It’s meant to be flexible and unfussy. Sometimes I brown some beef, sometimes I pour in a little beer. Lately I’ve been adding a can of pumpkin and loving it.

Tonight’s unscripted chili was a collaborative effort, pulled together by loved ones who unknowingly donated to this gigantic pot of food on my stove. Blame it on New York rent prices, blame it on the shitty economy, blame it on the fact that I have an English degree and made the silly decision to work at a non-profit and, you know, help people — no matter how you look at it, at best, cash is tight right now, and there’s nothing like a big bowl of chili to nourish me from the inside out.

My “recipe”:

-Peppers, tomatoes, and beer from a friend who took pity on my desolate fridge, the interior of which could be used as a stunt double in Ghostbusters.

-Cannellini beans from my sister.

-Hot sauce, a gift from my last birthday. I used half the bottle.

-An onion and garlic I borrowed from the Roommate. When you’re roommates, it’s borrowing.

-Canned pumpkin, purchased by the Roommate after Trader Joe’s inexplicably didn’t have any. (Way to let me down, TJ’s. I’ll just take my very cheap wine and be on my way, thankyouverymuch.)

-Packets of Sazon seasoning that originally belonged to an ex-boyfriend. I’m not sure how they ended up in my kitchen. Consider it alimony.

-A can of tomato sauce I stole from my mother the last time I was upstate. When I ‘fessed up, she said, in typical Mom fashion, “Oh, honey, I’m happy you took it! I was thinking that we had too much tomato sauce in the pantry anyway.”

Directions: while wearing yoga pants and an old sweatshirt, mix all ingredients together on stove top until they resemble chili. Serve over an old potato you found in the street. Recession, what now?

******

Footnote: I clearly need professional aid when decanting chili in freezer-friendly Tupperware containers, because the mess I made makes it look like I just murdered a Chihuahua. Which I would never do, because I am a dog-lover. Even of those stupid small ones. Mostly.

There were lots of fun decorations. And sombreros.

Jack zoomed around the backyard and investigated every bug and old baseball.

The Boyfriend played soccer with my little cousin.

My mother dropped the plate of hamburgers and hot dogs as they were about to go on the grill. We dusted them off and ate them anyway.

We had chicken and pasta salad and grilled CSA veggies and cake and white sangria.

Many fabulous presents were opened.

It was loud and and crazy and everybody ate too much.

It was perfect.

Thanks, family!

Okay, maybe this rule only applies to me. And my sister. Who celebrated a very snowy birthday last weekend with lots of yummy eats.

We met up in New York for some sisterly birthday celebrations, which entailed walking, talking, and eating. All day long.

Most of the day was spent tooling around Soho and the Village, but my sister absolutely insisted that we go uptown for Absolute Bagels. I’m not one to turn down a good bagel, so I agreed.  

We split a plain bagel topped with Tofutti (non-dairy “cream cheese”), which turned out to be tasty and not a bad compromise for you lactose intolerant folks out there. If you’re around Broadway and 108th (or go to Columbia University), I, in all of my intimate knowledge of the bagelries of New York, recommend Absolute Bagels. Personally I’m just gonna buy some Tofutti next time I make homemade bagels.

I had wanted to take my sister to Crumb for some birthday cupcakes, but they were closed. (For being the city that never sleeps, New York sure feels pretty drowsy on Sunday evenings). We were saved by finding a Magnolia Bakery stand in the dining concourse at Grand Central.  

I bought us each two cupcakes. The birthday girl tried red velvet with whipped vanilla frosting and a pretty purple-topped white cupcake.

I went with the Hummingbird (banana and pecan cupcake with cream cheese frosting) and a chocolate cupcake with vanilla frosting.  

I am a true lover of cream cheese frosting, so the Hummingbird was the winner of the cupcake competition. It was like a moist slice of banana bread covered with cake frosting! So good.

We shared, just like Mom always told us. Even so we ended up with leftovers when we parted ways in Grand Central. Yum!

By the end of this post you will note that, even though I spent the day in fabulous New York with my fabulous sister, I have pictures of neither. To this I say: a beloved sister and a pretty city are forever; cupcakes and bagels are fleeting.

At any rate, here’s a charming photo of the two of us from yesteryear:

After presents Christmas morning, my mother got to work on Christmas dinner.  The main course was Cornish game hens:

Jack gave her some cooking pointers.

As soon as the family arrived, appetizers went out.

Pita crisps, gorgonzola toasts with pine nuts, and smoked trout with dill dip on cucumbers.  Yum!

We opened presents while we ate:

Look at this pillow my sister made for my cousin’s family.

It’s so cute! She needs to open up a store ASAP.

Once every present was tore into, we moved into the dining room for dinner.

