Support Small Business Saturday!

Capricious Whimsey is participating in Support Small Business Saturday, in an effort to help support small business during the holiday shopping season and beyond. I have decided that I will share with you some of the small businesses that I have shopped from in the past and a few more that I am planning to purchase holiday gifts from. I am not a paid spokesperson and I have not received anything in return for promoting them. I just think that small business is so important to our economy and I am passionate about helping them to succeed.

Sleeping Bear Farms

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http://www.sleepingbearfarms.com/

 Sleeping Bear Farms Star Thistle Honey is one of my most favorite honeys. It is widely considered one of the best tasting honey's in the world and it is produced in the Northern MI region from the abundant supply of Star Thistle that are native to the region. They feature other products as well, like Tupelo honey. Every year they box up the bees and take them to Florida so that they can produce this wonderful natural concoction. Either honey would make a great gift for the baker on your holiday gift giving gift list!

Pick Up Sticks Jewelry

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 http://www.pickupsticks.net/US/USA_home.html

This year I received a gift of one of these dazzling handcrafted little pewter charms. I received the Libra from their Zodiac collection. It is whimsical and every time I wear it I am complimented on it. I am planning on ordering from the Travel collection for a special gift on my Christmas List. A click on the link will take you right to their homepage where you can view the collection and locations of retailers in your area!

Jeni's Ice Cream

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http://jenisicecreams.com/

One taste of Jeni's Splendid Ice Cream and you will never want to eat grocery store ice cream ever again! This ice cream is made with the freshest ingredients and the flavor combination's are out of this world. Jeni's is starting to take off and has opened several stores in several states (please please please open one in MI). The store itself looks exactly like an ice cream store should.  

The best part, you can taste a bite of everything before you buy it. My personal fave is a scoop of backyard mint with a scoop of dark chocolate to accompany. Wait, I like the whiskey pecan and the wild-berry lavender too. Magnifique!  As the french would say. Jeni's ships and you can purchase by collection or signature flavor. Don't forget to check out the super delicious ice cream sandwiches as well. You will not be disappointed. The current Holiday collection includes Boozy Eggnog, Dark Chocolate Peppermint, Spiced Pepita Brittle and Sweet Potato with toasted marshmallow. Take a look at the photos above, and you will see that Good Humor has got NOTHING on Jeni!

Bongo Java 

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http://www.bongojava.com/index.php 

I had the opportunity when I lived in TN to work for an amazing little coffeehouse that used Bongo Java coffee beans. While the coffeehouse has since closed, I remain a huge fan of Bongo Java. They start with 100% organic and fair trade coffee beans and then roast to your desired flavor. The Ethiopian Yirgacheffe is my favorite roast. It is a full bodied smooth flavor with hints of buttery caramel and molasses. They also make the tastiest chocolate covered espresso beans. This would be an excellent idea for the coffee aficionado on your gift list!

I hope that you will at least take a look at what these business have to offer and consider purchasing from small business for some of your holiday gifts this season!

Let the shopping season Commence! A brief history of Black Friday

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Well Thanksgiving is over and we all know what that means. Now begins the countdown to Christmas and the notorious shopping day known as Black Friday. Have you ever wondered where the term Black Friday came from and how long we have been celebrating this tradition?  

Retailers have been  marketing to the American people during the holiday season since the start of our economy.  In 1924 Macy's introduced the Thanksgiving Day parade as a way to advertise and help draw in holiday sales. In response to strong motivation from retailers coming out of the great depression, in 1939 President Roosevelt actually moved Thanksgiving up a week to help retailers draw out the holiday season and maximize their profits.

