Waiting For The Polar Express In Upper Montclair NJ

This evening's snowfall,

 the first of the season in Upper Montclair,

 left me wondering why no one was waiting for the Polar Express at the local train station

Ishababies Peach Girl Joins The Fun At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Inspired by the essence of tangy preserves and piping hot cobblers, the Peach flavor evokes the wonder inherent in the Ishababies® family.

Play with her lush lemony locks! Take her anywhere, cuddle with her, and tell her your deepest secrets!

Each Friend is made with a 100% super soft cotton exterior, all new interior and detailed with elegant simplicity. Ishababies® are child-safe, lead free and have no buttons or hard surfaces. They are great fun for kids of all ages! Ishababies® are distinguished by their 8 ‘flavors’ with a girl and boy in each one.

For babies and kids 3 to 103, this soft-sculptured companion is the best friend they'll ever have. Peach Girl is 10" tall and like all members of the critically acclaimed Ishababies® family, her purpose is to add joy and balance to each life he touches. Plus, we think the diapers are hysterical!



Contains all new materials, filled with polyester fibers.

Isha (short for Aisha) means life. Ishababies® represent the uniqueness of each of us within the global village. Each of the Ishababies® has his and her own special eye, hair and complexion color, without representing any specific background or ethnicity.

For Isababies creator Aisha Bailey, this is a special calling. Her acclaimed Ishababies® are among the first such line with a global range of characters to be designed by an African-american woman. To her, it is most important that the Ishababies® family "creates a strong sense of appreciation of oneself and others for all people everywhere". The Ishababies® theme is "One World...All Flavors"®.

For ages 3+ but we are sure even adults will love her. Among the reasons why we love Ishababies is all facial features are embroidered - so even if a younger brother or sister grab your Ishababy, there is not a chocking hazard. All genuine Ishababies have the artists signature and trademarked diaper on their bum, er, we mean bottom.

This is Peach Girl. She is one of 16 members of the highly acclaimed Ishababies® family all available in our store. (and while we are currently undergoing renovations (i.e. new servers are being installed) you can find all the fun from Tuesdays And Thursdays at Amazon.com!

Visit Our Amazon.com Storefront Today : Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

“It doesn’t happen all at once… You become.”
- Margery Williams, author of The Velveteen Rabbit

Favourite Recipe Remixed : Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies

One of the classic American Recipes that everyone enjoys - so why not repeat it here!

We've made a few discoveries that have improved upon and remixed this classic - read about them after the original recipe.

Original NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Chocolate Chip Cookies


2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
1 cup chopped nuts

Directions:
PREHEAT oven to 375° F (190° C)

COMBINE flour, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and vanilla extract in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts. Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
And Now The Remix :

Having had the opportunity to make several batches of these classic cookies, and run side by side taste tests, there are a few things that we've learned can make these cookies even better than you remember!
Unsalted Butter. Using unsalted butter, often called "Sweet Butter" is a must the kitchen. The butter is actually fresher since it doesn't have salt, a preservative, in it, and the butter flavor pops, big time. When we made batches of toll house cookies with both salted and unsalted butter, the batches made with unsalted butter were favored by everyone. (afterwards we told them the secret)

Raw Sugar. Most of us have become so accustomed to refined white sugar that its the only thing found in most kitchens these days. We changed up the recipe to use raw sugar (turbinado sugar) which is a less processed sugar and a light brown in color. Making side by side batches we found that everyone preferred the flavour in the batch made with raw sugar AND, the carmel in the cookies developed making them a feast for the eyes as well! Our favorite brand is Sugar In The Raw which gets all of its sugar from Hawaii.

Vanilla Extract. (Vanilla Essence) Go with a name brand; some of the store brands of vanilla essence are so diluted with alcohol that there really isn't much flavor when compared to the name brand vanilla.

Nuts. Walnuts seem to be the traditional nut for chocolate chip cookies, but mix thing up a bit : we can't decide if our favourite is pecan, hazelnut or macadamia. Perhaps it's time to bake a few batches to conduct a new taste test!

Ginger Chips: Leave out the cup of nuts and replace them with a cup of ginger chips. Ginger cakes had a major part in holiday celebrations of the early colonies so why not bring a little of that all American 18th Century tradition to this 20th Century tradition? The Ginger People make ginger chips for baking but if you cannot locate them finely diced crystalized ginger works perfectly well.

