The Peanut and I made graham cracker "gingerbread man" houses this week. (As she calls them, anyway.) It was almost as much fun putting the decorations on with some frosting cement as it was eating nibbles of the decorations. And it is very easy to do — for directions, check here — and I managed to save myself a little time by using some leftover frosting from a can that I had used to ice the snowman cookies we made earlier in the week.
Let's just say that we had one very cheery Peanut, covered with a bit of frosting and sprinkles by the time we were finished.
This turned out to be a very fun project, so I thought I'd share the idea with everyone else who might have kids or grandkids about to descend on their home and in dire need of something to do that doesn't involve laying around and staring at the presents as a means to will the wrapping right off them before Christmas morning. As a firm believer in fun but easy on momma art projects, this one is really a winner.
And speaking of a crowded house full of holiday guests and such, I'm betting that there are a lot of folks reading this morning who could use some tips on easy guest entertainment. Over the years, I've perfected the art of entertaining on the fly, and trying to make it look as though you'd been cooking all day. Here are a few of my holiday faves to keep you going — with the least amounf of fuss possible.
– Christmas morning cinnamon rolls: I love these rolls. I make them every year, and they could not be easier. Bless the person, whoever you are, who originally sent me the recipe.
– Christmas Eve up all night putting toys together snacktravaganza idea: Goat cheese, served with triscuits and spiced peach butter or apple butter (or cream cheese and pepper jelly and crackers).
– Great hot artichoke dip: package of Friday's frozen dip, cut up cream cheese, quartered artichokes hearts in brine, drained and cut in smaller pieces, all mixed together and microwaved until hot. Serve with baguette slices or crackers.
There are lots and lots more easy ideas — for drop by guests and long-staying family and the like — on the Food Network website and lots of other places. I thought we could all share a bit of cheer this morning — along with some ideas that will give you more time to prop up your tired-from-the-blasted-mall feet. Which means you can sit back, have that second slice of Aunt Betty's fruitcake with your coffee and pull up a chair…
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Fitz!
Made your rum balls last night. Simple and delicious. Let me just pour a cup and enjoy one.
Morning!
Coffee?
Mornin’ all.
Goat cheese? Rrrecchhh.
Sorry about that. Stuff gives me the dry heaves.
My mom always makes cinnamon rolls on xmas morning. As a kid, every year I would ask her to double the recipe for the gooey buttery walnut topping.
easy guest entertainment = TV and beer ;)
Mornin’ Christy,
being the Dowager Empress of EPU, just posted this one downstairs -
french toast ?!?!?
traditional 12/26 breakfast faire @ chez cbl
substitute egg nog for the half & half
one year we flambe’d gran mariner over the finished product (use acetyline (sp?) torch if flambe makes ya nervous)
http://www.gingerbear.org/~esm/recipes/f rench-toast-souffle.xml
well, hmm… isn’t this strange? from the LA Times:
Generals: “More Troops Needed in Iraq”
what in the world is going on?
“fun but easy on momma”
How are you keeping everything within the Peanut’s reach from getting a thick coat of icing?
Substitute cream cheese for that goat cheese and we have a winner.
‘Morning pups! *wrapping, wrapping, eyes glazing over* Oh, my coffee pot buzzed! Yay! brb
Morning gang! :)
Those “gingerbread” cottages are so cute!
I have declared a moratorium on Holiday Craziness. No more stores. Certainly no malls! I will clean my house today, and wrap two more prezzies, and that’s that.
Wishing all of you calm and happiness this weekend!
Carmen at 2 — so glad you liked them! I love the recipe because it is SO easy. And trust me, they improve with age — if they last this long, two or three days from now, they are really yummy. :P
Beth at 11 — I finished the last of my wrapping last night, and we are headed out to exchange gifts with my dad and stepmom later today. And then we can come home and hibernate for the holiday. Woo hoo!
from LAT link above -
doing her best Groucho,
. . .sectarian violence ?, a euphemism is I eveh hoid one !, try ethnic cleansing you numbskull !
