The actual 2024 Christmas cookie list

 

 It's high time that I share the actual Christmas cookie list for 2024.  It did not turn out to be a carbon copy of the tentative list.  So let's see.  We made 

Chocolate Mint Crisps*
Secret Spice Cookies*
Lemon Shortbread Thumbprints*
Whipped Shortbread*
Chocolate Spritz*
Eggnog Logs*
Almond Raspberry Thumbprints*
Chocolate Orange Cookies*
Sacher Torte Cookies*
Christmas Tree Spritz
Gingerbread Men
Blond Brownies*
Pepparkakor Spritz*
Chocolate-Filled Gingerbread Thumbprints*
Coffee Maple Spritz

* = multiple batches

 I have never made blond brownies as a Christmas cookie, but my hubby loves them and he insisted on doing so.  I'll share the recipe at the end of this post.

The recipe titles in color indicate new recipes -- sort of.  The Pepparkakor Spritz is a recipe we'd tried in 2015 and forgotten about, so I posted about it this year.

The two recipes in color at the end of the list were brand new to us ... recipes I had pinned to try, and I am so glad we did.  Both were unusual and scrumptious!  In fact, our friend Colby told us that the Gingerbread Chocolate Thumbprints may have become his new favorite.  We actually made two batches of those.

Now, for the promised recipe:

BEST  BLOND  BROWNIES

1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vanilla chips
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped almonds, divided use

In a mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugars.  Add the eggs and vanilla; mix well.  Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt; add to creamed mixture and mix well.  Stir in the vanilla chips, chocolate chips and 1/2 cup chopped almonds.  Spoon into a greased 13x9” baking pan; spread dough to evenly cover bottom of pan.  Sprinkle remaining 1/4 cup almonds on top.  Bake at 350º for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.  Cool on a wire rack before cutting into squares.  Yield:  2 dozen.

These blond brownies truly are the best.  They are so easy, and I like the fact that they only call for 1/2 cup butter.  The almonds add a very nice crunch.  These are very quick to make and take along to a potluck or a friend’s house.  Or to add to a Christmas cookie tray ... 

And that's the 2024 Christmas cookie list!

Rudolph Day!

 I just realized that today is Rudolph Day for February.  I don't have time for a lengthy post, and realistically nothing Christmasy is happening today, but I thought I would at least acknowledge the occasion.

Above is just a tiny bit of my February decor, which I am sharing today because it includes a Rudolph -- well, at least a deer.  You see him at the left of the photo.  Though he looks almost new, he is actually a ceramic candleholder from my childhood in the 1950s.  The little framed crewel of the skating boy was stitched by me in the 1970s.  The little beaded heart was made by grandchildren and the tag at right was one of my first attempts at paper crafting.

The wintry pitcher was a thrift store find a few years back, and the cardinal in the middle was found in a kitchen drawer while cleaning out my childhood home.  The sparkly runner underneath it all was hand woven by my friend Patty.  It looks like it's black and silver, but what looks like black is actually a very dark green.  So pretty!

One thing I plan to do today is to sort through my box of seasonal paper decorating treasures and winnow out what I no longer use.  So I guess we could call that a legitimate Rudolph Day activity.  Happy Rudolph Day, everyone!

The actual 2024 Kitchen Gifts list

 

 Above you see the tentative Kitchen Gifts list from this year.  We did multiple batches of the Eggnog Logs and  Sacher Torte Cookies, and Chocolate Mint Crisps   so we would have plenty for various giftees.

I made a batch of the Golden Apricot Cakes and found that using the bakeable paper loaf pans I got on sale at King Arthur worked very well.  I was able to make 4 little loaves (and really, they're not all that little).  As I mentioned previously, I liked these paper pans a lot.  They were easy to work with and fill, nice and sturdy, and the cakes baked well in them.  When cooled, it was an easy matter to just wrap them in foil -- not plastic wrap and then foil, as I would do with cakes baked in ceramic or metal pans and removed to cool on racks.   

