Baking: Spritz Cookies

Truth time: My Christmas baking happened after Christmas. So instead it became New Years baking!

Wilton Cookie Pro Ultra II

My sister bought this handy little gadget for me for Christmas last year and this was my first chance at making spritz cookies:

I opted for a butter cookie and vanilla glaze recipe, both courtesy of my main lady Martha Stewart. No changes were made to either recipe (other than adjusting the output of the vanilla glaze based on how much powdered sugar I had left). I also added gel food color, which I like much better than liquid (yields richer color and won't affect the consistency of dough/batter.) The results were certainly eye-catching!

Hit the jump for lots more photos and lessons learned.

Best of 2011 #3

#3: Sachloving a trip to Israel

Without a doubt, visiting Israel was one of the most life-altering experiences I've ever had. A blog post just isn't enough space to elaborate on every single detail and aspect of why this trip was so important to me, but I'll hit on a few of the major highlights.

Divon explaining his opinion of "What makes a Jew"

Best of 2011 #2

#2: Being able to give of myself for a better world

Blood. Hair. Money. Just my way of giving back.

I am fortunate to have blood running

 through my veins, and I am fortunate

to be healthy enough to give it to

others.

I made donating blood a priority in 2011 and was able to donate  with the San Diego Blood Bank a total of five times (out of six possible in a 12 month period.) According to the American Red Cross, one donation can help save the lives of up to three people.

In addition, I organized a blood drive at CENTURY 21 Award back in February. A total of 20 units were collected which equates to 40 lives saved. A special thanks to all my colleagues who donated!

Donating blood continues to be my strongest charitable passion.  Unlike money, blood can't be mismanaged or misused (unless you're a vampire) and is guaranteed to be put to good use.

If you can donate blood, do! God forbid you or someone you love ever needs a transfusion, I can guarantee you'll be happy you did!

With Kurt, one of my favorite people in the world :)

Taylor and I ran the AIDS 10K for the second year in a row, and I can guarantee that this will be our annual charity run in the future.

We didn't raise a crazy amount, about $200, but every little bit helps!

10 Inches of hair

Most recently, I said goodbye to a big chunk of my hair with the help of David and Courtney at dk hair in Hillcrest, CA.

Hopefully Locks of Love will transform it into something that gives another little boy or girl the confidence that it gave me.

Plus, you know what's great about hair? It grows.



Last on the list for 2011 is Toys for Tots. Picking up my gifts this week!

Things to do before I kick it: Igloo Village at Hotel Kakslauttanen

On any given day, I would absolutely prefer a warm vacation to a cold one. After all, sipping a fresh margarita isn't quite as refreshing when it's 30 below. However, I would absolutely break my rule to visit this place:

Igloo Village at Hotel Kakslauttanen, Finland

There are several places to stay at Hotel Kakslauttanen, like traditional snow igloos or log cabins, but the Glass Igloos are by far the coolest (pun intended). From the HK website:

Glass igloo provides an one of a kind opportunity to admire the northern lights and millions of stars of the crystal clear sky in a comfortable room temperature. Built from a special thermal glass the temperature inside the igloo always stays a normal level. It also prevents the glass from not getting white frosted, hence keeping the view clear even when the temperature outside drops to under -30°C. Every igloo is equipped with a toilet and luxury beds.

Normal temps, stay-clear windows AND the Northern Lights? Count me in!

More details and pictures after the jump...

Best of 2011 #1

As this year comes to a close, I'd like to reflect on some of the best moments of 2011 (in no particular order... each one of these is so meaningful and joyous that I don't think I could give one more importance than another).

#1 - Taylor receives his Bachelors in Health Science

August 21, 2011 - My boy graduates college!

Celebrating a big milestone!

I'm so proud of him... not only for this accomplishment, but also for his commitment to pursuing an advanced degree in Physical Therapy.

Coming soon: paging Dr. Taylor!