Glasses, glasses

Thanksgiving seems to be the holiday that I choose to run around and stress about what I am going to use to set the table.  In the past I would wait til the last minute to realize that I never had enough glasses to set a 'perfect' table for my company/family.  I would then choose to run around in search for the mega box o'glasses that are usually  stacked in aisles or on tables in large box stores for people in the same situation. Unprepared losers.. I manage to get thru the table setting disaster only to find out that I will soon approach yet the same problem the following year. How did I always end up with only 5 of the 12 glasses?

 I needed to become creative and yes, thrifty and begin to 'collect' stemware/glasses.  I would scour thrift stores, garage sales and antique markets.  I came to realize quickly that the glassware they were trying to sell were only sold in sets of two, three, five... etc.  Sometimes  I would only find one... the ONE I always fell in love with of couse.  Other people were in the same situation I was and were trying to pawn off their cast offs.

And voila, creative solution:  Buy sets of two or four and mix n match! Yes... I have since become addicted to searching out fun and colorful glasses to set for the holidays or even simple get-to-gethers.  So when a glass magically disappears or accidentally breaks.... I don't freak out, it just gives me an excuse to find new ones.  Ha!

With the holidays quickly approaching, here are a couple of my favorite warm drinks to serve in your new found glassware:

Gluhwein

3/4 cup water

3/4 cup sugar or honey

1 to 2 cinnamon sticks

1 orange w/10 whole cloves inserted

1 bottle cheap red wine

warm over stove and serve.  if you don't wanna be martha stewartishy...i buy premade mulling spices and put in cloth tea bags...

Hot Buttered Rum

1 cup sugar

1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

1 cup sweat cream butter

2 cups vanilla ice cream (softened)

rum

boiling water

nutmeg

combine sugar, b sugar and butter in saucepan. stir til dissolved

in bowl w/mixer combine mixture with ice cream and beat til smooth

store refrigerated (up to 2 weeks)

for each serving, fill mug with 1/4 mixture, 1 ounce rum and 3/4 boiling water, sprinkle w/nutmeg

You may want to play with the different levels..more mixture with less water...rum...etc.  Of course the non adults love this without the rum.