I made two double batches of Christmas granola, I think, and gave two jars and one tin away as kitchen gifts.  

Holiday Special Fudge winged its way to Nevada as a seasonal kitchen gift.

I had BBQ Pecans on my tentative list, but then I found a recipe for Spicy Peanuts that looked easier and less expensive, so shifted gears on that one.

And I needed one more gift for a grandson who enjoys spicy condiments (like barbecue sauce) but buying one was iffy because he can't have high fructose corn syrup.  So I made him a jar of our favorite maple barbecue sauce (recipe to follow here at some point) and he seemed quite pleased with it.

And there we have the actual Kitchen Gifts list!

The actual 2024 Christmas candy list

 

-- Photo from a few years back -- Josiah making buckeyes, one of his favorite treats, in his own home kitchen --

I always like to review my lists and compare the tentative list I made before the holidays to what I actually did end up doing.

So below is my tentative candy list:

As you can see,  I had six different candies on this list.  Of these, we made only four: 

Multiple batches of Heavenly Delight fudge,  and there will be at least one more, since my hubby has a half can of evaporated milk to use up.

He made one batch of  Easy Salted Caramel Fudge which lived up to his original nickname for it of Tasty Disaster Fudge.  It's delicious though and everyone loves it, so he's planning to make another batch.  (Sugar fast on the horizon!)

He also made Special Holiday Fudge, a chocolate fudge filled with nuts and raisins.  It tastes somewhat like an old-fashioned Chunky bar. This year we experimented with using marshmallow fluff instead of the marshmallows it calls for.  It actually worked out better, so that is going to be a permanent change, and the Jet-Puffed Marshmallow Creme is available at the dollar store, which helps with cost too.

Of course we had to make Chocolate-Dipped Orange Slices since they have become such a favorite.  So easy!  Just dip orange slice candies from the supermarket into melted dark chocolate.  These are always a fun addition to a cookie tray. 

And we tried one candy that wasn't on the list: the ones made with a small pretzel topped with a Rolo candy.  AllRecipes calls them Rolo Pretzel Turtles.  We just used the recipe from the Rolo bag.  Mr. T and granddaughter Ari made these.  We used the square waffle style pretzels.  We didn't want to put pecan halves on every one, so we used red and green M&Ms on some.  They were very easy to make and very good, but the Rolos were outrageously expensive, so we probably wouldn't do that again unless we found a great sale.

And that was our Christmas candy making for this year!

Happy New Year!

  

A warm thank-you to everyone who visited my Christmas Kitchen in 2024, and especially during the busy and wonderful month of December!  I hope that each of you will have a happy, healthy, and spiritually prosperous new year.

Isn't the border around the vintage greeting above just precious?  Look at all of the little vignettes!  I love the skaters, the deer in the woods, and the lighted candle in particular.

I believe that God has already given me a word for the coming year, and will be sharing that once I've had time to get my thoughts in order concerning it.  And --like most of us -- I have many goals for the coming year, and I hope to articulate them and blog about them either here or over at my Kitchen Table blog.  One of my goals is to spend more time in my Christmas Kitchen in 2025, sharing projects, ideas and inspiration with all of you.  See you again soon!

A fun gift idea for kids -- shopping around a favorite color theme

 

 This year I found myself in need of one more gift for a young granddaughter.  After spending more than a little time trying to figure out what it should be, I remembered a few years ago (actually 2016) when we gave a color-themed gift basket to her brother as a birthday gift featuring things in his favorite color -- green.

The wrapped gift basket

Some of the gift items

That had gone over very, very well so I thought Ari might enjoy a similar gift.  The snag we ran into, when I asked her mom for her favorite color, was that her favorite color may vary from day to day.  Finally she was able to nail it down to either pink or purple on that particular day.  So I decided to shop for both pink and purple items.  