The term Black Friday was not coined until the 60's however, and the term has come to mean that it was the first day of the year that the retailer finally operated in the black instead of the red. This no longer holds true as most retailers operate in the black for most of the year, otherwise they go the way of Boarders. Black Friday as we know it, did not really stick until the 1990's. Only since 2002 has Black Friday become the nations largest spending day, with the exception of 2004. (Source)

I was not to surprised that the big retail stores opened early this year. Given the state of the economy it stands to reason that we are all clutching those purse strings tight. It is a given however, that people will be spending money on the holiday season. In 2010 consumers spent $36.4 Billion, yes read that as Billion with a B, on the Christmas Holiday season. (Source)  Earlier than usual mass marketing from the big retailers suggests that they are going to be doing their best to get as many of our holiday dollars as possible. Being first to the marketplace is just one way of accomplishing that feat.

There were a few hold out stores that resisted the jump on the band wagon approach, with many customers and employees grateful for the reprieve.  Neiman Marcus and Nordstrom did not put out Christmas decorations until the evening before Thanksgiving and decided to let their employees enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday with their families. Other retailers like  Best Buy, Target and Walmart (just to name a few) opened their doors earlier on Thanksgiving, attempting to capitalize on the pre-Black Friday market with early door-buster sales offering insane deals in an effort to whip up a shopping frenzy to help you lighten your wallet and push you to spend where you might not otherwise. 

With the billions of dollars that are spent on Black Friday, how big of an impact does it really have on our economy? Some will say it has a large impact citing that it allows retailers to create much needed jobs and creates a large injection of cash into the economy. Since retail represents approximately 1/5 of the nations economy, that is viewed as a great thing. Other viewpoints on the subject suggest that since the holiday shopping season is so short, it only temporarily provides jobs for 2-3 months, and its not our economy that we are actually helping. Most of what we buy is shipped from overseas from electronics to toys, clothing, tools and housewares. It begs the question are we actually helping increase other countries GDP (gross domestic product) and stimulate their economies instead of our own?

There is no simple answer to this question since all consumer spending is not created equal.  As consumers we need to be aware of what we are buying and how to best retain our local dollars. When you eat a meal at a local restaurant more of your purchase stays in the community. The money spent will  go towards food, labor, rent and profit. If you purchased a TV from a big name retailer the money that stays is minimal, the profit and a small amount for rent and customer service. The rest, or the gross, is shipped to the foreign manufacturer, stimulating foreign economy.  

It is still important to support big retailers though.  Although most of your money ends up overseas, some of it actually stays with the retailer and is translated into local jobs and tax revenue helping your state and city governments. After all, it is your neighbor that works at the store to sell you that shiny new big screen TV and it is another neighbor that drives the truck to deliver it. Your city receives tax revenue from those big companies, even though they use every available loophole,  and that ultimately translates into city services.

I think that we need to do a better job of monitoring where we are spending our dollars. It is still ok and necessary to support big name retailers, but it is equally important to support your local small business and economy. Instead of spending ALL of your holiday dollars at mass retailer this year, decide to support your local economy, and purchase SOME of your holiday gifts from local vendors. You will allow for a larger portion of your holiday spending dollars to remain in your community, and help struggling neighboring business to stay afloat. Additionally since there is less tax breaks for smaller business, more much needed tax dollars are flowing to state and city government. You never know what kind of company they could grow to become. After all Ben & Jerry's, Microsoft, and Nike started out small, look at what we have helped them become! 

xoxo

The Mrs.

Happy Thanksgiving!

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Hem your blessings with thankfulness so they don't unravel.  ~Author Unknown

I am so thankful for the blessings in my life. This year one of the things I am most grateful for is the opportunity for my son to attend a great school where he is learning so much. His teacher is fantastic and is patiently helping him through the transition. I am so proud of my boy, he is learning to read, count money and recognize coins. Thank you Mrs Jenn for taking the time for all of your students and giving them space to grow!

Hope you all are enjoying a wonderful Thanksgiving Day!

xoxo

The Mrs.

Its Thanksgiving! What kind of wine should we drink?