Our holiday shopping came to an abrupt halt when our flight to Denver was cancelled Wednesday night. I had already online shopped/shipped for all non-Denver family.
It just feels down-right weird to be two days away from Christmas with no last-minute gift-buying to do!
COFFEE
Too much last minute shopping yesterday.
To quote Peanut;
“]poSOPGjvpoVMAPD[Dk[nvadv’”
or Christy,
“blergh”
Anyways, Merry Xmas and salutations to the whole family!
hey Peanut !!!
http://mfrost.typepad.com/cute…..e_spe.html
have decided in the last few minutes it’s best for me to remain on the sunny side of the street this mornin
And honestly, gang, the “gingerbreadman” houses are the easiest craft project ever. Just get a can of white frosting, some graham crackers and some assorted candy…and cover your table with some newspapers so you have easy clean-up. And…voila!…a good hour or two of fun. :)
Thought folks who will have kids visiting this weekend would find this diversion useful. And very fun.
hmmm…cinnamon rolls, french toast in flames and hot fresh coffee…I’m really hungry now. I’m going to spend some time off testing out the great recipes folks here have shared. When it comes to food, the only thing I like better than cooking, is eating.
You guys just *have* to try this recipe (sample from my best cousin)……quick, easy, not too $$$$, & awfully good! Just the thing if you still need to pad out the food gifts stash:
QUICK PRALINE BARS
24 graham cracker squares
1/2 C. packed light brown sugar
1/2 C. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 C. chopped pecans
Heat oven to 350 F.
Arrange crackers in single layer on ungreased jelly roll pan (15×10×1).
Heat brown sugar and butter to boiling; boil and stir 1 minute.
Remove from heat and add vanilla.
Pour over crackers; spread evenly.
Sprinkle with pecans.
Bake until bubbly–8-10 min.
Cool slightly; cut into bars using pizza cutter.
Kewl Kidz spiking coffee at the mess with Kool Aid.
All kidding aside. This is very disturbing.
Wonder how many dead soldiers Odierno factored into his decision about whether to support this asinine policy and take the promotion?
OldCoastie @ 7
For easy-breezy holiday hors d’oeuvres, my mom’s Drunken Meatball recipe is one my sisters and I still haul out every Dec. 24.
1.5 lbs. ground beef
1 700g squeeze bottle of Heinz ketchup (or two of the old-fashioned glass bottles, if they still make them)
1 can beer
Combine the beer and ketchup in a saucepan and heat over medium until gently simmering.
In a bowl, mix ground beef with salt, pepper and onion powder to taste. Roll into 1-inch meatballs.
Drop the meatballs into the simmering pot and continue simmering until meatballs are cooked through, about 40 minutes.
Serve with toothpicks.
I think I better get up and take a bike ride or something… my mistake was I wrote my idiot Tom-Delay-Republican Congressman a letter to wish him peace on earth and out of Iraq now, and he sent me back something that sounded a lot like Jesus’ General, except he was serious…
now I have a big dark cloud hanging over my head… not the best mood to go Christmas shopping in…
mrsmarks at 22 — I do something kinda similar with pre-made frozen meatballs, a bottle of Heinz chili sauce and some grape jelly. I throw everything in the crockpot and let it simmer until heated through. Very tasty, and incredibly easy — and perfect for parties.
Oh gingerbread houses! My girls used to have parties where creating them was the feature attraction.
One year my hotel in Russia had a house big enough to walk into, made out of real gingerbread and candy. You were encouraged to take a piece to eat.
For some serious candy house extravaganzas, I have never seen better than the Chicago hotels, Drake etc. These are works of art.
OC at 23 — You mean “Under Criminal Indictment Tom DeLay”? (Does that make you feel better?)
mrsmarks @ 22 -
Those Drunken Meatballs sound yum……any questimates on quantity of onion powder & ‘proximate yield?
G’mornin’ Christy et al.
Easy, easy you say???? I usually make croissants and pain au chocolate for Christmas to eat whenever. Not easy but well worth it! Standing rib for dinner, now that’s easy. For the first time in a long time I have a service early enough to be able to have it on Christmas Eve (my preference). For easy, I do popovers on Christmas morning. Eggs, milk, flour and salt in the blender and then into a hot popover pan.
