Ten seconds to the prettiest cake ever

Right here in Washington, Patricia Minish is creating breathtaking keepsake boxes, party favors, and cake toppers by hand. Each is made by hand of hand-cut, hand-tinted paper and lace, and glitter made out of glass imported from Germany. They are pricey, but, I mean, just look at them! One of these babies would take your cake from drab to fab with just a swipe of the ol' credit card! These beauties were spied at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford, but you can place custom orders for these fantastic showpieces at her website.

UPDATE: I just learned that Patricia will be holding a "Vintage Valentine" keepsake box class at Trophy Cupcakes in Wallingford Center on Sunday, January 22, from 2-4 p.m. $65 includes instruction and all materials, including German glitter glass! To sign up, call the Trophy Cupcakes Party Room at 206-390-0900 or email party@trophycupcakes.com.

Santa party (and the best realtor ever)

Our fabulous realtor, Christina McDonald, had a Santa party earlier this month. (That's her on Santa's lap below!) She had Santa and a professional photographer at her townhouse, and later gave everyone beautiful prints and digital files as gifts. I thought it was such a great idea! She is very high-energy and organized -- really, the best realtor ever -- and has made us feel so welcome in Seattle. She also grew up in our neighborhood, Wallingford, so she has an encyclopedic knowledge of Seattle. She drove us around tirelessly, remembered to bring snacks and water, and was extremely patient with us. I love her, and can't recommend her highly enough.

Wishing you all a healthy and happy 2012! Happy holidays!

Christmas fondue

There's a saying in our house that comes from a '70s-era cookbook: "Your party's a success the moment you decide to serve fondue." It's because sitting around a pot of bubbling cheese with long double-pronged spears makes eating an intimate event. According to my favorite fondue cookbook, there's a Swiss tradition that ladies who drop their bread in the pot must kiss the nearest man, while the man who drops his bread must buy the wine. And of course, there's the fact that cheese + bread = deliciousness. It's obviously not super healthy, so we restrict this indulgence to Christmastime.

Ever since the time Chris and I consumed an entire pound of cheese fondue on our own one Christmas Eve night, we try to invite people to join us when we have fondue. And with apologies to the many well-meaning friends and relatives who have gifted fondue cookbooks over the years, we only use this one classic recipe from the 1968 Nitty Gritty Fondue Cookbook:

Cut up 1/2 lb. each of Emmenthaler and Gruyere into tiny cubes. Rub fondue pot with the cut side of a clove of garlic and discard. Put 2 cups dry white wine into pot and when it's hot add a tablespoon lemon juice. Toss cheese with 2 tablespoons flour and gradually add to the pot, stirring constantly. Add 3 tablespoons Kirsch, a dash of nutmeg and paprika, and you're ready to dip your bread cubes.

Last night we had chocolate fondue after the cheese to make it even more caloric, with strawberries, bananas, grapes, and marshmallows for dipping. For the kids, this was definitely the high point of the meal.

Eat, drink, and be merry

A few days ago NPR reported that 3/4 of the respondents to a recent poll said they'd rather not have a company party. Instead they want cash bonuses, gift cards, or paid time off. If corporate America is paying attention, the company holiday party may go the way of the rotary telephone by next December.

Luckily I got to enjoy a lavish party this weekend, courtesy of Microsoft. The party, held at EMP, was just for the Interactive Entertainment Business portion of the company (the other divisions have their own parties), but it was still huge. Attendees were provided with a map and a schedule. Besides the museum's regular exhibits, there was 5,900 square feet of additional tented space, and bars and food stations (catered by Wolfgang Puck) throughout all the areas. Entertainment included dancing mascots, go-go girls, a comedy show, a dance club, and performances by Blues Traveler and -- most exciting to me -- CeeLo Green (whom I watched while leaning on a case holding Michael Jackson's glove and jacket).

Because I worked in videogame journalism for a long time, I got to attend a lot of huge parties like this one for the E3 trade shows, and I love them (and miss them!). And the party really made me miss my former co-workers too! So...I'm hoping this won't be my last one. Even though I made the mistake of wearing giant high heels and could barely walk, I tried to enjoy every minute.