Festival of Sleep Day, Drinking Straw Day, J.R.R. Tolkein Day, Memento Mori (Remember Your Mortality) Day, National Chocolate Covered Cherry Day
Unfortunately, today I had to work. Very early. So early, in fact, that the image above is the sunrise on my way to work. Yep, up before the sun. Long story short, no Festival of Sleep for me today. Boo.
Instead, I have compiled a few things to help you celebrate the other wonderful holidays of January 3rd.. Enjoy!
Unfortunately, today I had to work. Very early. So early, in fact, that the image above is the sunrise on my way to work. Yep, up before the sun. Long story short, no Festival of Sleep for me today. Boo.
Instead, I have compiled a few things to help you celebrate the other wonderful holidays of January 3rd.. Enjoy!
Happy Drinking Straw Day! A-freaking-dorable striped straws from ThePaperedNest. These ladies have "Party Drink Kits" in every color imaginable and cost only $6.95 for 12 straws, 12 yards purple twine and 12 "cheers" tags!
Shop Sweet Lulu also has a plethora of stripey straws ranging from $3.50-$12 depending on the quantity.
Last, but not least, check out DimeStoreBuddy at Etsy for 30 straws for $4.75, 50 straws for $8 or 100 straws for $16! What a deal!
Seriously. . . Drinking out of a fun straw can make anything worth drinking. I'm pretty sure if my mom had given me my cough syrup with a fun straw as a kid I wouldn't be deathly afraid of liquid medicine. Well, that might be a stretch because that stuff is GROSS.
Shop Sweet Lulu also has a plethora of stripey straws ranging from $3.50-$12 depending on the quantity.
Last, but not least, check out DimeStoreBuddy at Etsy for 30 straws for $4.75, 50 straws for $8 or 100 straws for $16! What a deal!
Seriously. . . Drinking out of a fun straw can make anything worth drinking. I'm pretty sure if my mom had given me my cough syrup with a fun straw as a kid I wouldn't be deathly afraid of liquid medicine. Well, that might be a stretch because that stuff is GROSS.
Next on the list: National Chocolate-Covered Cherry Day!
A recipe! Fair warning, this is a doozy of a project! You could, of course, just buy a box of them at any grocery store. But where's your sense of adventure??
Chocolate Cherry Cordials | Serious Eats
Yield: makes 24 Active Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 2 days, 14 hours
Chocolate Cherry Cordials | Serious Eats
Yield: makes 24 Active Time: 1 hour 30 minutes Total Time: 2 days, 14 hours
Ingredients To soak the cherries: 24 maraschino cherries with stems 3 Tbs bourbon or liquor of choice For the Fondant: 1 c. granulated sugar 1/3 c. water 4 Tbs. liquid from maraschino cherry jar 1 Tbs. light corn syrup To Dip the Cherries: 8 oz. bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped Special equipment: instant read thermometer, pastry brush, rimmed sheet pan or marble slab, bench scraper, offset spatula The cherries are soaked overnight in a few tablespoons of liquor. I used Jack Daniels because it's what I had on hand, but any liquor will work—try brandy or even Grand Marnier. |
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Procedures
- Place cherries in small bowl with liquor. Cover and rest overnight, stirring occasionally.
- Place cherries on paper towel lined pan to dry, standing each cherry upright. In small saucepan, combine sugar, water, cherry juice, and light corn syrup. Cook over medium heat, stirring to dissolve sugar. When mixture comes to boil, stop stirring and continue to cook until mixture registers 240°F on instant read thermometer, occasionally brushing edge of pan with water to dissolve crystals.
- Pour sugar syrup onto large marble slab or rimmed baking sheet set over a towel, and let cool until just barely warm, about 25 minutes. Using bench scraper, scrape syrup up and over itself. Continue this motion while moving mass of thickened syrup back and forth across pan. Syrup will begin to thicken as it cools. Use offset spatula to scrape syrup from bench scraper. Continue working fondant until mixture begins to turn from translucent to opaque, about 15 minutes.
- Continue to work mixture back and forth across marble until it begins to thicken considerably, to the point of becoming a thick paste, about 15 minutes more. Transfer fondant to small saucepan and set over low heat, stirring until just melted. Remove from heat.
- Line baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Holding cherry by the stem, dip in fondant to coat, and set on prepared sheepan. Remelt fondant if it thickens before cherries are finished being dipped. Let fondant dry onto cherries, about 10 minutes.
- Place chocolate in heatproof bowl set over pan of barely simmering water. Stirring gently, heat until about half of chocolate is melted. Remove bowl from heat and continue to stir chocolate until completely melted.
- One by one, dip fondant covered cherries in chocolate, covering completely and then allowing excess chocolate to drip from cherry. Set each cherry back on parchment lined sheet pan. Chill at least 48 hours before serving.
In case you haven't noticed yet, I am a serious quote lover. To end today's post, I would like to share a few quotes by J.R.R. Tolkein. I had planned on doing a LOTR Marathon, but I'm a busy girl! Instead, I will leave you with his words.
“Adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine.”
“True education is a kind of never ending story—a matter of continual beginnings, of
habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness.”
“There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”
And the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey -- COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU!
“Adventures are not all pony-rides in May-sunshine.”
“True education is a kind of never ending story—a matter of continual beginnings, of
habitual fresh starts, of persistent newness.”
“There are some things that it is better to begin than to refuse, even though the end may be dark.”
And the trailer for The Hobbit: An Unexpected Journey -- COMING SOON TO A THEATRE NEAR YOU!
Happy snoozing!
XO
XO
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