Saturday, December 24, 2016


I'm done baking. The Christmas Eve paella has seven fishes in it, and after that, I'm done. Christmas Day we eat leftovers, and go to the movies. 
You know I do love a good tartan skirt, and a bit of velvet come holiday time. When I spotted this velvet jacket at Hand-Me-Ups I knew it would be versatile given the sporty look of the front, sleeve,  and pocket zippers. The jacket works as well with denim as it does with a lurex skirt. Red isn't my favourite colour, and it gets old by the end of December, but I couldn't really resist something this well made. Isn't it strange to think of the early 90's as the last time you could buy quality sportswear that wouldn't look shabby after a few cleanings? Everything seemed to go downhill so quickly. I wasn't a fan of Liz Claiborne in the 80's and 90's, but I will admit this is a quality piece of clothing.
 The skirt and sweater are both from the early 60's and have also stood the test of time. Did I need yet another kilt? Of course not, but how could I say no to a Scottish made piece of clothing that likely couldn't be bought new today for any money. The weight of this kilt is remarkable, and when fastened properly hangs perfectly. It is also lined, which always gets my attention when buying wool.
Outfit Particulars:
Vintage kilt-Goodwill
Velvet jacket-Hand-Me-Ups
Vintage Jantzen sweater-Thrift World
Vintage handbag-Goodwill
Shoes-Goodwill
Poodle pins-Hand-Me-Ups
Onyx ring-Mum's
Pearls-Mum's
Kilt pin-Hand-Me-Ups
Bracelet-Goodwill
Earrings-bought at a shop in Cambridge, Mass early 90's
Fragrance-Coriandre


Today's cocktail will put you in a holiday mood as it is a popular drink at Christmastime (at least in my husband's family)

Tom and Jerry Cocktail:
2 oz. whisky
1 egg, separated
1 teaspoon sugar
Hot water or milk
Beat white and yolk separately adding sugar to yolk. Mix together. Put two tablespoons of mixture in a large mug. Add whisky. Fill with hot water or milk. Top with grated nutmeg. You can also add brandy or rum. 
Someone left a candy cane with a nice message on my car at the Chalco Hills park. With all the awfulness around at the moment, I thought it was a nice gesture. No idea if it was NRD (Natural Resources District) workers, or just a random nice person, but it cheered me no end. 

I baked the limpa bread for Christmas morning today using up the last pieces of orange peel I candied back in September. I have a few candied cherries left, and dried cranberries, but that's about it. I love when I can estimate accurately. With Hanukkah starting on Christmas eve, our interfaith family will be busy. I still have some mincemeat in the fridge, so I'm making mincemeat rugelach.  I might even fill some doughnuts with it. 
Cream cheese pastry wrapped around mincemeat. My shaping skills are shit, but they taste delicious. World's easiest dough:
1 cup butter
8 oz. cream cheese
2 cups plain flour

Beat together butter and cream cheese, blend in flour. Chill at least 1 hour before rolling. Works nicely around filled dates too. 

You might remember the marshmallow snowmen from last year. They have dried out and become hard, and I think it is safe to say they are no longer edible. They are such cute decorations that I'm going to shellac them after Christmas for many year's use. 

I hope you have a lovely holiday no matter what you celebrate or don't (Happy Bank Holiday!) and I'll be back after Christmas with some gaudy outfits fit for a New Year's Party (or getting plastered in front of the television). 




10 comments:

Bibi Maizoon said...

Merry Xmas, Happy Hanukah, and a belated Happy B-Day to Danny!

Looking divinely festive in red. Looking forward to some true New Year's GLAMOUR from your vintage wardrobe. (That brown 70's formal on your previous looks fab on you. Seriously, Goody, you are the only person I know who makes authentic 70's fashion look positively chic. I recall most of 70's fashion being ugly, uncomfortable & unflattering.)

The thing that amazes me about the poorly made sportswear that's available today is that it's the same whether you buy at Target, Kmart, Macy's or Nordstrom. You can pay more but you certainly won't get any better quality.

Anonymous said...

Greetings for the Holidays! Your food looks great.
What is the significance of 7 fish in the paella and do you mean seven kinds of fish/shrimp or seven actual little fish? JanF

Goody said...

@Bibi
And happy holidays to you!
Yep, spending more still gets you crap.

@Jan
Happy Holidays to you.

The 7 fishes started as a Southern Italian thing, but really took off in the US. Because Christmas Eve is a meatless-day if you are Catholic, the fish are a substitute. There's some folklore about a fisherman that didn't catch any fish, but then they started jumping into his boat, etc. But I couldn't tell you exactly how and when the tradition of the fishes took off.

Technically, you're supposed to have 7 different fish dishes. When we still entertained, I would do that but these days I purchase 7 different types of fish (no shellfish) and shove them into a paellla. We end up with leftover fish for a week (not a bad thing). This year it was, cod, salmon, walleye, tuna steaks, halibut, tilapia, and swordfish. The giant paella pan gets used once a year, and I don't need to spend Christmas day cooking as we have plenty leftover.

We're not Italian, but when we first married we lived in an Italian neighbourhood and I just did what the other wives did ;)

Beth Waltz said...

Trying to remember the title of the Damon Runyon Christmas story about the jewel thief who gave away a stocking filled with stolen jewelry, and whose life was spared because the hired gun didn't recognize him in "Ookie's Santa suit...which he was wearing on account of having partaken of several Toms and Jerrys."

Looking forward to the gaudies! Hope you and your family enjoy a blessed holiday season!

Vronni's Style Meanderings said...


Your food pictures make me dribble, Goody. Everything looks so delicious...

Thank you for your brilliantly funny and very beautifully dressed posts throughout the year. I have so enjoyed them.

I love your kilt, jumper and velvet jacket. So elegant, you look! Wonderful accessories,too.

Happy Hanukkah and holiday!

xxxx

Anonymous said...

What an interesting story, so glad I asked! Must have made a huge amount of food, but all the better for leftovers as you say.... JanF

Polyester Princess said...

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas. One thing is certain: I'm sure nobody leaves feeling hungry at your place! Love the tartan skirt, which looks very festive. And you do look great in red, even if it's not your favourite colour! xxx

Goody said...

@Beth
I hope you've had a lovely holiday as well.

@Ann
I like to cook once and serve leftovers for days after. I used to cook every day-then, I wised-up!

@Veronica
Thank you, and a Merry Christmas to you and yours.
We spent most of the day playing, Monopoly. Danny kept beating us!

Cee said...

My best to a better year for all in 2017.

Goody said...

@Cee. Thank you, and the same to you.