Today, on the first day of December, I have memories of two Thursdays ago… Besides the molasses cookies, I remember all the fun I had having my family back together. We don’t get together like that often, and I felt like I was 10 again, all my cousins around, playing cards, watching old movies (“Baby Boom”) and having late night kir royales (champagne and cassis). You can always count on my family for late night drinking and lots of poking fun at each other. One of my favorite points during those 24 hours was when I looked out my dining room window with my Uncle Ramon. The leaves were golden and fiery and glistening along the rainy landscape. Here are a few photos through that window. My Uncle was sad he forgot his camera. Well, my camera isn’t all that fabulous, but it did the job.



I also couldn’t help posting this awful photo of my Mom. Thanks goodness, she doesn’t have an Internet connection. I hope my family will keep this under their collective hats. Check out all the holiday photos here.


Maggie, is chief tasting officer and founder of Eat Boutique. She started the site in 2007 as a way to highlight and celebrate the best pure, local and comforting handmade foods, and now sells unique and delicious handmade food in monthly tasting subscriptions and seasonal gift boxes. Fostering vibrant real world communities around food, Maggie now hosts Eat Boutique’s Local Markets, where she spotlights cookbook authors and undiscovered food makers. Maggie is a community evangelist with more than 15 years of Web community building and outreach experience, connecting millions via sites like Lycos, Tripod and TripAdvisor. She’s written for Time Out New York, the former I.D. magazine and Hip Paris, and created retail experiences for the largest floral and event design company in New England. Maggie regularly visits Paris and travels far distances to find the next great chef, farmer, food maker or host. You can follow her worldwide - and homemade - gastronomic adventures on Twitter at @mizmaggieb or @eatboutique.