If you don't see me for a few days.........

Expecting Snow with Wind

That is NEVER a good forecast

See you when it settles down

I have some great fast holiday recipes for you when I return

Let's SPICE it up!

Oh all the lovely fragrance's Christmas brings! We just brought our tree in and even bleach boy who carried it through the door smells like the forest. In the search for the tree skirt I opened several boxes and one gave me a burst of SPICE. I dug into it and found the little cinnamon ornaments we made in Girl Scouts. This recipe has been around but few add the glue. It seems to have kept them together all these many years. Of course you know any time you want to bring back a fragrance you need to put the items in an tightly sealed container.

So here is the recipe, roll and cut with cookie cutters and you too will have a Burst of Spice in your house.

Cinnamon and Apple sauce ornaments

4 ounce can of CINNAMON or 1 cup

1 tablespoon ground CLOVES

1 tablespoons NUTMEG

3/4 Cup Apple sauce

2 tablespoons of plain white glue

knead this lovely mix until it all holds together. You can add tiny bits of apple sauce if too dry

This should be like clay and not crack when rolling

Roll the dough to 1/4" too thin will brake in drying

you can use more cinnamon under to keep it from sticking

Cut into the shapes you want or use cookie cutters

Don't forget to put a hole near the top for hanging

These can be air dried turning over once or twice a day to keep from curling

Or

Bake at 200 no higher for 20 to 30 minutes turning often.

Don't let these curl, Watch closely

you can add painted features but I like them just Spicy and Brown.

Store in sealed container and they last for many years.

Here is a good article on the health benifits of a little SPICE

http://www.drweil.com/drw/u/TIP03140/The-Benefits-of-Cinnamon-and-Ginger-Cookie-Recipe.html

A Tool I just Love to use

Tonight I made a batch of Caramels Supreme. My best recipes as I've said before come from The Farm Journal. I'll give you the recipe if you have three spare hours to deal with it. What I really want to tell you about is a wonderful tool bleach boy brought to me. You can see it in the photo above. It is a little blower that you direct toward the pot that might boil over. And we all know caramels really like to boil over. This tool has a timer so you can tell it to come on and go off at different times. It even came with batteries. I LOVE THIS TOOL. I say with great enthusiasm!

Here is the web site for the tool and you must get one, you will use it over and over for anything that likes to boil over. At the end I cooled a hot spoon of caramel for bleach boy under the blower. he he.....

Boiling Minder, LLC

http://www.boilingminder.com/,/div>

Oh a fun note: the reason I have this cool tool is bleach boy worked for the inventor!

What a smart tool and what a smart husband bleach boy is for getting it for me!

Caramels Supreme only for those with time and tools

4 cups of sugar

2 cups light corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

4 cups of heavy cream

1 2/3 cup of evaporated milk (this used to be one can of milk not it's not sorry)

1 square of semisweet chocolate

1 square unsweetened chocolate

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 cup of shopped nuts (opt)

Tools: You need a 6 quart or better heavy pot (mine was 7 qt) You must have a good candy thermometer Pot minder to save you from blowing on the pot to keep it from boiling over!

Combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 2 cups of cream in the large pot Bring to a boil on med heat stirring constantly. I always put the lid on once it boils. I leave the lid on long enough for the steam to remove all sugar crystals on the sides of the pan.

Wondering why? When the kids were home schooling we got excited about making crystals shapes. All we need was a seed crystal in the shape we want to make we added it to a brine and da da we made new crystals in that shape. Note you do not want your creamy stuff to make sugar like crystals so we will retard it with corn syrup and stirring to dissolve it all.

Once it comes to a boil stir to dissolve sugar and then add the remaining 2 cups of cream very slowly, stirring all the time.

Cook to soft ball stage (232 degrees F). Now slowly add evaporated milk, making sure that the candy never stops boiling. I turn the heat up a tad, while pouring in the milk, to keep the boil. Be sure to turn it down again. I would do most of this cooking on low!

Add the chocolate and stir until it has melted. This can take a while, I stir and leave for 8 minutes and stir some more. Be sure you have your pot minder on if you leave.

Now cook to firm ball stage (248 degrees F) if you want soft candy go to 246 degrees F.

Add Vanilla and nuts

Butter an 8 inch square pan, these can be 1" squares for just eating Butter a jelly roll pan 15 1/2 X 10 1/2 X 1" This can be cut any size and dipped in dipping chocolate for a really special treat.

Be careful this stuff is hot and sticky!

You won't be eating these caramels right after you make them. They need time to set up. The candy for dipping should be in the fridge until you need it. Keep it cool for dipping.

