Pots and Pins

On The 7th Day of Christmas...

I have wonderful friends...truly wonderful.  I'm shocked that I do, too, because truth be told, I don't have much to offer my friends.  My friends not only have caring hearts and hands, they also have vacation homes, boats, planes, and freebies to most everything...and they are very generous...like I said, they are great friends!  I on the other hand can't procure hotel rooms, rental cars or even movie tickets for me, let alone them!  My friends would give Mother Theresa a run for the Nobel Prize, too...a kinder bunch you would never find...plus they are all so talented...they cook, they sew, they quilt, they write, they paint, they do it all and most of them have a passel of kids to deal with, too!  But they still have time for me.  Perhaps they are my friends because they are so charitable that they take pity on me?  I am convinced that my therapist friend uses me to keep her skills sharp - so - if my having issues helps her keep clients, well then, I'm happy to stay in my insulated little world without the benefit of mind-altering drugs...it's the very least I can do.  

I must tell you about my friend Joni...who I have known since the 7th grade...(Joni is an author of dozens and dozens of books, mother of 4, former Miss California, and I could go on and on...you name it, she's done it and done it well.  She currently has her own call-in radio program on KAHI-AM in Sacramento and anyone can call in with a question...so if you need any advice on anything, give her a call...her show streams live so you can listen in.)  She sent me the most wonderful Christmas gift - not that the others didn't...it's just that, well, take a look and see for yourself:    

This is beautifully framed and the mat is an old quilt (a cutter) she purchased for just this project alone...and she wrote the poem, too, wrote it just for me!!!   Seriously, I was moved to tears.  It is truly a gift from the heart and one I will treasure. 

The Woman Who Quilts by Joni Hilton

The woman who quilts is cut from unique fabric.

She knows good things take time,

And time yields good things.

Her patience and tenacity combine,

Like stitches,

Creating yet another virtue:  Persistence.

Cutting and measuring, she gathers,

Keeping pieces of the past,

Celebrating pieces of tomorrow.

With exactness she works, untiring,

Long hours into the night,

Pulled by her vision of the final treasure.

Her workplace is both a tribute to

Math and science, and a joyful explosion

of Creativity and color.

Her hands know the feel of fabric

The way mothers know their children's skin,

A knowing beyond texture,

A knowing of nurture and love.

The woman who quilts can ease away from perfection,

And embrace the perfection of doing.

She weaves a story with each stitch,

Honoring family, cherishing history.

She is surrounded by loved ones

even when she is alone.

She feathers her nest with color and warmth,

Pattern and design,

Then gives to others of her heart and her time.

The woman who quilts leaves a legacy,

Not even realizing the she, herself,

Is a masterpiece.

Thanks Joni - I love you.

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken...

The mister arrived home late last night and when he saw his dinner waiting for him on the table he did his best to make an "I'm sorry" face...but since sorry isn't in his vocabulary he had some difficulty and his face was rather contorted into something resembling an ogre in a Disney movie...he did try to explain himself, "Wow, this looks great!  Did you make it or buy it?"  I was one second away from throwing a frying pan at his head...buy it?!?  The house was filled with a wonderful aroma, the oven door was open and a baking dish with the remaining chicken was on top of the counter and I'm wearing an apron with a few splatters on it...Oh, he may look like Matlock with his gray hair and he may look like Columbo with his one good eye and he may even sound like Sherlock Holmes, especially when he's been out with his good friend Jack, but let me assure you, he could not tell if a chicken was home cooked or store bought if the chicken itself was wearing a price tag inside a Colonel Sanders bucket!

          

So when the mister saw the roasted chicken, skin all browned and crispy, sitting in a baking dish atop the stove, what was he to think?!  I tell you, some days, I wonder about that man...how is it that he even finds his way to work and back?!  Of course it was HOME COOKED...that is WHAT I DO!!  Fool.  Freak.  Neanderthal.  Okay, I'm over it.  This is a super simple meal...which is one of the reasons I love it.  It's bare-bones basic...no fancy spices or rubs, no twine or trusses...just two key ingredients, lemon and garlic, which are so mild but they give this the most wonderful flavor - your caveman will love it too. 

