Flat water - a good thing

If you love your portable water bottle, but find it sometimes takes up too much space in your purse or satchel, you’ll want to know about the Vapur Anti-Bottle. (Sorry, I tried to get a picture, but geting info and images from the PR company was a bit like pulling teeth! Check out their website to see what it looks like.)  This reusable bottle is flexible, so while it stands upright when full, it can be rolled, folded or flattened when empty. Selling for about $13, it holds 16 ounces, and is freezer- and dishwasher-safe. It’s also BPA-free. The Vapur has other environmental pluses; made using wind power, it comes in packaging made from recycled paperboard printed with soy ink. And it ships flat, which means fewer trucks on the road, lower fuel consumption and reduced carbon emissions. Get more information online or look for it at Toronto-area stores, including Bergo, Neat, Rolo, Swipe Books , and Mercantile. Full disclosure: I did call a  few of these stores to check on availability. It seems like stock is dwindling, so if you want to buy a Vapur locally, better get one fast! 

 

Yes, it is possible to have TOO many holiday treats (theoretically)

 
Worried that the kids’ teeth are going to drop out of their heads with all the holiday goodies they’ve been consuming? Adding an electric toothbrush to the under-the-tree mix can help ward off problems. Oral-B‘s Pulsonic Toothbrush comes with brush heads that fit small mouths, and a timer that tells the little one when it’s time to switch sides. It sells for about $70. Yes, it's a "sensible" present, but not, one hopes, as groan-inducing as a bucket of socks and underwear. BTW,  I'll have a review of another new toothbrush from Philips for my first Hot Home Products column for 2011, which will be all about getting and staying healthy in the New  Year (but let's agree not to think about that just yet, shall we?)

 

 

Almost forgot a Big Guy on your list? Wow - close shave!

 
Just remembered that it was on your to-do list to get your bro-in-law a Christmas prezzie? Yikes. Here’s a quick idea. Black & Decker’s Ratcheting Ready Wrench  will help him out with  barbecue assembly, bike repair or auto chores, and he won’t have to keep, lug or store a  socket set. It has 16 socket options — from 5/16-inch to ¾-inch — built right into the tool. It’s also got a short-pin design, which means it slides easily over nuts tightened down on long bolts. Colour-coded socket sizes make it a no-brainer to use, and  a direction selector ring makes changing directions while ratcheting a breeze. About $29, it’s available all over the place.

If it’s big Daddy-in-Law you’ve left to the last minute, think about a fancy new shaver. Philips SensoTouch 3D features a pivoting cap head, which means it slides easily over facial curves, and a precision trimmer for mustaches and sideburns. Batteries have a good life – about 60 minutes or 20 days of shaving. Some models have a wet/dry function so users can choose which way to go. Perfect if you want to impress/get in good with the old fella. Available at major retailers, the Philips SensoTouch 3D shavers start at about $230.  A 2D range starts at about $160.

I deny the allegations, and I deny the allegators

It has come to my  shocked attention that some faithful readers are under the misguided notion that as Christmas Day approaches, my focus on work has shifted instead  to hearth, home and whipping up vast amounts of foods made primarily with fat, sugar and alcohol. I am astounded by these vicious attacks, some of which are being leveled even by my own family members, many of whom will later become happily torpid from over-indulging in aforementioned foods. Is that not the height of hypocrisy, I ask?  So appalled am I by these outrageous assaults on my personal integrity that I plan to write to Conrad Black (P.O. Box: Babylonian Captivity), to ask his opinion on whether I have grounds to sue.  I’ll also mention that I thought his column  reminiscing about driving home from University at Christmas was actually pretty sweet. I love the image of his dear Papa handing him a “bird-bath” size glass of Whiskey upon his return home. And no, I was NOT reading it merely because I was ignoring a deadline. Reading three newspapers a day is part of my job!

However, I digress. As proof that I am not, as so many have vulgarly put it, “goofing around” I submit this breaking news….If you’ve made biscotti (such an easy holiday cookie), try serving them with a small bowl of caramel sauce. There was an excellent recipe recently for such sauce in a rival newspaper whose name shall not cross my keyboard but which rhymes with Mop and Pail. Or dip the biscotti in the caramel sauce and then roll in nuts or crushed toffee.  The same sauce is also glorious drizzled over a pineapple/cranberry upside-down cake served with ice cream.  You call that loafing!

