{camp cozy} belgian hot chocolate

i try a new hot chocolate recipe every winter.

honestly, my choices keep getting more and more decadent with each twirl around the sun.

this year i made a chocolat chaud that is by far the most creamy, rich, and robust that i have ever tasted...

{belgian hot chocolate + vanilla whipped cream}

the recipe is from the great book of chocolate by david lebovitz. it orginated from wittamer, one of the best chocolate shops in brussels. it is a beautifully simple blend of whole milk, semisweet and milk chocolate, cinnamon, and just a pinch of salt.

the result is a very, very rich drinking chocolate. i only made half of the recipe and it was absolutely too much. i definitely recommend serving it in espresso cups or something smaller than the hearty coffee mug pictured above.

i added my own homemade whipped cream to the top. heavy cream, vanilla extract, and a tiny pinch of sugar were all frothed into fluffiness by my beloved mixin' vixen. the creamy clouds were delicious and helped balance the intensity of the chocolate.

p.s. take a look at the calendar of flavors for the twenty eleven hot chocolate festival in new york. dreamy!

{story} hearty

ten years ago, at a gathering in the mountains of montana, i sat by a flickering campfire with a group of new friends.

we had all set up camp in the same part of the woods and ended up becoming a neighborhood of kindred spirits who often ate dinner together.

after our meal one night, everyone spontaneously started exchanging little gifts. bars of chocolate, jewelry, postcards, tools, tea, candles, and other heartfelt offerings were pulled out of backpacks and shared freely.

i was sitting next to an older gentleman who we affectionately called "hearty." he was a wandering fisherman from alaska who was the human embodiment of pure love.

as the exchange gained momentum, i leaned over to hearty and said:

i'll be right back - my gifts are in my tent.

quickly i dashed through the woods to get the vintage cigar tin i had carried with me from home.

it contained "wood fairies," creations i had made which were delicate painted sticks adorned with shimmery stones and feathers for wings.

the box full of fairies was easy to find in my stash of stuff, but as i walked back to the fire my confidence diminished.

i thought:

everyone else has shared things

that are practical, edible, useful.

my creations aren't any of those things.

by the time i sat down next to hearty again, my resolve to share the fairies was wavering. i shyly opened the rusty box, handed him one, and said:

it's...it's a...i call it a wood fairy.

i made it from sticks and feathers and stones.

he examined it in the firelight for a moment. during his brief silence, my insecurity caused me to blurt out a disclaimer:

it...doesn't really have a purpose. it's just...pretty.

he looked up to see my befuddled expression, put his hand firmly on my shoulder, and said:

oh my.

oh, my dear friend.

PRETTY has a PURPOSE.

he said it with conviction, strength, and truth. he said it with complete clarity. he held my gaze and did not look away.

and then we both smiled.

and my world shifted.

because until that moment in the woods, i had lived in a very pragmatic world.

i came from a place that considered ART and everything related to ART to be LOVELY but NONESSENTIAL.

this idea had been painful for me for a quarter of a century because i was born an ARTIST.

i loved ART. i loved to look at ART. i loved to make ART.

however, i had always been given the message that this LOVE was fun but frivolous. over the years i had grown to believe that ART was not practical, edible, or useful.

hearty looked me deeply in the eye and told me in no uncertain terms that what i loved to do was meaningful.

that making ART has a PURPOSE.

everything cracked wide open for me by the campfire that night.

thank you, hearty.

**********

{photography: lance fuller}

{music: "no poetry" by gary jules}

{camp cozy} day twelve: sea of dreams

last night was the grand finale to a whole month of celebration, so this is officially the last post of {camp cozy}!

our gift theme this year was experience. we gave an experience gift to every single person on our list - for example, tickets to a concert.

our experience gift to each other was a big festive new year's eve at the sea of dreams event in san francisco.

it was an amazing adventure to bring in the new year!

we drove into the city yesterday afternoon and checked into hotel whitcomb downtown...