The cookies and sweets, not so much, it’s the croissants I love, esp. with the chocolate.
This year for desert I’m doing flaming carmelized bananas with ice cream and fudge or cherry sauce. Yum.
Yo and Fitz Fitz FITZ, y’all!
It’s too bad everyone in the world can’t be a Peanut and have you for a mom, Christy. What a sweet post.
I’ve been in lurkage here lately, but for happy reasons not bad ones, and keeping up – if I’d have known menopause would kick my ass with so much happy creative sexy energy, I’d have skipped ahead past all those bullshit years :)
I usually get the xmas spirit only a day or two before the 25th…I think it started kicking in last night
Off in a while to make xmas cookies with my brother, the one family tradition we’ve managed to keep – of course, being a Republican, he’s made it into a day long slave labor operation -
Christy Hardin Smith @ 26
yes, it does make me feel better, as a matter of fact… and this guy, Miller, has some awfully shady land deals going on, so I can cheer myself up thinking they may be sharing a jail cell!
but still…
aarrrgghhh ! I’ve been blogfurcated !!
have two of the loading ‘dao’ and “refresh comments” on my screen
Christy – graham cracker houses are a fabulous idea – now where in the hell was that recipe when we had to make them for 5, count ‘em 5 different classrooms ?!?!:)
having to work 1/2 day tomorrow with some much younger folks who have never had to work on Christmas Eve – it’s a pizza joint so not expecting any business – think I’ll bring in supplies and use it to distract and cheer them up (along with my carafe of mimosa of course)
Sharkbabe! Great to see you — merry, merry to you and yours. :)
Oh, and Christy et al.
FUNNY BBC Christmas special with the Walace and Gromit-like cast of characters. Creature Comforts on today at noon EST. Two half hour shows. Do Not Miss if you get BBC America.
Sharkbabe!!
Missed you!! Where ya been?
How are the goats?
RevDeb -
Set another place, darlin’…….I’m on my way to YOUR house for Christmas! ;-)
SHARKBABE !!!
was thinking of you not 10 minutes ago – where ya been ? lots of folks been asking after ya – was gonna go over and leave you a note at watertiger’s place
human secularlist wishes for a warm and joyous season
Last egrChild is home! Let the party begin!
[humming a merry tune…]
Waccamaw @ 27
I’ll try! We’ve been “throwing it together” for a long time now.
1 t. salt
1 t. onion powder
1/2 t. black pepper
The yield — if you stick to the 1-inch proportion on the meatballs and don’t make them any bigger than that — easily handles 8-10 people. More if you have other nibbles on the table.
Christy @ 24 — Grape jelly sounds interesting. Does that give it a sweet & sour taste?
Oh, Christy, this is SUCH a better idea than what I did, buying one of those kits, with all the attendant hassles.
I HAVE stale graham crackers. I HAVE old frosting. I could have done this instead! Next year, for sure. In fact, we’re going to make an Easter house.
mrsmarks at 38 — yes — the chili sauce is a sort of spicy ketchup, with a lot of zing and vinegar to it — and the grape jelly adds a sort of sweet counterpoint. I just dump in a bottle of chili sauce and a whole jar of grape jelly and it melts together and tastes very yummy. And I swear, it is the easiest appetizer ever because from there you just dump in the frozen meatballs and stir once in a while to get them all warmed and coated. Thanks you, magical crockpot. :)
more drunken meatballs:
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup ketchup
1/2 cup Bourbon
meatballs (see above)
simmer 45 mins or cook in crockpot.
even lazier way is to cut up all beef hot dogs into bite sized pieces in place of the meatballs to get drunken dogs
LMAO.
mrsmarks @ 38 -
Tks so much…….didn’t want to do a “taste test” w/raw hamburger *g*. Hate to be a trouble but another question…….have you ever made ahead & frozen?