I am so thankful for my sister Sandi. Not only is she an amazing sister and awesome friend, she is super talented in all things culinary. She has a degree in culinary arts and works as the wine buyer for Whole Foods in Dublin OH. We have affectionately dubbed her the head wino, and  if you really want to know about some wine folks, go and talk to her. Chances are she will pull a bottle right off the shelf and let you taste it on the spot. This lady knows her stuff. She can tell you why a wine tastes the way it does, what it is about the soil that the grapes are grown in that give it such a distinct flavor, the different process that the fruit goes through to become wine, what year is a good vintage and why. Its like having an encyclopedia of awesomeness right at my fingertips.I love to pick her brain about the "good stuff". One day, I am going to have her write a guest post all about the wonders of wine. Until then we will all have to settle for her 2011 Thanksgiving wine picks.Last night I called her to ask about some wine selections that will pair well with a traditional Thanksgiving meal. Of course she did not disappoint and the following are her selections.

FireSteed  Pinot Noir

http://www.firesteed.com/wines/pinot.htm

This is an Oregon Pinot Noir and is silky smooth with a fruity flavor. The purchase price is roughly $15.00 per bottle. For vintage of your choice and availability visit the website.

Anne Amie Pinot Noir

http://www.anneamie.com/2009-anne-amie-annahala-vineyard-pinot-noir

This Pinot is a 2009 vintage and has a black cherry, vanilla flavor with more complex notes of black tea and chocolate combined for a rich flavor. This wine retails for approximately $50.00 per bottle.

Flowers

http://flowerswinery.com/ 

Flowers pinot is a deep ruby color with fleshy bright red fruit aromas accompanied by notes of thyme, spices and black pepper. Ripe black cherry and blackberry flavors are complimented with accents of black peppercorns. This wine retails for approximately $30.00 per bottle.

Peninsula Cellars Hot Rod Cherry

http://www.peninsulacellars.com/pages.php?tabid=2&pageid=12&title=Fruit+Wines 

Hot Rod Cherry is described by Peninsula cellars as a high octane blend of Montmorencies, Ulsters, and Balatons, (all types of Traverse City Cherries) resulting in a great cherry flavor, with a hint of ginger spice.This wine retails for $12.00 a bottle.

Well there you have it folks, Sandi's 2011 Thanksgiving wine selections. I know that if you try them you will enjoy! I posted a few more links to some of Sandi's favorite local wineries and breweries.

http://www.cgtwines.com/

http://www.brysestate.com/

http://rockmillbrewery.com/cheese.php

Remember to support you local economy and shop small business for Small Business Saturday November 26, 2011.

 XOXO

The Mrs.

Gobble Gobble

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Turkey day is only a few short days away, are you ready?  If you have not yet make sure that you take the turkey out of the freezer and put it into the fridge to thaw. There is nothing worse than dealing with a still frozen turkey Thanksgiving morning. Its enough to send a hostess with the mostess into a full fledged panic attack. 

I have put together a few tried and true tips that have helped me through more than a few Thanksgiving meal preparations. First things first you need to purchase your bird. I am not going to debate the merits of free range, grass fed over frozen Butterball. Another topic for another day. Buy what suits your budget best. A good rule of thumb is to buy a pound and a half  per person. If your having 10 people you need a 15lb bird. Not everyone will eat a pound and a half, but a few things to consider are, you will loose some weight as the meat cooks, everyone has that family member who eats way more than their share and you will most likely want to have leftovers. Also if your family prefers white meat over dark you may want to consider buying an extra turkey breast. If you have a small family you may just want to do a turkey breast its much more economical, and way less hassle.

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Once you decide the perfect bird for you the next step is preparation.You can brine and roast or deep fry. One word of caution NEVER brine then deep fry. You will end up with a splattering mess and quite possible start a fire. If your family is like mine, you will never live it down! It will go down in infamy as the Thanksgiving everyone ate Chinese. 

