Personalized cookbooks ... a nice gift idea!

It occurred to me as I was putting together a personalized cookbook last week that this might be a nice gift idea to share.  I know some people already do this, but for the benefit of those who might not have thought of it or don't realize what a simple process it is, I'll share what I do.

Over time I have put a good many of our family's favorite recipes into a word processing document on the computer.  Then, when I need a gift for a wedding or shower, I print out recipes that I think the couple will enjoy.

I get a large binder, the type with the clear-view covers so I can add cover art to the front and back.  I design covers that I think will go with the couple's kitchen or suit their tastes, then slip them into the covers of the binder.  Sometimes if I'm feeling ambitious I will also design a spine for the binder with the title of the cookbook and slip that in place.

On the printed recipes, I will often embellish the pages with stickers or illustrations cut from magazines or catalogs.  I've done some by adding clip art to the recipes before printing them, but I've found this makes the pages of my document slow to scroll through, so usually I just add stickers or glue cut-outs in with rubber cement.

Then I put the pages in order, trying to keep like recipes together.  I put the pages back to back and slip each pair of pages into a clear page protector.  Then I just add them to the binder.  Simple!

Sometimes I get a little more fancy and add dividers to go between the various categories of recipes.  I've designed sort of generic divider pages that I could put in any theme of cookbook.  I've used them a few times.  I just keep them in a folder in my "personal cookbook" folder and print out as needed.  Here's what they look like:
 


Here are some cookbook covers I've designed:

Back cover of an apple themed cookbook

Front cover of apple themed cookbook

Finished front of apple cookbook

Finished back of apple cookbook

A lodge-themed cookbook cover

A patriotic theme for this one

 By the way, if any of this cookbook cover art appeals to you and you would like to use it for making cookbooks of your own, feel free to snag images that you like.  I don't mind sharing stuff like this.  But having said that, it is also easy and fun to design your own covers.

If you start now, you could have several cookbooks completed by Christmas!  Maybe someone on your list would like to own a personalized cookbook.  It would be a simple matter to tie dish towels, aprons, etc. to your cookbook theme and give a set of  items.  Have fun with this idea!

Time to make a new stocking!

The family's stockings interspersed with those of their local family members.  You can see that the crocheted stockings are third, sixth, seventh, and ninth in line.

 Some years ago, I crocheted some stockings for a few of the grandkids that we had at the time.  I didn't really expect these to become their actual Christmas stockings -- I just thought it would be fun to make them some personalized decorative stockings and had a crochet stocking pattern I wanted to try.  However, one of the families -- our daughter, son-in-law and family who live in the West -- has made them their default Christmas stockings.  I'm tickled about that!

Cream with dark red trim and a green tag

They just had a new baby in June, and so I am getting ready to crochet another stocking.  I'm thankful that they sent the picture of their stockings hanging from their local parents/grandparents' mantel, because I couldn't remember just what color combinations I had already used.  I've been trying to keep it to the same 3 colors -- dark red, dark green, and cream -- but just using them in varying combinations.  The photo at top will help me decide what to use this time around.

Dark green with dark red trim and a white tag

I'll be starting this project soon.  It will be fun to crochet another stocking!

2013 Christmas Cards

Small vintage card from my personal collection

 My Christmas cards for this year have arrived!  Yes, I ordered them early.  I can usually find cards I like in Wal*mart, but it involves getting into the Christmas aisles nice and early and browsing through design after design.  Sometimes I find a card where I love the design,  but I'm not as pleased with the message or the particular Scripture they chose for it.  As I said, I nearly always find something (though sometimes I have to visit more than one Wal*Mart), but it can be a hassle, and the cards seem to become more expensive each year.

So on a whim, when I was ordering some fun school supplies for my granddaughters from Dayspring, I decided to see what they had for clearance Christmas cards.  And they had some I was very pleased with!  The designs are beautiful with a bit of a vintage feel, the quality is high, the message heartfelt, and the KJV Scripture verses used are a bit different from the usual "Christmas verses".  Here are the designs I chose:

Photo from Dayspring.com

O Holy Night cards</>

Photo from Dayspring.com

Christmas Brings to Light cards</>
 I checked the site today and these are still available.  Plus, there are two other similar designs which are very pretty.  These come in boxes of 18 cards and sell for $4.99.  If you haven't purchased your Christmas cards yet, you might like to check out the Dayspring site!

