Realsgiving!

Realsgivings is only days away. While you might be making Turbaconducken (courtesy M.S.) I will not, because they do it totally wrong To make a proper turducken, you need to completely debone the chicken and the duck, while keeping them in one piece. This is hard. Therefore, I present to you the following best resources on how to debone bird animals:1.) Deboning a chicken- Includes nice drawings to help guide you.

2.) Deboning a chicken- Includes nice pictures to help guide you.

Happy Realssgivings!

Holiday Gift Guide, Pt. III

10 under $200

10.) Whatnot Muppet, $90 from FAO Schwartz. Finally, you can design your own muppet! This new program lets you choose all the features and costumes for your very own muppet, which you will never do anything with.

9.) Edible Gold Flakes, $90 from L'Epicerie. Gold flakes can be thrown into martinis. They can be scattered on appetizers or entrees or cupcakes. Top some handmade truffles. They make everything not just look expensive, but actually be expensive.

8.) Kobe Beef Steaks, $100 from Allen Brothers. Your boyfriend likes steak. He also likes grilling. Kobe beef is delicious. Extra bonus: you might get a night off from cooking dinner.

7.) Photographer's Task Table Lamp, $100 from Pottery Barn. Old-school movie light inspired lamps looks totally modern as an end table or on a desk.

6.) Jelly Gummy Lights, $125 from Sprout Home. These are meant for children, but who's room wouldn't brighten up with a giant glowing lamp in the shape (and feel) of a gummy bear candy?

5.) Tea and Toast Robe, $130 from Anthropologie. This darling terrycloth robe is covered in ruffles, and includes a cosy hood to snuggle up in. Plus, it comes in grey.

4.) Marc by Marc Jacobs Dr. Q. Clutch, $140 from Shopbop. Adorable buttery leather clutch bag from the Dr. Q. collection is seriously on sale from Shopbop. Plus, with Shopbop there's no sales tax and free shipping- unless you live in Wisconsin.

3.) Whistlejacket Painting, $150 from Global Wholesale Art. An oil painting of everyone's favorite horse, since you can't get a life-sized reproduction for less than $200 (believe me, I have tried.)

2.) Le Creuset Round French Oven, $175 from Amazon. You need this for cooking things. Fancy things. Brasing things. You want this in Dune. Dune is the best color.
1.) Puppybear, Market Price from Various Locations. The best gift you can give is that of a puppy. Personally, I'm partial to aussiedoodles. They are loving, do not shed, like to eat bumblebees (and TV closed captions) and look like little black bears with funny ears. Everyone loves a puppybear!

Holiday Gift Guide, Pt. II

10 Under $70

10.) Nina Ottosson Dog Toys, $21 and up from Paw Lickers. These dog toys are more complicated than the usual "shake a treat out of a kong." Think of them as a brain teaser for you pup.

9.) Cheese Dome, $25 from Crate and Barrel. This adorable cheese board/dome combo is perfect for holiday entertaining. Plus, it makes late night clean up a snap.

8.) Salad Wrenches, $23 from Atypyk. These wooden salad tongs are shaped like tools! How quirky and imaginative!

7.) The Alinea Cookbook, $32 from Amazon. Tons of gorgeous pictures of people making science/food. Sure to entertain both foodies and scientists alike. Just don't try to cook anything, unless you want to invest in an anti-griddle.

6.) Leather Mahogany Candle, $35 from Burke Decor. This candle smells like the library of your British grandfather at his country estate; dark stained wood, worn leather club chairs, a vase of wildflowers, and a lingering of men's cologne.5.) Cow Anatomical Model, $35 from Kikkerland. A cute accessory for the meat-eater's kitchen- you can see where all your favorite cuts of beef are while you cook. Very Alton Brown.

4.) Bow Appliqué T-Shirt, $50 from J Crew. Super soft knit tee with bow appliqués, though the snowflake one is a personal favorite, and you can wear it all winter.

3.) Digital Camera Gift Card, $50 and up from Target. Boys are hard to shop for, so sometimes it is easier to let them shop for themselves. This gift card from Target is also a tiny, flat digital camera, which is cool and gadgety.

2.) Batman Legos, $50 from Lego. Your boyfriend wants legos. He also likes Batman. Note: Since I picked this item, it has sold out or doubled in price from other retailers. Fortunately, your boyfriend probably also like Star Wars or Indiana Jones (the classic collection is best), or Ferrari, which are all available and come in various price ranges.

1.) Landmark Bookends, $65 from Restoration Hardware. Cute bookends fashioned in the likeness of your favorite city landmarks and surprisingly less ugly than bookends usually are. I like the Brooklyn Bridge ones best, but they appear to have sold out, boo.

Coming Friday, 10 under $200...