I’m already working on the grocery list from this thread……….what a great bunch of cooks!
twolf1 @ 41
Yum!! With Christy’s recipe and now yours, I may have to start putting out a cornucopia of meatballs!
twolf1 @ 41
…when we get to the tequila, even vienna sausages start to gain respectability, if hot dogs aren’t available.
Waccamaw @ 43
I never have, but it seems perfectly doable!
It’s a dark and gray gloomy day and this year’s holiday recipe is for retirin to stay on the tubes whilst his better half spends the day baking pies and goodies. Works well for me. Who’s got the coffee?
rumi @ 45
use tequila in place of the rum, and add jalapenos to the ground beef and add a little chili powder.
Here’s a good make-ahead dish for serving a breakfast crowd. I got it from a friend and colleague whose family often converges at her house on special occassions. (She’s serving 30 this year!)
I tried it out at a holiday pot-luck brunch, and everybody went nuts over it.
French Bread Casserole
1 loaf French bread
3 cups milk
8 oz. cream cheese, softened
8 eggs
8 T. butter (1 stick) melted
1/2 c. maple syrup
- Grease 13×9×2 baking dish with butter.
- Slice bread in half, length-wise. Spread with cream cheese and cut into cubes.
- Blend milk, melted butter, eggs and maple syrup.
- Place half of the bread cubes in the pan and pour in half of the milk mixture.
- Add the rest of the bread and the remaining milk mixture.
- Wash hands thoroughly. Press down on the bread so the cubes become soaked through with the milk mixture.
- Cover and refrigerate overnight.
- The next morning, bake at 350 uncovered for 45-40 minutes.
mmmmmm. mrsmarks, that sounds good. I was dreaming about one last night that had a western omelette flair. You know, with ham, peppers, onions, cheese, etc. Anyone know a recipe that was close to that?
I got drafted to cook breakfast on Christmas morning, and I’d love to prepare it ahead of time.
Bill Nicholson’s Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding with Butter Rum Sauce
2 dozen Krispy Kreme donuts
1 (14-ounce) can sweetened condensed milk (not evaporated)
2 (4.5-ounce) cans fruit cocktail (undrained)
2 eggs, beaten
1 (9-ounce) box raisins
1 pinch salt
1 or 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
Cube donuts into a large bowl. Pour other ingredients on top of donuts and let soak for a few minutes. Mix all ingredients together until donuts have soaked up the liquid as much as possible. Bake for about 1 hour until center has jelled. Top with Butter Rum Sauce.
Butter Rum Sauce:
1 stick butter
1 pound box confectioners’ sugar
Rum, to taste (the more the merrier) ;)
Melt butter and slowly stir in confectioners’ sugar. Add rum and heat until bubbly. Pour over each serving of Krispy Kreme Bread Pudding.
Go see your cardiologist.
Mornin’, all…
Getting hungry reading about drunken meatball, but must throw liquid entertainment into the mix. Yes, hot spiced (and spiked!) cider, for which you can simply get mulling spices at the store, or simply throw some cinnamon sticks, ground nutmeg, & cloves into a pot of cider and keep over a low flame – rum optional but highly recommended. Or make two pots – one without rum for the kids, and one with rum for the exasperated adults. (And, if the kids are a bit TOO hyper, switch it up.)
Merry Christmas! (Bill O’Reilly made me say that – please don’t keep me out of the SP playpen.)
Ooooh, those Drunken Meatball recipes sound yummy. And perfect for New Year’s, too. I do the chili-sauce-and-grape-jelly one with the mini sausages.
And still chuckle over the year our friend from the Sacramento barrio taught us to combine Velveeta cheese and salsa for a hot dip with chips. Years before it showed up in the Velveeta advertising.
Link for the rum balls? I missed that. Too much Real Life around here lately. But we’re all gathering Christmas Eve…a blessing to cherish as we are mindful of all the families who have no table of their own or have a family member far away in a combat zone.
Now off to buy the fixin’s for those houses…a four-year-old grandson can use some occupying…and the rest of the menu…oh, and new Christmas collars for the spaniels…and….