I'm dreaming ....

Photo by The Stitchery

... of cross-stitching this gorgeous Snowy Village Table Runner.
 
This week, I received a catalog from The Stitchery, a place where I have spent many dollars in years past.  I glanced through it while eating lunch and found it to be a place where I could still spend time and money, given the opportunity.

I completely fell in love with this table runner, which is a Stitchery Exclusive ... meaning it is not sold elsewhere.  (Incidentally, there is a tablecloth with a similar design -- the village motif is on all four sides.  But a table runner works better for our table.)  I showed the picture to my husband.  I will give Mr. T credit; he did not blanch at the price.  But he did mention he thought it would be a time-consuming project; I believe his comment was something along the line of "it would take you the rest of your life to finish that."

I know he's right, but still I find myself dreaming of a Snowy Village.

Making a list ...

From my collection of vintage cards

Yesterday was a beautiful summer day.  I sat out on the patio and worked in my Christmas notebook.  I've had a tentative Christmas list in progress since January, and a list of handcrafted gifts in a document on the computer.  Yesterday I put them all together.  There are still a few people I'm undecided about what to get or make for, but probably three-quarters of my list is done.

I made out timelines to set dates I want to have certain gifts finished by.  Some of the handcrafted gifts are for birthdays, and some of the recipients (for both birthdays and Christmas) are several time zones away, so I will need to make sure those items are sent out in plenty of time to arrive in a timely manner.

Yes, there is more planning to be done.  But what a great feeling to have accomplished so much!  Now to get started on the first item ... my first deadline is September 15 for a Sept. 28 birthday.  I'm off to get busy!

A finished* UFO

  The adorable Digital Washi Tape  may be found at A Typical English Home.  She also has a nifty polka dot assortment.

 * that is not completely "finished" -- because it still needs a frame.

(I apologize mightily for the quality of this photo.  My husband had been using the camera previously (to take pictures of flowers, at my request) and I'm assuming some of his settings, or the time of day, might have made a difference to the pics I tried to take with it afterward.  I promise, I will get a better picture when we get it framed.)

This embroidered winter scene had been started by a friend many years ago.  She had completed the snowman and the children around him, and I think part of the barn, but that was all.  Later she was cleaning out her needlework stash because her eyesight wasn't conducive to it anymore, and gave me a lot of things, including this just-begun winter scene.  I had always wanted to make something like this, so it worked out well.

I'm thankful to have it finished at last.  Now my hubby wants to make a frame for it.  Really, I think any wooden frame would do, but his sister suggested a birch log frame, so that is what he is planning to do. 

The birch log frame in this picture is the type he wants to make to frame the embroidery.

 He's very busy, so I think we will be doing well if he gets it completed in time for us to hang the picture on the wall this winter.

Interestingly, this design is called "Snow Angels".  What's funny is that my other major UFO is a cross stitch (on 18 count Aida; yikes!)
 
and it is also called "Snow Angels"!

How to make a Christmas Memory Book

A sample cover for a memory book

 Several years ago now, I came up with a unique gift for my grown children.  I’d been thinking back over Christmas memories  of my childhood, and I felt strongly the need to write them down so my children and grandchildren would know what it had been like.  As I mulled over just how to do this, I came up with the idea of making a Christmas memory book for each of my grown kids and their families.  I thought I would type up some memories, maybe scan or copy some old photos, and include some recipes.

As I thought further, I decided to include not only my own childhood memories, pictures, and recipes, but to include those items from my children’s childhood as well. 

The next step was to actually think hard about my memories and begin writing them down.  It was amazing how much I remembered once I started typing.  I am going to try and share the process of how I made the books with all of you, so that others who might like to make these as a gift will have a starting point.  It seemed like this might be an appropriate and special post to close out my “Christmas in July” for 2013. 

If you want to make one or more memory books for this Christmas, I highly recommend starting to write down your memories today!

To do this the way I did, you will need:
* Looseleaf binder for each memory book -- the type with clear-view pockets on front and back so you can add a decorative front and back cover
* Printer, ink and paper
* Photos, recipes, scanner
* Stickers, rubber stamps, and other embellishments
* Clear page protectors

So here we go with the step by step.

