Gorgeous mess of a dinner salad, cookies?

Isn't it just wild how much is going on in this salad? It really hit the spot tonight- I love me some pretty roughage. This afternoon, I dragged my sore hamstrings to the gym and biked for a while. I admit to still feeling (quite strongly) the after-effects of Sunday's sun salutations and thought some stretching and exercise would help. I'm still sore. On my way home, feeling nice and zen, my babysitter called and asked if it was a problem that she had accidentally given Oliver 2.5x the amount of antibiotic he was supposed to have. Can I just tell you that my heart started POUNDING? Jesus h, people, I said teaspoon, the label says teaspoon. 1 teaspoon. As the pediatrician's office was closed, I 911-called my sister-in-law who happens to be a pediatrician; this is extremely convenient on many occasions but especially in this one. She said he might experience cramping and diarrhea but would otherwise be fine. Amen to whatever being might be out there.

I tell you folks, you try to take two hours, and your child guzzles Augmentin. Eff, people! I am enjoying a large glass of red wine right now (Ben Marco 2008 Malbec; I don't generally like Malbec but this one is quite nice).

I'm also considering baking cookies because it just feels like the right and fun thing to do, but as one who never eats cookies, I'm really questioning my desire to bake them. Hmm. I think I'll sit on the couch for a little longer.

Honey-Bourbon hot toddy

Upon rereading the punch recipe, I realized that on this cold evening, I was just more inclined towards something warming, and I hated to give up on toddies because of one lame one. So, I looked to Andrew Knowlton, a foodie who writes for Bon Appetit and who, as a complete aside, is kinda hot (yes, my dear hubby knows I think that; cool down). He recently wrote a brief piece on an Apple Bourbon-Honey hot toddy that sounded great. As I have no apple bourbon here nor three days to make it, I was relieved to see that you could sub regular old bourbon. Now this is a winter drink that's worth making: bourbon, honey, lemon zest, a cinnamon stick and hot water. Comfort in a mug (as are most things often served in a mug). I had leftovers for din, made the dressing base for our cornbread dressing, froze the pie and am now off to sit a spell on the couch with Mr. Pug. (Apple) Bourbon-Honey Hot Toddy- serves 2

scant 2 T honey (in my opinion, less is more) 6 T bourbon (if using apple bourbon, use just 1 T honey) 1 cinnamon stick 3.5" strip lemon peel 1 c very hot water

Mix honey and hot water until honey is dissolved. Add cinnamon stick and bourbon and pour hot water in. Stir. Enjoy. ~~ You know when you say or write a word many times in a row and it starts to seem weird? In this post, I hit my limit on bourbon and it now seems odd. Does this happen to y'all? No, I'm not tipsy.

Rice pudding, Rye for toddy + other treats

Y'all, how delicious(!) does this rice pudding look?! Aah! I just cannot even tell you how good it smells in here right now. And I asked T to bring home Rye for my toddy, and check out the other treats he brought home. Dios mio. The St. Germain bottle is absolutely gorgeous. I'm not sure what to do with it, but The Franklin Bar in Philly included it in a number of their cocktails, so I'm sure we can find a use. Aperol, an Italian liqueur, is great fun despite its totally funky color. If you've not tried it, grab some for the holidays. What a blast.