{old + ornate}

we ate a delicious dinner, hosted an early cocktail party at the hotel with our urban tribe, and journeyed to sea of dreams for a most spectacular night...

 {inflatable arts + human snowglobe}

{a relative of the cubatron}

 {beats antique}

{the best cupcakes i have tasted in the bay area}

it was so much fun to bring in the new year in my favorite city with excellent music and wonderful people.

what a memorable experience.

how was your new year's eve?

happy twenty eleven to you!

{camp cozy} day eleven: holiday moments

it has been a flurry of activity here at {camp cozy}.

the week of christmas was filled with:

a trip to see cavalia in san francisco...

{horses + humans -> poetry + performance}

snuggly evenings at the treehouse...

{starry night}

beaucoup baking...

{slicing cinnamon rolls}

{whipping up marshmallows}

a journey to pop's house for his ninety-seventh christmas eve...

{pop's handmade sign + classic game}

a beautiful christmas day at the reid ranch in napa...

 

{my christmas quiche * since 1989 * via madame shiptenko}

{daria by the reid ranch tree}

{preparing for the feast}

{musical crackers}

{hannah's horse by the hearth}

{s'mores platter with my homemade marshmallows}

mucho merrymaking + happy exhaustion...

{sleepy pup}

we spent the day after christmas in our pajamas by the fireplace eating popcorn and hanging out together in true {camp cozy} style.

i am very thankful to have spent this time celebrating with those i adore and love.

{camp cozy} day nine: spontaneous baking

{camp cozy} brings out the crazy baking lady in me.

last night, the mood struck and i really wanted to whip up something sweet in the kitchen.

alas, it was the night before a grocery trip and we were out of most goods required for baking.

except for peanut butter.

and flour.

and a few other staples that ended up as...

...the best peanut butter cookies i have ever made.

(this is the highest quality photo i could manage before these warm beauties were whisked away into the hands of waiting friends.)

smitten kitchen provided the wonderful recipe which is adapted from the magnolia bakery cookbook.

fluffy, cakey, moist, salty, sweet, and rolled in sugar.

even though it's not such a traditional holiday cookie, it totally rocked around the christmas tree.

baking notes:

* i used smooth peanut butter + skipped the chips altogether.

* i forgot to do the fork criss-cross pattern on the second round and they looked like chocolate crinkle cookies in terms of texture...i liked this look even more than the criss-cross, but if you're going for old school PB cookies, that pattern is key.

* i ended up baking for a minute longer (13 total) because the first round teetered on the edge of underdone.

{camp cozy} day eight: ornaments

when i was a kiddo, my family always listened to "christmas with the chipmunks" on the record player while decorating our tree.

on saturday evening, i played that familiar old squeaky trio and pulled out the ornament boxes.

kevwrex helped me unwrap the ornaments and watched me dance and sing around the living room.

"one, two, three, four - go, dave, go - we wanna hear some more!"

indeed, i am a sentimental gal.

i always get a little misty when opening up certain ornaments. a tear or two graced the scene, especially when dear dave sang "have yourself a merry little christmas."

*sniff sniff*

after the tree was complete, i grabbed my camera and captured a few shots of some favorite ornaments, new and old...

{star}

{handmade by grandma great}

{disco dino}

{mrs. claus + santa}

{1975}

{sebastian}

{1984}

{snowman chef}

{glittery ball}

{birdhouse}

{love birds}

{keep paddling}

our tree is a mix of kitschy vintage, glittery sparkles, and rustic woodland.

i love it.

{camp cozy} day seven: the naughty elf

i finally decorated our tree on saturday!

it was rather lovely to leave it wearing only white lights for a week, though.

tomorrow, i shall tell the decorating story accompanied by a hearty handful of vintage ornament pictures.

for now, i simply want to introduce you to a very old and esteemed member of {camp cozy}: the naughty elf.

he is currently the unofficial mascot of {camp cozy}...

this handsome fella has been in our family since i was a tiny tot.

kevwrex and i are convinced that he is up to mischievous elf behavior when we are not looking.

i propose that not many people can rock a shiny gold bow tie like the naughty elf can.

