A nice kitchen gift -- homemade Butterfinger®-type candy bars

Photo by Taste of Home

I spotted this candy recipe -- Chocolate Peanut Butter Candy Bars -- in a Taste of Home December/January issue quite a few years ago.  To me, the recipe sounds as if the candy would taste quite a bit like Butterfinger® candy bars.

I hope to try it sometime soon.  Candy thermometers always intimidate me a bit, but this recipe sounds so good that I just have to try.  Maybe you'd like to give this candy a try also.  There's always room for another recipe in one's kitchen gift repertoire, don't you agree?

Felt play mats ~ a fun gift idea for kids!

Back before Christmas, I was talking with my Nevada daughter on the phone and we were discussing potential gift ideas for her kiddos.  She had seen these adorable felt mats to use when playing with matchbox size vehicles, and thought her kids would love one as a group gift.  Here is the link: Felt Play Mats.  I asked my local daughter if she thought her kids would like one of these too, and she thought they would.  My reasoning was that if I was going to make one, I might as well do a second at the same time.  (Not the most logical reasoning I have ever used.)  Needless to say, this project was not as simple as it looked and the mats were not completed before Christmas. 

I finally did complete them and got them to the recipients in February/early March.  I can say for sure that kids enjoy them.  Here is the first one. 
 
And here is the second one.

I used a lot of the same ideas as the designer of the Felt Play Mats, but added quite a few of my own ideas as well.  One of the buildings I liked the best was this brick library

which I made for the second mat since it looks more like the one in their town. I was also pleased with how the donut shop turned out. 

These were fun to design, but not so much fun to put together.  I used white glue to assemble the buildings and then a glue gun for everything else.  I'm quite sure my white glue was too old, because although it seemed to work and hold things in place just fine, once the kids began playing with the mats, some of the smaller pieces began to come loose.  So, if you try this project, be aware of this possibility.  Use fabric glue, tacky glue or even a small glue gun to attach small pieces.

If you follow the link to the Felt Play Mat, you can scroll down and see other mats that the designer is featuring -- a princess one, a pet shop one, even Gotham City.  Have fun!

Dipped Cherry Cookies ~ a recipe to make again!

Photo from Taste of Home

I came upon these pretty cookies in an older November/December issue of Country Woman as I was browsing through.  I had clipped the recipe but didn't think I had tried it.  However, I just did a quick search here in my Christmas kitchen and found that I had indeed tried this recipe in 2009, and that we liked it a lot.    This would be a nice cookie for Valentine's Day, too (or even at a bridal shower, come to think of it, using white sugar or edible glitter for the finishing touch)  and would probably go fast at a bake sale.  Here's the link: Dipped Cherry Cookies.

I think they would be perfect for a cookie exchange, as they are quite different from the usual Christmas cookie!

Cucumber Canapes ~ nice appetizer for a Christmas buffet!

Photo from Taste of Home

I don't know about your family, but ours always enjoys the occasional festive meal of just appetizers.  We will sometimes do this for New Year's Eve, for example, or other times when the family is all together.  Recently, in my browsing through older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine, I came upon this delicious-sounding recipe for Cucumber Canapes. 

I've made a similar recipe in the past, but this one sounds even better.  And it would be so festive at Christmas time with the red-and-green garnish of dill and pimiento.  When I make these, I will probably just use the party rye bread rather than cutting rounds out of regular rye bread and having all those trimmings left over.  The rounds are very pretty, though.

Often at Christmas time, we're invited to gatherings where we're to bring along finger foods.  This would be a perfect appetizer to bring along for an occasion like that.  I'm posting it here so I don't forget where I put the recipe.  Maybe this would be a nice addition to your appetizer line-up, too.

Cookie recipe to try -- Christmas Sandwich Cookies

Photo from Taste of Home

As I continue looking through older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine, I'm finding fresh inspiration for Christmases to come.  I always like to try out new cookie recipes -- often, one will become a family favorite.  This recipe is one I've noticed before -- it's from a 2000 magazine -- and I've thought about trying it but just haven't done so.  I decided to post it here and on my Pinterest board and that way, hopefully, I can find it again when I have a moment to try it out.  Here's the link: Christmas Sandwich Cookies.

