A fabulous scone recipe to try

Photo from Buns in My Oven

I recently came across this recipe for Maple Glazed Cinnamon Scones from Buns in My Oven.  They look scrumptious, don't they?

When I spotted this recipe, I immediately saved it to use during December in my Christmas Kitchen posts.  Scones make a wonderful kitchen gift.  You can tuck them into a basket with packets of tea or hot cocoa mix, or with a bag of coffee.  These scones in particular, with their festive flavors of maple and cinnamon and their lovely thick glaze, would make a perfect gift.

These would also be absolutely perfect for Christmas breakfast, or for any potluck brunch event you might be invited to.  I'll let you decide.  But I encourage you to give this recipe a try.  I'm going to!

Fabric gift tags!

Here's a fun idea!  I know that many people nowadays don't use this type of a tie-on gift tag; they just slap on a self-stick one.  But I still like the type with string and I make a bunch every year from the previous year's Christmas cards.  The quick projects I'm sharing today are nicer still.

Actually, "fabric gift tags" is a bit of a misnomer, as the tags themselves are not actually made of fabric.  "Fabric-trimmed gift tags" would be more accurate.

At top you see a sample of some tags I made years ago.  This is the only one remaining from that tag-making binge.  I think I originally found the idea in a Gooseberry Patch Christmas book.

If you would like to make some, here is what I did.  You will need:  blank 3 x 5-inch index cards, scraps of Christmas fabric, pencil, scissors, fusible web, cookie cutters or other templates for designs, hole punch, crochet cotton, fine point permanent marker, buttons and hot glue.  Fold the index card in half and crease it.  Punch a hole in the corner, going through both layers.  Fuse fabric to web and trace desired designs  on the paper side; then fuse the fabric shape to the front of the tag.  Hot glue a button to the center of the design if you like.  Use the permanent marker to make little "stitch marks" around the outer edge of the fabric shape.  Cut a short length of crochet cotton and thread it through the holes in the corner of the tag.  You are finished!

And recently I found another fun idea which I am definitely going to try: fabric gift tags from Live Laugh Rowe.

Photo by Live Laugh Rowe

I think I have everything on hand that I need to make up some of these.   They are so cute! 

A sweet Christmas quote

I came upon this quote in an unusual way -- browsing through the "Warming Winter Dishes" section of Gooseberry Patch's Slow Cooking All Year Round. as I was looking for a recipe to serve to company one evening last week.

 I've been unable to find any information about the named author of the quote, A.M. Hopkins, but love the quote so I am sharing it regardless.

Here it is:

"I plead for memories of olden times, and simple pleasures, and the making of the most delightful music in the world, the laughter of happy children.  God bless us all and make us contented.  Merry Christmas!"  -- A.M. Hopkins

There could hardly be a better Christmas card illustration to illustrate this quote than the one at top, painted so beautifully by artist Kathy Lawrence.   There you have the "memories of olden times" -- for this family is wearing old-fashioned (yet lovely!) clothing, and the table is lit by an oil lamp.  You have "simple pleasures" as the children delight in stringing popcorn while one reads aloud to the rest.  Unmistakably,  there is "the laughter of happy children."

I love this painting and this quote and the memories they bring of Christmases in a simpler time.  And yet my heart is also stirred as I am reminded that not all children are in circumstances where they can laugh easily.  How we need to be praying for those children involved in such atrocities as human trafficking and labor camps, not to mention more mundane and "usual" situations where kids don't have the blessing of living in a happy or even an intact family.  How we need to ask God to show us what we can to do to help!

And yes, let's be sure we are sharing simple pleasures and making memories with our own loved ones as we celebrate the birth of our Savior.  We are indeed blessed!

Some fun new ideas for kitchen gifts

If you've read here for long, you already know that I just love making and giving kitchen gifts at Christmas time!  You can click "kitchen gifts" in the label cloud to see some of the foods that I like to prepare and gift. 

Today I have some fresh inspiration to share with you all regarding kitchen gifts.  Snow Day Drinks and Treats gift sets, from Courtney at Pizzazzerie will give you some great ideas for your kitchen gifting.

