Boots McBlog

Many thanks to Blake Rutherford and RJ Hawk for a fun morning on the Arkansas Sunday Edition Radio Show on 103.7 The Buzz this morning.  Had a great time talking with them &  Stephanie Simoni about the “do’s and don’ts” of Valentines.      Our conclusion: use the KISS method.   Keep It Simple, Sir (or Ma’am).  Both sides of the coin – man or woman,  be thoughtful.    Say something heartfelt -  in a card, on a post-it,  in the steamed mirror in the bathroom.  It doesn’t have to cost a fortune.   Just say how your feel TODAY, so you don’t end up in the doghouse.  And then remember to say it,  on regular ol’ days at random moments from here on out.

And if you are still scrambling today when florists and liquor stores are closed, and restaurants are booked.  a good ol fashioned mix cd still rocks, too! – Just sayin

Now go share the love.

Happy Valentine’s Day, Y’all!

Birthdays have always been a big deal in my family.  Thanks to my sweet mom.   Tomorrow – December 18th is my day.  Growing up with a December birthday meant school dismissed for holiday right before my day, so I never once got to take cupcakes to school and share them with my classmates.   I always got the group sing-song of the birthday tune which I  shared with the rest of the folks who would celebrate their day somewhere between Dec 15 and Jan 5. ” Happy Birthday to You.  Happy Birthday to you.  Happy Birthday dear Marc, Shane, Heather, and JoBeth.  Happy Birthday to you”   Not to mention, all of us were out shone by another BIG birthday occurring this time of year. Thankfully, my mom saw to it that she always gave my special day panache.   Even if my entire class didn’t get to see me blow out the candles, she created birthday events that were something the other kiddos wouldn’t want to miss….even during holiday break.

I had the best birthday parties.  And this was before birthday parties were the productions they are today.   When I turned 5,  she sent out invitations shaped like teapots and requested that all the attendees dress like their very chic, fashionable mothers.   I’m pretty sure she got the idea because I had a skirt of hers that I insisted on wearing all. the. time.   It was black with a green ivy print.   I would pull the skirt up under my arms and fashion it into a strapless dress.  I would cinch it with a gold belt.  I would remove  the proper barrette from my hair and let my waist long locks wildly cascade down. I considered this my “Jane” look …as in Tarzan and Jane. My dog Misty was Cheetah.  ( I was a pretty intense 5 year old)  When birthday party day arrived. I wore the skirt – but she made me wear the matching top and put my hair in a bun.  I had to be a young lady for the tea party.  Jane was not invited.   We held a fashion show.  Each girl dressed in her mother’s ‘best” sashayed down the catwalk (our long narrow coffee table).  My mom took pictures of each girl.  After the party she had them framed and gave them as party favors.  I grew up spending the night with a friend who kept that picture on her bookshelf until we left for college.

In 3rd grade,  we hosted a Valley Girl party.   It was totally tubular!  I mean, like , I’m so sure if you weren’t there you were so totally not rad.  I wore a red sweatshirt with the neck line cut out of it  - a la Jennifer Beale.   We played a game where we had to stand straight up, drop spoons from chest level into a large pickle jar painted with red lips on it. The game was called….oh yeah ….wait for it…..”Gag me with a spoon”  Mom was clever.

My thirteenth birthday was captured on film in a Polaroid scavenger hunt party.  One of our assignments was to get a picture of our favorite junior high football player with his jersey.  While my mom and her friends were shuttling us around town for our winning shots. There was another mom who suddenly had 15 girls clamoring on her house one quiet Saturday afternoon to get pictures of her son.   We apparently all had the same favorite player.  (Hi Jim!)

As I’ve grown up,  I’ve carried on the birthday party tradition. Some years it’s over the top. This year,  I’m keeping it simple.   My dearest friend from childhood is flying in from Dallas for the day. She’ll meet another dear friend of mine here in Little Rock.  The three of us will lunch.  There’s some Vueve Cliquot chilling in the refrigerator that the Angler brought home tonight.  I have no idea what is up his sleeve.   We’ll have to wait and see.

As for mom, she’s already mailed me the  birthday card I can’t read without boo-hooing.  And I’m expecting an early morning phone call.   She’ll start by singing “Happy Birthday to You” off key – but that’s ok.    Then she’ll tell me she remembers it well the day I was born.  She was up at midnight making cookies for my brother’s 1st grade Christmas party.  (Does this start to explain some things about me?)  I was born a mere 4 hours later  at 4:35 a.m.   I’ll joke that it was the only time I’ve ever been a morning person.  Then she’ll sing “you are my sunshine” – off key.  She’ll tell me she wishes she could hug my neck.    I’ll tell her I’ll be home soon to hug hers.  She’ll also remind me of the cute yellow coat she bought me as a gift.

After I hang up the phone with my mother,  I’ll put on my yellow coat and get ready to face a brand new year.  I’ll head to the airport to pick up my friend. I’ll splurge at lunch and get dessert.  And if they so happen to put a candle on my raspberry pie – I’ll make a wish.  I’ll wish that all of us have a year filled with joy and panache.

Cheers, Y’all!