Holiday Gift Guide, Pt. I

10 Under $20

10.) Elf Cosmetics, $1 and up from Eyes, Lips, Face. Cosmetics can be stupidly expensive. Everything at ELF is only a dollar, so you can easily afford to make the makeup mistakes you know you will.

9.) Fuzzy Snowballs, $2-$4 from CB2. These fluffy fake snowballs in various sizes are perfect for piling into a bowl or vase for instant holidayness.

8.) Marc Jacobs Headquarters Banadana, $8 from Marc by Marc Jacobs One of the many low-priced treats sold at Marc by Marc stores. Who says you can't have nice things?

7.) Mechanical Paper Crafts, $7 from Kikkerland. This elaborate moving paper craft kit finally gives you something to do on Christmas Day! Personally, we like the sheep one.

6.) Letterpress Mats, $15 from YeeHaw Industries. Gorgeous letterpress swirls and loops dress up the plainest postcard or the most elaborate photograph. Plus, you get three for $15.

5.) Science Notebook, $10 from Three Potato Four. Get this for all your science friends so they can write down all their sciency notes and get their advanced degrees (in science).

4.) Subscription to Domino Magazine, $10 from Conde Nast. Recipes and nesting tips and decor items and clothes and generally 12 months of leisurly entertainment.

3.) Titanium Kitchen Shears, $14 from Williams Sonoma. You need good kitchen scissors, and how can they get any better than a pair COATED IN TITANIUM?

2.) Martha Stewart Recipe Box, $15 from Macy's. Old school recipe box is an adorable gift, extra points for filling it up with your favorite family recipes.

1.) Earl Grey Tea Macarons, $19 from Paulette. Buttercream filled chewy sandwich cookies make the perfect gift. And let's be honest, you aren't going to try and bake these yourself.

Coming Wednesday... 10 under $75

Dulce de nomnomnomnomsalt

Last night we got some dulce de leche gelato. The recipe, if you are feeling overacheiving, can be found here. It is also sold by Ciao Bella. And although I've done the whole "make caramel out of condensed sweetened milk in the can" thing before, it is not recommended, since it might blow up.
To make it extra delicious, we sprinkled it with sea salt. (I used Sel Gris de l'Ile de Noirmoutier, which can be found here.) Caramel gelato+ sea salt= best most delicious thing ever.

Just a note...

Next week, OMG Sammiches will be revealing it's HOLIDAY GIFT GUIDE 2008. Everything that you didn't even know you wanted! It will be released in three parts. Yayayyaya!

Stuffings

Even though Thanksgiving is only weeks away, and you can't think of anything but stuffing, it doesn't mean you should be eating it. But if you can't wait, I give to you my best stuffing ever recipe. No bells and whistles, no cornbread or cranberries. Just stuffing.

1 loaf bread (wheat or white).
1 can (16 oz) chicken broth
1/2 stick butter (more... IF YOU DARE!)
3 stalks celery
1 medium onion
sage
salt and pepper
1 egg

Puree celery and onion, Saute in pan with butter till soft. Add chicken broth, sage, salt and pepper to taste. Cook for 5 minutes. Tear bread to pieces in a bowl, beat egg and coat bread. Pour broth mixture over bread. Mix into stuffing. Stuff into things (birds, bowls). Bake in the oven till top is crunchy brown, about 20 minutes at 350.

Nogagnognognog.

Every year the stores decide Christmas should begin earlier. I admit that in most cases, I am against the sneaking up of the holiday season. In one case I am not against it. This case is eggnog, which I believe should be sold year-round.
Here are my top ten suggestions of what you should start doing with eggnog (in no particular order).

1.) If you can't handle brandy: Eggnog + amaretto. Hot or cold.
2.) Less butter than you would think in a Paula Dean recipe: Substitute eggnog for the milk in this bread pudding.
3.) CUPACAKES: Replace water in vanilla box cake mix with eggnog. Add extra cinnamon and nutmeg. Frost with cinnamon cream cheese icing.
4.) I would cut out the raisins: Eggnog Scones.
5.) If you luft breakfast: Replace milk in your french toast recipe with eggnog.
6.) Fraunce dessert: Eggnog creme brulee.
7.) If you luft breakfast pt. 2: Replace milk or water in your pancake recipe with eggnog. Serve with eggnog.
8.) The idea of which causes actual physical tastebud pain: Eggnog. Fudge.
9.) The South isn't all that bad: Eggnog pound cake with rum.
10.) Also works with coffee: Eggnog + chai tea mix. Hot or cold.

FRRAAAAUUUUNCE!

Yay! You voted! Let us eat the cheeses of France. Today? Abbaye de Belloc. This is a super exciting cheese that is semi-hard and tastes slightly of burnt caramel. Sometimes, it is called Basque Shepard's Cheese. All the time, it is delicious.

Let's have cheese and pate and champagne. I think you've earned it.

Election Day!

Vote, please.