This post includes recipes and free printables -- so sweet.  There are printable labels for the coffee bags in which the drink mixes would be packaged, and tags for the bags you'd package the sweet accompanying treats in.

You can choose from three beverage mix recipes:

🎄"Bundle Up Blend" -- a cinnamon spice ground coffee
🎄"Cuddle Up Cocoa" -- a homemade hot cocoa mix
🎄 Quiet Time Tea -- a spiced chai instant tea mix

And then you can choose from the following treats (recipes provided!)

🎄 "Candy Cane" Homemade Marshmallows
🎄 Winter Spice Tea Cookies
🎄 Vanilla Almond Biscotti

Obviously, the biscotti is intended to be paired with the coffee; the cookies with the chai tea mix; and the marshmallows with the hot cocoa.

Or, you could gift any of these separately.  But the sets are just so cute!  I'll show one example, below.  You will want to head over to Pizzazzerie to see the rest.

Photo from Pizzazzerie

What lovely kitchen gifts these would be for the friends and neighbors on your list!  These ideas have certainly inspired me.  How about you?

Before you delve too deeply into Christmas baking, check that pantry!

How do I happen to be giving this advice?  It's the voice of experience talking!

I hadn't started my Christmas baking this year until I impulsively decided to stir up a double batch of Chocolate Spritz on December 4.  I had about an hour before my weekly phone call with my Nevada daughter, and thought I could easily get the dough mixed and maybe even finish baking most of the cookies before our chat.

I got the flour into the sifter and got out the can of baking cocoa.  Oops, only a few tablespoons left.  I went to the storage and discovered the baking cocoa was all gone.  My sweet husband went to the store and replenished our supply, but by the time he returned I needed to call our daughter.  He went ahead and mixed the cookie dough, and all was well until he hit another roadblock -- none of the colored sprinkles we usually dip our chocolate spritz into!

So I handed the phone to him and let him visit with Joanna while I searched for sprinkles.  I found some holly berry ones he could use (but they sure don't look like our traditional cookies!) and he proceeded.

I'd purchased some things for Christmas baking -- like orange and lemon and maple extracts, like peppermint baking chips and allspice berries and a few other things.  But I just wasn't fully prepared.

All this reminded me that yes, believe it or not, right in my Christmas notebook I have a list titled "Long-Term Holiday Shopping List".  I think it was an idea from FlyLady some years back.  It includes not just baking ingredients, but also groceries for our traditional Christmas Eve meal, ingredients for a few freezer meals and kitchen gifts, and more. It's such a great idea to check this list against your pantry contents before beginning to bake or cook for Christmas, to find out what will be needed.

I'm sharing my list, but really it will differ for everyone.  In fact, as I looked it over I saw that there were a number of things I needed to add.  So I added them in, and have now actually printed out the revised list and placed it in my notebook.

LONG-TERM HOLIDAY SHOPPING LIST

Extra flour -- regular and gluten free
Extra sugar -- brown, white, confectioners
Corn syrup and molasses
Extra cornstarch
Extra butter
Lemons and oranges
Walnuts, pecans, sliced almonds
Raspberry and apricot jam
Baking chips -- white, semisweet, milk chocolate, dark chocolate, and peanut butter
Marshmallow fluff
Evaporated milk
Sweetened condensed milk
Baking chocolate -- unsweetened squares and cocoa
Extracts -- almond, orange, lemon, maple, vanilla
Whole spices -- cinnamon sticks, whole cloves, allspice berries
Ground spices -- cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves
Almond bark -- white and chocolate
Candy -- Hershey kisses, Andes mints, candy canes, M&Ms
Colored sprinkles
Red and green colored sugar
Stretch-tite plastic wrap (best for wrapping cookie trays)
Extra foil, waxed paper, parchment paper
Cheeses -- shredded cheddar, blue cheese, ricotta, Neufchatel, mozzarella
Half-and-half cream
Bacon
Celery
Extra eggs
Frozen chopped broccoli, spinach, pureed squash
Lasagna noodles
Sour cream

So make up your own list, making note of specific ingredients required by your own favorite family recipes for the holiday.  Then check it against what's in your pantry.  Hope this idea saves someone a trip to the store!

