And now for something completely different: the GINGERBREAD CASBAH.

The gingerbread casbah came into being because every year, we throw a themed Christmas party for around 100 of our closest friends. Since we just took a honeymoon to the Middle East, we thought we could try out some new tricks at a Middle East-themed Christmas party. After all, that is where the whole Christmas thing started, right? An evite full of bad puns later (”we are Beiruting for you to come”, and so forth) we had our “Christmas at the Casbah” party ready to go, and all we needed was an impressive centerpiece.

This is not really a casbah, but a typical courtyard house. (Casbah sounds cooler though, so that’s more of a marketing-focused name for it.) On our honeymoon, we stayed in a beautiful hotel in Old City of Damascus called Beit Al Mamlouka, and I very loosely modeled the casbah on my recollections of how it looked. I say “very loosely” because their floors weren’t made of sour belts and jujubes, and their walls weren’t edible.

For the gingerbread, I used a recipe that C&H tweeted me- and it was great. Alas, I haven’t actually tasted it, but from a construction point of view it was tops – simple to make, very easy to roll out, not too sticky, sturdy, and kept its shape during baking. Also, it smells delicious, which adds a nice extra sensory dimension to the house. The royal icing that glues the whole thing together is just a stiff mixture of egg whites and powdered sugar with a pinch of cream of tartar, mixed with the paddle attachment of a Kitchen-Aid.

I did most of the shape-cutting freehand, but used a star cutters for the front windows. To make the windows, we rolled out the dough and put it on a silpat. Then we cut shapes out and arranged crushed jolly ranchers inside. When they baked, they became clear and solid. You have to let them cool while carefully loosening them from the silpat, as the candy stays soft and molten for about 30 minutes after coming out of the oven. Once they harden fully, they are structurally quite sound.

I thought that doing this alone would be both boring and incredibly frustrating and also not come out as well, so I assembled a crack team to help out. Rodney the pastry chef is always an excellent addition to this type of team, and did lots of the rolling, fine icing work, and construction assistance. Heather took care of cobblestones and windows, while MJ formed small furnishings including the excellent hookah.

I am a firm believer that everything on a true gingerbread house should be edible, and should be candy. Also, I can make like anything out of marzipan or fondant- ergo, marzipan and fondant are cheating. Sculpting something out of a tootsie roll is so much more impressive. So I refused to allow any non-edible, non-candy/gingerbread/icing objects adorn the house.

I bought electric flicker tea lights to illuminate it during the party, to make the windows shine. Merry Christmas everyone!

Here’s the breakdown of what’s what:

• Windows: crushed jolly ranchers baked into the gingerbread
• Tile floor: rainbow sour belts, jujubes, licorice wheels, and silver dragees
• Balcony floors: red hots, tic tacs, and silver dragees
• Balcony railings: sesame candies, licorice wheels (unrolled), jujubes
• Cobblestones: formed tootsie roll slices with yellow sprinkles
• Hanging lamps: licorice wheels and Haribo raspberry gummies
• Hookah: deconstructed tootsie rolls, sour belts, and licorice wheels
• Table: gingerbread star with dragees and jujubes
• Chair: sesame candies and tootsie rolls
• Tree: iced cookie with Haribo raspberry gummy and tootsie roll
• Camels: iced cookies with sprinkles

I wasn’t able to find any other instances of Middle Eastern gingerbread architecture on the web, but I did come across some gingerbread structures of note. Here are a few of my favorites from around teh interwebz.

• Max’s cave from Where The Wild Things Are, from A Table for Two <<<btw, AMAZING!!!>>>
• Gingerbread Houseboat from Houseboat Eats
• Gingerbread Woodcutters Cabin from Sweetopia
• Not gingerbread, bacon and licorice house from Almost Bourdain
• Cool 2 story house by Brown Sugar Bee

When folks heard we were heading to Northeastern China for the Ice and Snow Festivals, I found it interesting that EVERYONE asked if we were staying in an ice hotel. To which I replied, “Hell no! We’re staying in the hotel most likely to have heaters!” Sorry, but the idea of going to a super cold place to sleep on an ice bed doesn’t appeal, no matter how many reindeer skins you lay on me.

