[1] You can build these crisps on any base you like. We chose toasted ficelle*, a long loaf of French bread that’s narrower than a baguette (photos #1 and #2 © Cambria Style).

[2] Buy extra figs and place them in a bowl for those who’d like some fresh fruit.

[3] Divina fig spread is delicious on toast, atop oatmeal, on sandwiches and much more. Check out our review (photos #3 and #4 © Murray’s Cheese).

[4] A jar of Divina Fig Spread. Try it as a spread on ham or turkey sandwiches.

We were looking for a new hors d’oeuvre to serve with a Champagne aperitif at our little family New Year’s Eve dinner.

Then, we were leafing through Cambria Style magazine’s 20th Anniversary issue, online, and we found this fig and goat cheese recipe that hit the spot for hors d’oeuvres** on New Year’s Eve.

It was adapted by Cambria Style from Bon Appétit magazine.
 
 
RECIPE: FIG & GOAT CHEESE PANCETTA CRISPS

Ingredients For 12 Crisps

 
Preparation

1. PREHEAT the oven to 400°F.

2. LINE two large baking sheets with parchment paper and place the pancetta in a single layer on the paper. Bake until crisp and nicely browned, 12–15 minutes.

3. TRANSFER the pancetta crisps to paper towels and let cool for 15 minutes. (Note: If using sliced baguette/ficelle, you can toast them in the same oven after you remove the pancetta. See the directions in the footnote‡.)

4. ARRANGE the crisps on a serving platter and top each with 1 teaspoon goat cheese, a small dollop of fig spread, 1 arugula leaf and fig slices. Sprinkle with thyme and serve.
 
 
> THE HISTORY OF FIGS

> WHY GOAT CHEESE IS DIFFERENT

> A KIT TO MAKE YOUR OWN GOAT CHEESE
 
 
ABOUT CAMBRIA STYLE

Cambria Style is a lifestyle magazine that celebrates home decor, design and all the little things that make home special—like the tasty goat cheese and fig crisps above.

Cambria Style is an initiative to showcase the gorgeous Cambria home surfaces. The home features are positively drool-worthy.

Head here for a complimentary subscription to Cambria Style. It’s published twice a year and has won design awards.
 
________________

**Hors d’oeuvres are served before the meal, typically with cocktails or wine. Appetizers tend to indicate the beginning of the meal. An hors d’oeuvre isn’t considered to be part of the meal, so can insist of just about anything. Appetizers, on the other hand, are typically chosen to compliment the rest of the menu.

*Ficelle is a long loaf that’s thinner than a baguette—1″ to 2″ wide. The word is French for “string.”

†In the photos, Mary’s Gone Crackers gluten-free crackers were used.

‡To toast bread in the oven, lower the heat to 350°F and position a rack in the middle. Place the sliced bread on a baking sheet. Toast for 10 minutes, turning after five minutes.

[1] The White Christmas Cocktail has a complex layering of flavors, including coffee and vanilla (photos #1 and #2 © Kilkea Castle).

[2] The cocktail is available through the holiday season, at Kilkea Castle’s restaurants and lounges.

[3] If you purchase a bottle of Tia Maria for this cocktail, you can use it as often as you like in coffee, as an after-dinner drink. Or, splash some into iced coffee as an after-work treat (photo © Tia Maria).

This “White Christmas” cocktail can continue straight through New Year’s Eve.

It’s rum- and vodka-based, with coffee liqueur and vanilla vodka. You may not have all the ingredients, so see the substitutions below.
 
 
RECIPE: WHITE CHRISTMAS COCKTAIL

Ingredients Per Drink

 
Preparation

1. COMBINE the Tia Maria, vanilla vodka, Malibu rum and milk into shaker with ice and shake vigorously until well-chilled (20-30 seconds).

2. STRAIN into a chilled Martini glass. Garnish with brown sugar stripes (or design of your choice). You can use an espresso spoon or other implement to sprinkle the stripes.
 
 
SUBSTITUTIONS

 
 
GRANULATED BROWN SUGAR

Granulated brown sugar, which is used for the garnish, is a pourable version of brown sugar that can be used as a substitute for light brown sugar, which is not particularly pourable.

Domino calls its brand Pourable Light Brown Sugar. It’s also a delicious sprinkle on oatmeal and other cereals, and for fruit that isn’t as sweet as it could be.

If you can’t find it locally, look on Amazon.

Here’s more about granulated brown sugar.

You can substitute:

 
 
> HERE’S MORE ABOUT THE DIFFERENT TYPES OF SUGAR.
 