Worth the read: an exhortation to be still this Christmas season

Four of my grandkids doing their annual Christmas cookie baking in 2017

I read this last Christmas and think it's something we should reread every year: Be Still: Resist  the Christmas Urgency, by Sarah Beals at Joy-Filled Days.

It can be oh-so-tempting to feel as if we have to do all the Christmas things.  We want to make everything so special for our families.  Sarah relates how she asked her kids what made the Christmas season special to them -- what they saw as the parts of the season that they considered important family traditions.  To her surprise, their list was nothing like hers and included very simple things done together as a family.

Sarah shares a list of ten things we might want to do with our families this season to help us be still and truly savor Christmas.

She concludes with these wise words: "Tis the season to slow down and savor, to be thankful for what’s in front of you. These days that will pass so quickly and be gone forever. Days so full that we might just miss them if we don’t purposefully stop and notice. This is the day–the moment–the Lord has made. It’s up to us to rejoice and be glad in it right now. Joy comes in the present. It’s not found in the chase for more, or in the memory of the good old days. It’s found now."

I love this advice!  Head on over and read the entire post.  You will be blessed, I guarantee it!

A Christmas shop worth visiting

In yesterday's post I promised to come back and share more about Kellerhaus, the shop where we traditionally take several of our grandkids for ice cream after our Christmas shopping trip with them.

We often brought our own kids here during the Christmas times of long ago.  Now it's fun to share this with our grandkids too.  Back in the day, there were a lot more animated figures, like elves in a workshop, or a Bavarian band (if I remember right).  But there is still plenty of enchantment.

Some of these photos are from previous years.  The decor varies quite a bit from year to year, as do the items being offered for sale.

Kids love the player piano that plays Christmas tunes for 25¢.

They were very disappointed that it was out of order.

Such a magical place to enjoy an ice cream sundae!

And I mean REALLY enjoy an ice cream sundae!

Santa is "sleeping" at his workshop.  Turn that dial beside the red and green stocking and you can see him breathe and hear him snore!

 The view of lake and mountains is lovely this time of year.  This is the view from the ice cream parlor area.

Pretty Christmas trees are everywhere!

These felt trees from this year are gorgeous in person!  I hope to try making some trees like these.

Josiah liked these tiny bird dishes and put his hand in the photo so you can get an idea of just how tiny these little plates are.

"Lake life."  Need we say more?

These lake-themed plates and mugs are beautiful too. 

These dimensional winter scenes hold flameless candles.

Last year, Josiah posed with an elf in the "Pictures with Santa" area

This was a fun display from last year.  That is a cookie jar front and center!

Kellerhaus is a candy shop too!  The chocolates and other candies are made in the room in back of this display.

I always enjoy seeing the beautifully decorated fireplaces.  There are many!

There's even a pretty lighted wreath on the chimney!

Hope you've enjoyed browsing through one of our favorite Lakes Region shops!  If you are ever in New Hampshire, Kellerhaus  is well worth a visit.

A fun morning with dear grandchildren

With December upon us once again, it was time to plan our annual Christmas shopping trip with three of our local grandchildren.  I think we've been doing this for around five years.

We take them out for a meal (usually breakfast), then go shopping so they can buy gifts for their parents and one another.  The grand finale is a trip to a favorite shop for the ice cream buffet.

We had decided while we were together on Thanksgiving that December 1 would be The Day.  It turned out to be perfect weather -- mostly sunny, with mild temperatures.

I will share more photos of the gift shop tomorrow.  It's a pretty amazing place and well worth the visit if you are ever in the lakes region of New Hampshire.

Breakfast was at a favorite McDonald's, as usual.  This year we gave them the option of a diner or cafe instead, but the general consensus was that we would not tamper with tradition.

This McDonald's has a definite North Woods theme.  Look at the chairs with the moose cutouts on the back!

Not the best photo of the fireplace, but you see my Peppermint Mocha!

A better (though older) photo of the fireplace and eating area ... what a difference three years makes!