I was wrapping this in a hurry on Christmas Day, so I didn't get pictures of all the components.  But here are a few of the things I found:

Pink Lady apples
Himalayan pink salt popcorn
Purple notebook
Metallic purple sharpie
Pink and purple journal
Fanciful Christmas ornaments shaped like popsicles and ice cream cones (see the popsicle one at top)
Pink bottle brush trees
Chocolate kisses in pink package
Individual bags of snack mix in purple packaging
Pink scissors

There was more, but I can't remember it all.  I had hoped to find a nice long-sleeve tee or sweater in pink or purple to include, or a hat.  But this was so last-minute that I didn't find those things in her sizes.  

I was thankful to find a Christmas gift bag in pink, as you see at top.  I wrapped most of the items loosely in pink tissue paper.

This gift was a hit!  We had her guess the theme, which she was able to do quite quickly.  I highly recommend this gift idea for kids or even teens.

Gingerbread Eggnog Coffeecake

 

 Here is another scrumptious coffeecake recipe.  My regular readers likely know that I am very prone to take muffin recipes and turn them into coffee cakes.  I just don't like going to the trouble of lining or greasing muffin tins, or washing them afterwards.  

That's just what happened with this recipe.  My hubby was looking for a way to use up about a half cup of eggnog.  I remembered this recipe which I had printed out a  couple years ago from Taste of the Frontier, apparently now called Yummi Haus.  But when I mentioned I thought muffins were too much trouble, he said, "Let's turn it into a coffee cake!"  My lazy ways are rubbing off on him, I guess.  Well, this coffeecake turned out absolutely delicious.  He took some to an outdoor event on Saturday, and came back with an empty plate and a request for the recipe.  So I knew my readers would like it too!

GINGERBREAD EGGNOG COFFEECAKE

Ingredients

Coffeecake

1 3/4 cups flour 

3/4 cup sugar

1 teaspoon baking powder 

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon 

1/4 teaspoon ground cloves

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted and cooled

1/2 cup eggnog

1/3 cup molasses 

1 large egg

Streusel topping

2 tablespoons melted butter 

1/3 cup flour

1/2 cup light brown sugar 

1 teaspoon cinnamon

Glaze

1/2 cup confectioners sugar 

1 to 2 tablespoons eggnog

Pinch of nutmeg

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350º.
2.   Grease a 13x9 pan with cooking spray 

3.  Sift together dry ingredients for coffeecake — flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and spices.

4.  In mixing bowl combine cooled melted butter, eggnog, and molasses.  Add the dry ingredients and then the egg, beating until just combined.

5.Pour batter into prepared pan.

6.  For streusel, melt butter in small bowl.  Add flour, brown sugar and cinnamon; stir with a fork until crumbly.

7.  Sprinkle streusel evenly on top of coffeecake batter in pan.

8.  Bake 30 minutes at 350º or until toothpick test is clean.

9.  Allow cake to cool completely.  

10.  Whisk the glaze ingredients together and drizzle over cooled coffeecake.

 

And there is a very delicious Gingerbread Eggnog Coffeecake for your enjoyment!

Thinking ahead for spiritual growth in the new year

 

I don't have a Sunday Scripture for you today, but I thought I'd share a few thoughts about spiritual growth.

We're just a few days from the eve of a new year.  I'm not sure how 2024 flew past as it did, but it's gone.  It's that time again when we consider goals or resolutions for the coming year.  I prefer goals, personally.  It seems to me that resolutions can easily be broken (and discarded), but a goal is something you can keep working at even if you fall a little short of it at times.  Even if you don't fully realize a goal, you make progress toward it.  When I set goals for a new year, spiritual goals are always included. 

Our former pastor of many years always taught us (and very accurately, too) that there is no standing still in the Christian life.  We're either moving forward or we're moving backward.  That has always stuck with me through the years and I have seen it proved true over and over.  

