Maker's Mark Bourbon Balls

Bourbon balls are a holiday tradition in my family. My great-aunt Marie -- of Coca-Cola cake fame--- made them every Christmas and passed the recipe along to all the nieces and nephews. The recipe is as much a part of the holiday tradition for my dad's side of the family as opening presents on Christmas Eve or telling the same family stories every year.

• 1 to 2 cups good bourbon whisky (preferably Maker's Mark) 
• 1 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 to 1 cup whole pecan halves (optional) 
• 1 two-pound bag of powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter, softened
• 1-2 bags semisweet chocolate chips (preferably Ghiradelli)
• paraffin wax

1. Place 1/2 to 1 cup of chopped pecans in shallow bowl. Pour Maker's Mark over nuts, immersing completely. Cover and let soak 12 hours to overnight. 
2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place pecan halves in shallow pan and toast lightly for about ten minutes. 
3. Cream butter in stand mixer fitted with paddle attachment. Combine bourbon-pecan mixture with just enough powdered sugar to form a stiff ball. Refrigerate to let stiffen slightly. 
4. Roll dough into small balls. 
5. In double-boiler (or a sauce pan placed over a cooker full of boiling water), add a third to a half a bag of semisweet chocolate chips and a small shaving of paraffin wax (no more than 1/4 cup). Heat until just smooth. Dip dough balls into the chocolate mixture. The key is to coat them quickly and make small, frequent batches of melted chocolate. 
6. Place bourbon balls on wax paper to cool. Top each with a toasted pecan half, if desired. Results are better if you leave them to cool at room temperature rather than in the refrigerator.

Fur Coats and Cabbage Patch Kids

My grandparents always gave the greatest Christmas presents.

Now, looking back, most of those gifts were exactly what most kids our age were unwrapping. Toys that matched our interests. I seem to recall a couple of monogrammed sweaters. But, it always seemed like they'd hit the nail on the head. They got us exactly what we wanted, and sometimes things that we didn't even know we wanted. We were always so excited to open them!

There was the year we got Cabbage Patch Kids. That was exciting stuff in the year when EVERYBODY had to have Cabbage Patch Kids. There was the year they had "surprise" presents for us after everything else was unwrapped -- a collector's Scarlett O'Hara doll for me, and a 10 speed bike for my cousin. And then, there was the year of the fur coat.

Yeah, I'd wear the same outfit today.

Oh, y'all. A rabbit fur coat. From Dawahare's. Now, as every good Kentuckian can recall, Dawahare's was just about the best store ever. When you unwrapped a package to find their iconic bugler logo, you just knew that box was going to contain something really good!

As an adult, I try to think about those special Christmases at my grandparents' house as I buy gifts for the people on my own list. I want a present to reflect the recipient's interests and style. I don't want to give generic gloves or socks. I want to see an actual smile of appreciation when the present is opened. Like Mia, the comically saucy secretary in Love, Actually, I try to remember that Christmas isn't for things you need, it's for things you want -- pretty things.

Every year, my goal is to capture the joy of fur coats and Cabbage Patch Kids. That makes for gifts that are amazing to give and (hopefully) to receive.