Yes, there are snowshoes on the wall in this McDonald's!

After a successful and marathon shopping trip to Ocean State Job Lot (funded by us with Crazy Deal gift cards acquired throughout the year), we headed to Kellerhaus for our ice cream and browsing.  Although we seldom buy much, we all enjoy seeing the beautiful, unique things on display, and the kids usually get a bit of candy to take home.

The ice cream buffet features homemade ice cream and all the toppings you can think of.  Kinda pricey, but it's an experience as much as a snack.

The one disappointment was that the player piano (at far right) was not working.

Check out that view, above!  The White Mountains in the distance, and even a bit of Lake Winnipesaukee is visible.

Following our ice cream, we head home, where the kids sneak their gift purchases into their rooms to be wrapped later and placed under the tree.  As we left Kellerhaus on Saturday, we all agreed -- this is a tradition worth doing again next year!

A Christmas quote

Recently I was rummaging through the little box where I keep my Christmas gift tags.  A little piece of paper caught my eye; it didn't look like an actual tag.  It actually was, though -- it was the tag above, a paper tag intended to be glued onto a wrapped gift.  I think it was a freebie from some charity or other.  The quote below was on the reverse side of it.

"The joy of brightening other lives, bearing each other's burdens, easing others' loads and supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts becomes for us the magic of Christmas."  -- W.C. Jones

I don't remember ever seeing this quote before, but I liked it.  There truly is joy in
     🎄 Brightening others' lives
     🎄 Bearing each other's burdens
     🎄 Easing others' loads
     🎄 Supplanting empty hearts and lives with generous gifts.

In particular, we will find joy in sharing the good news of the greatest gift ever given -- salvation and everlasting life through Christ -- with those empty hearts and lives this Christmas season.  And there are many additional ways in which we can brighten lives with generous giving and sharing.  We don't have to look far to find people who could use someone to encourage them and point them to the Savior.

And a Scripture verse sprang to mind too: "Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ."  (Galatians 6:2)  That would be the law of loving our neighbor as ourselves: what James called "the royal law."  (James 2:8).

I tried to learn more about W.C. Jones, the author of this quote.  It appears he may have been a Seventh-Day Advent minister, but I'm by no means sure of that.  Although I'm not certain of his theology, his quote is a good one.  I know it expresses some of what I would like to do during this Christmas season.

Sweet Christmas greetings

I just had to share these adorable images from vintage Christmas cards!  These were recently listed in my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic, -- and one of them is already sold -- but they are just too cute not to share here.

This freckle faced boy is skating along exuberantly with his puppy at his side.  I love his red sweater and his red, white and green scarf.

Then there is this sweet, sweet little ballet dancer.

The details on this card are amazing!  Look at the holly in her hair and at her wrists, and all of the sugar plums scattered at her feet.  There's even a candy topiary with a candy stick serving as the trunk for the topiary tree.

So cute!  These are the type of cards that my grandmother would have sent to the kids in my family, back in the day.

It is silly to keep these stashed in a box somewhere when a collector of such sweet ephemera could be enjoying and displaying them!

An easy apron pattern for Christmas gifting

I've made quite a few aprons for grandchildren in the past, but recently I tried out a new pattern that I really like.  It's for a reversible apron.

The apron tutorial is here, if you are interested: Making it Fun.   You can find this apron tutorial in the right sidebar under the name Classic Apron Tutorial.  Click on the picture of the apron and the pdf appears for download or printing.

The tutorial has directions for both child and adult apron patterns.  I made the one at top in between those two sizes, which differed by a couple of inches.  Josiah is 10, but I wanted the apron to fit him for awhile.  I am not sure I've ever made a reversible apron before, but this is a great tutorial and so easy.  It went together so easily and was just plain fun to make.  I did choose to leave off the pocket, which is cute enough but completely unnecessary.

The next apron I made was in the child size.  I made it for a very petite four-year-old, but I wanted it to fit her for a few years, so I didn't try to reduce the pattern in any way.

 The only time-consuming part is making the pattern.  I used sheets of newspaper taped together.  Of course, once you get a particular size of pattern made, you can use it again and again.  I'm going to make up one in the "adult" size to use for those older grandchildren who need larger aprons at this point.