So aiming for ongoing spiritual growth is very, very important and I find the start of a new year to be the perfect time to make a plan for it.  As the old saying goes, if you aim at nothing, you'll hit it every time.  So in every area of life, I try to aim at something, no matter how small it may seem.

I haven't fully formulated my spiritual goals for this year (more to come on that later), but here are a few of my plans for growth:  

🌲 To read through the Bible using a one-year chronological Bible.

🌲 To continue working on Bible studies. My current one is the Daily Grace Co. study of Habakkuk.

🌲 To continue studying Psalms in preparation for my Sunday Scripture posts on my Kitchen Table blog.

🌲 To continually add to my prayer journal in support of a more effective prayer life.

🌲 To grow through the Jim Berg video series we're studying in the adult Sunday School class.  Not just viewing the videos, but studying the lessons and doing the memory work.

🌲 To prepare to teach a ladies' Sunday School class when the video series finishes in a few months.

🌲 To fellowship with our church family and our Christian friends at every opportunity.

May I encourage you to aim for greater spiritual growth in the New Year?  You will not regret having done so.

Pepparkakor Spritz

 

And one more cookie recipe!  We tried this recipe in a previous year (2015) and I mentioned it in passing, but never blogged about it.  This cookie recipe is one of the many excellent ones in this classic baking book from the 1950s -- Best Loved Foods of Christmas -- the very one that came out every Christmas of my childhood as my mother began to plan her kitchen gifts.

I love my regular Pepparkakor recipe (for cutout cookies) 

and am probably not ever going to replace it with these pressed ones.  My regular recipe calls for the rind and juice of an orange, and I love that flavor component.  But the taste is very similar and very festive. My hubby enjoyed trying different shapes with the cookie press for this one, and he sprinkled them with red sugar.  

This is a delicious and somewhat different spritz variation!

Another new cookie recipe -- Gingerbread Chocolate Thumbprints

 

This is another recipe I had pinned to my Christmas Cookie Exchange Pinterest board.  It is one I've wanted to try for awhile, posted by Jenn Lifford to her Clean & Scentsible blog in 2014: Gingerbread Chocolate Thumbprint cookies.  What a festive combination of flavors!

Every year, as most readers know, I make a tentative Christmas cookie list with many old favorites on it.  And I usually add one or two new-to-me recipes that I would like to try.  This was one of those cookie recipes, this year.

My hubby volunteered to try baking these.  He liked the technique of making the thumbprint indentations after the cookies were baked, and thought that it worked very well.

Screenshot from Clean & Scentsible 

These cookies have gone over well with people who have tasted them.  The chocolate and gingerbread flavors go very well together.  Mr. T says these will be a must-make from here on out!

A new cookie recipe this year -- Coffee Maple Spritz

  

Every year we like to try a new cookie recipe or two.  This year we tried two.  And I think both are "keeper" recipes.

These Coffee Maple Spritz are from Taste of Home, a recipe submitted by Deirdre Cox.  

The only change I made in the recipe was to use all butter (3/4 cup) rather than 1/2 cup butter and 1/4 cup shortening.  I just think all butter works better in pressed cookie recipes.

The recipe gets its coffee flavor from espresso powder and the maple flavor is from maple extract.  It's a very nice flavor and my coffee-loving granddaughter was surprised how much coffee flavor came through in the cookies.  I am anxious to hear how our Nevada family likes these, as most of them enjoy coffee flavor in ice cream.

My hubby had fun with the cookie press (he loves how it produces many different shaped cookies so quickly and easily) and produced a number of delicious cookies with a delightful coffee maple taste!

Merry Christmas!

 

 It's still busy in the Christmas kitchen as my hubby bakes gingerbread men and I work on a couple last-minute kitchen gifts.  I will then make a salad and some roasted carrots to take to Christmas dinner, and he will prepare some cookie and fudge trays.