My wife makes these and people rave. Easy to make and tasty.
Marinated Cheese
Ingredients:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup white wine vinegar (I use champagne vinegar)
One 2-ounce jar diced pimiento, drained
3 Tablespoons chopped fresh parsley (and/or cilantro)
3 Tablespoons minced green onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 teaspoon sugar
3/4 teaspoon dried whole basil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
One 8-ounce (5-1/2 x 2 x 1 inch) block sharp cheddar cheese, chilled
One 8-ounce package of cream cheese (I use Monterey Jack instead)
Fresh parsley sprigs (optional)
Combine olive oil, white wine vinegar, pimiento, chopped parsley, green onions, garlic, sugar, basil, salt, and pepper in a jar; cover tightly and shake vigorously. Set marinade mixture aside.
Cut blocks of cheese in half lengthwise. Cut crosswise into 1/4-inch-thick slices; set aside. Arrange cheese slices alternately in a shallow baking dish, standing the slices on edge. Pour marinade over cheese slices. Cover and marinate in refrigerator at least 8 hours.
Transfer cheese slices to a serving platter in the same alternating fashion, reserving marinade. Spoon marinade over cheese slices. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs, if desired. Serve with assorted crackers.
Yield: 16 appetizer servings.
If you have a spare back burner, simmer a pan of water with lemon and orange slices and cloves and broken-up cinammon sticks. Air freshener companies, eat your hearts out….
Remember to check the water level regularly and refresh spices as needed.
twolf1 @ 51
Now that’s cooking
:-) …I’m adding “serves 4″ to that so I’ll remember to get extra donuts.
add 1 dozen donuts to blender
puree for 5 minutes
pour in glass
garnish with lard
add straw
drink
;)
Good morning, and Happy Christmas Adam everyone! Having a hard time getting in the spirit this year – it’s currently sunny and 58 degrees…in northeastern PA.
I hope you got lots of pics, Christy!
Croissant French Toast with Soft Caramel Apples – Tyler Florence
Batter:
3 large eggs
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch ground cinnamon
Caramel Apples:
1/2 cup sugar
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
6 Granny Smith apples, peeled, cored and cut in 1/2-inch-thick wedges
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 large croissants, halved lengthwise
Confectioners’ sugar, for dusting
Ground cinnamon, for dusting
Make the batter for the French toast by whisking together the eggs, milk, vanilla, and cinnamon until evenly blended. Cover and refrigerate.
Pay close attention while you make the caramel apples – put the sugar in a large dry skillet and place it over medium-low heat. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon until the sugar melts and begins to caramelize, about 5 minutes. Be careful; the sugar is really hot at this point. Still stirring, add the butter, which will foam a little. Once the sugar and butter become a caramel sauce, fold in the apple wedges. Now, because the apples are cooler than the sugar, the sugar may start to seize and harden, but don’t freak out — keep stirring, once the apples warm up the caramel will smooth out again. When the caramel sauce starts to form around the apples, pour in the maple syrup. Give it a stir and simmer for about 10 minutes until the apples are fork tender. Pull them off the heat and keep warm until you are
ready to serve.
For the French toast itself, warm the butter in a large non-stick skillet over medium-low heat. You probably will only be able to fit a couple of croissants in the pan at once, so prepare these in batches. Take a croissant half and quickly dredge it in the batter. The key word here is quickly; the croissants are very soft and will disintegrate if soaked in the batter. Lay the croissants in the pan, cut-side down, and cook for 4 to 5 minutes. Carefully flip them over with a spatula and brown the other side. The presentation is like a caramel apple sandwich – take the bottom half of the croissant and put it on a plate, spoon some of the caramel apples on top of that, and cover with the top 1/2 of the croissant. Dust with confectioners’ sugar
and cinnamon and serve.
twolf1 @ 57
I can tell when I’m being mocked.
That straw would be useless.
Could I substitute raspberry jelly filled donuts for plain glazed?