Once the pattern is made, the pieces are simple to cut out and I would say that the entire process of stitching up one of these aprons takes less than a couple of hours.  More, of course, if you add the pocket.  That's rather fiddly.

If you happen to be interested in making a chef hat to match or coordinate with your apron, again go to : Making it Fun.  just above the apron picture is one called Chef Hat Tutorial.  Click on that photo, and again a pdf of the tutorial appears for download or printing.

This is a fun, easy project and -- if you don't have a December 1 deadline for Christmas gift crafting, as I do -- you could still whip up one of these for a child (or more than one child) on your list!
 

Welcome to my Christmas kitchen!

Come on in!

It's a delight to have you here!  Although I won't be serving up pancakes like this vintage Vermont Maid ad (and I wouldn't be serving fake syrup if I were), I hope that you can almost smell spiced cider simmering on the stove and the fragrance of fresh-baked Christmas cookies!

What I will be serving up every day in December is a daily helping of Christmas joy in one form or another.  It could be a poem, a recipe, a decoration or ornament to craft, a handmade gift idea ... maybe even a few thoughts on Christmas-related Scriptures.

Today, I'm just going to share how I make hot spiced cider.

MRS. T'S HOT SPICED CIDER

 1 gallon fresh cider
1 teaspoon whole cloves plus several more cloves
1 teaspoon whole allspice
1 teaspoon broken cinnamon sticks in small pieces
Coffee filter and string for making spice bag
1 orange

Transfer the cider to a large kettle and place it on your stovetop over medium heat.

Place the 3 teaspoons of spices in the center of a coffee filter.  Gather it up to form a little bag and tie it securely closed with string.  Add the spice bag to the cider.

Wash the orange, then cut it into quarters and stick 2 or 3 whole cloves into each quarter.  Add the clove-studded orange quarters to the kettle of cider.

Heat until the cider comes to a simmer, then reduce heat to low (or transfer to a crock pot and set on Low) until you are ready to serve it.

And I recently found that this can be made in a large electric coffee percolator as well.  Just put the cider into the percolator and place the spice bag and the orange quarters in the basket where the coffee would normally go, then plug in the percolator.

So easy!  And so delicious.  Why not pour yourself a mug right now?

Come back tomorrow for December Daily in my Christmas kitchen!

Yes, starting tomorrow I am planning to be here in the Christmas kitchen every day through the month of December.  This has become a fun tradition for me personally, and I hope that others enjoy it as well.

If you have never visited here in December previous to this, I encourage you to take some time to look through the December archives.  There should be plenty of Christmas inspiration to get you into the spirit.

Again this year, I will be sharing recipes, craft ideas for both gifts and decorations, poems, memories, and much more.  Stop by every day, if you can, to see what's new.

See you tomorrow!

Crunch time for Christmas crafting

Yes, indeed!  Many will remember my hubby's common-sense directive that all handcrafted Christmas gifts need to be finished by December 1.  For that reason I have made very few handmade gifts the past couple of years.

This year I really felt differently.  It was on my heart to make a few simple gifts for the Nevada grands, so far away.  I also wanted to make a couple of very simple items for my two daughters.  And then, wouldn't you know, I signed up to take part in an ornament exchange!

I'm not worried about that.  I have a handmade ornament or two on hand,  and plenty of things I can easily embellish if I choose to make something new.

But it's crunch time on the handmade gifts.  Out of 8 simple things that I wanted to make, I have one completed (and a second one started).  And eleven days before December 1!  I'm really going to have to work diligently to get those completed in the allotted time.

To that end, I'm rethinking my meals for this week and next.  I think the crockpot is going to be coming into play a LOT between now and December 1, and our meals (other than Thanksgiving) are going to be extremely simple.