Dark Chocolate Baking Chips: Why not? The folks at Nestle are probably going to scream when they see that I suggest using something other than their chips but Dark Chocolate Baking Chips are an incredible change to this recipe.

Amy Smyth Made It Christmas Cards

TOO FAR Christmas Cards

Pack of 10 Cards and Envelopes

Face of Card reads "When Green Movement Goes TOO FAR" and features a Christmas Tree topped with an energy efficient light bulb. Inside reads "Put A Star on th Tree and Have A Happy Holiday"

Made in the USA using recycled paper with at least 50% post consumer content. Recycled paper is used used for both the cards and envelopes. Created by reknoned Virginia artist Amy Smyth.

Find more brilliantly funny cards and whimsical invitations from Amy Smith in our store.

“Wisdom begins in wonder.”

- Socrates

Ceiling Murals At An Episcopal Church In Nutley NJ

Discovering New Jersey has provided some real shockers. Between all the McMansions encased in "brick face" and just down the street from a home made famous in Baristanet for its flying of the Confederate flag is a small Episcopal Church with some of the most outstanding examples of early 20th Century Christian artwork.


The Birth of the Saviour.
The Flight into Egypt.

Christ taken from the Cross.

Michelle Obama's Shortbread Cookie Recipe (repost of a favorite)

Michelle Obama’s Shortbread Cookies

The recipe comes courtesy of Mama Kaye, the godmother of both Obama daughters. Orange and lemon zest gives the squares plenty of citrus zing.

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons sugar
2 egg yolks
2 tablespoons Amaretto (almond liqueur)
1 teaspoon each orange and lemon zest
3 cups cake flour (not self-rising)
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 beaten egg white
Chopped nuts or dried fruit (optional)

Method:
Heat oven to 325°.

Line a 17 x 12 x 1-inch baking pan with nonstick foil. In large bowl, cream together butter and 11/2 cups of the sugar.

Slowly add egg yolks, and beat well until smooth. Beat in Amaretto and zest.
Stir in flour and salt until combined.

Spread dough evenly into prepared pan, flattening as smoothly as possible.
Brush top of dough with egg white; sprinkle with nuts or fruit (if using) and with remaining 2 tablespoons sugar.

Bake at 325° for 25 minutes or until brown, turn off oven and allow cookies to sit in oven (with door ajar) for 15 minutes. Cut while slightly warm.

Yields: 6 dozen 2" x 3" cookies

Top Gear Season 13 Premiere : 25 January 2010

Mark The Date : Season 13 of BBCAmerica's Revved Up Auto Show "Top Gear"

 Premieres Monday 25 January 2010 

Dear Santa : I Want A Ford Fiesta

in Green Apple please

Favourite Tweet Of The Day : On Grammar from @troymjohnson

@TroyMJohnson:
 Exclamation marks are the flamboyant drag queen of grammar.

Follow @TroyMJohnson on the Twitscape: @TroyMJohnson on Twitter

Cindy McCain's 3-Minute No-Bake Cookies

This is a really simple stove top cookie recipe that we discovered in Yankee Magazine as a part of it's 2007 Cookie Primary. What we love about the recipe is that it requires no oven time - so those among us who have lots of cookies to make can prepare this recipe while others are awaiting oven time.

Cindy McCain's 3-Minute No-Bake Cookies

Ingredients:
2 cups granulated sugar
8 tablespoons (1 stick) margarine or butter
1/2 cup low-fat milk
1/3 cup baking cocoa
3 cups oats (quick or old-fashioned*, uncooked)

Method:
In large saucepan, combine sugar, margarine, milk and cocoa.

Bring to boil over medium heat, stirring frequently. Continue boiling 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

Remove from heat. Stir in oats.*

Drop by tablespoonfuls onto waxed paper. Let stand until firm. Store tightly covered.

*If using old-fashioned oats, cool mixture in saucepan 5 minutes.

Yield:
About 3 dozen cookies

Debunking Climate Change Debunkers

It's 1 December 2009 and there is an Iris blooming in the garden. This is supposed to happen in May. The climate is definitely messed up.

I am #EpiscopalianBecause / The Episcopal Church Welcomes You

There is a new hashtag series on twitter called "EpiscopalianBecause." In the spirit of communion and community I just had to share some of what was posted. I've left off the names of the people tweeting, because, after all this isn't about the people in the church, its about the people of the church : the hearts, the minds, the love. The series isn't about we're right, you're wrong, it's about "you are welcome at the table" regardless of your station in life or journey of belief, or non-belief for that matter.