As you'll see, this is a shortbread cookie simply cut in rounds and, once baked and cooled, sandwiched together with raspberry jam and with a simple Christmas tree design piped on top.  I can see these being a very nice cookie for other occasions too -- like a shower, wedding, or tea party -- either with a different frosting design or a simple dusting of powdered sugar on top.  Maybe you would like to try these, too!

Another marvelous Christmas poem ~ "Festive Christmas"

Small vintage card from my collection

I'm continuing to browse through those older November/December issues of Country Woman magazine.  The 1992 issue has been a real treasure trove of poems and recipes.  The Readers' Poetry Corner featured another poem by Shirley Harvey.  Here it is:

Festive Christmas
The town is dressed in Christmas fare
With stars and tinsel everywhere,
Bright lights strung around the yards,
And folks all writing Christmas cards.

A dust of snow is on the hills,
Red candles shine from windowsills;
And stockings hung on mantel places
Will soon bring smiles to little faces.

Loved ones come from far away
to share the blessings of the day --
This special day of Jesus' birth,
This time of joy and peace on earth.
-- Shirley Harvey
    Barre, Vermont

Again, Shirley Harvey's Christmas poetry touches a nostalgic chord in me.  Stars, tinsel, Christmas lights ... and my childhood home had hills ringing it where a dust of snow would be simply beautiful, especially the season's first snow.  I picture the colored candoliers shining from my grandmother's window sills in the old white farmhouse ... oh, how times have changed.  We have lost so much of the innocent beauty of days gone by.  I, for one, intend to keep doing all that I can to keep it alive.

Angel Food Candy -- a fun kitchen gift

Photo from Taste of Home

Still looking through those December back issues of Country Woman!  This week I came upon a recipe I'd tried years ago, from the November/December 1992 issue.  I'd forgotten about this candy, but it is delicious and fairly simple to make.  It also might be a fun edible "science experiment" for kids to observe, since there is quite a spectacular foaming action when the baking soda is added.  They could help with some of the prep work too, but should not be the ones to add the baking soda, since the mixture is very hot and the possibility of spattering too great.

Here's the link: Angel Food Candy.  Hope you enjoy this sweet taste of the past!  It would make a nice candy to put in Easter baskets, too.

"Yuletide Signs" -- another poem discovery

There's a lot to be said for browsing through old Christmas magazines.  One of the most fun things for me (aside from the recipes, crafts, and decorating ideas) is the discovery of some lovely poems by rural women who contributed them to Country Woman magazine's Readers' Poetry Corner.  I found this in the November/December 1002 issue.  It's by Louise Pugh Corder.

Yuletide Signs
Rushing and bustling,
Secrets and glee,
Shopping and baking, 
Trimming the tree;
Practicing carols, 
Cards from those dear,
Anticipation --
Christmas is near!

Pageants, cantatas,
Candle's gold beam,
Feasting and presents,
Tall fir agleam;
Visiting, worshiping,
Angels bent near,
Birthday celebration --
Christmas is here!
~ Louise Pugh Corder
   Franklinville, North Carolina

I just love how the poet evokes the anticipation and celebration of the season.  It brings back memories of when my kids were at home and all of the gleeful secrets, the shopping and baking, the practicing for cantatas and plays.  Hope you enjoy the poem, too!

Happy February Rudolph Day! (and a cookie recipe)

Photo by Taste of Home

Happy Rudolph Day to all those who are observing it!  I don't have time to do a lot of Christmasy things today, although I am drinking a cup of Christmas tea and listening to lovely Christmas carols as I write.

In a way, I guess I could say that I actually will be working on Christmasy things today, as my main focus for the day [other than a stint of writing/studying] is to see how far I can get in getting two large, belated Christmas gifts completed.  They may be half done -- maybe a little more than half.  So we will see how that goes.  They are still a secret so I can't post pictures.  I'll just say there is lots of felt, cutting, and gluing involved.

I also wanted to share a Christmas cookie recipe for those who may be in the baking mode today.  I haven't made these cookies, but they are on my want-to-try list: Spritz Holly Wreaths.  This pressed cookie recipe contains cream cheese, so the cookies wouldn't dry out as quickly as a regular spritz.