But it looks like you can get the best of both worlds at the Kakslauttanen Hotel in Finland by staying in these glass igloos.

They say:

Whoa, you had me there all they way up to “swim in an ice hole.” But the rest sounds A-OK. Also I like saying “Kakslauttanen” in a fake Nordic accent.

My friend Erica is heading to a business trip in Mexico City and asked for some food and drink recommendations, so I wrote some up for her. But why should she get all the insider info when I could just as easily share it with you?

Don’t fool yourself, Mexico City (DF to locals- which stands for “Distrito Federal) changes hotspots faster than NYC- with a population of 20+ million, there are sure to be a fair number of hipsters and trendsetters living and playing there. Here are some classic spots, as well as some joints du jour you should eat and drink at if you find yourself there.

One more note: cabs are cheap, but the Metro system can be fun too. The metro cars go surprisingly fast, considering they run on rubber tires instead of tracks. The fare will cost you mere pennies but you’ll probably reach your destination more quickly than in a car- and you’ll have a little more fun doing it. On to the list!

• El Cardenal- the best breakfast ever. Amazing fruit smoothie thingies and mouth-watering tamales. This is a nice place that folks go with their families.
• Cafe Tacuba- an old and famous favorite. Beware the machitos on the menu. That means bull penis!
• Xel Ha- the new hip tapas spot to hit.
• Los Danzantes- right on the Plaza de Coyoacan, they have been serving awesome Mexican fusion for quite a few years now.
• La Bipolar- if you are in Coyoacan and you are a starf***er go to Diego Luna’s kitschy hipster restaurant.
• Ligaya- If you’re young and hip you will be hanging out in Condesa or Roma, and someone will suggest you go to Ligaya for a meal. The space is intimate and modern with a surprising little indoor courtyard.
• Casa Merlos- Admittedly I have never been here but have been dying to. It is lauded throughout the land.

Para pasar el tiempo entre comiendo, tomando, y durmiendose… the 3 best DF activities, which also happen to be 3 of the best activities worldwide.

• Get to Xochimilco, which has canals still around from Aztec times. Hire a boat (lancha), buy beers or Cokes off a passing skiff, and pay a band to strap itself to your boat and keep you entertained.

• Head to the Arena Mexico for a real live lucha libre- the masked wrestling sensation that’s almost too ridiculous. Sit up front if you can.
• Drive an hour out of town to check out the pyramids at Teotihuacan. Climb to the top and take in the view. Feel free to pretend you are in pre-Columbian times and living in the largest New World city of your era.

Listings:

• El Cardenal: Avenida de las Palmas 215, Lomas de Chapultepec, DF
• Cafe Tacuba: Tacuba 28, Colonia Centro, DF
• Xel-Ha: Parral 78 Bis, Colonia Condesa, DF
• Los Danzantes: Plaza Jardin Centenario 12, Colonia Coyoacan, DF  {website}
• La Bipolar: Malitzin 155, Colonia Coyoacan, DF
• Ligaya: Nuevo Leon 68, Colonia Condesa, DF {website}
• Casa Merlos: Victoriano Zepeda 80, Observatorio, DF
• La Pata Negra: Tamaulipas 30, Colonia Condesa, DF
• La Bodega: Popocatepetl 25, Hipodromo, DF {website}
• Spanish Cultural Center:
• Hotel Condesa DF
• Hotel Habita
• W Hotel Mexico City

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I love Palm Springs- it’s one of my favorite places. In fact, I love it so much I’m getting married there. Palm Springs combines outdoor activities, nightlife, and a cool mid-century modern vibe to make it the perfect weekend getaway. Plus, they have recently expanded their airport, so it’s gotten a lot easier and cheaper to fly in.