PA_Lady @ 58
It’s 58 here in New York, too. A bummer from the standpoint of getting into the spirit. But every time I think about the electric bill, it makes me happy, happy.
rumi @ 60
yes! Do you think we should also add rum to this equation?
Prairie Sunshine @ 55: Thanks for this! My son has asthma, so I can’t use air fresheners or any other ’smelly stuff’. Even the liquid potpourri’s are too strong for him.
twolf1 @ 57: Sounds like most of my gramma’s recipes. If it didn’t have lard in it, she didn’t make it.
mrsmarks @ 61: Definitely a bummer. When I was a kid, we never wondered if there’d be snow for Xmas – we still had the leftover from Thanksgiving… :)
As a fuel-oil customer, I’m thrilled.
twolf1 @ 62
oh hell yes. Put enough rum in and we could skip the donuts.
Seriously though, the 19th of last month was the 11 year mark of being completely alcohol free. It’s one of those bittersweet achievements in life where it’s significance to others wanes over time, as it becomes normal. I don’t miss it enough to risk it in a recipe but it sure is fun to have the vicarious thrills thinking of it.
:-) life ain’t perfect but it sure could be a lot worse.
My Grandma used to make these things (in the pix above). My Grandma. The finest human being I’ve ever come across. Lord, I miss her.
Here is another quick artichoke dip recipe that you can always keep the ingredients on hand for.
1 (14 oz) can of artichoke hearts (not marinated)
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 cup mayonnaise
1 7 ox can chopped green chilis
Mix it all together and put in an oven proof dish and heat in a 350 degree oven for about 20 minutes. Serve with crackers or great with Melba rounds.
twolf1 -
krispy kreme recipe
sweet jeebus !! will have to try it
of course, we tribal Central Texans will use Round Rock doughnuts ;)
http://www.roundrockdonuts.com/
Here is another quick hot snack that people don’t believe the ingredients.
1 small jar yellow mustard
1 small jar grape jelly
1 or two packages ‘Little Smokies’ cocktail sausages or cocktail franks
In a small saucepan melt the jelly and mustard stirring to make a sauce. When hot and smooth stir in the sausages or franks and keep warm in a chafing dish or small crock pot.
This is amazingly simple yet really tasty.
Bongiorno! Christy, my wife chose the hard road to gingerbread houses. We have 6 kids coming for Christmas Eve, and they will be decorating the houses. So she’s got all the right house pieces on paper plates and enough frosting to send somebody into glycemic shock. She is currently sitting on the couch dividing up the candy pieces for each of them. She is hardcore!
Twisted Martini @ 70
Make sure she has secured the proper building permits and observes all local zoning regulations. It sounds as though she might actually fall under ’subdivision regs’.
No shit, I’ll have to dig out my covenants and restrictions document!
And congrats on your sobriety Rumi.
OfT Walton’s CIPA Ruling
by emptywheel
fallenmonk @ 69
Try it with dijon (grey poupon) and currant jelly. ’tis yummy too
goats are good! love you greege and everybody
pull up a chair is always the best thread. well that and the sunday boids. bless you Redd and all my friends.
FITZ! IMPEACH!
oh, and – STONE THAT PREGNANT HARLOT MARY CHENEY!
Sharkabe!! in da house.
Missed you, woman. Happy sexy holidays to you.
Speaking of missing, Denver has completely changed our plans. Got to the airport Thursday morning to find everything all topsy-turvy – next flight out, Christmas day. The Sprout sat on the sidewalk and wailed “I hate selfish Denver, it’s ruined everything!!” If there’s another storm in Denver before our flight, I’m putting my foot down. I don’t want to die in a fiery, snowy runway crash this year. Sprout is dying to see his cousins, but not that way.
We don’t have a tree, our presents are all unwrapped due to the TSA and it’ll be a scramble to get them done before the rest of the family has to go home. Sigh. I had a perfect Christmas outlined in my mind.
So Christmas blessings to all of you and yours, as I figure out a way to make lemonade out of all of this. RevDeb, I want to come to your house for Christmas Dinner. I love pain au chocolate and standing rib roast and popovers, and the company would be divine.
HOHOHO.