Roasted Lemon-Garlic Chicken - Pots and Pins

1 whole fryer, rinsed and dried

1 whole lemon, cut in half

5 whole cloves, quartered

1/4 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

Place fryer, breast side down in a baking dish.  Pour olive oil over chicken and using your hands, coat chicken in the oil.  Squeeze lemon halves over chicken and then put the lemon halves inside the bird.  Sprinkle garlic cloves over chicken, and put a few inside as well.  Add salt and pepper.  Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a meat thermometer registers 175 degrees and the juices run clear.  If the bird browns too quickly, cover with foil for the last 20 minutes or so.  Let sit for 10 minutes before carving.  Serves 4 to 6.

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"Next to a circus there ain't nothing that packs up and tears out faster than the Christmas spirit."  ~ Kin Hubbard 

Cranberry Muffins With Brown Sugar-Almond Streusel

There is nothing...let me repeat...NOTHING that will put the aroma of Christmas into your home like this recipe...not candles or air-freshener or even mulled cider on the back burner...and there is nothing that will taste more like Christmas than these muffins...tart cranberries, toasted almonds, brown sugar and the hint or orange all wrapped up in a most fragrant and delicious muffin...on this, the 4th day of Christmas, I give you, not 4 calling birds but the best Christmas Muffin on Earth, if not the entire universe!         

Whilst the muffins were baking, the mister and I did a little "home improvement project" together.  First though, the mister had to run to the hardware store because we couldn't find a screwdriver...we must own 25 and now we own 26.      

Last February I purchased fabric to recover the kitchen chairs...and the mister surprised me by actually completing this project a month earlier than projected...it's usually a year's wait but he managed to squeeze it in just under 11 months - a new record!  Before we could finish though a second run to the hardware store was necessary...we ran out of staples for the staple gun.  But now the chairs are done and they look great!  Let me recap:

Fabric purchased in February 2008

Project started 9:00 December 28th

Project completed 11:55 December 28th

Two runs to the hardware store

Injuries:  One, the mister slipped with the screwdriver and managed to pinch his pinky...however no blood was spilt.

Yes, I do believe it was another Christmas Miracle!  We rewarded ourselved by happily sitting on our new chairs and eating these fabulous Muffins...     

If you wanted to save yourself some time, you could make these muffins in steps.  The day before make the streusel topping, cover and leave on countertop.  You can also toast the almonds the day before and if you really wanted to save some time you could assemble the dry ingredients before.  But really, they don't take that much time to make and I promise they'll be worth every bit of it!     

 

This recipe is from the book, The Christmas Table by Diane Morgan.  And it is a wonderful cookbook!  I gave it to myself for Christmas...it has beautiful photographs and the recipes come with details about how and when to serve; as if that's not enough, the recipes themselves will have you dying to get into the kitchen! 

Cranberry Muffins With Brown Sugar-Almond Streusel - Adapted From The Christmas Table by Diane Morgan

Streusel Topping:

1/3 cup finely chopped whole almonds

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted

Muffins:

2 cups plus 1 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1 tablespoon freshly grated orange zest

1 large egg, beaten

1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted

1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen cranberries, picked over and stems removed

1/2 cup whole almonds, toasted and finely chopped**

**To toast almonds:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread almonds over a cookie sheet and put in oven for 5 to 7 minutes or until almonds are fragrant and just beginning to turn lightly brown.  Remove and let cool.

Position a rack in the center of the oven.  Preheat the oven to 425 degrees.  Generously grease the cups and top of a 12-cup standard muffin pan with vegetable-oil cooking spray or use muffin papers.  To make the streusel topping, in a medium bowl, combine the almonds, flour, brown sugar, and salt.  Stir in the butter.  Use your fingers to pinch the streusel into small clumps.  Set aside.

To make the muffins, in a large bowl, sift together 2 cups of the flour (you will use the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons on the cranberries), sugar, baking powder, and baking soda.  Add the orange zest and use your fingers to distribute the zest evenly in the flour mixture.  In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, almond extract, buttermilk, and butter.  Using a rubber spatula, stir the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, mixing only until no flour is visible.  The batter will look lumpy.  In a small bowl, toss the cranberries with the remaining 1 1/2 tablespoons flour.  Fold the cranberries and toasted almonds into the batter with 1 or 2 swift strokes. 