But Mr. T and I would like to take a moment in the midst of our Christmas preparations to wish all of my readers and friends a truly wonderful Christmas day as we celebrate the greatest Gift ever given -- our precious Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.

"For God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life."  (John 3:16)

"Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."  (2 Corinthians 9:15)

May you have a blessed day wherever this Christmas may find you.  And may you take a few moments throughout the day to ponder the "good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people" (Luke 2:10).

It's Christmas Eve!

 

And a cold and snowy one it is here in New Hampshire!

It snowed overnight and in fact snowed most of Christmas Eve morning.  Yesterday we woke to below-zero temperatures, but it's "warmer" today -- 15º when we got up and all the way up to 20º now, at 11 am.  The snow has stopped now and blue skies are emerging, so Mr. T has gone out to plow.

So far most of the day has been devoted to some deep cleaning in our bedroom (on my hubby's part) some vacuuming under the bed and rearranging of what's stored there.  He turned the mattresses and changed the sheets while he was at it.  It seems maybe an unnecessary effort on a busy day, but I'm actually glad he did it, as much of our Christmas wrapping paper is stored in underbed totes, and I'll be working on that as soon as I finish writing this post!

I took the opportunity to sort out some things to donate and to throw some older craft efforts of mine away.  Decluttering is going to begin in earnest the day after Christmas!

After lunch Mr. T will make some cookie deliveries and a quick stop at the grocery store.  I plan to make some kitchen gifts and do some wrapping of gifts.  

For tonight,  I will make a nice simple supper and we will have a quiet evening at home.  Maybe set up our nativity scene and then possibly watch a classic Christmas movie.

Happy Christmas Eve to all of you, my readers and friends!

 

Let's take a moment to remember ...

 

 ... where there are people, many people,  still hurting from the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, still experiencing loss and deprivation -- yes, right here in the United States.  I was recently reminded of this as I read an Instagram post by Heather Mills Schwartzen -- @to_sow_a_seed on Instagram.  That's her graphic you see above.  You can read her post here: Cold as All Get Out.  

Heather wrote: 

"You haven’t forgotten, have you? The shocking images of homes swept into raging waters, the pleas of family members searching for loved ones? They’re no longer in your news feed but friends, Appalachia is still recovering from Hurricane Helene.

Please join us in being part of that recovery. You’ll find a list of current needs in my Linktree, or comment LIST and it will drop in your DMs! The list will be updated regularly, as we receive new requests. We can also accept cash donations via PayPal and VenMo.

Can’t be part of the financial work, but want to help? Share this post. God knows who it needs to reach!

We covet your prayers. There is much still to be done, three months on. Appalachia is strong and resilient and full of resourceful people. Pray for safety, provision, and that all this hurt will ignite a deeper desire to know and serve the Lord. He will be glorified!"

In case you can't get to Instagram to read through the post, here is more:

"Families are still displaced.

People are still missing.

Areas are still largely unreachable.

Cleanup is ongoing."

And more from the IG post:

 

After reading this, my hubby and I determined an amount of money we could spend right now.  We know that Samaritan's Purse is working to help with rebuilding in North Carolina and Tennessee,  so we went to the site and donated to that effort.

Next, we followed the link to Heather's Amazon list and went shopping.  We are on a fixed income so we had a limited amount to spend, but it went far enough to get a warm sleeping bag, a child's jacket, four sets of gloves and a set of twelve hats.  We will check back next month and shop again as I'm pretty sure there will still be needs. 

In a comment, I asked Heather for more ideas on how to pray -- our most powerful way to help, as she noted. Here is what she told me:

 So please pray for this ongoing situation!  Let's remember that while we are enjoying snow, cold temps and a white Christmas from the warmth and safety of our homes, there are those who are living in tents in the cold and snowy mountain areas, often without adequate gear.

And by all means please do give if you can.  It's always a blessing to give!