1.  Decide on the scope of your memory book.  Will you use just your own childhood memories, or will you add in the memories from your kids’ growing-up years?  Do you want to add pictures or recipes?  Write down your thoughts and plans for the project.

2.  Decide how you will put the book together.  I chose to use loose-leaf binders because they were easy to decorate and I wanted the kids [and myself]  to be able to add pages into them.  You will want to purchase binders, sheet protectors and such right away so they will be on hand when you are ready for them.  Buying them now probably also means better prices, since such things are on back-to-school sales.

3.  Begin thinking about and writing down your memories.  As you do, you’ll probably find, as I did, that they coalesce rather neatly into categories.  Think about it:  Did you stay home every Christmas or did you go to Grandma’s house?  Maybe your grandparents came to you!  What did you do on Christmas Eve?  On Christmas day?  Do you have special memories relating to getting the Christmas tree, to church services, or to singing Christmas carols?  Did your ethnic family background mean you prepared special foods or observed special customs?

Here are the categories I used:
 * Christmas Eve in the Neighborhood (this included recipes for some of the treats my mom prepared to take to the families in our neighborhood)
* Christmas at Home (which included memories about our tree, special gifts, cards, recipes and so on.
* The Methodist Church Christmas Fair (a huge part of our Christmases as children)
* Trips to Milford (memories of our holiday visits to take gifts to loved ones in another part of the state)
* Christmas on the Farm (memories of how my grandmother decorated, wrapped gifts, etc. plus the dinners and gift exchange we had there)
*  In between this and the more recent memories, I put in lots of scanned photos, cards, snips of ribbon and wrapping paper, etc. from my childhood.
Then I went on to more recent memories of when I was raising my own children:
* Christmas Memories for Another Generation
* Holiday Baking
* How the Third-Grader Saved Christmas
* Christmas Heirlooms
* Christmas on a Shoestring
* Gingerbread Houses
* Christmas Breakfast
* Gifts of Food
And I ended with a Christmas acrostic written by our son in elementary school.

In between are loads of my Christmas recipes -- basically all of my Christmas cookie recipes, plus ones for kitchen gifts, Christmas Eve supper, Christmas breakfast, and Christmas dinner.

I also scanned many, many of the photos from my kids’ childhood Christmases, along with some tags, cards and other things to make it special.

A photo from my book -- Christmas 1951

   So, in writing down your memories and other things like recipes, you will probably want to just sit down at your computer and open up a word processing document to put these things in.  Be sure and save it after you finish each stint of writing.  You don't want to put this much thought and work into something, only to lose part of it.

4.  Decide what recipes you need to include.  I wanted all of my Christmas recipes in one easy-to-find place, so I put them all in.  Type up the recipes one or two per page.  I also scanned some recipe cards, especially ones in the handwriting of loved ones, to include.

5.  Choose the photos you want to scan and any additional items, like vintage cards, tags, wrapping paper and so on.  Scan and save the items.  (The great thing about scanning [as opposed to photocopying, which would certainly be another option] is that the images will be right there on your computer should you want to make another book.) With my scanned photos and other things, I cut them out so I could glue them onto whatever pages I liked throughout the book.  If you are a whiz at scrapbooking, though, you can do it that way, or if you are a pro at graphic design you can design each page right on your computer and print them out without needing to embellish them. 

One of the vintage Christmas tags I scanned

6.  Print and embellish your pages.  You can use your scanned memorabilia for embellishing, or use stickers or even rubber-stamped messages/images in red or green.

7. Slip the pages into page protectors, placing the pages back to back so you can fit two into each page protector. 

8.  Arrange the pages in the binder as you like. 


9.  Design front and back covers and perhaps an edge strip as well (to go along the spine of the binder to show the title) and slip these into place.

A sample back cover

And there is your Christmas memory book!  Since you have the pages in your computer and the memorabilia is scanned and saved, you can make as many copies of your book as you like.  By special request, I ended up making one for my parents and two for my aunts as well as the ones I did for my grown kids.  And of course, I made one for myself as well!