Twisted Martini @ 70
I used to do this, though for stockings and Easter baskets! My kids literally counted, and fights would break out over one extra Tootsie-Roll.
rumi @ 65
mmmmmmm… rum and lard…. :)
Congrats on the sobriety! I will do everything I can to help you with your vicarious thrill!
yeah, rumi, congrats on 11 years. Smart move.
TM @ 72 – thanks – damn near sounds like she’s set up as a modular home manufacturer. I might suggest hard hats, eye protection and steel toe boots for the young’uns on the assembly line…OSHA might stand for Oh Shit! He’s Airborn! but they could also be tight on the housing lines.
twolf1 – thanks and just keep doing what you’re doing.
OT, but Billmon is back — with a really long post of Cassandra’s greatest hits, from the Whiskey Bar archives.
Mommybrain @ 80
thank you. I mention it mostly to lend support to anyone who might be going through a struggle with it around the holidays. I’m not on a soapbox in any way but sometimes others can benefit to see it in action. Nobody, including myself, thought I could actually do it, but it is being done…one day at a time.
Good Morning Everyone! As usual, I was engrossed in the mornning recipe flurry, one of my favorite SatAM distractions.
Poor Mister Sadness. He has had to become ever more vocal to break through my visit to Recipeland–he wants meeeOUT. MEEE-OUT now please.
It is sunny, if cold here today. I’ve been doing a lot of baking. It is fun. Have plates of cookies to go out today. . .BTW twolf1, I made that pumpkin cheese cake for Thanksgiving. It was a big hit.
Christmas morning cinnamon rollS – a longstanding tradition. My mother would get up on Christmas morning to roll those out.
I’ll never forget when my older brother came home from college for the holidays, bringing his fiancee to meet the family. He told her she HAD to learn how to make Mom’s cinnamon rolls if she was going to be his wife. I told her to break the engagement, with a knee to his ‘nads. She married him anyway – and makes those rolls on Christmas.
What can I say? I make ‘em too.
bg @
84
I’m glad it was a success! I made one too and didn’t even get to try it. Next year I will make 2 :)
Sharkbabe @ 76
Someone was chiding me for being impolite here a while back. Can you imagine!?
mrsmarks @ 61
It’s going to be 72 in Long Beach, CA, today. Ho ho ho. :(
So, I’m thinking Christmas breakfast at Mommoms…sort of a Scots-Irish deal with everyone (sometimes 60 people) wearing Frazier Plaid. Breakfast offered everything including Lambs Brains and Fin n’ Haddy. Anyone else have memories like that?
BTW, here in southern Maine it’s 46 and raining. Sigh, no white Christmas this year.
Latest FaBlog: Fait Divers — “Surge”
Goats? I have serious goat milk in my fridge. Seriously.
Tonight we’ll host our midwinter rite. Friends will come to our house and we’ll hang wreaths to represent the sun. We’ll raise energy by chanting “ma,” the mother sound, and cast a circle by invoking the four elements, air, fire, water, and earth at the east-south-west-north corners respectively. We’ll invoke birth-giving Goddesses and celebrate the return of the light after the dark season by lighting a Yule (wheel) log. We’ll cast spells of healing and joy for friends and family, and drink libations of gratitude for all of the many blessings of our lives. Then we’ll open the circle and have a big feast, and share gifts and tell stories. We’ll laugh a lot. :D
I’ve been practicing the craft for 25 years now. I hope you don’t mind me sharing my spiritual traditions with you. I always feel like I’m with family whenever I’m at the Lake.
Blessed Be.
OKk, Sharkebabe has saucy insouciance. She’s a one-off, I think. (No, that doesn’t mean masturbation. Get your mind out of the gutter!)
witchywoman @
92
That sounds like a beautiful, warm, welcoming celebration. Thanks for sharing.
Greetings from Littleton,CO. The sun is shining and the snow is deep.
My son’s flight from MD to Denver was canceled; however, he will arrive on Thursday, so I have time to make those rum balls, if someone would re post the recipe.
Happy holidays to all!