Welcome to my Christmas kitchen for Christmas in July!

I'm swinging open the door here in the Christmas kitchen this morning!  The coffee is brewing, and I certainly wish I had a gorgeous blue snowflake coffee service, like the one above,  to use.   (It's from an A&P ad of years gone by.)   There's a teakettle on the stove, too,  if you prefer tea.

That delicious aroma wafting out the screen door is my fabulous Cranberry Coffee Cake, cooling on the counter,

and there are Almond Joy muffins (I'll share that recipe tomorrow) in the oven.  Either of these would be a wonderful addition to your Christmas breakfast plans.   If we get a cool day this month, try one of these treats on a weekend and see what you think.  These are both great favorites with my family.

A quick baking tip that will work with either of these and many other of your favorite Christmas recipes: if someone in your household must eat gluten free, simply substitute the Bob’s Red Mill 1-to-1 Gluten Free Baking Flour for the regular flour in the recipes.  This baking blend works wonderfully in cookies and bars, cakes, coffeecakes, muffins, scones, and biscuits. 

It does NOT work with yeast doughs, which I found out the hard way (not having read the label thoroughly) trying to make pizza crust. 

I have never tried making pie crust with this gluten free blend either.  My best advice on gluten free pie crust is here: Gluten Free Pie Crust.

 Throughout the month, I hope to share other recipes, planning ideas, memories, poems, vintage cards and other vintage Christmas finds, plus some craft, gift, ornament, and wrapping ideas.   Often when I celebrate Christmas in July here in my Christmas kitchen, I write and schedule the posts far ahead, or at least have a very good idea what I am doing.  This year I'm not quite that organized, so I don't know for sure what I'll be sharing or even if I will manage to get here every day.  But I certainly hope to!  See you then.