 
ABOUT KILKEA CASTLE

Kilkea Castle (photo #2) is a luxury hotel resort and golf club located in County Kildare, Ireland, 40 minutes from the Dublin Airport.

While we can’t spend Christmas there, alas, we can have a small taste of it, thanks to Kilkea Castle’s head bartender, David Pedro.

[1] The recipient gets a certificate suitable for framing…and then updates until the cheddar cheese arrives (photos #1 and #2 © Rent Mother Nature).

[2] This maple syrup comes from “your” sugar maple tree.

[3] You’ll get updates from your goat, and then her cheese will arrive (photo © Laloo’s Goat Milk Ice Cream | Laloo’s | Ice Cream Source).

[4] Busy bees are making honey for your gift recipient (photo © Wolfgang Hasselmann | Unsplash).

This specialty business lets you “lease*” a farm animal, tree or field and receive its bounty: cheese, fruit,

Since 1979, Rent Mother Nature has been supporting natural, organic agriculture on small family farms.

Your “lease fee” lets you gift farm-fresh harvests. They’re:

 
 
WHAT YOU GET

Lease a cow, for example, and you’ll get:

 
According to the company, satisfaction and bountiful yields are 100% guaranteed.
 
 
WHAT ELSE CAN YOU LEASE?

Rent Mother Nature, founded in 1979, “leases” some 20 different animals, trees and grains.

The crops come from 15 U.S. states plus Colombia, Mexico and Peru.

Depending on your choice, your lease could yield a jug of maple syrup from “your” tree, a wool blanket from “your” sheep, or a jar of honey from “your” beehive.

The current lease opportunities include:

 
Of course, you could purchase the food items in a store for a lot less money.

But where’s the fun in handing someone several pounds of wild rice or three wheels of cheddar?
 
 
> LEARN MORE & GET YOUR LEASE HERE.
 
 
________________

*What’s the difference between lease and rent? In real estate terms, a lease is a contract for a specific period of time (e.g., 6 or 12 months), after which the contract expires. Rent is the payment made under the terms of the lease [source].

Long ago, in our graduate school years, we would go home when the library closed at 11 p.m. and make a batch of boozy ice cream.

Our specialties: Grand Marnier, Amaretto with crushed amaretti cookies, Harvey’s Bristol Cream Sherry and Kahlúa Coffee Chip.

We haven’t made them for years (there’s no room in the freezer when you’re a food writer). We miss boozy ice cream.

And trudging through trade shows and specialty food stores, we’ve personally come across only two brands with alcohol:

 
And more recently, we discovered Tipsy Scoop.
 
 
INTRODUCING TIPSY SCOOP BOOZY ICE CREAM & SORBET

Tipsy Scoop is an inspired line of liquor-infused ice cream and sorbet.

Artisanal and hand-crafted, the flavors are inspired by classic and contemporary cocktails.

Made with local and seasonal ingredients, his season’s flavors include:
 
Ice Cream

 
Sorbet

 
There are also specialty flavors for the season:

 
We enjoyed all the flavors we tried, but prefer the creamy consistency of the ice cream to the sorbets.
 
 
GET YOUR TIPSY SCOOP

Check out the season’s flavors and place an order.

If it’s too late for a gift package to arrive on time, send the lucky recipient an email with your message and a link to the Tipsy Scoop website.

The anticipation will be as good as the gift!
 
 
CREATE YOUR OWN BOOZY ICE CREAM & SORBET RECIPES

[1] Special for the holiday: G.H. Mumm Champagne ice cream with berries (all photos © Tipsy Scoop).

[2] Coquito is one of the “cocktail” ice creams.

[3] Send a four-pack…or maybe two four-packs?

[4] The best hot fudge sundae ever? Boozy ice cream makes it better.

Hot chocolate with a cookie topper (photo © Nadezhda Moryak | Pexels).

The next time you take a batch of cookies out of the oven, poke a hole in them.

Why? So you can use them with a straw, to top a glass of milk, iced coffee or other cold beverage.

Sure, you could drink your libation without a straw, but where’s the fun in that?

You can also top hot drinks, but the heat from the drink will dampen the bottom of the cookie a bit. It may or may not begin to lose its crunch.

Unless, of course, you first remove it from the top of the cup, and munch as you drink, as we do.
 
 
> MORE HOT CHOCOLATE GARNISHES

> CUP COOKIES THAT SIT ON THE RIM OF THE CUP

> PEPPERMINT HOT CHOCOLATE & BROWNIE BARS

> FORK, KNIFE & SPOON COOKIES