Updated (pictures of Hamantaschen):
I’ve written about it before, but every year, our family has a tradition to send out big boxes of candy and cookies at Purim called Mishloach Manot. There is the core list of family and friends who receive a box every year, but we also add four new people. The ChickieNob and Wolvog each chose a friend, Josh picked a couple from work, and I am once again turning over my basket to the collective “you” of the Internets (Allison from Our Own Creation won last year).
Every year, the boxes also have a theme. Last year, it was Thing Two and Thing One from the Cat in the Hat (because it was a leap month year) and all of the cookies and candies had two tastes (salty/sweet, smooth/crunchy, etc). This year, we let the twins pick the theme and they chose Barack Obama (and we may have modified it a bit to incorporate “hope”). The box is set up to become an instant party; just supply reason for celebration.
Cup o’ Joe (the Plumber) Toffee: a brown sugar and coffee-based toffee coated in milk chocolate.
Lollipops: what else could capture the skip Sasha did exiting the Inauguration than a lollipop? We hope they bring a spring to your step as you eat them (I have made a special batch of pomegranate-flavoured lollipops for the winner of this basket in the shape of Infertility’s Common Thread).
Bittersweet Caramels: it’s a difficult time for our nation and we tried to capture the sweetness of hope for the future with the salty reality of today.
Sugar Flowers: we’ve provided the cupcake decorations; you provide the reason for the celebration. We’d love to hear about your party.
Plus, back by popular demand, my chocolate chip cookies and dark cherry or raspberry hamantaschen (both original recipes).
This is one of my only recipes I don’t like to give out. It’s because it’s more technique than ingredients and requires a huge production. To explain: I can only make about 6 cookies every 20 or 30 minutes. So I’ll make them for you, but I won’t pass along the recipe.
But don’t they look good?
I’m going to draw a name out of a hat (literally, one of Josh’s nasty baseball caps–I said that last year and he got pissed so I thought I’d say it again) on February 27th in the morning and announce the winner in the Roundup (in other words, this giveaway closes on Friday let’s say around 8 a.m. EST). I’ll need your address and will mail the box on March 3rd.
If you’re squeamish about giving an address, you can pass along the gift to another person (don’t place addresses in the comment section–I only need it if you win). If you don’t have a blog and you don’t plan on checking the Roundup, leave a way to contact you with your comment. Actually, leave a way to contact you period so we can discuss food allergies and aversions so I don’t send you something you hate. If you win, you’re part of the family, so you can modify your box. Here’s what you need to do to win:
- Leave a comment below (yes, a box full of candy for the low low price of one comment!)
- Tell me one of the following things: (1) somewhere you left a comment already today–and feel free to leave, write a comment somewhere, and come back AND/OR (2) something that you read on another IF/loss/adoption blog in the last few days that touched you–either something very moving or funny or thoughtful. If you can provide a link to that other blog in the comment section or tell people where to look, I’d appreciate it.
- Think of it as if you are creating the Friday Blog Roundup in the comments section. Honour another person’s writing today–either generally by telling where you left a comment or specifically–stating a post that moved you.
- If you can do (1) and (2), all the better.
It is meant to draw attention to moving or interesting things you’ve read recently since the Roundup usually only contains 4 or 5 posts and I read many many more than that each week; it’s simply a matter of space.
You can enter two or three or five hundred times by leaving more than one comment below, but your name will only be added to the hat once. I will also love you forever if you read down the list and click over to read the other posts listed in the comment section. If the commentor only provided the blog name and post title, you can find them on the blogroll. And don’t just hit the first ones at the top of the comment list. Make sure you hit some of the people in the middle or bottom of the list and leave them a comment telling them that you agree with the original commentor–their writing does rock.
My usual blog rules apply: any spam is deleted–the point is to honour another person, not drum up business for a Viagra website–as well as anything rude.
Sugar flowersThis is all about sweetness–we could all use some sweetness in our lives. And if you are so inclined, pull together your own gift some time soon and send it along to another reader. And may the most randomly-picked person win.
Updated:
The first batch of raspberry hamantaschen, golden brown