Sunday Scripture

 

I've been posting Sunday Scriptures on both of my blogs this December, taken from an Advent study I did in 2013 with Good Morning Girls.  The study, Keeping Our Hearts Focused on Jesus, is still available as a free download; it's not too late to get it, though it might not be of a lot more use to you this year.  You could save it for next year!  Scroll down and click on the book-like image, and the pdf should open right up.  More than just a Bible study, this is an ebook that includes recipes, Advent activities, and more.  I think it will be a blessing to you.

I've mentioned before that I like to use the SOAP method of Bible study, and the studies from GMG use a very similar one.  I find this method a real blessing whether I am studying shorter passages or longer ones, so I hope you'll give it a try if you haven't ever done so. Just a reminder that the S is for Scripture -- just write it out -- and the O is for Observation, the A is for Application and the P is for prayer -- concerning how you'll apply this verse or passage,  or praise for what it means to you.

This fourth week's verses are focused on Peace.  If you downloaded the study and are following along with it, this is the one from December 26.

Today's Scripture is Matthew 1:20-21.

S= "But while he thought on these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.
"And she shall bring forth a Son, and thou shalt call His name Jesus, for He shall save His people from their sins."  (Matthew 1:20-21)

O=  Joseph was a just man who obviously loved Mary, his espoused wife.  Upon learning of her pregnancy, he had it in mind to break off their espousal privately and not make her a public example.  But while he thought on these things, an angel appeared to him in a dream and explained the situation to him.

There could be no mistake as to whom the message was for; the angel addressed him directly as "Joseph, thou son of David."  The angel instructed him, "Fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife."  He then gave him some very important information:

🌟 That which is conceived in Mary is of the Holy Spirit;

🌟 She shall bring forth a Son;

🌟 Thou shalt call His name Jesus;

🌟 He shall save His people from their sins.

A= It occurred to me that, like Joseph, I often might try to figure out how to handle a situation.  It seems to me that Joseph was probably doing this prayerfully, and I should be as well.  But God gave Joseph clear, unmistakable leading as to what course of action to take, and He will do the same for me as I look to Him.  He promises to give wisdom when we ask.  

He also tells me (as the angel told Joseph) to "fear not".  This reminds me once again that God has a purpose and a plan for all that He allows to enter our lives.  It may look very confusing and upsetting to us (as Mary's condition surely did to Joseph) but it is not out of God's control and He has a sovereign purpose and plan in it all.  God gives peace as we "fear not", and look to Him, not our circumstances.

P= "Lord, I praise You that even when events and situations in our lives look difficult and nearly impossible, we need not fear.  I praise You that You have a plan and that your purposes are always good.  Just as Your angel told Joseph to "fear not", Your Word tells me repeatedly that I'm not to be afraid.

"I praise and thank You also that You are faithful to give us the wisdom we need.  Thank You for all that You will do in our current perplexing situations, which You are in full control of.  In Jesus' name, Amen."

And there is the very simple Sunday Scripture -- the final one in this Christmas series.  I hope it was a blessing to someone!

Caramel Brulee Latte Syrup -- an easy DIY

 

 Here's another great recipe from Mad About Food -- a Caramel Brulee latte syrup.

I haven't tried this one yet, but I'm sure it will be just as delicious as the Gingerbread Latte Syrup and the Peppermint Mocha one that I blogged about last year.

It also has simple ingredients: brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, vanilla, and sea salt in addition to water.  The process is an easy stovetop one, and the syrup can be stored in your fridge for up to a month.  

Madeline gives directions for making a caramel brulee latte as well as a caramel brulee cold foam.  She notes that it can also be used as a syrup or sauce to drizzle over special desserts or even ice cream.

I'll be trying this recipe soon!

A visit to King Arthur

 

Last Saturday we met up with friends at King Arthur Cafe, Bakery, and Store in Norwich, VT.  It was so much fun!  

I was enamored of the outdoor trees, so Mr. T got several shots of them. 

