While shorter than the rest of the months, February certainly doesn't lack in the fun department (like August). There's the Superbowl, the Oscars, and Valentine's Day.  Toss in the Grammys and Mardi Gras for even more fun.  

We have our own celebrating to do this month as we wrap up our second year.  Our blogiversary is March 1 and we will be celebrating throughout the month by bringing you special posts and contests.

Below you will find our tentative plans for the month.  I hope you enjoy it.   

Winter chill is all around.  There have been a few days lately that left me feeling as though warming up was hopeless.  It doesn't help that I haven't much hair on top.  I must admit that I am quite comfortable wearing a winter hat around the house.  

To ward off some of the cold, I decided to attack the problem from the inside out.  This warm cocktail is a good start.  Enjoy it fireside with your fuzzy-socked feet propped up.

savour... a cup of warm

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It doesn’t always go right.

My original plan for today’s post was very different than what you see.  I typically make the treat of the week on the weekend before it is to be posted.  That way I have a few days to edit the photos and prep the post, and worst case scenario, come up with something new in the event that my first plan didn’t work.  The latter almost never happens, but it did this weekend.  I had planned a very tantalizing and unique chess pie that ended up looking like curdled milk in a pie shell… definitely NOT Lola approved.

Inspired by a clip I saw (and presented) of the short film The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom I got back to work on this week’s offering.  The cupcakes are pretty in pink and dotted with maraschino cherry bits.  Both colors of icing are almond flavored butter cream which pairs very nicely with the cherry flavored cake.

This treat is very easy to make and would be perfect for Valentine’s Day.  The two toned swirled butter cream is easier than you think.  The instructions are here with the recipe.

savour… the cherry on top

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This week the Sundance Film Festival is in full swing in Park City, Utah.  The festival continues to grow in popularity and importance each year.  The award ceremony will be held on Sunday at 7pm MT time.  You can see it with live steamed at www.sundance.org/live.

This year there was a record number of short film entries.  The entries were narrowed down to 64.  Today we are spotlighting clips from a few of the winners.  Enjoy.

The first is the Jury Prize in Short Filmmaking, Fishing Without Nets.  This is the story of Somaili pirates told from the perspective of the pirates themselves.

The Return, winner of Jury Prize in Short Film, International Fiction, tells the tale of a man locked away in a Serb prison and his return to his family 4 years later after being declared missing. 

This picturesque film, The Tsunami and the Cherry Blossom, won the Jury Prize in Short Film, Non-Fiction.  Here we see the beauty of Japan's most revered flower inspiring its people to persevere amid a sea of destruction.

Jury Prize in Animated Short Film, A Morning Stroll, is pure fun.

For more information about these films and the other films of Sundance be sure to visit their site at www.sundance.org.

Soup month and the Chinese New Year collide here to bring us the inspiration for today’s post.  While this might not be traditional Chinese fare, it incorporates some of our favorite things about fresh Asian soups.  We like to call it Dragon Soup.  Our soup is basic at its heart, but made better with ginger and a bit of heat. 

One of the most appealing qualities of soup is its forgiving nature.  You can put a little less of this or more of that and still arrive at a very tasty result.  If there are ingredients in this soup that don’t appeal to you, substitute them with something else or omit them completetly.

For more authentic taste, use real Chinese noodles.  They have a unique flavor and, fortunately, are more widely available than ever before.  Check the import section of your local supermarket.

savour… oodles of noodles

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Happy New Year or 新年快乐 . The celebration of the Chinese New Year has begun.  There are many interesting customs surrounding this special time in the Chinese calendar.  Even if you don’t adopt all of the ideas, you may find some fun new traditions for your family and gain an understanding of another culture along the way.  Be sure to check out our earlier post for more information about the Chinese New Year.

One of the customs that we have adopted (much to our children's delight) is the red envelope.  This envelope is filled with a bit of cash and the hope of prosperity and luck. 

To aid in your celebrating efforts we have created a red envelope printable for you to use.  Simply print this on some red paper or cardstock, embellish just a bit with gold marker.  Then you just need to glue where indicated and you are all set.

savour... year of the dragon

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With winter whipping around your ears you might be finding it more and more challenging to pull yourself out of bed.  I think this ought to do the trick.  Our treat of the week for today would be perfect for Sunday breakfast.  We have made our classic oatmeal muffin and topped it with some Mostly Cream Cheese Icing and Citrus Marmalade.

The oatmeal muffin is a terrific breakfast pastry to have in your arsenal.  This go to treat is sweet, has just a few simple ingredients, and can be made very quickly.  We turned down the sweet-meter on the cream cheese icing to counter the sweetness of the muffin and marmalade.  The combination is heaven.

savour… a warm oven on a winter's day

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