happy whatever you celebrate!

Our hearts grow tender with childhood memories and love of kindred, and we are better throughout the year for having, in spirit, become a child again at Christmas-time. – Laura Ingalls Wilder

I hope happiness, cookies, family, & wine find you this holiday weekend. :)

A short post today because pilates and cooking are calling, but here’s the vegetarian dish I’m bringing to my family’s Christmas dinner. I’m the sole vegetarian (even with my extended family present!), but this dish is so rich and warm and festive that all will love it!

Last year, Beecher’s cheese (a locally-based cheese company), gave me some cheese and their homemade entrees that feature their cheese. The brown rice and kale gratin was by far my favorite, so I scoured the internet for ideas and endeavored to create my own. This is the result, and it’s so delicious that I’m so excited that I get to eat this instead of roast beef!

How are you spending your holiday? And what’s your favorite dish to bring?

lots of love, cheer, and cider, xoxo,

molly

Brown Rice & Kale Gratin

Serves 6 as a main dish, 10 as a side

1 large shallot
6 tbsp butter, divided in two
2 cups short grain brown rice
6 cups of whole milk (to make it a little lighter,  you could use half whole/ half 2%)
1 large bunch lacinato kale, enough to make 2 cups when finely, finely chopped
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon dijon mustard
1 tablespoon stock concentrate (I use vegetable to keep this dish vegetarian)
6-8 ounces of extremely sharp cheddar-style cheese; I’ve used Beecher’s Flagship, but you could experiment
1/2 cup of bread crumbs

Melt half the butter in a large frying pan or wide saute pan. I suppose you could use a 4.5 quart or larger saucepan too. Dice the shallot finely, and saute in the butter until it is starting to brown. Add the rice and cook for a couple of minutes over high heat, then add the milk. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 45 minutes to an hour, or until the rice is no longer aggressively chewy. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, mustard, and stock concentrate, and return to a simmer.

Chop the kale extremely finely, almost as though it were an herb rather than a vegetable. Stir the chopped kale into the rice mixture and cook, stirring occasionally for several minutes. At this point, the mixture should have absorbed enough liquid that you could scoop it with a slotted spoon without leaving too much liquid behind. Scrape it into an 11×17″ baking dish.

Grate the cheese and top the gratin with it. Sprinkle the bread crumbs on top of the cheese; melt the rest of the butter, and drizzle it on top of the bread crumbs. Bake in a hot oven (350 to 375) until the cheese is bubbly and the bread crumbs are browned, about 40 minutes or so. Serve and eat. Yummmmm!

holiday spirit.

I tend to go a little overboard with the holidays. And other things.

The holidays bring me a lot of joy; I love the the scents, the cookies, the happiness, the cocktails, the traditions. So it’s no surprise that I’ve already wrapped the presents, baked cookies, and cycled through my holiday music collection at least once. Here’s a sampling of some of my favorite holiday related things.

lv, molly

no. 1: mittens (I got these from Madewell for my little brother's girlfriend!)

no. 1: keeping warm (with a fake fur hooded coat)

no. 3: pretty party up-dos (click the photo to get to the tutorial!)

no. 4: sparkling cider- my grandpa used to serve me this in a champagne flute when I was too young to drink

no. 5: obligatory holiday mixtapes (click the photo!)

no. 6: cheese plates at parties (I won't lie-- I skip the fancy cheeses and go straight for the sharp cheddar!)

no. 7: santa gift tags by Rifle Paper Co.

it’s a wrap!

Christmas is threeeee days away!

Present-wrapping will commence in the coming days, but the thought of using wrapping paper seems wasteful, right? It looks pretty, but I hate the idea that you buy something only to throw it away after a moment. Design*Sponge suggests some fabulous alternatives that’ll leave you feeling guilt-free and your presents beautifully adorned. What are your favorite ways to wrap presents? xo, m

* Use take-out menus to wrap (you know those irritating little things that get shoved under your apartment door or in your mailbox?)
* Ditto for 2009 calendars, day planners, & maps
* Make gift-tags out of holiday cards you’ve received
* Pages from newspapers and magazines are old standbys. Comic sections, foreign editions, or strategically placed ads or images of things liked by your recipient are always well-received.
* Fill gift baskets sourced from thrift stores or purchase handmade baskets, such as those gorgeous creations from Basket Africa. Terra cotta pots work great too.
* Give new life to packaging used in other products, such as cookie tins, watch and jewelry boxes, or cigar boxes. If you don’t have these on hand, many can be found at thrift or antique stores.

Some of my favorite ideas:
* Use paper grocery bags (the inside of the bag, where there’s no print), and tie the package with raffia or a red bow. It looks delightfully old fashioned.
* Old sheet music. Will I ever really need to play the Titanic theme song again? No.
* Reusable grocery bags, preferably a plain canvas one that you’ve decorated with a pretty stamp or two. Your friend will get two gifts in one!
* Carefully unwrap any presents you’re given, and save the paper for next year.

For my mom. Wrapped with a photo from Readymade magazine and ribbon I kept from last year.

For my brother. A recycled box with a haphazard bow made from electrical tape I had lying around.

lasso the moon.

And holiday party weekend commences! Mulled wine, mistletoe, mince pies, & tree decorating with good people. I’m not always the happy-go-luckiest lady, but something about the holidays brings out a cheeriness in me I sometimes forget.

Here’s one of the sweetest scenes to start your weekend off right. Wishing you a lovely weekend spent with good friends. xo, m