Tag Archives: holiday

Happy Thanksgiving!

Posted on November 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Happy Thanksgiving!

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Saucy

Posted on November 22, 2012 by | Comments Off on Saucy

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I’ve been making this cranberry sauce for many years. It’s so easy and it’s always a big hit.

 

Spiced Cranberry Sauce

4 cups fresh cranberries
2 cups sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cloves
1/4 teaspoon ginger
1 3/4 cups water

Bring to a boil and cook 7 minutes. Reduce to a hard simmer for 20 minutes. Transfer to storage container. Cool, uncovered, about 30 minutes and then refrigerate overnight.

Pumpkin Pie
15 ounces puree pumpkin
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
1 cup heavy cream
1 T brandy
¾ cup lightly packed brown sugar
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp table salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp black pepper
1/8 tsp cloves
1 blind-baked crust

Preheat the oven to 325F. In a large bowl, whisk together the pumpkin, eggs, egg yolk, clream and brandy. In a small bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, ginger, cinnamon, salt, nutmeg, pepper and cloves then add this to the large bowl and whisk to combine. Transfer the filling to the crust and bake about an hour until pie is slightly jiggly in the center but set.

 

Pecan Pie
3 oz unsalted butter
¾ cup packed dark brown sugar
¾ cup corn syrup
½ cup golden syrup
3 large eggs, @RT
2 T bourbon
1 teaspoon vanilla
¾ teaspoon table salt
1/3 cup chopped toasted papershell pecans
2 cups toasted papershell pecan halves
blind-baked crust

Preheat oven to 375F. Melt butter and cook until brown, whisk in brown sugar and syrups until smooth. Remove from heat and let cool slightly. Whisk in eggs, one at a time then bourbon, vanilla and salt. Stir in chopped pecans. Transfer pecan halves to the crust and pour over syrup mixture. Reduce oven temp to 350F and bake 45-55 minutes until set- slight jiggle is done.

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You have to hold your mouth right

Posted on November 20, 2012 by | Comments Off on You have to hold your mouth right

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Today we did the bulk of the shopping for our Thanksgiving meal. We’ll get a couple of the really perishable things on Wednesday at the last minute. As you can see, the turkey with her brine takes up an entire shelf in the fridge. It’s nice and chilly this week so most likely it’ll be refrigerator temps outside and the turkey can loll about in her bath out there. When her fridge was this full and I was standing trying to find a spot to put something away, Grandma always advised, “you have to hold your mouth right”. I’m making my turkey stock today and spreading out much of the other prep over the next few days in hopes of having a more relaxed Thanksgiving day with time for parades and dog shows and family time.

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Winter Accessories!

Posted on October 23, 2012 by | Comments Off on Winter Accessories!

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Color Challenge: Orange

Posted on May 1, 2012 by | Comments Off on Color Challenge: Orange

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Stoneview 2012-04-09 11:55:13

Posted on April 9, 2012 by | Comments Off on Stoneview 2012-04-09 11:55:13

013 sweet potato rolls, sourdough version 022 023 025 Red Velvet Cake

We were excited to have Chris and Sara join us for Easter this weekend. I wasn’t sure if they were coming so it was an awesome surprised to get a “we’re here” text from Sara Saturday night. Jason and Daniel went to PAX East (a gaming convention) on Saturday while Chris and Sara did a power walk on the Freedom trail and finished in a record 90 minutes. They came back and spent the afternoon with me.

I adapted my sweet potato roll recipe to include sourdough and had a lightbulb moment when I realized it’s much easier to roll the dough out all at once and cut it into strips with a pizza wheel before forming the knots. It went much faster that way.

Sweet potato rolls

1 cup “fed” sourdough starter
1 tablespoon honey
2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
3/4 cup skim milk, 100 to 110 degrees F.
3/4 cup sweet potatoes, cooked and mashed
3 tablespoons melted butter, divided
1 1/4 teaspoons salt
2 large egg yolks, lightly beaten
5 cups bread flour, divided
cooking spray

Combine the sourdough starter, honey, yeast, milk, 1 tablespoon melted butter, and sweet potatoes in a large bowl. Mix until thoroughly combined, breaking up any lumps of potato. Beat in egg yolks. Add 3 cups of the flour and mix with a spoon until smooth. Now add salt and enough remaining flour to make a smooth dough. Kneat 8-10 minutes and transfer to a large bowl coated with cooking spray, turning to coat. Cover tightly and let rise until doubled, about an hour.

Preheat over to 400F (convection if you have it).

Roll out dough on a floured board to about 3/8-inch thick into a rectangle approximately 12 x 20. Using a pizza wheel, cut dough into about twenty-four 12-inch strips. Spray two baking sheets with cooking oil. Form strips into knots and place on cooking sheets. Cover loosely with towels and allow to rise about 30 minutes or until double.

Brush with melted butter and bake at 400F

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. fifteen minutes or until lightly browned, turning the pan halfway through cooking.

Dessert this year was a red velvet cake, one of Daniel’s favorites and a bit hit with all. It’ll be prettier if you do a crumb coat but since I was doing frosting late in the evening I skipped that.