To me it looked as if stars had fallen into the evergreen branches.  Just so pretty.

And the indoor decor was nice too -- not just the festive winter look, but also the beautiful collages of vintage kitchen implements and utensils.  I was especially taken with the look of the tall jar or vase at right in the photo below:  It's filled with copper cookie cutters and then topped off with greenery and white branches.  I would love to recreate this decor at home with a smaller vase, and would almost certainly add some red berries to the branches and greens.

I wish that the timing had been right to get coffee and a pastry, but it just didn't fit with our schedule and supper plans.  The Nutcracker Cocoa -- Steamed milk, Mocha, Hazelnut Syrup, homemade Marshmallow with a Marshmallow Whipped Cream -- sounded so good.  And I think I would've tried a Cardamom Bun.  The hometown bakery of my childhood was run by a family with Swedish roots and I instantly recognized (by the photo) the cardamom bun as something I loved as a child, though I'm pretty sure it had a different name.

I had specific gifts in mind that I wanted to shop for here, but most were not available.  Out of stock.  I found a few other things that would work, however, and I did get some cookie cutters I had hoped to, for me and for my daughter -- the classic "truck with tree" and a snow globe shape.  Also some nifty and very detailed snowflake cookie stamps. 

I also found some bakeable paper loaf pans I'd been eyeing in the catalog but wouldn't pay $17 for.    Now on sale for a much more reasonable price!  $6 sounded much better.  The ones I got weren't exactly like those below, but you get the idea:

I already used four of the ones that I got to bake my Little Apricot Fruitcakes in.  To be honest, I wasn't really sure how well I would like baking in these paper pans, but I do.  I like them a lot.  They were easy to work with and fill, nice and sturdy, and the cakes baked well in them.  When cooled, it was an easy matter to just wrap them in foil -- not plastic wrap and then foil, as I would do with cakes baked in ceramic or metal pans and removed to cool on racks.  I am glad I bought a package of 12, as I may make some chocolate chai tea bread if time allows.  If we get the opportunity to return to King Arthur anytime soon, I will probably purchase more.

An additional fun touch was that there was live music -- a Celtic duo with fiddle and guitar -- last Saturday during the time we were there,  so that made it even more festive.

And there you have it -- a winter afternoon at King Arthur!  So happy we got to do this.

A truly special Christmas card

 

We have a friend, really more of an acquaintance (we are close friends with his mom) who never fails to send us a Christmas card.  And it's always a special one.  

Some of these cards I have never seen in stores, though I assume perhaps he finds them in a Hallmark store.   The cards have always been wonderful, but this one may be my favorite, because it includes actual needlework.  

The saying "Faith is at the Heart of the Holidays" is machine-embroidered on felt in the center of this design.  It is then surrounded by stitched poinsettias (I think), holly and other greenery, and red and pink berries.  

The embroidered design is set off by an actual wood frame, albeit a very thin one.  

Have you ever seen a card like this?  I think it's just beautiful.

Poinsettias and Pines

 

 Last year I saw this sampler featured on an Instagram post.  I was smitten and simply had to get the chart.  One of my daughters had given me an Etsy gift card, so I headed over to Blue Ribbon Designs and promptly ordered it. 

Below you see a screenshot I took from the Etsy shop -- gives you a much clearer look at the design.

If you can't read it, the words say "The smell of pine/ The crackling fire/All the snow one could desire/Hot cocoa with marshmallows/Cookies in the kitchen/Treasure the gifts that winter has given."

I'm currently working on a smaller cross-stitch piece featuring a snow globe design, so I haven't started this yet.  Although fancier fabric and floss are called for, I am unashamedly a DMC, 14-count Aida type of stitcher.  I have my floss and this fabric in the "White Chocolate" color.  So thankful for 123Stitch, their great prices and flat rate shipping!

 Looking forward to working on this delightful piece throughout the winter!