The Privilege of Giving

Gift giving is important to me--not just at Christmas time, but all the time.  I love seeing something that I know will make a friend or family member smile.  It makes me feel happy to think I can make someone else happy and it makes me feel good that I know somebody so well I can do something meaningful for them.  I believe that is how gifts should be--not obligatory, not perfunctory.  I get sad when I'm out and overhear people complaining about buying gifts for 'everyone and their brother' or 'having' to spend the money.  Seriously?  Don't do it.  To me, the ability to pay attention enough to somebody's life to purchase them a gift is in itself a gift.  The privileged gift of friendship. 

Last year, I couldn't even afford to get everyone in my family a gift.  I was so upset...I cried and cried.  It was really hard for me, even though, of course, family members didn't really care.  But it is a way for me to express how much I care and I couldn't do it.  I did other things, but I still really love having a 'thing' to wrap up and put under the tree...something wanted, something they'd never spend their own money on, a secret wish, help with a dream...that's a gift to me.  A gift card can be a gift, if it is to a place rarely afforded or for a specific thing very much desired.  My kids love getting book store gift cards because the trip to the store, the selection of the books, is at least as much fun as the actual book itself.  But there's thought there--the knowledge that a book is a treasure and the the trip will be a treasure too. 

This year my financial situation is better and I feel better.  There won't be stacks and stacks of gifts, but the ones I have I know will be loved and that is the whole point.  Remember the privilege of giving a gift--savor the selection, think fondly of the person you are gifting and enjoy the process.  Merry Christmas everyone!

Quad Shot Espresso--To Go

Tis the holiday season, which means the Social Calendar is busy.  Sometimes double-booked.  Tomorrow, I have my office Christmas party AND a very dear friend's poker party.  I shall be attending both, since I can go to the office party, be sedate and attempt a certain level of appropriateness and then head off to play poker and be, well, me.  So the tradition with the poker parties is everybody brings food and there is usually a theme.  Tomorrow night there will be Italian food and I am bringing Chocolate-Espresso Swirl Cheesecake. 

I had to stop off at the grocery store to pick up a couple of items (including, although I didn't know it, vanilla...sigh) and I decided to swing into me local coffee shop and pick up some espresso for the espresso swirl portion of cheesecake-palooza. 

You know you're in Seattle when:  it's after 8 on a Friday night and the coffee shop is packed.  The barista was older--by older I mean 'older than 16' and was clearly thoroughly enjoying herself.  I waited in line and when I reached the front she asked me what I wanted. "I'm not really sure." I replied.  This got her attention.  I mean, most people know down to the temperature of the beverage EXACTLY what they want.  She kind of raised an eyebrow at me--there was a line after all--so I began to explain.

"I'm cooking with it.  I need it to be super strong and flavorful."

"Cooking....ahhhhhh....hmmm, well let's see."  She thought about it for a minute and then said "You know, you could try our Via product...my sister made brownies and added it as a powder and they were fan-tastic."
"Really?" I said, suddenly distracted from cheesecake with the thought of espresso brownies.  The next three people in line were suddenly Very Intrigued  and the fourth person back said "Did you say chocolate-espresso cheesecake??" 

This is how I roll:  I talk to people, I engage in conversation....we had the entire shop discussing espressos and the pros and cons of cooking with liquid versus the powder (the recipe calls for liquid) and whether or not the chocolate was sweet (no, it's unsweetened).  We all also talked about brownies, adding said powder to cake recipes, chili, and a mole sauce.  I shared the cheesecake recipe off the top of my head with a couple of people recording this into their phones.  Much good cheer and happiness occurred, and I got out of there with a quad shot of espresso (technically all the coffee of a quad shot, but the added water of a double...) at no charge.  A fair trade for a good recipe, I was told.

Now the chocolate-espresso swirl cheesecake is in the oven.  Mmmmmmmmmmmm!  Can't wait for poker :)