Whether you’re trying to treat this as a regular weekend or are already immersed in the holiday milieu doesn’t matter. The important thing is we just used “milieu” in a sentence and can now scratch that off our 2024 to-do list. Yar!
As for the weekend, yes we have lots of fun and delicious ideas, so let’s get to it, shall we?
As always, be sure to double check event and venue websites for any last-minute changes in health guidelines or other details.)
Meanwhile, if you’d like to have this Weekender lineup delivered to your inbox every Thursday morning for free, just sign up at www.mercurynews.com/newsletters or www.eastbaytimes.com/newsletters.
1 SEE & HEAR: Great shows are all over
The holiday entertainment season is in full bloom — which means there are amazing shows and concerts almost everywhere you look.
2 READ, BAKE & DEVOUR: Mouthwatering holiday breads
If you want to consult an expert baker for tips on how to make sublime holiday breads, who do you turn to? A former opera singer, of course. Especially if it is this former opera singer.
These Perfect Chocolate Puddle Cookies are inspired by cookies at San Francisco’s b.Patisserie. (Courtesy Laura McLively)
3 BAKE & SCARF: Puddle cookie perfection
Puddle cookies — large, melty creations of chocolate chip amazingness — should be a part of every holiday gathering. And, if you must know, it’s perfectly OK to make them just for yourself. Here’s how it’s done.
4 SEE & HEAR: A revered Latin band
The famed Spanish Harlem Orchestra is used to playing shows meant to get folks out on the dance floor. They’ll still be doing that during their Bay Area run, but with some joyous holiday songs tossed into the mix.
5 COOK & EAT: Beef tenderloin magic
Yes, a beef tenderloin can totally be your MVP for the holidays — if you prepare it this way.
“Laid,” with a hilarious Stephanie Hsu (at left), Tommy Martinez and Zosia Mamet, is a rom-com with a kick to it. (Peacock)
6 WATCH: A wild rom-com/thriller
What would you do if you found out that all of your ex-boyfriends or -girlfriends were dying in suspicious circumstances? That’s the premise of an engrossing new series that tops our roundup of what to watch this weekend.
7 PLAY: An ‘Indiana Jones’ game worthy of its subject
Let’s face it, several “Indiana Jones” games have come and gone and created little more than a ripple in the video game world. This one changes all that.