Book Review ~ GOOSEBERRY PATCH CHRISTMAS BOOK 6

Part of my collection of the numbered Gooseberry Patch Christmas books

For today's book review, I'm going to share another in the Gooseberry Patch/Leisure Arts numbered series of Christmas books.    As I'm sure you've noticed, I'm not reviewing these in numerical order; it's more just that I'm sharing reviews of some I particularly love.  However, let me quickly add that I have found great recipes, inspiring photos and fun gift and craft ideas in each and every one of them.

But Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 6 seems special to me. 

Photo from Amazon.com

It has many ideas I want to try, as well as some projects I have made already.  Let's look over the chapters and the sections within them.

A Circle of Memories is first.  The family memory wreath, the Memory Journal, the framed hand-and-footprint ornaments with a photo on the reverse side, the memory box -- are all projects I would like to do, and there are many more as well.

The second chapter is All Through the House and it has a number of sections within it to enjoy.  In the "Something Special" section is a sweet baby's first stocking, trimmed with alphabet beads.  My daughter made a variation of this pattern when her little girl was a baby, and she is still using it today -- beautiful!  This section also contains an Advent Countdown made in a picture frame with little pockets to put treats or ideas in.  I've made 3 of these and was so pleased with how they turned out!

"Symbols of the Season" gives directions for a sweet set of symbolic ornaments to make.  These would be wonderful to use in one's own family, perhaps in conjunction with family devotions.  They would also make a nice hostess gift (given as an individual ornament) or as a set for a housewarming or wedding gift.

"Create a Card" is full of fun and inspiring ideas to make your own Christmas cards and even tells you how to throw a card-making party -- sounds like so much fun!  "Kids' Christmas Trims" includes a stocking, pillow, tree, and ornaments to make for or with kids.

"Festive Finery for Bed and Bath" contains fun ideas for quick Christmas pillows, a Santa's wreath, festive bathroom decor, and so on.

"Farmhouse Kitchen Breakfast" gives some great recipes as well as trims for your kitchen and table.  The Scrambled Egg Casserole is excellent, and I love the festive little menu board and the Family Recipe Book.  I've also made the Fruit-Filled Breakfast Cups and they are fantastic.

"Winter Wonderland" contains many ideas and crafts I want to try, especially the Tiny Photo Ornaments and the Felted Wool Stocking.

"Jolly Ginger Boys" is a small section telling how to make a gingerbread man basket and it offers helpful tips for successful Christmas cookie baking.

"Holiday Forecast" shows how to make a wonderful "Let it Snow" doorway, and also how to make Electric Snowflakes for outdoor decor.

"Family Fun Tree" gives great directions for ornaments to make with kids and even a garland made with checkers and dominoes for fun. 

"Warm and Cozy" is a longer section sharing many ideas for using fleece in decor and accessories.  There are ornaments, a garland, tree skirt, wreath trims, large floor pillows and a fleece throw.  Lots of inspiration here!

Under the Christmas Tree gives great ideas for all manner of handmade gifts.  "Little Luxuries for the Bath" has recipes for bath salts and fizzies, lip balm, lotion bars, and much more along that line, not to mention a heating pad, embellished towels, and so on.

"Candle Creations" tells you how to make your own aromatherapy candles  or gives ideas for embellishing purchased ones.  There's a "Just for Mom" section and a "Just for Dad" one too.  There's a "Fancy Footwork" section with slippers and socks, and even a little "Family Friends" bit with ideas for your pets.

Perfect Presents from the Pantry is an inspiration for me, because I love giving kitchen gifts at Christmas time.  There are loads of recipes and packaging ideas here -- just wonderful!  There are even ideas for co-worker gifts.  And there's a cute pattern for a Holiday Apron.  The sections here are "Bountiful Baskets", "Merry Mixers" and "Kitchen Classics".

The last chapter is Christmas Cookery, and it delivers just what it promises -- many great recipes, along  with mouth-watering photos.  "The Main Event" shares ideas for a family holiday meal.  The Sausage-Potato Chowder sounds yummy!  "Fabulous Feast for Just a Few" would be great for a small group or just your own immediate family.  "Holiday Jingle Bell Lunch" presents ideas for a fun luncheon with the girls.    Everything from Granny's 5-Cup Salad (which is wonderful!) to Country Cottage Chicken Salad Puffs to Vanilla Coffee to enjoy with dessert.