New Hashtag Series: Share your thoughts with our community. What's your reason for being Episcopalian? #EpiscopalianBecause

I am an #episcopalianbecause , of all the traditions in the church, the greatest is love.

I am #EpiscopalianBecause the worship of the church has shaped and formed my life, both from its consistency and its theology.

The brain is as much an instrument of faith as the heart. #EpiscopalianBecause

#EpiscopalianBecause I am as in love with the people as they are in love

 with the gospel and following His Word.

I am #EpiscopalianBecause we welcome all of Gods children & strive
to respect the dignity of every human being.

I'm #EpiscopalianBecause I believe we do far better when we serve

 rather than berate each other.

Liturgy, Eucharist, Freedom to ask questions, Tradition... #EpiscopalianBecause

I am an #EpiscopalianBecause as some recent literature recently put it,
 you don't have to leave your brain at the door on Sunday.

I'm an #episcopalianbecause Jesus never turned people away, and neither do we.

Grace is taught without apology --
its never cheap, always welcome, and comes in exorbitant heaps.

 #EpiscopalianBecause

I am an #episcopalianbecause, of all the traditions in the church,
 the greatest is love.

I am never ashamed to state the social justice and policy stances of my church.
 ALL of my friends are welcome. #EpiscopalianBecause

Because my husband is Jewish, and we are still welcome. #EpiscopalianBecause

#EpiscopalianBecause modern, inclusive & nonliteral interpretations of God's word meet

ancient traditions/liturgy Love it

#EpiscopalianBecause Both Patrick Kennedy and Pope Benedict would be welcomed

 to communion at my church.

I am an #EpiscopalianBecause I choose the middle-way, and all the messy humanity that comes with it

I am #EpiscopalianBecause The Episcopal Church Welcomes You,

 and You,
 and You,
 and even you over there,

 yeah you.

Find More #EpiscopalBecause Tweets By Clicking Here

It's Cyber Monday - Happy Shopping!

Ze Super Zeros have arrived at Tuesdays And Thursdays!

Ze Super Zeros have super powers ... but they also have flaws that negate those powers. (a great lesson for children who often forget what they can do and instead focus on what they cannot do) Zonk the Monkey, for instance, is a self-proclaimed "super climber," yet he's also afraid of heights. Oh my!




Each of the super zeros wears a mask - as all super characters should - and their capes are detachable! Find the collection of Super Zeros at Tuesdays and Thursdays.



Visit Our Amazon.com Storefront Today : Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Magnetic Poetry Foodie Edition : Now In Stock At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Magnetic Poetry is so much fun - turning a trip to the fridge into a literary experience! One of the newest specialty sets of magnetic poetry is the Foodie Kit.

The Foodie Kit will satisfy the appetite of gourmands everywhere with over 240 magnetic word tiles featuring words like carpaccio, free-range, mushroom, succulent, and tapenade.




Visit Our eBay Store : Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary to find "Foodie" and other fun Magnetic Poetry speciality sets.

Bananagrams With Free Shipping - At Tuesdays And Thursdays

Tuesdays and Thursdays offers Bananagrams with Free Shipping to All US Addresses

Bananagrams is a FAST and FUN word game that requires NO pencil, paper or board. All you need is a table. One hand can be played in as little as 5 minutes. Great family fun as well as being educational! Bananagrams portability makes it perfect for travel. Just grab the pouch and go!

Place all 144 tiles face down on center of table. These tiles are referred to as the "BUNCH". For games of 2-4 people, each player takes 21 letters from the bunch, keeping them face down. For 5-6 players, 15 letters are taken. For 7-8 (or more) players, 11 letters are taken.

Any one player says "SPLIT" whereupon all players turn their own tiles face up and proceed to form their OWN collection of connecting and intersecting words. The words may be horizontal or vertical, reading left to right or top to bottom. Each player may rearrange his/her own words as often as desired. Players DO NOT take turns, but play independently of each other and at the same time.

After playing at the New York Toy Fair (and missing an appointment with another supplier because we were having so much fun) we just knew that we had to offer Bananagrams for our customers! You'll go bananas for Bananagrams !

The FREE SHIPPING OFFER to all US addresses comes from the Tuesdays And Thursdays is available in our eBay store.

