The more I wonder…the more I love.
Alice Walker
***
May your holidays be filled with much wonder and love, my sweet blog friends. I’ll see you back here in the New Year.
Big Hug,
Colleen
You are currently browsing the archive for the Celebrating category.
Isn’t it neat how life works out? You think you are going to do one thing, but for some reason it doesn’t happen, and there you are doing something better. That was our Sunday. We got up and moving rather leisurely with the intention of walking to get the hubster’s hair cut. However, once we found the coupon we were to use (our household is quite thrifty) and realized it wasn’t a walking distance affair, we had a change of plan.
Still determined to walk, we set out in a different direction and collected the greens for this year’s holiday mantel and window. Though I was a bit worried about finding enough, there was plenty. There always is. Then we came home and decorated, taking in the heady scent of evergreen. If Christmas has a scent, that is it for me. Wonderful. New additions include the diamond church (Gregory’s name for the sparkle) and the tall white house. It is simple and pretty and a bit of a hodge podge, but I like it just the same. The hubster thinks it’s pretty neat, too, especially since we have one small box of decorations and use what nature provides on a fun walk, together. He is also quite fond of the fact that the greens go right into the fireplace when we’re done, filling the house with the scent of the holidays one last time.
This last shot is for my Dad. When I lived at home, and all the decorating was done, he would turn off the lights. We’d sit quietly in the glow of the tree and admire the beauty of it all. Shh…
Tags: Decorating
My friend Carolyn and I hosted a party and gift exchange for a group of our best girlfriends. I came away with an adorable flower brooch – just my style. It was a fun evening of chatter, drinking (delicious cranberry punch), and, of course, eating. I contributed artichoke dip (Bridget’s favorite!), cranberry pecan cookies with a white chocolate glaze, and the best mint filled sandwich cookies I’ve ever tasted. EVER. This is saying a lot. I am very particular people!
This mess is totally worth it!
Mint Sandwich Cookies
– adapted from Martha Stewart Holiday Baking 2002
1 1/4 cups flour
3/4 cups cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup sugar
10 tablespoons butter
1 large egg
Peppermint Cream Filling
1 1/2 candy canes (six inch size)
1/2 cup butter, room temperature
1/2 cup vegetable shortening
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tablespoon vanilla
For the cookies
Preheat oven to 375. Grease two baking sheets, set aside.
Into a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt; set aside. In a separate bowl, cream together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy, about two minutes. Add egg – beat to combine. Slowly add the flour mixture, beating until dough is well combined.
Divide dough in two, so it is more manageable. Roll out dough on a lightly floured surface, to about 1/4 inch thickness. Cut with a 2″ round cutter and space about 1 1/2 inches apart on the greased baking sheet.
Transfer to oven and bake until cookies are firm, about 10-12 minutes, rotating baking sheets halfway through. Cool cookies completely.
For the peppermint cream filling
Pulverize the candy cane until it is nearly all powder. I kept it in its wrapper and whacked it with a hammer – satisfying! Cream butter and shortening until well combined. Gradually add the powdered sugar and pulverized peppermint, beating until light and fluffy. Add the vanilla, and beat to combine.
Place cream filling in a pastry bag fitted with a coupler or a sandwich bag with the corner cut off, and pipe about 1 tablespoon filling onto the flat side of half the cookies. Place remaining cookies on top, and gently press on each to squeeze the filling to the edges. It’s a good idea to match up cookies with their best mate to avoid having uneven looking cookies. Makes about 30.
Enjoy!
Tags: Cooking and Baking, Recipes
For November primrose blooms…
cute and cuddly kitties…
delicious food…
and all that is sweet in this life.
What a lovely Thanksgiving we had here. The hubster and I enjoyed a wonderfully leisurely day at home with the kitties. We never left the house nor changed out of our yoga clothes from our morning practice, just the way we like it.
We also tried a little something new – a vegetarian feast for two. We replaced our poultry portion of the meal with a delicious mushroom, caramelized onion, and gruyere tart. Yummy! The rest of the feast included the usual suspects: stuffing with gravy; cranberry sauce; cranberry, apple, and walnut coleslaw; sweet potatoes with caramelized pecans; and Gregory’s favorite pecan pie – a slice of heaven the whole day long.
I hope you had a terrific day!
Tags: Cooking and Baking
To speak gratitude is courteous and pleasant, to enact gratitude is generous and noble, but to live gratitude is to touch Heaven.
Johannes A. Gaertner
Tags: Quoting
