This week of Thanksgiving, reminds us of all the things we are thankful for! We thought we would share our top seven with you. (Number 4 may surprise you!)
1. Blowing up our store with holiday spirit! This year our front window is fresh green and white for a modern take on a traditional color palette. What is your favorite holiday color scheme?
2. Local Shopping: We love to spread the love in our small town by shopping locally during the holiday season. Whether it is a great bottle of wine from Cannery Wine and Spirits for a special hostess gift, a gift certificate to Buck and Honey's for a tasty present for a colleague, or stocking stuffers from Hometown Pharmacy (my daughter loves their lotions and lip balms), there are so many fun, unique and local options.
3. Celebratory Cocktail to kick off our Small Business Saturday! Our staff has a festive cocktail each year to kick off our fun and fast-paced day. This year, we can't wait for Spiced Pear Moscow Mules, from the Inspired by Charm blog. Link to this tasty treat at:
https://inspiredbycharm.com/2017/09/spiced-pear-moscow-mule.html
4. Snow Now hear me out, before you start pelting me with all those snowballs, fellow Wisconsinites.....Rosemary Clooney and Bing Crosby did not sing about crusty frozen leaves and dirty asphalt on their train ride to Vermont. They sang about snow, and I will, too, until January 2nd. Then, I will be ready for that snow to move right along.....
5. Holiday Treats My all-time favorites are made by some of my all-time favorite people. My sister, Angie, makes the most amazing jam thumbprint cookies, and my dear friend Shelley is famous for her holiday deliveries of seasoned, oyster crackers. Don't judge, but I may have (very happily) subsisted exclusively on these two food items in that last 24-48 hours before Christmas when the shopping/wrapping/cooking are at a full fever pitch. Recipes for both tasty treats are below. We will have these both at our Small Business Saturday Customer Appreciation event, so you can taste for yourself!
Angie's Raspberry Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Glaze
Angie's Thumbprint Cookies with Almond Glaze
Cookies
- 2/3 cup sugar
- 1 cup butter, softened
- 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup raspberry jam (or other favorite jam)
In a large mixing bowl, combine sugar, butter and almond extract. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy.Cookies Reduce speed to low, add flour (about 1/2 cup at a time), continue beating until well-mixed (approx. 3 minutes). Shape dough into 1" balls and place 2" apart on cookie sheets. With thumb make indentations in center of cookie (sides will crack slightly). Fill with about 1/4 teaspoon jam.
Bake at 350 degrees for 14-18 minutes, until edges are lightly browned. Let stand 1 minute remove from sheets and cool.
Glaze
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp. almond extract
- 2-3 Tbsp. water
In small bowl stir together sugar and almond extract. Gradually stir in enough water to make a thin glaze. Drizzle over cookies and cool completely.
Shelley's Seasoned Oyster Crackers
Shelley's Seasoned Oyster Crackers
- 2 bags of jumbo oyster crackers
- 1 1/2 cups olive oil
- 1/2 tsp. dill weed
- 1/2 tsp. garlic salt
- 1/2 tsp. celery salt
- 1/2 tsp. lemon pepper
Mix oil and spices together in a bowl. Place crackers in a large roasting pan and coat them with half of the oil and spice mixture. Bake at 275 degrees for 10 minutes. Stir. Add remaining oil and spices to crackers and bake for an additional 10 minutes. Place crackers in a paper bag and shake well.
6. Wrapping Holiday Gifts When I start wrapping holiday gifts, I am always channeling my inner Martha Stewart. By the end, my packages look a bit like the bowling ball gift in A Christmas Story. The Nest team knows a thing or two about wrapping gifts, and our front window and our store are peppered with beautiful packages. My niece Sydney even lent a hand in wrapping the blueprint covered presents in this year's front window.
7. Celebrating the holiday season, with YOU, our wonderful customers! Whether it is at our Holiday Open House, Small Business Saturday or Ladies Night Out this is our favorite time of year to chat with you and hear about your holiday plans. You have made being a small town business a dream come true for us! We truly wouldn't be here without YOU!
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