{camp cozy} day six: sugar cookie workshop

trader joe's snagged me with a cute new holiday product.

i say this as if it is unusual, but the truth is that they almost always lure me in with their seasonal delights.

seriously, though. look at this adorable box...

how could i pass by the lovely illustration and the promise of warm fresh cookies to decorate and devour?

so i spent this afternoon having a sugar cookie workshop with my best friend's toddler twins...

have you ever baked with toddlers?

it's a whole different kitchen experience.

some aspects of it can be challenging. you've got to be strategic, nimble, and patient.

however, the rewards are fantastic:

complete fascination at the rolling of the dough

squeals of pure joy at the sprinkling of flour

spontaneous happy dances when holding the spatula

cookie cutters used as musical instruments

sighs of delight when warm cookies are served

these are the first cookies baked at {camp cozy} this season.

what a magical way to begin!

{camp cozy} day five: mugs + plates

a reid holiday tradition:

every year, each family member receives a matching mug + plate.

these are each part of a larger set which is distributed among all of us.

i love knowing that each of us has a small part of each year's collection in our homes.

tonight i unpacked three examples from recent years...

{snowman chef}

{holly}

{nutcracker}

these lovely combos are perfect for serving:

spiced tea + warm sugar cookies

steamy hot chocolate + homemade marshmallows

robust coffee + fresh pie

cold milk + creamy cupcakes

they also look beautiful on display.

do you have any yearly gift traditions?

{camp cozy} day four: finding our tree

i am so happy that {camp cozy} is now filled with the smell of sweet fresh pine.

the lovely little town where we live has a gazillion local family tree farms, and we visited one on saturday to find our tree...

{my version of cindy lou who}

{kevwrex among the trees}

{local family farm}

{fragrant branches}

{cutting the tree}

the tree we chose is a small douglas fir and looks simply beautiful in our treehouse.

we brought it home and draped it in white lights.

it creates a wonderful glow in the mornings while we are getting ready for school and in the evenings while we are snuggled up in the blustery rain.

it will be lovingly adorned with decorations later this week.

{camp cozy} day three: decorations

i pulled our festive holiday bins and boxes out of storage today!

at {camp cozy} tonight, we are drinking wine, listening to holiday tunes, and opening up all of the decorations...

{camp cozy} day two: roasted almonds

i love the smell of freshly roasted almonds in the winter, so today i made some...

crackling skins, warm buttery toasted aroma, salty crunch.

super cozy and delicious!

my method:

• buy raw almonds
• spread out on a baking sheet
• roast under the broiler and watch closely...almonds go from perfectly toasted to outrageously charred in mere moments
• remove from oven when almonds start crackling, smell toasted, and turn deep golden amber
• sprinkle with salt salt salt while warm...kosher if you have it
• allow to cool just slightly
• pour into ramekins or bowls
• serve warm

{camp cozy} day one: paper chains

december has arrived!

i love this month.

i think it is a wonderful time to make merry + snuggle up.

to me, december always feels like a cozy winter camp with loved ones, fun activities, and festive food.

for the next few weeks, i will be hosting {camp cozy} here at the dew drop inn.

each day i post, i will share a winter activity happening here at the treehouse.

it's my own personal celebration at the end of a fantastic year.

i would love for you to join in with comments to share what's going on in your own camp during this time of year.

my first {camp cozy} activity:

i spent the afternoon creating colorful paper chains with my best friend's toddler twins...

i cut a huge stack of paper strips and the three of us had fun looping and taping them into chains.

we then had an exuberant paper chain dance party parade through the house.

it was our way of saying, "welcome, december!"

let the {camp cozy} festivities begin!