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 When I make turkey I always brine it. It is sort of like a salt water marinade for the turkey. The salt acts to help hold in moisture so the turkey doesn't dry out as it cooks. If you decide to brine, check out this recipe from Alton Brown at the Food Network. Its simple and the results are fabulous.  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/good-eats-roast-turkey-recipe/index.html

I have never deep fried a turkey myself, so I really cant tell you too much about it. I have eaten them though and I must say they are tasty.  My sister, the chef, abhors using the injection method that is often accompanied with deep frying. Her reasoning is that it is difficult to control cross contamination. No one wants to make their dinner guest sick so if your using this approach make sure that you clean that sucker well every time you use it. 

My sister has a fool proof method to achieving a beautiful golden turkey that is not dry. Sandi suggests that you preheat your over to 500 degrees and then take a stick of butter (2 if you have a bug turkey) and throw it into the mixer. Add your chosen seasonings (this year I am using a dry cajun rub) and turn on high. You want to get a lot of air mixed into the butter and seasonings. Taste test to see if your happy with the butter/seasoning ratio. If there is too much seasoning add more butter, not enough seasoning add some more. Once your happy with the mix take your turkey out and put in the roaster pan,  pat dry with paper towel and if your squeamish put on rubber gloves at this point.  Rub the turkey with the butter seasoning mix. Use it all and slather that bad boy up!

Place the turkey into the 500 degree oven until the skin on top is nice and golden brown. Remove turkey from the oven and make a breast plate out of foil and cover just the breast part up. Turn the oven down to 350. Once the temp reaches 350 put the turkey back in and cook for the remaining time. 

Approximate Roasting Times for Stuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	3 to 3-1/2 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4-1/2 to 5-1/2 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours
20 to 24 pounds	6 to 6-1/2 hours
Approximate Roasting Times for Unstuffed Turkey
Turkey Weight	Hours
6 to 8 pounds	2-1/2 to 3 hours
8 to 12 pounds	3 to 4 hours
12 to 16 pounds	4 to 5 hours
16 to 20 pounds	5 to 5-1/2 hours
20 to 24 pounds	5-1/2 to 6 hours

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One last little bit of advice from Sandi: NO BASTING! If you  properly brine the turkey there is no need for basting. You will actually dry out the turkey by constantly opening up the oven to baste. It will take longer for the oven to heat back up and consequently it will take a lot longer for the turkey increasing the chances of it drying out. Now that we are done talking Turkey lets talk sides and dessert! The following are a few treasured family recipes.  

Aunt Delores Sweet Potato Casserole

Its easy peasy and tastes fantastic! I sort of modified it from the original to help with time and space. I use one package of Simply Potatoe's buttered and mashed sweet potatoes. Place in a mixing bowl and add 1tsp vanilla, 3 tbs brown sugar and 3 tbs butter. Mix well and spread into a 2 quart baking dish. In a separate bowl mix 1/2 cup brown sugar, 1/3 cup flour, 1/3 cup melted butter and 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans. Spread over top of sweet potato mixture and bake @350 for 30-40 minutes. 

 Aunt Sue's Corn Casserole 

One can creamed corn, one can whole sweet corn and one box of Jiffy corn bread. Mix the contents of all 3(dont drain the whole corn)  in a baking dish with one egg and dot the top with butter. Bake @ 350 for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. 

Pumpkin Torte

One pre-made graham cracker crust. 2 small boxes of Jello Pumpkin Spice Pudding, 3 1/2 cups of milk, One super large container of cool whip and pumpkin pie spice (for garnish).  In a large mixing bowl add both boxes of jello and milk and mix well. Add about 1/2 of the mixture to the pie shell (1st layer). Add 2 cups of cool whip to the remaining Jello, mix well and pour over the 1st layer. Refrigerate about an hour until pudding is well set. Top with remaining whip cream and sprinkle with pumpkin pie spice.  