I poured mine in a 9 X 13" pan but wish I had put it in a bigger one.

When these are ready I will put them in one of my many Tins

.

Cookie Tins amazing Cookie Tins

I love Cookie Tins! Everything once came in decorative tins, but not so much any more. So I don't ever part with the tins I have. Now you are wondering why I would devote space to two large boxes of tins?

At this time of year we don't bake all our goodies in one day and serve them the next day so they are fresh. NO! We bake a little here a little there. Wouldn't it be nice to serve them fresh two weeks into the holiday? YES. Besides rolls of freezer cookies (a blog to follow) tins are the best thing I know to extend the freshness of the season.

A story to help you with my point. Really this proved it all to me how good tins are

Back when the kids were teenagers I accidentally packed up a tin full of cookies in my storage boxes. I usually clean the tins and stack them inside each other to save space. This tin felt heavy when I packed it, I thought it was full of other tins. Skip to the next Christmas and I begin opening cans to store goodies and WOW there was all these cookies from the year before. They looked so pretty and fresh. I thought about it and finally convinced myself to taste and see what a year in a cookie tins does. I was worried, I hesitate, I pulled out a glass of water, I bit......

Hum that cookie tasted good. Really good. Now do you see why I think these tins are amazing!

Make sure your tins lid closes tight, always line them, I use wax paper. Never put anything warm or even close to warm in the tins. Put crisp cookies in one tin and moist or cake like cookies in another. Candy stores well in there too but follow the same rules, crisp in one can, moist in another.

Now when you have a plate of goodies to take to a get together open up your tins (with the goodies you slowly made over the weeks) and arrange your goodies plate with a smile!

Dorothy Day Awe!

Click to enlarge any photo

Back from the left- Anna Rose, Annette, Mildred, Pat, Me

In front from the left-Dolores, Corky, Dorothy, Annie

Those of you who know me know about my friend Dorothy.

Well today was our holiday gathering at her home and what a wonderful time we had!

Oh the goodies, the many conversations, the gift exchange, the group photo, all of it perfect.

We make handmade gifts to exchange on this day, this year it was a project made to fit from the elbow down. What amazing gifts we found in our packages.

I'm hoping the ladies will come take a peek at their fun photos. Everyone else is welcome to join us and marvel at all the hand spun, hand knit, cleverly made gifts. (we are all textile folks)

Let me introduce you to my friends.

( I hope they keep me after I do this to them!)

Fashion Women and her new fingerless gloves

Made by Dorothy

That is thumbing your nose double

Felted pot holders made by Pat.... WOW color!

This package didn't want to open, it was paper wars for a bit!

Beautiful fingerless gloves

We watched Dolores spin the varied colored yarn at fair. Nice job!

Maybe no one noticed what Annette was working on all afternoon but look where it ended up!

Yes that's the headband Annette was working on, very shrewd!

The fingerless gloves were made in a pretty lace stitch in all the colors of an Autumn afternoon. Perfect!

We love to pass around the goods and check them out for new stitches

and great fibers!

There are no photos of me opening my gift but here are the fingerless gloves made by Annie

The fun story in all this is I have received Annie's work for several years now, even though we draw randomly.....I am one lucky lady cuz Annie can sure create!

Wow I was thinking we had something against fingers! But these red gloves prove Anna Rose can make fingers! The stitch was so stretchy. Everyone wants to use it!

Yes we do study the projects, Dolores is getting personal instruction from Anna Rose so ask her if you want to know about this stitch.

I didn't catch Pat modeling her gift but I made them, so you can see them up close. I guess it looks like I don't believe in fingers either!

This is a great story too

I got an e-mail telling me that all this alpaca yarn was being sold on the dock

Seems a Russian company ordered it from Peru and couldn't pay for it in the end so it sat on the dock

I got about 14 colors in large containers and wish I had bought more. The labels are in Russian, too fun

Someone else who didn't believe in fingers was Mildred, but wow that hand knit copper bracelet was a tiny tube and so pretty. What amazing projects!

Glamore Women one handed!

This is a hand spun cotton bath mitt and a basket full of lovely smelling bath goodies

Corky even gave us each a lavender bath toss that had us all in scent happy land

Oh and such wonderful homemade goodies, the calories the calories!

Are you wishing you were there?

Everyone goes home with a nice tin of cookies

Sad when it's time to go home. This party kicks off the holidays for most of us and we fondly look forward to it. Now it's time to say good bye.

Bye Dorothy

Bye Athena

Bye kitties

See you next month and hopefully there will be no snow!