 

Red Velvet Cake

2 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
2 oz. red food coloring (two bottles)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
1 1/2 cups sugar
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup buttermilk, at room temperature
1 teaspoon white vinegar
1 teaspoon baking soda
Cream Cheese Frosting Ingredients:
1 lb cream cheese, at room temperature
1/2 cup butter, at room temperature
1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
3-4 cups powdered sugar, sifted

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt. Whisk food coloring and cocoa powder together, until smooth, in a prep bowl.
In the bowl of your mixer, beat together butter and sugar, until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, one at a time, then add vanilla and cocoa/food coloring. Add flour and buttermilk, alternating each, beginning and ending with flour. Mix vinegar and baking soda in a little cup and then gently fold this into the cake batter. Split batter into two cake pans that have been greased with the butter papers. Bake 30 minutes at 350F or until a cake tester comes out clean. Cool in the pan 10 minutes then remove to a wire rack to cool completely.

For the frosting:
Whip together butter and cream cheese then add 1 teaspoon vanilla and gradually add the confectioner’s sugar until a spreadable consistency is achieved. Place your first layer on your cake stand and spread the top with a dollop of frosting leaving it thicker at the edges. Invert your second layer onto this. Now transfer a little of the frosting to a small bowl and spread a thin coat over the cake. Don’t worry about crumbs at this point. Place the cake in the refrigerator for 15 minutes or until the crumb coat is firm (chill the rest of the frosting if your kitchen is too warm). Now frost the cake with the rest of your frosting. Chill several hours or overnight before serving.

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Thank you, Munich!

Posted on December 23, 2011 by | Comments Off on Thank you, Munich!

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Illustration: Winter Classic Program

Posted on December 8, 2011 by | Comments Off on Illustration: Winter Classic Program

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More blessings . . .

Posted on September 28, 2010 by | Comments Off on More blessings . . .
Life has truly taught me to never expect smooth roads and always expect the unexpected.  Sometimes it's hard, though, to acknowledge and accept, and to remember, that God has a plan for us.  Yesterday was an awakening for me.

My sweet son-in-law hurried late yesterday afternoon from Fort Worth to go with me to retrieve my treasure--the weaving loom, so generously gifted by C.C. Young Retirement Home.  I had reserved a Uhaul with a drop ramp to make it easier to use a dolly to load and unload the loom.  At the last minute, I asked Steven if he thought it might be better to go look at the loom and develop a plan first--then we could go back Thursday or Saturday and pick it up.  He agreed, but was concerned about the length of time--I assured him that the building and the loom were safe until spring, when the building was to be demolished.  This is what Susan, at C.C.Young, and Hinke, with Dallas Weaving Guild, had both told me.  So I felt comfortable with this plan.  And Steven had never seen the loom--I wanted him to be comfortable with the "job."

You can imagine my surprise when Security opened the door for me at about 4:30 p.m. yesterday afternoon to find the room empty--literally empty.  Every ounce of yarn, every piece of equipment, every pin and measuring tape, every scissor, and my precious loom were gone. 

I was heartsick, disappointed, sad . . . devastated.  Everything was gone.  I had built up such anticipation and excitement for my new venture.  I really was devastated.  I came home and closed my drapes, turned off the telephone, and went to bed.  I was just disgusted and disappointed that someone could come in and crumble my plans up so menacingly. 

Enter insomnia. 

I'm probably not very different from others--when I awaken in the middle of the night in the dark and quiet, I think about stuff--I pray, I plan, I dream.  Last night was no exception.   And in the midst of my nighttime lamentations, a soft, knowing hand reached out and gently shook me.  But it was enough to get my attention.  In my disappointment, I'd forgotten the most important lesson of all--that God has a plan for me.  Sometimes it's the same as mine; but more often than not it isn't.  The secret is keeping my eye on the prize.  Earthly things can tempt us so.  We can forget so easily that this time here is only transitory.  And forget that putting too much stock in the doings of this world isn't always the good or smart thing to do. 

So . . . weaving isn't in God's plan for me today.  Maybe another day--but not today.  And maybe not tomorrow, or any other day for that matter.  But God has a plan for me and I'm joyful and thankful for it.  God knows something I don't--and his plan is better.  So, again, I'm blessed.  I'm happy, even have a feeling of excitement, knowing that God's plan is playing itself out through me.  So blessed!!!

Today I'm working on my "stuff" for the fantastic craft fair that will take place at Jacob's Reward Farm:


Please, please come and support all these fantastic artists.  I make great project bags, plain but fantastic soap, and other fun stuff.  And this group is totally, totally talented--we're talking non-amateurish totally professional stuff my friend!  Take an hour or so out of your Saturday that day to check it out.  There will be lots of food, entertainment, demonstrations . . . just a really cool day.  AND, maybe the best part, is that you can get a bunch of your Christmas shopping done.  Whew . . . wouldn't that be cool????  Have a huge dent done by Halloween??  Love it!!!

Keep the faith, sisters.  Sometimes it isn't easy to see the blessings, but I promise they're there.  God really does have a plan.

xoxo

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