70 cheese straws, 2 tart crusts, sage pesto pasta and to bed

I have been a machine today, and it is now time to say good night. 70 cheese straws are cooling now, two tart crusts are now idling in the fridge, and I managed to get the simplest of dinners on the table: whole wheat spaghetti with steamed kale ribbons, fresh tomato and sage pesto (thank you freezer stash).

PS- These cheese straws are the bomb, so I'll post the recipe (Kim Severson's from Dec NYT) soon.

Food gifts galore, cheese straws, pizza not gumbo

I plum ran out of steam after the gianduja, cheese straws, kids' dinner, pizza and so forth. So, gumbo making will occur tomorrow. Everything always takes longer than expected, even though said delays are often enjoyable. In any case, eight pretty jars of chocolate heaven and eight bags of holiday cut-out cookies are wrapped and at the ready for delivery tomorrow. J wrote the cards which always makes me proud. One day your baby learns to walk, and the next day he's writing his own cards. Good grief! Who's not had cheese straws before? They are just the ultimate holiday snack food, at least as I recall from growing up in SW LA where, when November came round, you started seeing these star-shaped cheesy pipes everywhere. They're sharp (from the cheddar), have a great kick of hot on the back-end (from the cayenne), and I've always been fond of the forced star shape (think play-doh press but for real=> cookie plunger tube thing). Anyway, I'm happy to have gotten one batch done and will try to cook up another later this week.

Friday's One Day Deal, tiny tarts, cookie marathon a'coming

It's been a while since I was enthused about the Friday deal at Whole Foods but this Friday, 12/7 is a good one: MSC-Certified (Marine Stewardship Council) Wild-Caught Sockeye Salmon for $7.99/pound (regularly some amount more than that- oops, don't know). Salmon burgers, grilled salmon, poached salmon, salmon and eggs, salmon and pesto...go for it! I am thrilled to say that after five long days, my migraine decided to move out this afternoon. Gawd, this was a rough one full of nausea and muscle cramps seizing my neck and shoulders...fun times. Ol's inner-bottom itch returned today, and readers, I'm going to be honest, I could.not. muster any empathy. Seriously, the butt itch is driving me nuts. I planted him on the potty for a long while and then just scrubbed him down. Hopefully we have seen the last of both these irritating ailments.

Have y'all ever seen a pug engage in a F.R.A.P. (aka frenetic random activity period)? It looks just like it sounds and is hilarious in its ridiculous pugness. Percy is racing like a banshee might wail, wildly, without direction or goal. He's fine on the carpet but once his crazy talon-like nails hit the hardwood, forget it; it's like a slick sausage has been tossed across an ice rink. His eyes, always seeming to look in two directions at once anyway, seem to bulge and spin even more crazily. His curled tail unfurls like a dead shrimp and just goes along for the ride. Then, as sudden as was its commencement, the F.R.A.P. recedes, and Percy retires to the couch to pant and go all couch potato.

Today I decided to do a trial run with the mini-tart pan I bought at that restaurant supply store in Chicago. I needed to better dock the sides of these, which I suspected but was feeling both hopeful and lazy, but won't these be darling holders for something delicious over the holidays? I'm psyched.

Tonight will be a simple pizza, and I have big plans for a crossword and list-making for my pending cookie marathon, the decorations for which arrive Saturday or Monday. For J's teachers, I'm going to make homemade gianduja (chocolate-hazelnut spread; insanely awesome) and Louisiana cheese-straws, those fabulous, I-can-never-have-enough, cayenne-flecked, sharp cheddar-heavy snacks I grew up indulging in as often as possible. Did you see Kim Severson's recipe in today's NYT Dining section? Amen, Severson. I'm with you!