Christmas baking has commenced…which means the only thing getting a good workout at the McCottage right now is my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  As we get to know each other, I should warn you  I have had a tendency to be a wee bit over the top.  I’m getting better about this.  For example,  in Christmas pasts my contribution to company potlucks (mine and my husband’s)  were homemade Buche de Noels replete with little meringue mushrooms or gift box cakes with butter creme frosting made with pounds of butter (gasp!) and draped in red ribbons made of sugared fruit roll-ups.  They were gorgeous!  They were delicious!  And I think they cost me some friendships.  At the very least, The Angler (aka my curly haired husband) suffered some serious ridicule at work.   Bless his heart!  He was in a jam. His young bride slaving away for hours in the kitchen, beaming with pride at her latest culinary creation, followed by the seasonal offering… “Sweetheart, you can take this to your office”.  As the good husband,  he always took it.  I can’t even begin to imagine the jokes that ensued when he brought a cake shaped like a log to an office dominated by men.  (Ren and Stimpy’s Log Song comes to mind)  Still he reported back the glowing praises of his colleagues.

Thankfully time calms us  – or maybe it is that I no longer have the time nor energy to create such holiday masterpieces. The recipes are easier this year which allows me to embrace the joy this season has to offer.   Nothing is better than hugging a friend’s neck when I deliver the sweet treats to their door.  So, this year’s simplified Christmas 2009 baking list includes:

My famous “secret-ingredient- I-may-someday-tell-you-what-it-is” Chocolate Chip Cookies

Mocha Bundt Cakes ( recipe via Junior League of Little Rock’s BIG TASTE OF LITTLE ROCK cookbook)

Ina Garten’s recipe for Jam Thumb Print Cookies.*

The thumbprint cookies are the one thing this year that err on my historical pattern of culinary pretension.   I blame the jam jars.  I mean – just looking at them makes me smile.   But they are still JUST cookies – and not so difficult to make.   This morning, I offered to plate a few of these delicious jam covered morsels and let the Angler share them at this year’s company potluck.   He looked at me.  I knew that look.  It’s that same look I gave my mom when she wanted me to wear the pink bow in my hair when I was twelve and I felt way too old for bows.    He smiled and said,  ” They are a little sissy.  I think I’ll stop and pick up doughnuts.”  Despite the fact I just launched a culinary / photography/ lifestyle blog yesterday,  I let him. More jam for my cookies and less of putting him in one.   I guess it’s the joy of the season taking hold.

Jam Thumbprint Cookies

recipe courtesy Ina Garten, Barefoot Contessa Family Style, Clarkson Potter/Publishers, 2002

Ingredients:

• 3/4 pound (3 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature  (BUTTER – not the fake stuff)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract (PURE – the best you can find)
• 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
• 1 egg beaten with 1 tablespoon water, for egg wash
• 7 ounces of sweetened flaked coconut (don’t worry it’s not that coconutty)
• Raspberry and or apricot jam  ( blackberry jam would be scrumptious, too)

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.

In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream together the butter and sugar until they are just combined and then add the vanilla.  Separately, sift the four and salt.  ( yes, sift the flour.  don’t skip this step.  It incorporates the right amount of air and allows the salt to distribute more evenly) With the mixer on low speed, add the flour mixture to the creamed butter and sugar.  Mix until the dough starts to come together.  Dump on a floured board and roll together into a flat disk.  Wrap in plastic and chill for 30 minutes.

Roll the dough into 1 1/4 inch balls.  (Ina suggests a scale to weigh each at 1 ounce.  I use a one ounce cookie dough/ ice cream scoop) Dip each ball into the egg wash and then roll it in the coconut.   Place the balls on an ungreased cookie sheet and press a light indention into the top of each with your thumb. (Get it THUMBPRINT cookies) Drip 1/4 teaspoon of jam into each indentation.  Bake for 20-25 minutes, until the coconut is a golden brown.  Cool and serve.

Cheers!

It’s been a long time in the works and finally I can say…” Welcome to my blog”

Come on in to Boots McBlog; a place for flair and folly. Let me introduce myself. My name is JoBeth – my friends call me Boots.  I’m just a girl…a thirty something girl. I’m a wife to a curly haired boy I’ve known since I was 10. I love shopping at Neiman’s – although most of my money goes to Target.  I am a jill of all trades, with a masters in Nutrition.  I am also a junk food junkie. I love food – good food. I love to find new recipes and sometimes I’ll even share them with my friends.  I love to laugh.  a lot.  I adore the finer things in life – fashion, interiors, flowers, shoes. I also know the finest, most beautiful things in life aren’t things at all. I am blessed beyond measure and amazed by grace.

And it is by grace- I picked up a camera on a whim this year and was smitten. Photography has given me an chance to compose all the things I love within a single frame -  Color, texture, light, life.  Its an opportunity to tell a story.

As a southerner, I come from a long line of gifted story tellers. bootsmcblog.com  is how I will try to carry on that tradition. I envision this as a place to share recipes, photos, tips on gracious living, fashion finds,  some favorite tunes, my quirky life observances, and the stories of people I meet along the way–  consider this my high tech veranda, if you will.

I’m glad you’re here.

So, kick off your Manolos and sit a spell.

Flair and folly awaits.