarine (vegan, like Earth Balance, works fine) or butter
1/4 cup granulated sugar
5 Tbsp cocoa
1 tsp vanilla
1 egg (I haven't had great success with vegan alternatives - it really needs a good binder)
2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1 cup coconut
3 Tbsp milk (dairy or any alternative)
2 Tbsp vanilla pudding mix (cook and serve, NOT instant pudding mix)
2 cups powdered sugar
8 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate

Bottom layer

Cook in a saucepan on medium-low heat:
     1/2 cup margarine
     1/4 cup sugar
     5 Tbsp cocoa
     1 tsp vanilla
     1 egg

Mix in:
     2 cups graham cracker crumbs (put crackers in a ziploc, roll with rolling pin)
     1 cup coconut

Press into a 9" x 9" pan and chill.

Middle layer

Mix:
     1/4 cup margarine
     3 Tbsp milk 
     2 Tbsp vanilla pudding mix (the cook and serve mix, NOT instant mix)
     2 cups powdered sugar.

Spread on top of first layer and chill until firm.

Top layer

Melt in saucepan on low heat:
     1 Tbsp margarine
     8 ounces semi-sweet baking chocolate.

It is crucial that there is no water in the pan, or you will end up with lumpy chocolate.

Spread on top of second layer and chill.

After the top layer has chilled for about ten minutes, score the top layer (to facilitate cutting into pieces after it has fully hardened). At a minimum cut into 5 by 5 pieces, consider 6 by 6. 

New & Old Traditions

This year began the compromise of sharing holidays between my family and Abe's. What we're aiming to do is have Thanksgiving day with one family and Christmas day with the other one year, and flip which family gets the actual day the next year. 

We spent Thanksgiving at his grandparents' house, in a little town east of Eugene. To both contribute to the meal and bring in a little of my own family, I brought Nanaimo bars. Though more of a Christmas, than Thanksgiving, treat, it's still always worth sharing. (I'll share the recipe on here soon!) They had turkey and ham, but also a tofurkey - and I wasn't the only one eating it! Although I think I'm the only actual vegetarian in the group, Abe and many of his family members are flexitarians and are fairly infrequent with their meat-eating. 

After dinner, the boy cousins were sent off to play disc golf, while I learned how to play pinochle with his mom, sister, and aunt. My dad's side of my family used to play this, though it's been a while (I don't think anyone in my generation ever learned it). I think I now mostly get the how, but not necessarily the why - i.e., what the different melds are and how they're scored. It was nice to spend an entire day with his family. Since they live in the area, when we do see them it's just for a couple hours for a meal. Even though my parents live six hours away, Abe has gotten to know them better than I have his, since when we see them it's for an entire weekend or a few days at a time.

Friday I got to participate in my own family's traditional sort-of-Black Friday shopping. None of us like crowds, nor are we typically into the big-ticket items that are on sale, so we avoid the standard places. Goodwill is always on the itinerary, and we also went to Powell's. We considered going to Old Navy because it was in the same shopping complex. We only got one foot inside the door, saw the line for check-out of about 40 or 50 people (not exaggerating - and this wasn't early in the day, it was probably 4 pm by this point), and immediately walked back out. 

While we were together, we planned out a new thing for my dad's side of the family, with whom we'll be spending Christmas day this year. With the youngest cousin now out of college and married, there aren't currently any kids that create any obligation for gifts, and the number of relatives is increasing. We decided to draw names: luckily this year there are 5 in each immediate family, so we each drew one of them to give to, and one of each of us for them to give to. 

Saturday, while my parents were still in town, we started introducing the future-future-in-laws. We had lunch with my parents and sister and his mom and sister. Sunday continued the family theme as I attended a concert that Abe and his sister were in. They're part of a group of quartets that dresses in Dickens-era costumes and does caroling performances around the area.

Commemorative Coin Ornament

If you're like me, you've recently started to think about ideas for Christmas gifts. Keeping in mind the recipient's preferences, I like to tend towards things that are eco-friendly, reused or reusable, and sentimentally meaningful.

I've also been trying to figure out what to do with the commemorative coin that I got from the Portland marathon. Although it's awesome that they give you a lot of special things at the finish line: I can wear the finishers t-shirt, plant the tree in a pot on my deck, hang the medal on the wall. But what can I do with this?

In the past I've often bought special ornaments for my parents, such as when traveling. Not as the main gift, but just to share a little something of my experience. Finally, it hit me: I could make the coin into a Christmas ornament for my parents, to thank them for their support in achieving this goal.

Supplies Needed

• Commemorative coin from a special event
• Ribbon that is approximately the same width as the coin (1/8 inch in this case)
• Low-temp hot glue gun: Other types of craft glue might work, but I did try tacky glue at first, and it was too slidey on the metal - I couldn't get it to stick long enough to set. You can find basic hot glue guns at craft stores for as low as $10, and they're really useful in a lot of craft projects.
• Scissors

1. Plug in glue gun to heat up.

2. Cut a piece of ribbon about 18 inches long. The actual length needed = the  circumference of the coin, plus about 6 - 7 inches for the loop and knot, but if you leave some extra, you don't have to worry about getting the coin centered while you're gluing.

3. Apply a short, thin ribbon of glue approximately on the center of the ribbon, and immediately stick on the bottom edge of the coin. You don't have much time before the glue cools! Apply glue in half-inch or less increments, working around each side from the bottom.

4. Once each side is glued within a quarter inch from the top, tie the ribbon into a knot, pulling it tight against the coin. 

5. Tie the ends of the ribbon about 3 inches above the coin, and trim any excess.