"Party Pickups" includes finger foods like appetizers and desserts, not to mention some great-sounding punch recipes, snack mixes, and candies.  I can vouch for the 4-Chip Marshmallow Fudge -- it is amazing!

"You Can Never Have Too Many Cookies" proves that point with page after page of cookie recipes of all types.  The Raspberry Ripple Brownies and the Chocolate Chip Twinkles sound especially enticing.

Lastly, we have "Crazy About Casseroles" which could be such a help with holiday potlucks or even just a simple supper on a busy December day.  The Seafood Lasagna and the Mushroom-Spinach Strata are both pictured and look sooooo good.

 Like all Gooseberry books, this one also has loads of hints, tips, memories and inspiring quotes sprinkled on nearly every page!  I wish that I could adequately convey to you how marvelous this book is, but I know my words are just not enough.  Check it out on Gooseberry Patch.com or on Amazon (where you may well be able to find a good used copy) and see for yourself.   And enjoy!

**This post contains affiliate links.**

Another of my Pinterest boards ~ Christmas Decorating Inspiration

A vignette from my Christmas hutch

For today, I would like to invite you all to visit another of my newer Pinterest boards -- Christmas Decorating Inspiration.  On this board I have pins for all sorts of decorating ideas for both indoors and out.  Some of them may not be ideas I'll actually use, but they will be an inspiration or a starting point for decorating ideas.

Maybe some of these will inspire you, too!

A Christmas blessing

The front cover of the 1956 Christmas Ideals

Throughout the month of July, as I have been celebrating "Christmas in July" here in my Christmas kitchen, I've been trying to share something of a spiritual nature on the Sundays.  I'm still searching, so far without success, for a devotional I wrote some years ago on the light of Christmas.  Today, I thought I would share a poem with you from an old Christmas issue of Ideals magazine.

My grandmother always seemed to have copies of Ideals around at the holidays.  What a beautiful, inspiring magazine it was, with amazing photos and gorgeous artwork and uplifting prose and verse.

This untitled bit of verse, from the 1956 Christmas Ideals,  is by the well-loved author Edgar A. Guest.   It reads like something one would put in a Christmas card ... a Christmas blessing.  Here it is:

God bless you all

This Christmas Day;

May Bethlehem's star

Still light the way,

And guide thee to

The perfect peace

When every fear 

And doubt shall cease,

And may thy home 

Such glory know

As did the stable

Long ago.

Edgar A. Guest

Isn't that beautiful?  What a lovely thought and prayer for those on our Christmas list!

Back cover of the 1956 Christmas Ideals.  How those bright shiny covers beckoned to me!

A fun stocking stuffer idea -- fabric covered binder clips

J. made these with strawberry prints because I collect strawberries!

While working in the kitchen this morning, I was musing on what to share here today.  I happened to be mixing up a batch of gluten free all purpose flours, and as I closed up the bags of the various components, I thought about what I was using for bag closures.  Some years ago, my friend J. had made some lovely fabric covered binder clips.  They work beautifully for closing up any bag.  I thought they would make nice stocking stuffers and would be useful for almost anyone.  So here is a link to a tutorial: Fabric covered binder clips.  Here is the photo from the tutorial which I think is quite a bit clearer than my own photo:

Photo from How About Orange

You could suit the fabric to the various recipients and use prints that reflect their tastes or interests.  Have fun with this idea!

Lovely printable Christmas tags

Image by Wild@heart

Yesterday I was browsing around on a couple of my Pinterest boards, and on the Scrapbooking & Paper crafts board I found some things I wanted to download.  In the process of checking them out, I found some beautiful Christmas tags and place cards, so thought I would share them here today.

Check out the links for these lovely printables (which are free for personal use only):


Christmas Name Placecards

Merry Christmas Tags

Angel Notecards

Image by Wild@heart

Have fun with these gorgeous printables!

Another cute ornament

Photo by Simply Ciani

I don't know what it is, but I seem to be drawn to little trees under glass as ornaments and decorations this Christmas in July!  Mason jars, too, seem to be a recurring theme this year.  So when I saw these: Mason Jar Ornaments, I had to share the idea with you all.  The "Mason jars" in this case are actually recycled baby food jars (apparently the taller type).