Spritz wreaths were a part of my childhood Christmas memories, as they were among the baked goods sold at a church Christmas fair we usually attended.  So pretty -- ruffly white wreaths trimmed with bits of red and green candied cherries.  I vowed to make cookies like that myself someday, and when I grew up and acquired a cookie press and a kitchen of my own, I did just that.  I also found that the wreath shapes broke apart very easily once baked.  So I'm hoping that this recipe may solve that problem.  Maybe you would like to try this recipe, too!

"Season's Greetings" -- another inspiring Christmas poem

Small vintage card from my personal collection

I'm continuing my browsing through my older December issues of Country Woman magazine.  I'm continuing to find fresh inspiration as I do so, and today I'd like to share another lovely poem with you.  Over the years, Shirley Harvey's poems have often been published in this magazine's Readers' Poetry Corner, and I frequently have found that they really resonate with me.  Perhaps because I'm also a New Englander, this poet's words often speak to my own memories and also to the sort of tradition that I want to preserve for my own grandchildren.  Here's my most recent find:

Season's Greetings

 Evergreens wear stars and silver bells;

The kitchen's full of ginger-spicy smells.

Carols echo through the soft, still night.

Red candles shed their lovely, glowing light.

The creche is set about the fireplace,

Where flickering embers light the Infant's face.

Families gather home from far and near.

It's Christmastime -- the crowning of the year.

~ Shirley Harvey,

   Barre, Vermont

Isn't that beautiful?  Instantly I saw the foil-covered star topping our childhood tree, smelled the red-and-green sugar-topped molasses crinkles, and pictured the glowing red candles at my grandmother's house.  I hope that you all enjoyed the poem, too, and that it evoked some similarly sweet memories for you.

Fudge Puddles

Photo by Taste of Home

 I'm continuing my look-through of older December issues of Country Woman magazine.  So inspiring!  If you're not familiar with this magazine, look around on eBay and elsewhere and see if you can find yourself some back issues.  They are some of the most helpful December magazines in my collection, and also have few if any advertisements in their pages. 

This week I was looking through the Nov/Dec. 1992 issue.  Turns out it's the one from which I took my recipes for Whipped Shortbread Cookies and Eggnog Log Cookies.  Both of these recipes have become cherished family Christmas traditions for us.  I couldn't have said just how long I'd been making these recipes, but now I know it's been over 20 years!


In this same issue, which featured the winners of a Christmas cookie recipe contest, I found two more recipes I want to try.  One of them is these Fudge Puddles, which would be good any time of year at all.  I remember wanting to try this recipe at the time, but guess I never found the extra time to do so.  I know that Fudge Puddles have become a tradition in some families at Christmas, and I definitely want to try making these.  Now I can post the link here and know exactly where to find it!  I'm thinking of trying to do the peanut butter cookie part gluten-free, and will keep you posted. 

"Christmas Memories" -- another lovely Christmas poem

Yes, I'm still looking through those back December issues of Country Woman magazine.  I came across this truly lovely poem written by Shirley Harvey, and just had to share.  It spoke to my own Christmas memories.  Here it is:

Christmas Memories

At Christmas I remember

Popcorn on a string, 

Cookies made of gingerbread

And carols that we'd sing;

Icicles upon a tree,

A gold star shining bright;

Candy canes and  oranges 

And sleigh bells in the night.

At Christmas I remember

Red stockings in a row;

Families coming home again

In spite of ice and snow ...

And all these special memories 

Draw me close each year --

To other times and places

And those that I hold dear.

-- Shirley Adwena Harvey, Barre, Vermont

Isn't that lovely?  It brought back so many memories for me -- stringing popcorn and cranberries, for example, and the icicles that my mother always insisted be draped just so as the magical finishing touch to our Christmas tree.  And there were always oranges in the toe of each red stocking -- ours were heavy red wool felt trimmed with white chenille at the top with felt details, and our names on little felt banners.  Our extended family would gather at the farm often "in spite of ice and snow".  Our Christmases were a very, very special part of my childhood, and this poem brought it all back.  I hope you enjoy it, too.