Visit Our eBay Store : Tuesdays and Thursdays - Making Ordinary Days Extraordinary

Williams Sonoma All New Green Bean Casserole - Remixed

Doing the Technique Classes at Williams-Sonoma has been an interesting experience that has been a lot of fun and an great learning adventure. Perhaps the most eye-opening thing for me was discovering how much knowledge of food and culinary history I have locked in my brain, it's about time I get some of that info in a shareable format, but for today it's just a remix of the Thanksgiving Modern Classic "Green Bean Casserole."

This recipe was posted about a fortnight ago, but after having repeated the recipe in the class today, and having so many people ask for the recipe again, it's worthy of a repost.

The original Green Bean Casserole recipe was created by an employee of the Campbell Soup Company called Dorcas Reilly in 1955. The recipe consisted of Canned Green Beans, Canned Cream of Mushroom Soup, and Canned Fried Onions. What foodies like me often forget is that the era of the New Frontier celebrated convenience and new technology; it was a period where doing without (as was the case with the Depression and the War) was in the past, the 1950's was a period of doing things the new modern American way! And the results were poodle skirts, the Edsel, and green bean casserole. The original recipe for Green Bean Casserole now has a place of honor in the National Inventors Hall Of Fame in Akron Ohio. (anyone for a roadtrip?)

In the repetoire of classes offered in Williams Sonoma stores in the Fall of 2009 was one called "Make Ahead Feast" which featured "The All-New Green Bean Casserole." That recipe was adapted from the Williams-Sonoma Comfort Foods by Rick Rodgers (Oxmoor House, 2009), and I have taken the WS adaption and re-mixed it a bit myself to meet the needs of the people in my class who lead some really busy lives. Here goes :

Ingredients :

1 1/2 - 2 pounds frozen cut green beans (use fresh trimmed green beans when in season)

2 Tbs unsalted butter

10 oz sliced baby bella (the little portobella) mushrooms (see variation below)

3 Tbs minced shallots (if shallots are not available, finely diced onion works well)

1/4 cup all purpose flour

1 cup half-and-half (using milk produces a less creamy, but equally delicious result)

1 cup chicken stock (see variation below)

1 tsp soy sauce

Method:

Preheat oven to 350 F. Lightly butter a deep 2 1/2 quart baking dish. (In our most recent class, and for my Thanksgiving Dinner I prepared the entire dish in a 4 1/2 quart oval Le Creuset Casserole which can be used on the stove top and in the oven)

Bring a large saucepan of salted boiling water to a boil over high heat. Add the green beans and cook until tender-crisp, about 4 minutes. (We found that using a larger pot meant less of a temperature drop of the water when the frozen beans where added). Drain and rinse under cold water; allow excess water to drain off in a colander or pat dry with paper towels. (If in a hurry, giving the beans a good shake to remove most of the water worked well also)

In a saucepan over medium heat melt about half of the the unsalted butter. Add the sliced mushrooms until they are nicely browned and start to give off their juices. Stir in the minced shallots and cook until softened. Add the rest of the butter now (this butter, along with the juices from the mushrooms and shallots will create the sauce.) Sprinkle the vegetables with the flour and stir well. (tossing all the flour in at one spot will create lumps, so sprinkle, I'd even go as far as calling this step "dusting")

Slowly stir in the half-and-half, stock and soy sauce. While stirring often, bring the mixture to a low boil. Reduce heat and allow the mixture to simmer until thickened, about 4 minutes. Stir in the green beans. Season to taste (each time I made the dish I seasoned with only pepper and everyone loved it). Pour the entire mixture into the baking dish.

(Up to this point the entire dish can be prepared the day ahead and stored, covered in the refigerator)

Bake the dish in the preheated 350F oven until the liquid is bubbling, about 20 minutes if going right into the oven, about 30 minutes if its coming from the refrigerator

The Williams Sonoma recipe called for dredging some shallot rings in flour and deep frying them to use as a topping which would be added just before serving. That's all well and good but I prefer to bring a little nostalgia to the recipe and use some of those wonderful Durkee Onions. (Of course, with all the wonderful fresh flavors going on in this casserole you might decide to skip the "topping" all together - no one in the classes seemed to mind!)

Variations : If Baby Bellas are not available, substitute common white champignons (yes, button mushrooms have a cool name).

To really switch things up try a dried mushroom mixture; rehydrate the mushrooms reserving any remaining liquid to replace some of the chicken stock. This variation is uber mushroomy.

(The "Remain Perky" image avobe is actually a greeting card created by Virginia Artist Amy Smyth)

The Gospel According To Alice Walker

“Anyone can observe the Sabbath,

 but making it holy surely takes the rest of the week.”

- Alice Walker