Spoon a generous 1/4 cup of the batter into each muffin cup.  Cover the top of each muffin with 1 generous tablespoon of the streusel topping, pressing it lightly onto the batter so it adheres.  Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes.  Let the muffins cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.  Carefully release the muffins and serve immemediately, or transfer to the rack until ready to serve.  Makes 12 glorious muffins! 

"Christmas is forever, not for just one day, for loving, sharing, giving, are not to put away like bells and lights and tinsel, in some box upon a shelf.  The good you do for others is good you do for yourself."  ~Norman Wesley Brooks

Christmas Gifts...

I finally finished the last of the Christmas table runners...I think I made 6 of these - I've lost count and all of them have been delivered - before Christmas - except this one...and really, it's not late because it's only the 27th which, as we all know, is the 3rd day of Christmas where my true love will give to me 3 French Hens...I do hope they're house trained!   

   

 

Yes, that IS a Halloween wall hanging...a gift from my friend ...she's not really late in getting it to me though, just forgetful or should I say menopausal?!  Thanks dear friend, I shall hang it proudly come October! 

German Pancake with Buttermilk Syrup...

Yah....dis is berry goud...dos Germans veely noo der pannekuchens!  Didn't know I spoke German did you?  My sister, who is younger than me but looks much older, fixed this for her Christmas morning feast...and then she raved about it on the phone to me...said all her tribe lapped it up!  While I have had German pancakes before - and agree they are very good, I had not tried the buttermilk syrup - and I must admit it didn't even sound appealing...but I was wrong - so very, very wrong.  It's amazing.  Make that truly amazing...mouthwatering amazing...worthy of Christmas morning and by golly, worthy of breakfast itself.

         

So with a refrigerator full of breakfast leftovers, I set about making a new breakfast for me and the mister...the boy was already at work so he missed out.  By the way , in case you're counting, I've spent the last 8 days snowed in at home with the mister, except for those few hours when he dashed out to buy my Christmas present late afternoon on Christmas Eve...his good friend Jack went with him and I was so glad he did, Jack is always much more free with the mister's money than the mister!  Anyway, my point here is this...8 days of togetherness and nary a wrist has been slit.  Oh I'm not saying I haven't thought about it, but deciding who's to slit has always been my issue...I am saying that come Monday morning he'd better be off to work at the crack of dawn and if there is a God then the mister's phones will be out of order and I won't hear from him again until he drags in at his usual late-o'clock.      

Make this...you'll love it and so will your kids.  Make it for them the morning they have to go back to school and they'll be so happy they won't drag their feet out the door!  Happy 3rd Day of Christmas to you all!

German Pancake with Buttermilk Syrup - Taste of Home, Renee Moncur, Burley, Idaho

Pancake:

6 egegs

1 cup milk

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons butter, melted

Buttermilk Syrup:

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup buttermilk 

1/2 cup butter

2 tablespoons corn syrup

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  In a blender, combine the eggs, milk, flour and salt; cover and process until smooth.  Pour the melted butter into an ungreased 9x13-inch baking dish; add the batter.  Bake, uncovered, at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, combine the first five syrup ingredients.  (Use a larger saucepan as the syrup will boil up.)  Bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes, stirring occasionally.   Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.  Dust pancake with powdered sugar; serve immediately with the syrup.  Makes 8 servings and about 2 cups of syrup.  (You'll want to save whatever syrup is left over, it will keep in your refrigerator for a week.) 

"Peace on earth will come to stay, When we live Christmas every day."  ~ Helen Steiner Rice

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One Year Ago Today:  Cocoa and Spice Slow Roasted Pork with Cocoa Cherry Sauce

Ham and Cheese Strata...

