Hina Matsuri is one of the prettiest Japanese holidays, in my opinion. I love the pink colors, and the beautifully elaborate doll displays. Also, it’s a nice reminder that spring is on its way! Here is a little bit of information about Hina Matsuri, if you’re wondering what it’s all about. This is from PingMag.jp:

The overall idea of Hina-matsuri is to wish girls a healthy growth. In a family where a baby girl is born, parents give a set of dolls called “Hina-Ningyo” to the baby at her first Hina-matsuri hoping that she will grow happy, healthy and beautiful. Every year they keep decorating the dolls on the day of Hina-matsuri and hold a party to celebrate the child’s growth with some cake or tiny rice cakes.

I remember those special sweets and treats from a trip my family took to Japan when I was in elementary school. It was such an amazing experience to see, touch, taste, smell, and hear all of the elements of the celebration, especially when we visited the home of some long-lost relatives. I was about ten years old, and it made an indelible impression on my young mind.

Happy Hina Matsuri, everyone!

This MPK Adventures strip is new to me, but I thought this was really funny! If it’s too small for you to read here, click on it and visit the site.

Hubby got me a mini box of chocolates. I ate them all! I did not share.

You’ve probably seen the OfficeMax commercials for Elf Yourself. It’s a web application that lets you upload your own photo, crop it to fit an elf hat, and then watch yourself do an elf dance with up to three of your friends. Silly, but so fun! I did one with my own face first, and then I made one with my kids (above). Aren’t they cute?!

I’ve heard that people without high speed connections aren’t able to enjoy the show, so keep that in mind. You can see my elf dance here, or make your own. [Edit: Sorry, but the ElfYourself service must have been just for the holidays. It doesn't work anymore, but it was fun while it lasted!]

We went to my husband’s annual company Christmas party on Friday. This was the second one I’ve been to, having attend last year’s party for the first time. And since I have a hard time even remembering the names of my own children at times, I am pretty hopeless when it comes to putting names to the faces of people I only see once a year.

One thing I do to make it easier to remember names is to make them into funny nicknames or phrases. For example, here are some of the lovely people I met this year (real names have been changed):

“Fudgey” Carrie: The lady whose husband offered to marry me after sampling the fudge I sent into the office with Hubby

Matthew “Hannah Montana”: The SuperDad who took his daughter to the Hannah Montana concert, and is apparently scarred for life

Lizzie “Spanx”: The coworker who decided she loved the homemade treats I sent in so much, that she bought Spanx for the party so she could continue to indulge during the week

Don “The Arguer”: The one who drives his secretary crazy by trying to reinvent the wheel, even though she’s been doing this for 30 years already

The party was a blast, by the way, and the people were just as fun as their names imply. Happy Holidays to all!

Making a perfect pie crust is a skill that can take years to perfect. How can something made from such simple ingredients be so difficult to master? I don’t know! That’s why I always buy pre-made crusts! But this year, I am going to figure out the magic and mystery behind homemade pie crust.

I have gathered some helpful video tutorials on pie crust making, along with some highly-rated recipes, and put them all together on this page. I’ve included video from Alton Brown and Cat Cora, as well as some home cooks.

It’s amazing how you can conjure such a delicious, tender, flaky, golden, crispy, soft, beautiful crust from just flour, fat, salt, and water. Sure, some people add extra stuff, but the basics are always the same. I’ve never had great success with pie crust. Maybe it’s because I’m too impatient to mix the cold fat with the flour properly. Or maybe it’s because my hands are always warm, so the dough gets sticky and overworked. I don’t know. But I hope I can figure it out this season. Otherwise, it’s back to the frozen crusts for good!

I know it’s not even Halloween yet, but with the kids’ school “fall” parties (they don’t call it “Halloween” anymore, apparently) finished up and Christmas merchandise already showing up at Target, I can’t help but think ahead a bit.

I’ve been putting together a page on Thanksgiving recipes over at Squidoo. It’s been a lot of fun researching the various ways of preparing turkey, carving turkey, mashing potatoes, etc. It has me reminiscing about my first Thanksgiving with my husband, and that always makes me laugh. So in the interest of sharing a smile today, here is my personal, embarrassing turkey misadventure story. Enjoy!

We’d been married about six months by our first Thanksgiving together as a married couple. We lived in an apartment with a small electric oven. I was so excited! You know… “Look at me! I’m such the little wife cooking for my new hubby…”

I roasted a turkey, fixed up the trimmings, complete with cranberries from a can and Stove Top stuffing. When it was finished, he carved up the bird, my manly husband, and discovered something strange inside the breast. What the heck?! Did we get a defective turkey?!

We examined the pale, wrinkled, alien membrane, and figured out that I had forgotten to remove the bag of neck and giblets before I cooked the turkey. Yes, the bag of turkey guts was still inside, like an unexpected prize inside a cereal box. But instead of a super secret spy decoder ring, it was a baked bag of neck, gizzard, liver, and heart. Now, I’m sure that lots of people love to eat those parts, but we are not those people. I was quite embarrassed, especially when he told his mother about it. Fortunately, I have an excellent sense of humor. We still laugh about it!

And in case you’re wondering, the rest of the turkey was fine. We still ate it, we’re still married, and we’re still laughing about it, twelve years later!

Lots of kids, lots of shoes