Have fun with this idea!

Another treasured family recipe ~ Date and Nut Confections

The cute vintage background is from Free Pretty Things for You.

I've given them a sweeter, nicer name in the recipe title, but in our family these confections were always known as "Dot's Oddballs".  (I am not sure if it was my dad or Dot's husband Howard who gave them this name.  They shared the same quirky sense of humor, so it could have been either one of them,)

In case you can't read the recipe (which is in my grandmother's handwriting), here are the ingredients:

Date & Nut Confections
1 cup sugar
1 cup chopped dates
1 egg, beaten
1/2 cup margarine (1 stick)
2 cups rice krispies
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
vanilla to taste
coconut for rolling

In a saucepan, melt the margarine.  Add the sugar, dates, and egg.  Cook for 10 minutes only.  Stir in the rice krispies, walnuts, and vanilla.  Cool the mixture; then form into small balls and roll in flaked coconut.  Store in covered container in refrigerator.  

These treats really are very good.  And I imagine one reason the cooks in my family often made them was that you could produce a Christmas cookie quite quickly, without turning on the oven.  Enjoy this Christmas recipe, if you try it.

Book Review ~ GOOSEBERRY PATCH CHRISTMAS BOOK 12

Product photo from Amazon.com

I just acquired Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 12this past fall.  I found a used copy (which was like new) on Amazon for an incredible price.  It came in the mail  just before our Nevada family arrived out here for a visit.  I didn't have time to look through it immediately, but that weekend we all went up to a large cabin we'd rented on a lake up north, and I took the book along.  My two daughters and I (plus my two older granddaughters) all fell in love with this book and saw many projects we wanted to make.

Gooseberry Patch Christmas Book 12 is one of Gooseberry's series of Christmas books produced in collaboration with Leisure Arts.  I have ten of these books and I cherish every one of them.  They are filled with not only the tips, hints, recipes, crafts and more that make all Gooseberry Patch books special, but also with gorgeous, inspiring photographs and step-by-step craft instructions and many full size patterns.  If you haven't seen these beautiful books, I highly recommend building a library of them.

Book 12 contains 14 chapters:

Oh-So-Festive Felt is just what you'd expect: sweet ornaments, decorations, stockings, gifts, and even a tree skirt from wool and felt.  There are some great ideas here.  Two that I want to try are the Ski Pals -- cute little wood and felt figures complete with skis and poles -- and the Sweet Gift Card Holder -- such a fun way to present a gift card.

The Twelve Days of Christmas features projects with the theme from that Christmas song.  There are ornaments, place cards, napkin rings and so on.  Also in this chapter are instructions for six adorable aprons made from vintage tablecloths and fabric.

Woodsy Welcome is a fun chapter filled with ideas inspired by the forest.  There's a woodsy welcome sign, plus wreaths and feeders for the birds.  Birch bark candles and a log tote look easy and fun to make.  And the gorgeous crocheted Woodland Throw is one project I really want to make.

A Skater's Christmas is all about childhood winter memories.  There are knitted ornaments -- mittens, scarves, etc. -- and a simply beautiful Ice Skating Scene covered with a glass dome and ringed by vintage ornaments in icy colors.  Recipes for Spicy Cake Donuts and Hot Caramel Apple Cider would be perfect for warming up hungry skaters.

Sharing the Best Christmas is a chapter filled with handmade gifts.  This past Christmas I made 2 of the Personalized Aprons for my older granddaughters. 

These are made from tea towels and came out so cute!  Some projects here, like the Hankie Blankies, are made from vintage handkerchiefs and linens.  I plan to make two of the blankies this Christmas!  And there are other lovely gifts, like a JOY Banner, a Posy Pendant, a Felt Fob, a Picture Perfect Paperweight, and much more.  Another I really want to try is a Snowbound Tray, made from a picture frame.

Give it with a Festive Flair is all about gift wrapping and presentation, just as you might guess.  It includes tags and cards and even a couple of yummy sounding recipes for kitchen gifts.

Crafty Kid Stuff is a short but sweet chapter filled with decorations and gifts that kids can make.  My daughters and granddaughters lliked the Spool Family and the Fleece Hat and Scarf Set.