Ho-Ho-Ho!  Santa did not disappoint...and not only that, he sent shock waves thru my soul!  All I can say is that I had a VERY Merry Christmas!  And I hope you did too!  Even the mister, who's heart is two sizes two small, seemed to enjoy himself...he dressed in festive attire and was pleasant for 90% of the day...the 10% of unpleasantness appeared when we made a mad dash to the grocery store - I had forgotten the Parmesan for our annual Spaghetti anda Meata Balls Feast!   While driving through the parking lot some lady pulled out a teensy bit in front of the mister and he glared at her...I had to remind him that there was NO GLARING ON CHRISTMAS!  Other than that,  he was fairly well behaved and I have only the Christmas Spirit to thank!

        

After the presents we sat down for our traditional Christmas breakfast - I always make an egg casserole of some sort and this year it was an old favorite, Ham and Cheese Strata...this is great because you make it the night before and put it in the fridge until ready to bake.  It takes 45 minutes in the oven which happens to be about how long we take opening gifts!

       

We only had the boy to watch open gifts...the girl and SIL, along with Baby Max, stayed home to have "their own traditions"....yes, their OWN traditions...but I say nothing...it was just a smallish knife in my heart, I hardly felt it really, only a few dull stabbing pains and I'm sure they won't last much longer...and I did get to talk to them on the phone which as you know, is almost as good has having them here in person...

      

  

Ham and Cheese Strata - Adapted from Leslie Perry

12 slices white bread (just use the "regular" stuff, the bread basically "melts" so you don't want big crusty Italian or French bread)

1 lb. ham, chopped (this recipe is very adaptable so you could use cooked bacon or sausage)

1/2 lb. Swiss cheese, cubed

1/4 lb. Cheddar cheese, grated

6 eggs

3 cups milk

1 teaspoon Cavender's Greek Seasoning (or substitute 1 teaspoon onion powder)

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon dry mustard

4 cups crush cornflakes

1/2 cup melted butter

Butter a 9-13-inch casserole dish and line with 6 slices of bread.  Combine ham and cheese and place on top of bread.  Add remaining bread on top.  Beat eggs, add milk and spices.  Pour over bread in pan.  Refrigerate overnight.  Mix cornflakes with melted butter and spread on top of egg dish.  Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.  Serves 12.   

"The Supreme Court has ruled that they cannot have a nativity scene in Washington, D.C.  This wasn't for any religious reasons.  They couldn't find three wise men and a virgin."  ~Jay Leno

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One year ago today:  My Grandma's Steamed Christmas Pudding

Merry Christmas...

Merry Christmas!  I received my Christmas present early this year...April 13th to be exact - Baby Max was born and my heart has never been the same since!  Every day is Christmas with Max!  We woke from our sugar-plum fairy dreams to a white Christmas...we've never had one in the all the years we've lived in the Northwest so it's really special and so beautiful...truly the most beautiful place on the planet...and it's STILL snowing!  So instead of recipes or quilts, I'll just wish you the merriest of days and pray you are all safe, healthy and surrounded by family and friends - with tons and tons of great food and drink!  

"And the Grinch, with his Grinch-feet ice cold in the snow, stood puzzling and puzzling, how could it be so?  It came without ribbons.  It came without tags.  It came without packages, boxes or bags.  And he puzzled and puzzled 'till his puzzler was sore.  Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn't before.  What if Christmas, he thought, doesn't come from a store.  What if Christmas, perhaps, means a little bit more."  ~Dr. Seuss

Family Home Evening Christmas Party...

   

IF I were a child and I could go to a REAL Christmas party, I would want to go to one that had lots of sugary treats and candy and decorations everywhere!  And so, that was my motivation for my little Christmas party - I wanted the kids to have fun!  It was very festive and thanks to a special guest who just happened to drop by - because he had heard all of my guests had been very, very good this year, it was more fun that I had hoped for!       

Italian cream cake, caramel nut cups, red velvet cake and an apple-caramel galette...for starters!     

Chocolate covered marshmallows, chocolate-pecan torte, Christmas cookies and look closely - you'll see a small picture of Baby Max who couldn't attend the party in person but he was there is spirit! 

