HOMESPUN CHRISTMAS

Product photo from Amazon.com

This morning I’m going to share some thoughts about another of my favorite Christmas books from Gooseberry Patch. I think Homespun Christmas is the second such book I bought, and I’ve used it a lot over the years.

Homespun Christmas is divided into 6 sections: Memories, Festive Foods, Goodies, Gifts from your Kitchen, Crafts, and Home for the Holidays.

Memories -- just what the name implies. It’s composed of Christmas memories shared by different folks from around the country. Fun and inspiring Christmastime reading. You may pick up some neat ideas to start as traditions with your own family.

Festive Foods -- “A bountiful collection of holiday feasts and treats”, this section has three categories: Great Beginnings, Scrumptious Sideboard, and Bountiful Banquet.

From Great Beginnings, I highly recommend Crab Quiche Appetizers and Yuletide Crab Puffs. I’ve made both of these numerous times and they are very good, especially when you need a large amount of appetizers to feed a group or to take to a potluck.

From Scrumptious Sideboard, I’ve made Make-Ahead Mashed Potatoes (Version #1) dozens of times and given out the recipe more times than I can count. This section and Bountiful Banquet both contain loads of other wonderful-sounding recipes.

Goodies -- “We fill your pantry with desserts & sweets from simple to the sublime”.

Mom’s Candy Apple Walnut Pie, from this section, is deliciously different. Pumpkin Dutch Apple Pie is a terrific combination of pumpkin and apple pies which I’ve often made for Thanksgiving. Apricot-Nut Supreme Brownies may be made with either chocolate or white chips -- so the brownies may be blond brownies OR chocolate ones, filled with apricots and almonds. They make a wonderful gift! Fancy Flower Biscuits, made with refrigerated biscuits, are a fun breakfast treat for kids to help with. Chocolate Malt Cookies are another favorite of ours. I could go on and on!

Gifts from Your Kitchen -- “Creative holiday treats from the heart of your home”.This section is full of fun ideas for creating and packaging kitchen gifts.

Crafts -- “That special homemade touch that only you can give”

I’ve used lots of the creative gift ideas from this section. The ideas for fabric gift bags and for making your own gift tags from bits and pieces of Christmas fabric, gift wrap, or cards are very helpful. I’ve adapted the idea for a Gingerbread Recipe Wall Hanging to use for all four seasons. The Holiday Candles are a fun, easy idea as well -- you start with plain pillar candles or votives. The Christmas Fire Starters are a fun project that makes a super gift for anyone with a fireplace or woodstove or anyone who enjoys camping.

Home for the Holidays -- “Helpful little how-to’s for all around the house”

This is a nice assortment of little decorating, entertaining, and gift ideas. I’ll be surprised if you don’t find several ideas here that you want to try.

If you are interested in purchasing this book, you can find it here: Homespun Christmas.  Used copies are readily available on Amazon for only a few dollars.  
Have fun with this book!