Sunday, Dec. 9
Serving Up Kugel
Lest X-mas shoppers forget, there are other holidays around this time of year. Many houses celebrate Hanukkah, most of which takes place this week, and even if you don’t rejoice during the Festival of Lights, why not give yourself a taste of the culture these eight nights jubilate? There is a plethora of variations on kugel, a starch-heavy dish that can be sweet or savory. Here’s a recipe for a favorite in my household:
What you’ll need:
16 oz. of cooked egg noodles
16 oz. of cottage cheese
1 pt. sour cream
4 large eggs
½ cup melted butter
Juice of one fresh lemon
1 cup of sugar
A healthy amount of raisins
Cinnamon
¼ cup of brown sugar
¼ cup of crushed corn flake cereal
What comes next isn’t terribly difficult, but the results? The results are magic in the mouth. Mix the eggs, cottage cheese, sour cream, sugar, cinnamon (a little goes a long way), raisins and lemon juice. Mix in the melted butter. Mix in the cooked noodles. Top with some brown sugar, crushed corn flake cereal and dabs of butter. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes.
While this might seem like a dish designed to kill someone with cholesterol or blood-sugar problems, it isn’t. So give it a shot. Let some heaven touch your tongue. Then bust your butt doing P90X on Jan. 2. (MATT ZAMBITO)
Monday, Dec. 10
Go Thai
Go on: Take a load off, and don’t just say you’re going to relax. Making other people happy is exhausting sometimes, so why not let someone else cook for you to begin the workweek? It may well make the weekend more productive and more peaceful. Most of us will be eating oodles of food this month, so maybe it’s time to try something a little lighter. You can’t go wrong with the Thai cuisine served up all over. At Thai Cuisine, also known as Linnie’s on the South Hill, the food is always fresh and prepared with care. If you’re a Thai food neophyte, there’s no shame in it: We’ve all been there. You can’t go wrong with ordering the Pad Thai, one of the most classic dishes. Go with the tofu version and let yourself be surprised ($10). The food here is light, with little fat used or infused, and the veggies remain al dente. Mon-Fri 11 am-2 pm, 5 pm-9 pm, Sat 4 pm-9 pm. 2526 East 29th St. 535-2112. (MZ)
Tuesday, Dec. 11
Storytime for Kids
This festive season is, in many ways, custom-made for families — enormous and microscopic, alike. To avoid missing the mark on the big pictures of the season, both secular and religious, don’t forget to attend to your brood in ways that seem more normal than sitting a tyke on a strange man’s lap in a mall in order to best celebrate X-mas. Today bring the little ones out to the Toddler and Preschool Storytimes at the downtown branch of the Spokane Public Library. The latter is best for kids aged 18 months to 3 years; the former is best for kids aged 3 to 5 years. While you might not live in downtown Spokane, it’s nice to see a variety of libraries to keep your kids in awe of books and buildings filled to the brim with them. Toddler Storytime 10 am. Preschool Storytime 10:30 am. 906 W. Main. 444-5355 (MZ)
Wednesday, Dec. 12
Hit the MAC
For a different holiday shopping break, try checking out two related exhibits at the MAC that have just recently opened. Buffalo Bill’s Wild West Warriors: Photographs by Gertrude Käsebier features precisely what the title promises. Käsebier was a central figure in early American photography, and she helped pave the way for women in the photographic arts. After going to a show called “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” Käsebier began taking pictures of the Native Americans featured in the show. In the 10 years that followed, she documented dozens of photographs of the Indians in “Buffalo Bill’s Wild West,” the show she saw that inspired her to document the plight of Native Americans. Some of these photos would become her most famous images. The other recently opened exhibit is entitled Plateau Portraits: The Photographs of Richard Lewis. This exhibit features photos of elders of the Plateau tribes taken in the ’20s and ’30s. Northwest Museum of Arts & Culture, 2316 W. 1st Ave., Wed-Sat 10 am-5 pm, 456-3931 (MZ)
Thursday, Dec. 13
You’ll Love Clumsy Lovers
Give yourself a break from the banal hustle and bustle December can bring if you’re not careful, and take some time to pause and folk-rock the night away. Seriously, if you haven’t yet seen the amalgam that is the Vancouver-spawned bluegrass-y band known as the Clumsy Lovers, then you must. 8 pm, Knitting Factory, 919 W. Sprague Ave. (MZ)
Friday, Dec. 14
Head to the Rink
Sharpen your skates, and then sharpen your ice-skating skills at Riverfront Park’s Ice Palace. It’s open 11 am-5 pm, and 7 pm-10 pm on Fridays. Adults are $4.50; $3.50 for kids, military and seniors. (MZ)
Saturday, Dec. 15
Puppy Love
Instead of ruining the next seven or eight years of your life, don’t get your kid a puppy for Christmas. Instead, take the wee ones to see “The World Famous Popovich Comedy Pet Theater,” a quirky and delightful blend of juggling, family-friendly comedy, and wacky cats and dogs, which number 15 and 10 respectively in the act. Bing Crosby Theater, 11 am (MZ)