We started with arugula, pear, and parmesan salads topped with my mother’s vinaigrette.

This was incredible.  Next we had the hens with roasted potatoes.  There were Brussels sprouts, too, but apparently I snapped the photo before they made it onto the plate.

Dinner was superb, but everyone knows the highlight of Christmas dinner is the dessert.  There were several plates of Christmas cookies…

But the main event was this chocolate tart with macadamia nut crust and caramel drizzle that my mother concocted.  Hello dessert coma!

After chowing down on all this sweet and savory food, we were ready to take a cue from Jack and take a nap on the floor.

Santa was especially nice this year.  See that KitchenAid mixer? That baby is mine!

I immediately dug into it and offered to start mixing away. But apparently my mother has already made dinner…

Speaking of cooking, my mother made a pork strata for breakfast. Holy Christmas deliciousness!

You can also see my Christmas orange on my plate. We always get oranges in the bottom of our stockings, but we’re the only family I know of who does this.

My creative little sister made me Notes On A Page recipe cards! She is so awesome.

I gave my mother some framed photos as one of her presents.  From top to bottom: all of the Page girls pose during her wedding a few years ago, my sister and I years ago, and my sister’s high school graduation.

Jack had a busy Christmas running around like a hyper toddler.  Linnea and Jack Christmas shot!

Jack has that “I will not sit still!” look in his eyes.  I finally let him out in the backyard for some much-needed zooming.

No time to stop for a photo, Mom!

He has been out in the backyard approximately nine times today. Something about that fenced, no-leash-necessary yard just makes him even more bonkers than usual!

I’m blogging at the kitchen counter while my mother preps dinner.  Everyone else is preoccupied, leaving me with the arduous task of consuming all of the Christmas cookies.  But if anyone is up for the job, it’s me! My extended family is coming over soon to eat, exchange presents, and help me out with this cookie situation.  Merry Christmas, everyone!

I had so much fun doing this! For the sugar cookie recipe, I added a little almond extract to a standard recipe, and these turned out to be delicious!

We got all of our wrapping done, too.  Phew!

Jack admired the presents and tried to figure out which one belonged to him.

The Boyfriend and I are spending Christmas with our families, so we had a mini Christmas on Tuesday night.  And we took a family holiday photo, of course!

It took a few tries since Jack doesn’t believe in sitting still.

I stress way too much this time of year because I obsess over buying everyone the right present (because that’s the TRUE spirit of Christmas…) so I thought it would be nice to put together a Notes On A Holiday gift guide for all those people you have yet to shop for.

For the kids: Treat Jars from Our Best Bites

These jars are so cute and you can fill them with anything: cookie mix, candy, little toys. Or they’d make a great keep-the-kids-busy craft at a holiday party.

For the classy girl in your life: Lip Salve from Sephora

I’m a cheapo when it comes to beauty products, but I adore this lip balm.  It smells and tastes great without being sticky and over the top. It does a nice job of moisturizing your lips.  Trust me on this one — after a lifetime spent in upstate NY, I know dry skin.  The minted rose is my favorite.

For the person in your life who is obsessed with bubble wrap (and who isn’t?): Bubble Calendar

The question is, can you make it through January without popping away all of 2010?

For your favorite foodie: Go local

Nothing is cooler than finding locals treasures, especially when you can eat them.  I’m willing to put down a couple extra bucks for anything from Saratoga Peanut Butter Company. Someone special on my list got NY Maple Peanut Butter for Christmas.  (It was The Boyfriend and he already opened it, so no surprise there.  I just want him to remember that Christmas is a time of sharing.)

For your stylish friend with a big heart: Breast Cancer Awareness T-Shirt from Lemondrop.com

The best part about these tees: 100% of profits go to cancer research.  Order at Save the Ta-tas.com where you can find a whole slew of gear that lets you wear your support on your sleeve.

For your neighbor: Holiday Bark

Find cute and cheap tins, baskets, and boxes at the dollar store.

For the dog: A Luxury Abode

These are insane in all the right ways.  But you could also just bake Fido some homemade dog treats, too.  I’m pretty sure his excitement level will be the same either way.

For the person who has everything: Family photos

Framed photos are my thing this year! Nearly everyone on my list is getting a photo and it has been tons of fun selecting pictures and frames.  I scoured thrift shops for inexpensive, gently-used frames.  The Boyfriend already opened his gifts from me, so I’m not ruining anything here:

For the whole fam: A Flock for Your Flock

If you don’t know Heifer International, you should.  The organization donates gifts of livestock to needy families across the globe, providing a source of food, stable income, and hope for the future.  Check out their whole gift catalog.

Still looking? Check out Forbes’ last-minute deals.