SusieJ's Advent Calendar: December 21, 2007

The recipe: Hazelnut torte

This cake is so good I've had people follow me from the kitchen as I brought it out to serve. It is also exceedingly simple: two layers of hazelnut sponge cake filled with sweetened whipped cream.

The surprise: Turkey tutorial

I found this flash animation on a games site, but it's more of a turkey tutorial. Thankfully, it takes less time to view than it will to defrost and roast the bird.

Diamonds are a woman's worst enemy

Watch enough TV in December, and you'd come away thinking that buying a present for a woman is simple. There's a perfect gift for every woman — it doesn't matter who the woman is — and all that is needed is enough cash (or debt).

Bah humbug.

I'm already combatting this notion in my son: "If you love Mommy, you will never, ever buy her jewelry."

One of my favorite presents from my mother? An upright vacuum when I was twelve. It was best for both of us: I did all the vacuuming with our behemoth of a canister vacuum, and she did all the yelling as I dragged that thing into the walls and furniture.

It was a Christmas present that convinced my mother that Jorj was a serious boyfriend — and convinced me that he was probably "the one." My second December in West Virginia, he gave me my Kitchen Aid stand mixer over Thanksgiving weekend. It was perfect for me, and at the perfect time — before I started my holiday baking.

Not that all of the best presents are found in the housewares section; there are socks> and toothpaste after all.