Hey gang, you ready for your week of holiday hootenanny-time?! And yes, I have got to get these Christmas carols off repeat in my head. Happy Hanukkah and Kwanzaa, and Buon Natale, and Merry Everything! My week features a triple play, starting with my dad’s birthday this Tuesday night, our family’s Feast of However Many Fishes We Want To Prepare on Christmas Eve, and then a lovely Christmas Day with my grandma (I can’t wait for our annual breakfast of my Mom’s Christmas bread, my dad’s killer homemade sausage, and fried eggs, oh yeah!). Family feasts and gatherings like mine make me count my blessings—especially since we don’t have any bad cooks, ha ha!
I enjoyed reading this Boston Globe article forwarded to me about an East Coast Feast of the Seven Fishes, and check out my friend Maroun’s Lebanese Christmas Eve spread (recipes included). I love me some international overeating.
The chilly and wet weather provided the perfect timing for this week’s issue of the wino from Jessica Boyd on hot sake. And we also have a hardhat for you. Be sure to check the socialite for info about the cooking demo I am hosting in January for the Dine About Town kick-off event at the Macy’s Cellar. I was all fired up to write a review of a ramen place for you, but I have too many presents to wrap! Sorry, presents trump “the regular” this week. ’Tis the season.
Oh, I almost forgot: I’ll be in Los Angeles celebrating the New Year at my friend’s sweet pad in the Hollywood Hills, awwwww yeah, and am looking forward to checking out more of the ethnic places that remain on my list from my last visit. Since I will be traveling, next week’s issue is going to be pretty light. (Unlike me, oh well.)
It wouldn’t be the holidays without some giveaway action, would it? That’s right, and this one is a boozy one! I’m actually giving away two books to each winner: one is Wings of Cherubs by Guillermo Toro-Lira, a book about his intensive and historical quest to discover San Francisco’s secret and original Pisco Punch recipe (the one you can drink at Pisco). The second book is The Essential Cocktail: The Art of Mixing Perfect Drinks by Dale Degroff, features 100 “essential” recipes, from the Bee’s Knees to a Gin Fizz, with great quotes, instructions, and yay, pictures.
But here’s where I could really use your help! All I want for Christmas is more subscribers! (I already asked Santa, we’ll see what turns up.) So if you are going to enter to win this giveaway, please forward this week’s tablehopper newsletter to a minimum of three buddies, but even more would be so very fabulous. Just tell your friends why they would dig a subscription to the tablehopper e-column (if you call it a blog, you are disqualified, I wish I was kidding!), and CC or BCC luckyme [at] tablehopper [dot] com so I know you sent it—I promise I won’t use anyone’s email address. Deadline to enter is midnight on Friday January 2nd since I know many of you are traveling. I’ll notify the three winners soon thereafter! Yee haw! Oh wait, Ho Ho Ho!
Okay dear readers, here’s wishing you safe travels, tasty eats, inspired drinks, and the happiest of holidays with your family and friends.
Happy Merry!
~ Marcia
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