Cozy cashmere and comedy

 
Feeling the cruel chill of winter? Perhaps you need a cashmere blanket from Hermes. So cosy. So chic. How much? Daaaarrling, if you have to ask, you can’t afford it.  The more budget-minded might go for a hot water bottle in cashmere with the iconic Hudson Bay stripes, at just $80.
 
Or you could just grab an old blanket from the linen closet and snuggle with your honey in front of the tree/fire or while watching the Leafs on TV.  Oh no, forget that last suggestion, it will just bring you down. Better to choose old Blackadder episodes, where the comedy is intentional.  

Exquisite recipe for an exquisite chocolate

 
Speaking of yummy cookies (see last post – or pic above!), here’s a delightful double shortbread recipe from Green & Black's Organic, makers of exquisite chocolate.  

What you need:

SHORTBREAD 1

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup granulated sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter

 

 

SHORTBREAD 2

• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• ¼ cup organic unsweetened cocoa powder
• ½ teaspoon salt
• ¼ cup sugar
• ½ cup unsalted butter
• One 3.5-ounce bar dark chocolate, minimum 60 per cent cocoa content, or milk chocolate, preferably 34 per cent cocoa content, finely chopped

(Hey, they’re being modest – but I would advise you use Green & Black's Organic - it's  glorious  choc! )

What you do:

Preheat the oven to 300°F.

Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.

To make the first shortbread, sift the flour, salt, and sugar into a bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture combines. Knead lightly, then place the dough in the refrigerator for 30 minutes before rolling out.

Follow the same step for the second shortbread, but include the cocoa with the flour.

Roll our each dough on a lightly floured surface into equal-sized rectangles about ½-inch thick. Place the plain shortbread on a sheet of waxed paper, place the chocolate shortbread on top of the plain one and then scatter the chocolate all over.

Carefully roll out the shortbread, as tightly as possible, using the waxed paper to support it. (Don't worry if it breaks or the chocolate pokes through.) Once rolled, pinch both ends together to prevent the chocolate falling out, then using both hands, squeeze until it is about 8 inches long.

Using a very sharp knife, slice the roll into ½-inch slices. Lay the cookies on the cookie sheet, 2 inches apart. Bake for 25 minutes, until the plain shortbread is a light golden color. Cool on a wire rack.

Makes about 14 cookies.

          

Already sick of grey skies? Bury your head in a (beautiful) pillow.

 
 

There are few ways to lend polish to the look of a space more quickly than by adding well-designed, highly-detailed cushions. They bring texture, colour and a touch of luxe. At no time of year is that more important than right now, when cloudy skies and a missing-in-action sun cast a long and lonely grey shadow over our spaces. If you need a pillow intervention, check out The Voice of Style. There, you'll see gorgeous pillows (see pics above), made from beautiful fabrics and trims. Each one-of-kind pillow is designed by colour guru Jane Hall and meticulously sewn by her nimble-fingered assistant Valerie. As a special Christmas gift to Voice of Style customers, pillows are now being offered — for a limited time — on sale. Prices for pillows with feather inserts range between $100 and $175. Buy two, and you get 10 per cent off; three and you get 15 per cent off. Or go crazy and get four, and get a whopping 20 per cent off.  Just for good measure, those buying five (they look best in odd numbers, anyway), get 25 per cent off.

Outdoor holiday decor - do it quickly!

 

 

 
 
Now that the white stuff is blanketing lawns everywhere, folks are getting in the mood to do holiday decorating. Here are two small items that will be a big help while you’re decking the halls.  Chez moi, Stanley’s hardware and household accessory kit is Mother’s Little Hanging Helper. Inside the handy carrying case, you’ll find nails, thumbtacks, pushpins, anchors, screws, picture wire, picture hooks, hangers, cup hooks and sawtooth hangers. It sells for about $12 at Wal-Mart. (Good for stocking stuffers, too!)

