LACK FRIDA made me laugh.

I think we have a successor to Belinda: [link]

They fight crime! Through the power of uncanny terror.

We're slowly returning to Normal State after an entire week off from school for Matilda and Thanksgiving and Emmett being here.

Matilda is turning out to be a champ assistant in the kitchen, and I put her to work drawing and designing turkey hats (which were quite cunning) and we did a ridiculous turkey shoot to make Emmett's Least Favorite Holiday more entertaining.

I would say that the best things I made were: wild mushroom stew and the raspberry cake with chocolate ganache. Most significant discovery: raspberry whipped cream is insanely good. (made with a raspberry syrup made fresh). Matilda deserves a full co-credit on the cake though.

Now Matilda has a cold and we're slowly easing her into bed. Definitely winding down.

They fight crime! Through the power of uncanny terror.

Hard to commit crimes when you're hiding under your bed!

I made a sweet potato chocolate cake that my brother called a "10 out of 10". Also made my bourbon cherry pie, which I made gluten free with an almond crust and cornstarch instead of flour in the crumble. Used steel cut oats, which I think was a mistake texture wise, but still tasty.

I contributed to Small Business Saturday by patronizing a local hardware store and a local bookstore. Should have done more, alas, but at least I didn't go to Walmart or buy online.

I went to a small, local business yesterday to pick up holiday cards and a frasier fir candle. I'll probably shop online for all the family stuff, but that's because it needs to be shipped to MI, and it's easier to just do that whole thing online.

My family is a Christmas list family (for the most part), and a lot of times what they want is from a big box store, or online. Two of Tim's gifts are from small businesses (I can't WAIT to see the drawing of Kato!), and I get stocking stuffers from the amazing chocolatier in Northside, but most of the presents I get people are not from small businesses. I fall on the side of getting people what they want, not what I think they should have (or, at the most, a combination of both -- like, something from their Amazon wishlist, and something I saw that I thought they would like).

Sweet potato chocolate cake sound lovely. We don't usually eat much in the way of cake or pie. I don't have a sweet tooth so I never baked much. I have tons of drunken cranberries because son used frozen cranberries to keep his drunken punch cold. I feel like I should be able to do something with them other than toss them.

I made an excessive amount of sugared cranberries, and I'm going to bake a bunch of them into pumpkin bread. You could do that? Except for not having a sweet tooth/wanting to bake....

I have tons of drunken cranberries because son used frozen cranberries to keep his drunken punch cold. I feel like I should be able to do something with them other than toss them.

One year my friend Karen made everybody cranberry liqueur for xmas presents. It was really good drizzled over ice cream.

Oh, I will have to see how to make cranberry liqueur. Or give them to my Bahamian BIL who makes booze all the time.