Gifts of Goodness from the Kitchen has page after page of kitchen gifts plus creative ways to package them.  My daughter wants to try the Carrot Cake Jam since her hubby loves carrot cake.  The Graham Cracker Fudge and the Snickerdoodle Coffee Mix sound wonderful too -- in fact, every recipe in this chapter sounds great!

Casual Holiday Gathering offers recipes for those comfortable times with family and friends.  The Spinach & Clementine Salad, the Cranberry-Glazed Ham, the Butternut Squash Soup, the Crabby Artichoke Spread are all on my list to try!

A Very Merry Brunch is filled with recipes for just that.  I don't eat wheat so I was delighted to see a couple of brunch recipes I can make rather than traditional egg bakes which often include bread or croutons.  The Mini Spinach & Bacon Quiches are crustless, baked in mini muffin pans.  And the Company Breakfast Casserole includes hash browns!

All the Sweetness of the Season includes desserts and sweets of many sorts.  The Candy Cane Puffs and the Frosted Mocha Brownies would be a hit at any cookie exchange!  There's a red velvet cake, chocolate covered cherry cups and much more.

Oh, Slow Good is a small collection of slow cooker recipes to rely on during those busy December days.  It includes main dish, side dish, and dessert recipes.

The More Cooks, the Merrier suggests involving friends or neighbors in a supper swap.  These recipes would be fun to try under any circumstances, though -- the Caramel Coffee Tassies would be a good cookie swap possibility, and the Sausage & 3-Pepper Penne might be nice for a tree-trimming party.

Delicious Dishes from Your Pantry is the final chapter and shares ideas for last-minute recipes you can make from what's on hand -- there's a little bit of everything here, whether you need cookies for an exchange or bake sale, a snack mix to serve or gift, or a just a main dish for supper.

As you can tell, I love this book.  I heartily recommend it to you!

**This post contains affiliate links.**

My "Vintage Christmas" Pinterest board

Vintage Woman's Day magazine from my collection -- notice the price of 7¢

For today I am featuring another of my Pinterest boards, Vintage Christmas.  I am probably one of the more nostalgic people you will ever meet.  When I look at images of cards, decorations, ornaments, even jewelry, from the 1950s and early 1960s, I am instantly transported to my childhood ... a less complicated, more innocent, seemingly much happier world than that in which my grandchildren are growing up today.

So it's not surprising I would create a Pinterest board for a Vintage Christmas.  The things I've pinned may not all be truly vintage.  I'm sure that some are reproductions and that others are new with a vintage feel to them.  My major criteria for pinning anything to this board is that it reminds me of my childhood Christmases.  If you enjoy nostalgia and if your childhood Christmases were something like mine, you will no doubt find some happy memories on this board.  Enjoy!

A Christmas devotional poem ~ "What is Christmas?"

I have spent quite awhile searching for another Christmas devotional I wrote some years ago, with the idea of sharing it today.  I know that it is somewhere tucked away, still written on the index cards I originally jotted it down on.  Since I haven't yet located it, I thought I would share instead a Christmas poem from the back of an old church bulletin.  This poem is by Ruth H. Underhill.

WHAT IS CHRISTMAS?

 A home with gleaming windows

Of dancing candle llight,

Glistening stars of silver

High o'er a blanket of shimmering white.

Crimson poinsettias 'mid holly and pine,

Shining balls on a tree,

Happy children's faces

Makes Christmas precious to me.

Candy canes of red and white,

Presents with satin bows,

A friendly chat with a loved one

By an amber log that glows.

A Bible on the mantle

Bright eyes of a girl and a boy

As they hear the Christmas story

Singing Christmas joys.

A tiny Babe in a manger

God's gift from heaven above,

The very reason for Christmas

Perfected through His love.

-- Ruth H. Underhill

A simply sweet ornament to craft

Photo by Craftberry Bush

Another busy day found me searching for a quick and easy ornament to link to for all of you.  My Christmas kitchen is having to take a bit of a back seat to other endeavors, yet I do want to follow through on posting here every day in July.  So far, so good!