If outdoor decoration is on your list, it’s no use cursing yourself for not doing it in mid-November when it was 12°C and sunny. Regret is futile. Just get out there and do it. If you want to help secure lights or wreaths quickly (before your fingers fall off from cold), try Scotch Tough Outdoor tape, which can hold to a variety of surfaces, including stucco. This one is also good for rough outdoor jobs, such as hanging or securing plastic sheeting or tarps. Also great for quick fixes — I used the transparent tape to fix a rip in a window screen at the cottage this summer. When I checked last week, it was still holding, despite cold, rain and snow! (Yeah, yeah, I know, I should take the screens off, but hey, I’ve been BUSY!)

To avoid hassle next year, think about investing in a LiteLocker. This is a low-profile container made from the same UV-resistant  vinyl plastic found on doors, windows or siding. It runs along your eaves, and hides the lights until holiday season, when it flips open to display them. You open it from the ground, so there’s no need to even get out a ladder. Retail price averages about $4 per linear foot — depending on the installation. Right now, it just comes in white, but it can be painted to match your home’s trim. Clever, no?

Need to keep kids busy? Get crafty.

Moms and Dads everywhere are beginning to have visions of wonderful holiday down-time with the kids. What they don’t look forward to is hearing that plaintive whine, “I’m bored”, and trying to dream up something fun that doesn’t involve spending money or turning on the TV.

When that happens (and that's when, not if) Wendy Russell of HGTV's She's Crafty, has some ideas that will help. Russell has teamed with Bounty paper towels to create some easy-to-execute crafts that require simple materials you’ll have around the home.

“Making crafts are a great way to inspire and encourage creativity and over the holidays it's a super fun, easy activity the entire family can enjoy doing together,” says Russell.

 Look below for instructions for a fun craft, or look for others at the Bounty Towels site.

What you need:

Paper towels

Potatoes

A roll of butcher paper

Cardstock for the place cards

Crayons and markers

Acrylic paint

A bowl of water

Small cookie cutters in various holiday shapes

Scissors

What you do:

Cut the potato in half with a sharp knife. Press a small cookie-cutter shape into each half of the potato. Cut away the area around the shape so the potato is now a stamp.

Pour paints into containers. Dip the potato stamp into one colour of paint and press the stamp down firmly on the butcher paper. (You can use it for a table runner or wrapping paper, or make Christmas cards with blank card stock. Or try out the instruction for table place cards below.)

Clean potato stamps with water and dry them with paper towel before switching to a new colour.

For the place cards, trim white cardstock to the size you want and fold it in half lengthwise.

While stamping, make sure to leave enough room on the card to write the names of your guests once the paint dries.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Vodka - such a useful household staple

 
Want to jazz up your next party? Here’s a fun and timely cocktail from Iceberg Vodka, which is made in Newfoundland, where, I’m told, they know their booze!

Classic Candy Cane Martini

What you need:

1.5 oz chilled vodka (between 5° and 7° F)

1/2 tsp vanilla flavoured liqueur

 1 tsp peppermint schnapps

1 oz club soda ice

crushed candy cane

1-2 drops of food coloring in either green or red for effect (I’d probably skip this step)

What you do:

Put some ice in the cocktail shaker

Add  vodka, peppermint schnapps, and the club soda

Shake vigorously, then pour contents into a martini glass rimmed with crushed candy cane

Apparently, the makers of Iceberg are also very practical, as they’ve come with some ingenious ways to use vodka that don’t end up with you wearing a lampshade on your head. That’s a joke, right? Of course, you always enjoy your fave tipple responsibly, don’t you?

Things you didn’t know vodka was good for:

To remove ink from fabrics, grab some vodka and dab it on the stain. It won't set, and the ink will come out after the next laundry.

Is your glass looking a little grimy after your holiday hoe-down? Dilute one part vodka with two parts water and pour into a spray bottle. Clean windows, coffee tables or anything else that’s worse for wear.

If you’re at a beach party and someone gets stung by a jellyfish, (umm, okay) pour vodka over the affected area and use a towel to carefully remove any objects off the skin. Once the skin has been cleared, dampen a cloth with some more vodka. Then mix the victim a drink (that last part is my idea!)

Clean up a messy stain by spraying the area with vodka, scrub, and then dry.

Dip diamond jewellery in a small amount of vodka and then clean with a soft brush. Don’t drink the leftover vodka.