 

Hot cider, cranberry punch and egg nog rounded out the menu...but the REAL star of this party was our special guest...Santa!  He burst into the room causing huge laughter and squeals of delight!  Santa was so good to take time from his busy, busy schedule to stop by - we all LOVED him!  We played games, sang a few Christmas Carols and enjoyed our visit with Santa - he sang for the children, answered their questions and even brought cookies, freshly baked by Mrs. Claus. They were holly shaped cookies to remind the children to keep Christ in Christmas...the holly represented the crown of thorns worn by Christ and the red berry represented the blood of Christ...Mrs. Claus really knows her stuff! 

Note to Santa:  It truly was a magical night...Thank you so very much!!! You made those little kids' faces light up and filled us all with the Christmas spirit!  Thanks to Mrs. Claus too, and the reindeer...so good of them to bring you so far South right before Christmas!  Good luck tonight with all of your deliveries...and remember, the mister only gets coal...again.

Recipes will follow soon...time to hit the mall one more time!  Merry Christmas!

Gingerbread Men...

Now it smells like Christmas!  I've been baking up a storm getting ready for the big day and for tonight...it's our annual Christmas party for the children...I say children because only families with small children between certain ages get invited...ruthless, yes, but there is motive to my madness.  We put on a play/skit/debacle for kids...adults are mildly amused if not totally bored but the kids love it...and of course, we have treats galore!  Always - we have gingerbread men...they are so happy! I love biting their little heads off!  I'm really looking forward to tonight...I need a good laugh!

               

 

Take a look at these snow shots!  For you in the Midwest this is nothing...but for us - it's paralyzing!  After 12 inches of the white stuff our roads are impassable and we've been snow-bound for days!!!  And by snow-bound I mean we've been stuck inside our manse ...FOUR days to be exact...me and the mister...FOUR days of togetherness...four days of him being my shadow...four days of me ravaging the medicine cabinet for mind-altering drugs...Please pray for a snowplow to come up our street!!!

   

 

This recipe is tried and true - and it never fails.  The secret to a great gingerbread man is to not overbake him!  He will harden as he cools so take them out right when that buzzer rings and not a second later!

       

Why yes, that IS the Eiffle Tower!  My French friend wasn't able to go home to Paris for Christmas so I took a little Paris to her!  This dough just lends itself to all kinds of shapes - so get out those cookie cutters and have some fun!

Gingerbread Men - Adapted From Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book (Rolled Ginger Cookies)

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

1 cup molasses

2 tablespoons vinegar

5 cups sifted all-purpose flour

1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 to 3 teaspoons ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 teaspoon ground cloves

1/4 currants for eyes and buttons

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.  Cream butter and sugar.  Beat in egg, molasses, and vinegar.  Sift together dry ingredients; blend in.  Chill 3 hours.  (The chilling is very important or else the dough will be too soft to work with.)  Roll dough 1/8 to 1/4-inch thick on lightly floured surface.  Cut  gingerbread men with cookie cutter.  Put currants on each gingerbread man for the eyes and the buttons. Place 1-inch apart on greased cookie sheet.  Bake at 375 degrees for 5 to 6 minutes.  Cool slightly; remove to rack to cool completely.  Makes about 5 dozen cookies.  Frost if desired.

 

"Every time we love, every time we give, it's Christmas"  ~ Dale Evans

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One year ago today:  Gingerbread Pudding with Brandy Cream Sauce

Christmas Coasters...

 

Oops!  Sorry for the blurry pic - I was in a hurry! 

I made these Christmas coasters for a gift exchange - I do hope the recipient likes them! 

Years ago someone picked up some Christmas coasters in my home and rolled her eyes and said, "Get a life."  Apparently making Christmas coasters means you don't have a life...well, they are time-consuming but seriously, they are so cute and practical!!!  I mean, where does one set their egg nog if not on a coaster?!   I want you all to know that I DO have a life....it just includes Christmas Coasters!  But I'm done making them now and I shant be making any more of these little beauties...at least until next Christmas!   

"Happy, happy Christmas, that can win us back to the delusions of our childhood days, recall to the old man the pleasures of his youth, and transport the traveler back to his own fireside and quiet home!"  ~ Charles Dickens