Here's what we're having tonight:

TORTILLA ENCHILADA SOUP

4 cups chicken broth
2 cans chicken with rice soup
1 small boneless skinless chicken breast (frozen is fine)
1 cup salsa or picante sauce
1 can red enchilada sauce
Flour tortillas
Shredded cheddar cheese OR cubes of velveeta-type cheese

In crock pot combine the broth, soup, chicken breast, salsa, and enchilada sauce. Cook on low for about 4 hours. Remove chicken breast from soup; shred it or cut in small pieces. Return to soup.

When ready to eat, cut flour tortillas into strips (scissors work best for this).

Put tortilla strips in each bowl and ladle the hot soup on top. Top with shredded cheddar or cubed velveeta.

About 6 servings.

How about you?  Are your handmade gifts completed?  Do you have any helpful tips for time management and/or easy meals during this crunch time?

Tentative baking list for 2018

So we woke up to several inches of wet snow on the ground this morning.  Usually on the day of the first significant snowfall, I will bake my first batch of Christmas cookies for the freezer.  Today, I just couldn't bring myself to do that.  November 13 seems just a bit early.

However, I did give a nod to Christmas baking in that I made my tentative Christmas baking list for 2018.

You see it below:

As you can see, I have nine different varieties of cookies on this list, and I will be making multiple batches of most of them. 

On the reverse side of this paper, I have two more lists: one for kitchen gifts and one for candy that I hope to make.

As the season goes on, these tentative lists get tweaked.  Sometimes I change my mind; for example, on last year's list I had both gingerbread men and cutout cookies, but ended up not baking either one.  Or sometimes I end up adding a cookie or candy that I hadn't planned on making.  The point of a tentative list is just to have something specific to aim at.

So how about you?  Have you given any thought yet to your Christmas baking?

Brushing away the cobwebs from the kitchen door

Oh my, is this ever sad!  Two whole months have elapsed and I have not set foot in my Christmas kitchen!  I do apologize to any who may have still been checking in here.  Even our Christmas Club hasn't been happening, or I would have blogged about it.  I'm thinking (and hoping) we'll probably meet in November, though.

Things have been happening on the Christmas planning front, though.  For the first time in a couple of years, I'm thinking I can make a few small handmade gifts.  Crocheted scarves for the three youngest in Nevada, aprons for the three older ones (who have outgrown theirs) and maybe a couple of little things for my daughters.  And of course, a few food gifts.

Of course, I still have Mr. T's "December 1st deadline" to keep in mind, and I think it's a good one.  It really helps me enjoy December and also frees me up to post here each day that month, which is something I truly enjoy and wouldn't want to miss.

Look for me to be back soon with my tentative Christmas baking list for 2018!

A Labor Day sale at my Etsy shop

Well, Rudolph Day certainly got by me this month.  I had great intentions of celebrating the day and posting about it, but it just didn't happen.

Just popping in today to share that I'm having a Labor Day sale at my Etsy shop, A New Hampshire Attic.  The sale is running from today, August 30, through Monday, September 3.

I'm offering 15% off on selected items.  Because it's a Labor Day sale, the items I've chosen to feature are those that a person might work with: vintage sewing patterns and notions, vintage cookbooks, and maybe a few other items along the way.  I'll be adding more things to these categories in the shop throughout the sale.

There are no vintage Christmas items on sale this time, but if anyone on your Christmas gift list collects vintage cookbooks or sewing things, you might just find something they would like here and get a head start on your shopping!  Shipping is free.

As always, please do not feel at all obligated to purchase anything or even to go and look.  I'm letting my blog readers know about this only so that if one of these selected items interests you, you would be able to get it while the price is lower. 

Now I am off to scan and list more items in the shop.  I hope you will all have a wonderful Labor Day weekend!

A pretty vintage Christmas linen towel

Here is one of my recent linen closet finds!  I think it is so pretty.  The photo shows only one half of the towel -- I had it folded -- but the other side is exactly the same.

The large red poinsettias have green centers, and the pine cones are also red.  Coloring the pine cones red is a bit of artistic license, but they have an attractive vintage look.  A few Christmas baubles in red and silver are sprinkled into the arrangement, which is backed with sprigs of green fir.

All around the central design on each half of the towel there are pretty silver gray stars.

This linen towel is unusual, but I think it's lovely.  Hope you have enjoyed seeing it also!