We stayed at the Hope Springs Resort, in Desert Hot Springs, about a 20 minute drive out of Palm Springs. We were angling for some Joshua Tree action so we wanted to be a little farther along the road, and we were intrigued by this hidden gem. Traveling through a wholly unprepossessing strip-mall exurb, you arrive at a funky old motel sign, but beyond the little post-modern entryway you find a pocket-sized oasis of tranquility. There are only 10 rooms, and 3 pools fed by natural hot springs to enjoy. The atmosphere makes you feel like you have a very very rich friend who is letting you crash at their vacation getaway. They serve a charming, sort of DIY breakfast, but the con of the place is that you do have to leave for other meals (although some rooms have little motel kitchens- so ostensibly you could remain in your cocoon here with some planning ahead.)

So. Where to eat? I’m assuming you can’t afford to stay at the Parker Palm Springs (although, they do have a hidden deal for folks under 30- you get to stay there half price if you’re ID proves you’re a 20-something.) No matter. Go for breakfast or lunch at Norma’s, sit on the deck, and watch the beautiful LA people making deals on their cell phones while you tuck into a brunch that’s tasty if a tad too pricey. They even give you a breakfast amuse bouche of a little smoothie- how sweet. Bring a book so that after stuffing your face, you can walk the grounds and settle into one of their many little magical nooks and crannies for a relaxing literary digestif. For something a little more low-key, you might try Cheeky’s- a casual and hip breakfast spot that has a bacon tasting plate, which obviously earns them a gold star in my book.

If you want a great dinner in Palm Springs, I recommend Zin. It looks so-so, but the food is absolutely fantastic. Hand-cut steak tartare. Are you kidding me? How awesome is that? The service was perfect and the meal couldn’t have been better. The wine list was well-rounded and affordable. I only wish we had room for dessert. We had a fun and perfectly pleasant people-watching lunch at the Mexican charmer Las Casuelas, a restaurant that turns clubby after dinner. The top-shelf margaritas were strong and above-par, and the food was satisfying if not exciting. Spencer’s at the Mountain also offers great food, but the setting is the real draw: an open-air restaurant with a beautiful patio right at the foot of Mount Jacinto. The sleek, contemporary design serves as a great backdrop for all those Martinis whizzing by. It’s also a great place to go for a drink at sunset.

The furniture and home stores in Palm Springs provide just as positive and educational an experience as visiting a well-curated museum. The breadth of the mid-century modern and modern designs they showcase is incredible, and you will see things you haven’t seen anywhere before. Whether you’re buying or just looking, there is enough eye candy to keep you engaged for a couple of hours. If I could just pick 2 and no more, they would be House 849- a neverending maze of rooms housing a dizzying array of styles and pieces- and the all modern Interior Illusions, across the street, which had me wishing I had some way to justify spending $5K on a light-up coffee table or an enormous mirrored sculpture. There is a cluster of other, smaller shops within a couple blocks.

Once you’ve had your fill of man-made beauty, go for the Palm Springs tram ride- the tram car rotates while it heads precipitously up Chino Canyon, and leaves you at the very tippy top of the mountain, looking down at the vast expanse of Palm Springs and the Coachella Valley. The views are breathtaking, and if the ride had you on edge, you can grab a drink at the ski-lodgey bar up at the top before making your descent.

We spent a practically perfect day at Joshua Tree National Park. Instead of taking one long hike, we opted to explore many different areas of the park, alternating between these great 1-mile loops they’ve set up, and going off on our own scrambling up and over the rock formations, getting momentarily lost off the trails.

Heading out of the park after a picture-perfect sunset, we stopped at the 29 Palms Inn, a kitschy old inn with a terrific restaurant. The menu choices skew towards the old-fashioned– think, steak and baked potato, chicken marsala, spaghetti bolognese- but everything is done very well. They use produce and herbs from their own organic garden out back. Their wine list is small but careful, with all good choices, and the cocktails are top-notch. Plus, you can eat sitting around the pool while enjoying live entertainment of the lounge-iest sort. A truly lovable spot, and the perfect ending to a Palm Springs weekend.

Listings:

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