Merry Berry Cheesecake Bars

 

I tried a new recipe at Thanksgiving ... with the express purpose of using it here in my Christmas kitchen.  This recipe was found in a 1998 Christmas magazine, and I had it tucked in a box of items I find useful for freebies to send out with Etsy orders.  In fact, I had been just about to put this in with an order when I took another look at it and decided to keep it.

It looked easy and I had absolutely everything on hand that it called for.  It would make a nice little extra Thanksgiving dessert -- and, if we liked it, it would also be something new for our Christmas cookie trays.  

Mr. T made the bars, people enjoyed them, and he has already decided to bake another batch for his Christmas cookie stash.    Maybe you would enjoy these, too!

A question of gingerbread

 

 I am picking just one question from this week's Wednesday Hodgepodge with Joyce and the gang at From This Side of the Pond.  It's this one:

3. Do you like gingerbread? Are gingerbread houses part of your holiday tradition?

Life is busy and I'm flying "by the seat of my pants" as I try to post here daily during the month of December.  So snagging a question from the Hodgepodge works well for me today.

We do like gingerbread.   If you do a search for "gingerbread" here in my Christmas kitchen, you will find many recipes: gingerbread men, blueberry gingerbread muffins, chocolate chip gingerbread muffins, gingerbread coffee syrup, gingerbread chocolate thumbprint cookies, gingerbread coffeecake cookies, gingerbread blackberry muffins, and more.  In fact, I am thinking now that I really need to go back and add a gingerbread label to these posts so they can be found more easily.

Gingerbread houses have not been a frequent part of our holiday traditions, but we have made several over the years and enjoyed it very much.  

Mr. T is baking as I write and oh -- I have to remind him of those gingerbread chocolate thumbprints.  An amazing recipe that has become a must-make!

Grace our homes with happiness -- a heartfelt Christmas prayer

 

A vintage Christmas card recently sold in my Etsy shop, and I realized this was my last one.  In looking at my description, I noticed the heartfelt message of this prayer and knew I needed to share it with you all.

The card is from the 1950s, and I believe the artist is Erica von Kager. . The design features two little barefoot blonde angels hanging Christmas greenery on a door. The background for the design is textured metallic gold. The door is of warm natural wood. The taller angel stands on a wooden step stool with a basket of greenery on the floor beside her. She is carefully arranging an evergreen wreath with a large red bow on the door. A garland of greenery already adorns the top of the door. The smaller angel, who evidently does not have her wings yet, is handing a sprig of evergreen to the angel on the stool. Many touches of metallic gold gild the design. A fancy gold edge surrounds the design, and the words "Grace our homes with happiness" are in white in an old English font.

Inside the card on one side is a little poem in black in a small handwriting font. 

 It reads:

 "GRACE our homes with happiness ... "Tis but a modest prayer; A bushelful, a cartful, an overflowing heartful, (And a little heap under the stair). 

The little saying is described as "Old Welsh".   A heart full of happiness -- what a lovely thing to wish for a person you are sending a Christmas card to!

This prayer -- or maybe it would be termed a "Welsh Blessing" -- was too sweet not to be shared.  Hope it was a blessing to you!

Welcome to my Christmas Kitchen!

 Here we are on December 1, amazingly enough,  This year has flown by so swiftly!  Today I'm swinging open the door to my Christmas kitchen and inviting you, my readers, to join me every day.  I've brewed a pot of Cranberry Vanilla Wonderland tea for us to share today.  It will get us into the Christmas mood, as will the fresh snowfall outside my window here in New Hampshire.

On Saturday evening one of our local small towns held "Christmas on the Common", a truly fun community Christmas event.  Mr. T and I organized a kids' cookie decorating activity presented by our church.  He baked dozens of cut-out cookies and we provided sprinkles and frosting for decorating.  It was very well attended and we are thankful for that opportunity to be a blessing to our community.  Our church chime choir also presented Christmas music in a beautifully lighted gazebo.  This event helped us get into the Christmas spirit for sure!

Today is going to be a planning day for me.  Many, many lists must be made.  Mr. T started his cookie baking a few weeks ago and he has baked whipped shortbread, chocolate spritz, and chocolate mint cookies in addition to the cut-outs.  But now we must make our actual cookie lists and he wants to add at least one new kind this year.

Of course I'll also be making lists for candy and for kitchen gifts, and we want to check and double-check our list of holiday baking ingredients to see what we still need.

What is your day looking like this first day of December?  Do you have snow?  Have you started baking?  I'd love to hear!

Easing open the door to the Christmas kitchen yet again ...

 

 Yes, once again, Lord willing,  I am attempting to open my Christmas kitchen to my readers for the month of December.  I've oiled the hinges and, with the best of intentions, inviting you all to meet me here every day for recipes, vintage goodies, craft and gift ideas, poems, quotes, Christmas devotionals -- pretty much whatever I put my hands on that I think you might enjoy.

We will see if it all plays out.  It almost always does, but we will see.  See you all tomorrow, for a start!

Cheeseburger Macaroni -- a wonderful freezer meal

 

 I mentioned this back in April, and even included it in a post.  But I'm going to schedule it for the end of October, as Lucie commented that November is the time to be sure we have meals stashed in the freezer.  This is a good one to share with others so they too will have something hearty and good ready for those busy days approaching the holidays.  I often give a pan of this to families with a new baby, or those with a houseful of holiday guests.

CHEESY BEEF MACARONI BAKE

1 onion, chopped
2 large cloves garlic, chopped
1 lb. ground beef
15-ounce can tomato sauce (the Contadina kind that includes herbs is wonderful!)
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 cups elbow macaroni, boiled and drained
1 cup whipping cream OR half & half
2 1/2 to 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Cook the crumbled ground beef and onion and garlic in a large skilled until beef is no longer pink.  Stir in the tomato sauce and seasoning, salt and pepper.  Spread this mixture in the bottom of a greased 13x9-inch baking pan.

Heat the cream in a medium saucepan; when it bubbles a bit around the edges, stir in the shredded cheese and whisk until smooth.  Mix the cooked macaroni into the cheese sauce and spread this mixture over the meat sauce in the pan.

If you like you can sprinkle with chopped parsley or a bit more shredded cheese.

Bake uncovered at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until hot and bubbly.

This freezes well and reheats nicely.  If you freeze it, thaw it out (take out of freezer and place in fridge the night before) before baking it.

Will serve about 6.

Just a quick check-in

 

 Just checking in for a few minutes on a cool dreary October Thursday.

I thought I would pop in and report my progress toward Christmas. 

 I have purchased a few gifts for specific people, labeled them and placed in my gift stash.  

I bought my Christmas stamps some time ago, so even if the price goes up we are all set.

Just ordered two boxes of these Christmas cards and they have now arrived.  I love them!

 Also one box of these: 

There are some beautiful cards on Christianbook.com this year!  Here's another:

I'm also saving ideas on Instagram and my Pinterest boards for kitchen gifts and special Christmas food, plus trying a recipe now and then.

I'm continuing to work on the Poinsettias and Pines sampler.  Thankfully it's a winter design and not necessarily a Christmas one, so hope springs eternal I'll finish it in the next few months.

 

I'm also trying to decide about my Sunday Scripture posts for December -- whether to do anything special or stick with Fix Your Focus.  Trying to get that figured out today, but we will see.  Hubby keeps throwing computer tasks my way ... 

I guess that's about it for me right now.  How are you readers coming with your Christmas plans?