Inspiration for Christmas kitchen gifts ... and a recipe to try

From a vintage Farm Journal Christmas magazine

I love to give gifts from my kitchen!  And, if you've been reading very long, you also know that I have quite a collection of older [some vintage, some not] Christmas magazines.  In 2014, I'm going to try and keep looking through these all year round to get some inspiration.  The inspiration will take all sorts of forms -- handmade gifts, kitchen gifts, poems, recipes, memories, decorating ... pretty much what this blog is all about.

This week I was looking through some older Country Woman magazines.  Sometimes, one can find fresh inspiration in the simplest of prose.  That was the case here with the introduction to an article called "Give Gifts of Good Taste This Christmas".  I'm not even sure who wrote these words -- possibly the food editor, who at that time was Janaan Cunningham -- or possibly someone else, so I don't even know who to give credit to.  But the writer's words inspired me:

"Stirred up 'from scratch' and seasoned with love, gifts from the kitchen capture the spirit of Christmas in a delicious way.
"So go ahead and simmer some zesty picante sauce, bake a batch of rich Christmas cookies or set a special bread rising to the occasion.
"Then package your yummy presents in pretty tins or on colorful plates ... and tie them with bright ribbons or twine.  Each will wrap up the holidays with memorable down-home flavor!"

As I thought about these words -- and the article, which included recipes for hot picante sauce, rosemary jelly, and more -- it occurred to me that sometimes, in order for kitchen gifts to happen, we have to plan way ahead.  Say, right now, when we're dreaming over seed catalogs and planning our gardens.  My own garden is tiny and I'm not enough of a gardener to grow quantities of produce.  But if you are, why not make some plans to grow extra tomatoes and some hot peppers for picante sauce or salsa; herbs to make herb jellies or butters with; cucumbers for pickles, and so on?  Or plan now to go berry picking and make jams or jellies for Christmas gifts.  When I was a child, such gifts were common among neighbors, and we always looked forward to the various treats.

Of course, kitchen gifts can include much more than canned or pickled items.  I enjoy giving cookies, fudge and other candies, jar mixes, spice blends, and more.  Snack mixes or special nut blends are also favorites.  To see some of my favorites, you can click on the "kitchen gifts" label in the label cloud at the top right.  Or you could also check out my my Kitchen Gifts board on Pinterest, where I have over 100 great kitchen gift ideas pinned.

In browsing through another older December issue of Country Woman, I came upon this delicious sounding recipe for Iced Almonds.  I just may try it for the coming year!

A lovely Christmas poem

From my personal collection of vintage Christmas cards

As you know if you've been visiting my Christmas kitchen any length of time,  I enjoy re-reading older issues of December magazines.  I have quite a large stash of them (2 shelves in a tall bookcase) and I do refer back to many of them -- not every year, but every few years.  Country Woman magazines are some that I like to look through every year.  They are filled with inspiration for crafts, decorating, recipes, and are just fun and interesting to read.  On the back cover, there's often a poem by a reader.  I love a good Christmas poem!

On the back of the November/December 2004 Country Woman, there's a simply lovely poem which I would like to share with you.  The poet is Sharron Grotegut.  Here it is:

The Warmth of December

The fragrance of fir boughs,

     hot chocolate and spice,

Smiles exchanged as we skate on the ice,

The laughter of children on a 

     blustery day,

Sleigh bells jingling a tune on our way,

A frosty cloud on the breath,

     a woolen-warm hand,

Early darkness blanketing the land.

Flickering candles and

     sweet clusters of holly,

The wide-open arms of a snowman 

     who's jolly,

A chorus of angels to God up above,

Songs of the season that amplify love;

Christmas lights strung,

     drifted over with snow,

Contours of satin reflecting the glow.

Presents lovingly packaged and sealed,

A trickling tear when the gift is revealed;

Turkey, plum pudding,

     a peppermint cane,

Garlands of memories,

     frost etched on the pane.

A month that crackles at fireside's ember,

Things in the heart bring the

     warmth of December.

~ Sharron Grotegut, Moncton, New Brunswick

Isn't that simply beautiful?  I love how she touches on each and every aspect of the season.  One of my favorite phrases is "Christmas lights strung, drifted over with snow", because I love how colored lights look with snow on them.

a little lighted fir tree by our garage

Hope you all enjoy this poem as much as I did.  I thought it was too lovely not to share.