WAIT we can't go yet, come and quickly look at the beautiful room we have our party in.

Two full walls of windows facing the Cascade Mountain range. Click on it to make it big enough to feel like you are really here........OK good bye now!

Who's coming to sleep under the Christmas tree

Mirishana 2006

Everyone loves to sleep under the Christmas tree.

I already have one person signed up for this year

So Grand kids call Grammie to sign up for your night

I'll be heating the hot cocoa and singing Christmas

Songs until you're here.

Games for the holidays

I loved having my kids home from School! (one of my biggest pleasures was the years they home schooled and were home every day) It's about time for many schools to send the kids home for a couple of weeks. Have lots of games and projects on hand to keep them busy.

Some of the cut and fold projects would be good printed on card stock. You can buy it in a ream just like printer paper. Be sure and tell your printer that you are now using heavier paper. And don't forget to replace the card stock when you leave or the next persons map or recipe will be on cardboard!

Enjoy and because the resources are un-known (Amazing Auntie, the grocery store, the school, I saved them all) use them for yourself and don't publish these....he he

I know this is mirrored, it says "Jolly Santa"

Cut out, fold on dotted lines and tape sides together to form a Santa pyramid

Grab some paper bags and make holiday puppets, do color them first

Here are some scrambled projects

Now for some word hunt games

Volcano Potatoes

This is a fun thing to make with or for the kids. But bleach boy and I are kids too so tonight I used up a bunch of left over stuff making this old favorite. The recipe is in an old Better Homes and Garden cook book but maybe it is still in the newer ones!

BASIC RECIPE

Make mashed potatoes for 8 servings.

(my photos were potatoes for four)

2/3 Cup Grated cheese your choice, I used Swiss and cheddar tonight

1/4 cup of cream whipped

(I used left over from pumpkin pie, a little flat but workable!)

Seasonings of your choice

Butter a glass pie pan (8")

Mix Cheeses with Whipped cream

Mound potatoes in the center make it a nice Volcano shape

Now make your hole in the center. Carefully with a large spoon press center hole to make large enough for your prepared cheese mixture, keep this a bit shallow or your mixture will not heat in the center. Or keep it high and cook longer than time below.

I sprinkle with paprika, pepper and garlic salt. I like the color. kids will have their own ideas how decorating that potato mound.

Ok it's time to spoon in the cheese mix right into the center of the volcano.

I sprinkle a last touch of Parmesan cheese over all of it but it's not necessary.

Bake in a 350 degree oven for 25 minutes or until cheese is melted and potatoes are brown around edges. Remember the deeper your crater the longer it must cook.

Note: I added finely chopped onions to ours but we are adult kids and real kids might object to this.

Shape the potatoes into a nice Volcano

Sprinkle with seasonings of choice

Whipped cream and cheese, I often double this part of the recipe.

Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese if you wish, kids love to do this part

Time to pop it in the oven...

A fully erupted Volcano

Dig in!

Please note, I did put extra cheese in this volcano

I was trying to use up left over cheese, cream and potatoes from Thanksgiving.

Your volcano won't be as cheesy and less greasy

Felt Christmas napkin rings

Another project from my years as a Girl Scout jr. leader. We made our napkin rings from felt but you can do yours from construction paper and they will look great! You just have to fold the petals to fit them through the slots.

back of napkin ring

Braving the elements for that magical Evergreen!

Yes Joshua, It is raining!

But we have come for the magical Evergreen....

And this is the Evergreen state so our chances are good.

oh Joshua is not buying this quest.....

Click to enlarge it will look like you are right there in the forest.

Let's try a family photo moment between rain drops.

Hi Dunham's

Hi Papa

Look over there. Those are neat trees!

The scatter and hunt technique (we had several sets of walkie Talkies with us!)

Lilly is ready to cut that beautiful tree down

Oh and it smells so nice!

enlarge this to see the sleeping one year old

Daddy took over for Lilly, she is falling asleep standing , Papa holds the tree up....What?

Is this a posed photo?

Now the fun Begins....

Getting the tree to the car!

Did we say it was raining..... That means lots of mud!

Look at the size of the trunk on our tree. It's a very full, Magical tree.

This is my tree, the long hike made short with a little trailer ride. Lilly joined us on the ride

Cocoa time!

Laundry Time!.....We did mention the mud right?

Let us put in a good word for Reade Christmas tree farm

between Monroe and Snohomish.

Not only are the trees beautiful but everyone is so nice and the fields are easy to walk in.

(The only thing better is a forest tree without so much snip snip)