Here’s a holiday treat for you and yours (as long as yours aren’t allergic to peanuts!). These Christmas Kiss cookies are as much a part of our holiday season as trimming the tree, hanging the handmade stockings from Grandma, and… laying out the January issue of theHumm. Don’t forget to unwrap the kisses before the cookies come out of the oven!

Christmas Kisses

about 60 Hershey Kisses
1c white sugar
1c brown sugar
1c butter

wet stuff:

1c peanut butter (allergy alert!)
2 eggs
4 Tbsp milk
1 tsp vanilla

dry stuff:

3.5c flour
2 tsp baking soda
dash salt

Preheat oven to 375F, put on seasonal music, and start unwrapping kisses.
Cream sugars and butter, combine and add wet stuff, mix well. Combine and add dry stuff, mix well. Shape into balls (about 1 inch in diameter). Roll balls in white sugar and bake for about 10 minutes (until light golden) on ungreased cookie sheets. Push kisses into the middles as soon as they come out of the oven. The kisses take longer to cool than the cookie part, so don’t stack them until the chocolate is firm.

Happy holidays from theHumm!

Posted on December 21, 2005 10:40 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

As Nathan Sloniowski points out in his comment about the Arts Carleton Place website, the website for the Mississippi Mills Arts Council is alive and well and looking for members!

According to the site: “The MMAC exists to foster creativity and diversity in Mississippi Mills (formerly Almonte, Pakenham and Ramsay, Ontario), support artistic education and teaching, and help build an arts-friendly community that respects the value of our many contributions. Our members include Order of Canada award-winners, internationally renowned painters, potters, sculptors, writers and actors, musicians known and loved around the globe, and lots of people who purely and simply place their passion for the arts and artistic endeavours foremost in their lives.”

The MMAC is also planning their next Arty Party, scheduled for Thursday, Jan. 12 at Fitzgerald’s Restaurant in Almonte (more details to follow). Plan to go, schmooze, eat and greet!

Posted on December 12, 2005 4:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

theHumm’s December issue is full of specific gift suggestions for folks on your list — all of which can be found in small towns in the Ottawa Valley. We would like to thank all participating merchants for taking the time to send in their suggestions, and to thank our readers for shopping locally and thereby supporting both the shops and theHumm! Here are two of the many categories — pick up a copy and find the full list of local gift ideas.

Gifts for Art Lovers

Etchings by Franc vanOort, Riverguild ($80–250)
Etchings by Helen Stewart, Maclean Young Picture Framers ($125 & up)
Framed Print of Québec City, Elisabeth deSnaijer Antiques ($45)
Vintage pictures and frames, Curiosities ($10 & up)
Carolyn Shuttle Fused Glass Platter, Keffer Gallery / Café ($135)
Beautiful Works by Local Artists, LUX Photographic Services ($100 & up)
Affordable Fine Art Prints & Photos, Philip K. Wood Gallery (various)
Fused Glass Panels by Craig Angus, Bridge St. Gallery ($650)
Shaker Oval Boxes, Nordic Star ($30 & up)
Paintings by Keith McQuay, Treefrog Gallery ($600–1000)
Silver & Gold Hand Mirror Wall Sculpture, Kehla Design ($910)

Gifts for Cooks

Stainless Steel BBQ Spatula, Don’s Meat Market ($20)
Wildly Delicious Fig Balsamic Vinegar, Ground Waves ($13.99)
Tea Towels, Oven Mitts, Dish Cloths, Jen-Bar ($5.99 & up)
Handmade Bowls by Violetta, Fabulous ($18 & up)
Cookbooks from Yesteryear, Curiosities ($10)
Ancho Gold #5 Sauce, Kincades Fine Foods ($6.95)
“Canadian Living Everyday Favourites”, Valley Bookshop ($39.95)
Cuisinart 12-cup Retro Coffee Maker, Equator Coffee ($119)

Posted on December 6, 2005 5:56 PM | Permalink | Comments (0)

by Sally Hansen

Sherry Tompalski describes her painting style as “Psychological Realism — an attempt to capture the psychological experience of another person in paint on canvas.” Looking at her Private Moments series of 16 portraits done in vivid oils, I experience a strong visceral reaction to the emotional power of her faces. The canvases are large and the faces dominating them play havoc with my preconceptions of what people look like. They command attention and evoke response.

Continue reading "Sherry Tompalski — Reverse Psychiatry" »

Posted on December 1, 2005 5:54 PM | Permalink | Comments (2)