Studio Report

This week I'm getting ready to go back to Nashville to finish vocals and extra's on the album. I have so much to do and things were so busy over Christmas that I'll probably be spending hours in front of the computer working last minute on vocal arrangements and synth parts. I thought I'd include a few pictures of my little studio set up I have at home. You can see it's not much, but it's been really helpful with song-writing and demoing. I prepared for my first Nashville trip by pre-recording all of the piano parts which saved us a lot of time during the first week of recording. I'm really happy with how everything is sounding so far. It's been incredibly fulfilling to experience these songs taking shape. I've decided to title the album Days of Eden. It's based on a song I wrote several years ago that has been "waiting in the wings" so to speak. Release date is still TBD, but hopefully I'll know more after this next trip to Nashville.
Kristin

An Apron For Any Occasion

From time to time, prospective future Apronique wearers will comment to us how much they like our aprons, but in their words, "I just don't cook!" Well, we've been saying that whether you are a gourmet diva or take out queen, you can always don your apronique apron. So, now I'm living proof. Today Stella and I had my parents and grandmother over for lunch. For the past three years, we've included this in our normal lineup of Christmas traditions and activities, shortly after my grandmother arrives in town for Christmas. Well amidst the typical business of the season, and my inability to think ahead more, the menu was simply grilled cheese, sliced apples, pretzel sticks, extra Christmas goodies (courtesy of Marilyn), and hot tea. You can see in the picture that my spread was beyond humble. Nevertheless, I proudly wore my apron just because--well even though it was thrown together, wearing the apron somehow made the occasion seem a bit more special. See, it's not that you have to be the world's best and most together hostess or have credentials of Rachel Ray; it's that you make an experience worth remembering in the simplest of ways, even on an otherwise ordinary day.

This Christmas has been different. Usually by now we have a huge spread of elaborately decorated Christmas cookies that are days in the making. We normally make them at the home of my parents, but they have been in the midst of remodeling their house, and that kept us from being able to make them this year. Otherwise, I would have included lots of pictures of our hard and meticulous work. That just leaves more fun for next year when Stella will be able to help a little, if only to be our taste tester.(that is, if I'm willing to pass the baton to her!)

FYI--the apron I'm wearing in the picture is our Cotton Candy sparkle; this one was actually the very first Apronique prototype.

Merry Christmas and happy apron wearing!!

Kristin

Cookie Dough and Holiday Baking

As I finished a batch of iced sugar cookies AGAIN, I thought about the preparation of the first two batches that I made two weeks ago, and are now vanished.

My five-year-old granddaughter has "helped" me make cookies the past two Christmas seasons. Her two and one-half-year-old sister joined us this year. What a challenge it was to keep an eye on both of them. They had to get as close as they could to my large mixer, watching as the dough rolled in and out of the wire whip. Those little hands kept wanting to sneak into the bowl to eat yet another pinch of dough. What's with that anyway? I can still not even think about eating cookie dough. My mother preached everytime the subject of eating dough came up, of how dangerous it was to eat those raw eggs. So cookie dough is NOT for me. My daughter, however, spent time as a child making cookies with her cousin. In that household, eating cookie dough was a highly anticipated treat. She joined them, and has loved it ever since; she's passed the glee to her daughters now.

After the dough was finished, my son and daughter-in-law entered the kitchen just as I was trying to roll and cut out dough. The five-year-old was right in the middle of the scene, determined to roll dough, cut out cookies, and place them on the baking sheet--all by herself. Suddenly we realized that she was sneaking dough to her mouth, then returning her licked fingers to roll the dough. We burst out laughing. I decided to just let her do that whole tray of cookies, then when they were baked, I let her take them home with her. There was no way that I could serve those cookies to anyone else!
Marilyn

A Gala Swirl Tuxedo Night

This past Saturday night my home was the first stop for our church's annual Christmas progressive dinner. Guests enjoyed meatballs, (thanks Heather) mini-potato skins, and my first time to serve rumaki. My rumaki included water chestnuts wrapped in bacon. (No liver.) Other menu items included the usual summer sausage, cheeses, and veggies with dip. Rounding out the fare were wassail, fruit punch and coffee--yep, we don't do the liquor stuff.

Contrary to my husband's "strong" suggestions, I have hesitated to wear Apronique aprons. Why? I am afraid that I will get an order for one like I have worn, and not have another available in our inventory--probably an unreasonable concept to most people. However on this night of formal entertaining, I decided to hostess in style and donned the black and white Gala Swirl apron. I have preached to others about how well our stain armor treated fabric performs. But--anytime I have modeled an apron, I am very careful not to soil it. After all...someone might want to buy it.
As I worked in my kitchen, all of a sudden I realized that I had just, in my usual fashion, swiped my hands across the front of the "upscale trendy" apron I wore.
"Oh well," I exclaimed to those assisting me. "This one is officially initiated and I can now claim it as mine in good faith."
So I am now the proud owner of an Apronique top-of-the-line apron. I will happily wear it with pride and pleasure.
Marilyn

HWTM Contest Winners

Lucky winners of the Hostesswiththemostess blog Apronique contest are: Erica from GA, who chose the Royal Bouquet; Elise from CA, who chose the Cotton Candy Sparkle; and Amy from MI, who chose the Charcoal Sky. Congratulations to these winners who will undoubtedly be some of the best-dressed hostesses for the holiday season. Marilyn