I looked back through some ideas I had saved and found this sweetly simple ornament: Winter Wonderland ornament. There are not detailed instructions, but I think the most difficult part would be getting the tree into the ornament without breaking the glass. Might require a little experimenting... I have made the type with the tiny pine cones (actually hemlock cones) inside, and the easiest way to put those in the ornament is upside down. It would probably be the same with the tree, so you would want to wait until the paint or glue is dry before attempting this. I am going to try one and see how it goes. I'll post about it here when I do!

Edited to add: I've been told that the link above does not work. I think I have fixed it, so if you try going there now, you should get to the correct page.  My friend Les found a link that does work, and as a bonus, it contains detailed instructions for how to make variations on this lovely ornament! Look here: handmade ornament. Have fun with these sweet ideas!

Cute Christmas printables featuring Mason jars

Image by Twigg Studios

In search of a quick and fun craft idea to post about today, I found these adorable free printables!  There's a Mason jar holding twigs and berries, an inverted Mason jar serving as a cloche for a tiny Christmas tree -- and then there are gift tags which feature both designs!

Go here to check it out: Christmas Mason Jar Clip Art.  And have fun with these sweet designs!

Another family recipe ~ "Bessie's Mix"

From Life Magazine, June 1952

 

Kitchen gifts were somewhat of a tradition in my family as I was growing up.  My mother made pans and pans of her maple fudge, but she also made lots of Christmas cookies,  and loaves of cinnamon swirled bread which she topped with a thin white icing plus sliced almonds and a few candied cherries.  Although I don't recall my grandmother giving kitchen gifts in my childhood, in later years she made homemade hot cocoa mix by the jar to give to her married children and grandchildren.  And she, too, made fudge -- I believe it was the traditional five minute fudge only using some butterscotch chips in addition to the chocolate ones.  

But one of the favorite, favorite gifts our family received each year was a gift-wrap or contact-paper covered coffee can filled with what we called "Bessie's Mix."  My great-aunt made batches of Chex party mix every year and packaged it in the festively covered cans for gift-giving.

A few years ago, I made Christmas memory books for my married kids and my parents, and ended up making a couple for other relatives as well.  At the time I did a bit of research to try and find the recipe Bessie would have used.  It's somewhat different from the Chex Mix of today.  I seem to
recall that there were short, thin pretzel sticks in it, peanuts, and Cheerios.  I definitely remember fighting with my siblings over the Cheerios.  These seemed to absorb the butter and seasonings better than anything else, and were really tasty.  But I never did find the recipe I thought she had used. 

So I cobbled together a few 1950s recipes I found on line and came up with this:

"BESSIE'S MIX"
2 cups Corn Chex
2 cups Rice Chex
2 cups Wheat Chex
2 cups Cheerios
2 cups thin short pretzel sticks
3/4 cup salted peanuts
1/2 cup melted butter
2 teaspoons Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon seasoned salt
 Preheat oven to 250°. Mix cereals, pretzels and peanuts together in a large bowl.  Combine the melted butter and seasonings; pour over cereal mixture and toss all together to mix very well.  Spread cereal mixture on a baking sheet or in a 13x9-inch pan.  Bake mixture for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Spread mix on paper towels to cool before serving or packaging.

 Transfer mix to Contact˙-paper-covered cans with lids -- like coffee cans or peanut cans.  Give a tin of mix to everyone on your Christmas list, using a recycled Christmas card front to tape on the can as a tag.

In preparation for this post, I tried doing a bit more research.  This time I located the original 1952 recipe, the one that goes with the picture above.  Here it is:

Wonderful nibbling
at snack-time!

Try this new PARTY MIX

Add 1/2 c. butter in shallow baking pan. Stir in 1 T. Worcestershire sauce. Add 2 c. Wheat Chex, 2 c. Rice Chex, and 1/2 c. nuts. Sprinkle with 1/4 t. salt and 1/8 t. garlic salt; mix well. Heat 30 mins in 300 degree oven, stirring every 10 minutes. Cool.


Note that it contains no Corn Chex, which hadn't yet been invented in 1952.  But I am pretty sure that the recipe my great-aunt made did contain corn chex. 

And I also found this recipe: Real Original Chex Party Mix.

Really, there are endless variations of this mix (and families have their own traditional names for it like Scrabble, or Nuts and Bolts) -- but the bottom line is that a tin of mix still makes a wonderful gift to share with a family!