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Hope you all have a fantastic holiday filled with lots of good food, family and love!

xoxo

The Mrs

Getting into the Spirit

       When I was young I was mesmerized by my mom & aunties Christmas trees. They have inspired my love of decorating and they really dress the best trees ya’ll. They have erected glorious examples of the holiday spirit at its best. There have been trees that spin and play music covered in Hallmarks finest, trees sprayed with white flocking with twinkly lights and beautiful silver and white glass bulbs, teddy bear trees, feather trees, old fashion 50’s trees, santa trees, patriotic trees and skinny trees with a country touch. I think there was even a Longaberger tree too at one point, if I am not mistaken. I love their imagination when it comes to decorating for the holidays. We always had the best time helping them decorate and undecorated the trees and I am excited to carry on these traditions with my own family.

         

Today we decided to take a country drive and do just that.

We went to Silver Bells in Dundee MI. 

Did you spot the left over Jack's in the window?

I love little historic towns! The shops are so unique and very quaint. There is getting to be less and less small town America and I think it is so important to support the small businesses that are left. In time like these some are fading fast and could really use our support.

Historic Dundee is a beautiful community. I love these “dam” waterfalls all over the Rasin River. There are a few by our house too. I love the sound of the rushing water. It reminds me of the ocean.

Silver Bells is an old Victorian style house with a small barn and it is nothing but Christmas. 

I was so proud of Tyler for keeping his hands to himself. This place was full of glass and I was afraid it was going to be like letting a bull loose in a china shop, but he was so well behaved. I was shocked to be honest and upon leaving we promptly rewarded his good behavior with his favorite lunch, cheeseburgers.  

I’ll let the pictures explain for themselves how cool this place is. They are reasonably priced too. Upon entering you’re greeted by this friendly little guy guarding Santa’s mail.

Here are his buddies, right on the other side of the door. 

They welcome you in and sit atop a beautiful oak fireplace under a table loaded with samples of delicious holiday treats. My diet and the size of the line did not allow me to get a closer shot. It’s hard to exercise self-control here and I did not want to start a downward slide my waist or wallet could not recover from.  

 This first tree is in the room right off the entryway. The tree is hung upside down from the ceiling and decorated in black and silver. Its gorgeous and the pictures don’t really do it justice.

I love the masks!

And the sparkles!

This is such a sweet tree. The colors are so vibrant.

I really like how they did not stick with tradition for the tops of the tree. They are whimsical and sparkly! Just the way I like it!

 At only $6.95 this cupcake is cute and cheap!

 

I love the idea of personalizing your Christmas tree. 

Every year I take my ornaments out, it’s like a little trip back in time to the places and times they have come from. There are baby’s first Christmas’s, Just Married, first home and scores of others that represent our lives, travels and personalities. On our tree you will find Elmo and Homer, Winnie the Pooh, Barbie’s shoe tree, Irish Angels, Czech Santas and Vintage Elves. In addition to sand dollars from Tybee and a cherished inherited collection of Baldwin Brass. The tree has become for us, a collection of our heritage and a sort of time line of our lives. This is the treasure that came home today. 

Here we have the makings of a very patriotic tree. 

The military nutcrackers are awesome. So are these cute bears!

This woodland tree would look fabulous in a modern neutral living room. 

These nutcrackers always remind me of my brother. My mom started him a collection when he was young. Hope his future wife likes Christmas too tee-hee.

A snowman family

A sparkly sandcastle

Chinese take-out and a fortune cookie

Cuban Cigar anyone?

Evles on a shelf, a very cute story and the makings of a happy holiday tradition.

These two guard the parking lot. Who would do wrong with the big guy watching?      

  

I recently came across an idea for I tree I can’t wait to give a try. It’s called a memory tree. The tree is decorated with black and white photos attached to cardstock and hung with ribbon. The photos are from the family collection and represent lost loved ones, births, weddings and precious milestones. I am thinking of doing this on a small table top skinny tree. I’ll keep you posted about the results.

I hope these photos help to get you in the holiday spirit! I know I am like a kid in a candy store I just can’t wait to get that tree out of storage and dress her up in some lights, sparkles, and glittery baubles!

Xoxo

The Mrs.