White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints

Photo by Taste of Home

 Can you stand one more cookie recipe?  These would be nice for Valentine's Day too, with their pretty dab of raspberry jam on top: White Chocolate Raspberry Thumbprints.

 The one problem I noted when I made this recipe before was that the jam never did firm up enough to stack the cookies in a tin for storage, even with waxed paper between the layers.  That could be solved by either serving them right away, or storing in more than one flat tin that would accommodate a layer of cookies without stacking.  In any case, these cookies are so pretty and so delicious that I can overlook a minor inconvenience like this!

Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies

Photo from Taste of Home -- it doesn't do these fabulous cookies justice!

I recently realized that I hadn't posted about this cookie recipe I tried a few years ago:Double Drizzle Pecan Cookies.  It was in the December 2008 (if I remember right) Country Woman magazine, the top winner in a Christmas cookie contest. 

When I actually tried the recipe, I realized that it was very similar to a praline cookie I've often made ... not as a Christmas cookie, just a special cookie for teas, luncheons and so on.  The cookies are delicious as they are, but the caramel icing makes them so special!

Now this recipe, with the chocolate drizzle atop the caramel icing, is even more special and does indeed make a lovely Christmas cookie.  I hope you will try them!

Browned-Butter Spritz Sandwich Cookies

Photo by Taste of Home

Here's another recipe I recently came across in a back December issue of Country Woman magazine.  These sound so good.  I think of browned butter as being a very old-fashioned, 1950s type of flavor.  I remember my mother making a browned-butter frosting for cupcakes occasionally.  These sandwich cookies look fancy and they have a yummy-sounding maple filling. 

Here's the link: Browned-Butter Sandwich Spritz.  If I finish all of my handcrafted Christmas gifts by December 1 (as Mr. T has decreed must be the case), I should have time to try some new cookie recipes!

Triple Chocolate Peppermint Treats

Photo by Taste of Home

Call me strange, if you will, but I'm still browsing through older issues of December magazines.  Recently I came upon two great-looking cookie recipes in a back issue of Country Woman magazine.  Rather than count on my memory to keep track of where I saw them, I'll jot the page numbers and issue date down in my "recipes to try" section in my Christmas notebook.

But even better, I will post the link and picture here so others can give these a try too.  Today I'm sharing Triple Chocolate Peppermint Treats.  One of the reviewers said that she was making them for Valentine's Day, too.  Not a bad idea!

One more verse from the Christmas card banners

A page from one of my vintage Christmas carol booklets

Back before Christmas, I wrote about how my granddaughter and I made fun banners from some old Christmas cards.  It was especially neat that some of them were made with the messages and greetings from inside the cards, not just pictures from the fronts.  I've shared a few of these messages already, and here is one more -- the last one I'll share.

"We were not there to hear or see,

But our hopes and dreams of eternity

Are centered around that holy story

When God sent us His Son in glory.

And no event ever left behind

A transformation of this kind ...

So question and search

and doubt, if you will,

But the story of Christmas is living still."

~ Helen Steiner Rice

I recently heard of an elementary school teacher in our area who was trying to explain the true meaning of Christmas to her students.  It seems that only one or two of the children had any idea that Christmas had anything at all to do with a Baby in a manger.  Still, as the poem says, the Christmas story is ever-living.  Are we sharing it?

Cranberry Sweet Potato Bake ~ another nice Christmas dinner side dish

Photo from Taste of Home

This is one of the side dishes we had with Christmas dinner this year, and was it ever a hit!  Here's the link:   Cranberry Sweet Potato Bake. 

I will be making this again; we liked it a lot, and our Christmas dinner guests raved about it.  We did change things a bit.  We doubled the recipe to be sure we had enough.  I did cut down on the brown sugar by not doubling that.  Also, to cut down on the sweetness a little more, for the double recipe we used one-half cup of the dried cranberries and one-half cup of fresh frozen unsweetened cranberries, which we cooked along with the apples, brown sugar and spices during that step of the recipe.  We will definitely be making this again for holiday meals.  Highly recommended!