Pots and Pins

Oh Christmas Tree! Oh Christmas Tree!

The boy and I have been very busy - Christmas is up and ready for business!  He helped me get the perfect tree and set it up for me...what a good lad, perhaps I'll take his name off the naughty list (his vacuum skills leave a lot to be desired but they usually improve a few weeks before Christmas:))

The mister came home, saw the tree and said, "Who's idea was it to bring a shrub into the house anyway?"  What jolly good fun he is!  I was talking to a good friend this morning and we were lamenting about how we slave to make Christmas for our family...case in point...the mister left yesterday morning and everything was status quo...he returned nine hours later to find a veritable Christmas Wonderland all set up and he didn't have to lift one finger...and as he looked around at my handiwork, all the decorations and the twinkling lights, he muttered, "There goes the electric bill!"

My vintage Santa wreath, which has been hanging on my work-room door since I finished it last February, now resides on the pantry door...thanks to e-bay for those great Santas!

 

 

 

 

 

Just a few more pics of my kitchen...kind of hard to see but the platter in the center pic was an antique shop find, $5!!  The garland on my window is filled with gingerbread men ornaments and lights...it's one of my very favorite Christmas things - along with REAL gingerbread!

My little silver Christmas tree is once again sporting the snowman theme...I just could not bring myself to change it this year, even though we've had a snowman tree for five years!  I love my little elf ladder - the elf's like to climb the ladder, get onto the tree and rearrange the ornaments when I'm not looking...either that or the mister is just screwing with me yet again!  My snowman tree has wooden arms with mittens on them - maybe he needs a bit of tinsel, too?  And the stockings are hung by the chimney with care, in hopes that St. Nickolas will drop in a bauble or two for me since I've been so very good!

 

Christmas Garland...

Every year someone asks, "Where do you buy your garland?"  And they ask because it's full, beautiful, fresh and smells so great!  So I thought I'd let you in on my secret...

 

 

 

 

Fresh garland is expensive and while making garland is easy, if you live in a forest, which I do, it's also very time consuming - something I'm a wee bit short of this time of year.  So I've come up with a fool-proof method for the garland around my door...I start with a purchased cheap-o garland from Target and I staple it (with a staple-gun) around my door.  Pitiful looking at best.  Next I walk around the yard and gather up the branches that were recently blown down courtesy of Mother Nature.  If I'm lucky I'll find a huge branch with enough sprigs to do the entire door...and this year I was lucky!  I clip off the sprigs of greenery and then I stuff them into the fake garland - no tying, no stapling, no wiring...I just stick them in and the fake garland holds them.  

Doesn't that look great?!  Now if you don't live in a forest, maybe you have a tree you can prune?  Or maybe when you buy your Christmas tree you can use the branches you cut from the bottom?  In Seattle we don't have a shortage of branches or greenery...or rain.  Now you know my secret...semi-homemade Christmas garland...looks and smells great and as the wind blows and more branches come down it just might get a bit fluffier!

Black Friday With Sun In Seattle!

I expected to be stuffed just like the bird, and to waddle a bit, again, like the bird, and given our guests I expected to have hilarity and fun...what I didn't expect was after we had all feasted like it was our last meal, our dear friend suggested we go around the table to say what we were most thankful for...and it was sweet and wonderful and truly put the Thanks in Thanksgiving!  (The mister even participated...he said he was thankful for "all of us doing okay in a bad economy...and not having to live under a bridge"...he's such a romantic!)

  

 

 

 

 As we were eating I forced everyone to read one page from my little book, The Story of Thanksgiving, it's tradition so they could hardly refuse.  I had planned for my turkey hats to be awarded to the person who ate the most...but it would have been a 12-way tie!  Our bird was too big for the roaster, we seem to have this problem every year, so I sent the mister out to find a rock to hold the lid down...he returned with my "Yellowstone" rock...the one I stole from the national park before I knew it was illegal...and then he duct-taped it to the lid.  He was very proud of himself. 

So another Thanksgiving under my belt...and I do mean under my belt...and above and below!  And now onto Christmas!  But before I burp my Tupperware on Thanksgiving, I have to announce the winner of my Country Crock giveaway!

MONICA S. who said, "I would love to win!  We bought those Pottery Barn placemats last year for our kids but now I'm expecting so we need one more!) 

Congratulations Monica on the win AND the baby!  I'll email you to get your address!  Thanks everyone!

Happy shopping everyone! 

 

Happy Thanksgiving 2011 and a Giveaway...

After a week that included massive amounts of chocolate and super-human will power to avoid ingesting all of them, thereby avoiding a coma...

 

 

 

 

 

And having a bone-tumor (benign) removed from my forehead which required a plastic surgeon and a jack-hammer...no lie...he hit me 52 times with a chisel and a hammer...I should get a medal...

(Picture posted purely for sympathy cards, flowers and gifts...send immediately as my stitches come out soon and then I'll have no reason to whine!  That's an ice pack on top of my head which matches perfectly with the Head-Wound-Harry bandage around my head...a pressure bandage that was squeezing my brain...do you feel sorry for me yet?!?)

So, as I was saying, after a week of Herculean highs and lows, I want to take a minute to say how thankful I am for all of the truly wonderful blessings in my life, including chocolate and plastic surgeons (which I'm sure I could keep in business for years and years to come!)

 

I have a little giveaway for one lucky reader from the Country Crock people...surely you all know and love Country Crock?  (70% less saturated fats and 30% less calories than butter...but I say nothing!)

The Country Crock people have a Facebook page and if you click here you can visit their page, print out a .40 cent off coupon and enter their Thanksgiving Sweepstakes to win $100 worth of groceries and other prizes!  But hurry, the contest ends November 27th. 

In the meantime, if you leave me a comment on this post you will be entered to win this sweet little package from Country Crock:

This won't make it in time for Thanksgiving this year but you'll be able to enjoy these great prizes all year, including an apple slicer, with super grips so it's perfect for kids, plus a very handy-dandy potato masher, a kids apron, a turkey placemat and napkin from Pottery Barn Kids. recipes from Country Crock plus a coupon for $1.50 off your next Country Crock purchase!  Now if that don't put the happy in Happy Thanksgiving I don't know what will! 

(Winner will be announced Friday morning.)

 

Happy Thanksgiving.   

Remember to save room for pie. 

 

 (Disclaimer:  I received no compensation for this post...nada.)

Pumpkin French Toast with Apple Cider Syrup...

The mister detoured from his nightly ritual of watching the Military Channel ad nauseum, and allowed me to watch DWTS...I was thrilled.  In my next life I plan to be a dancer so I consider DWTS research.  My excitement was dashed the minute Rob Kardashian came out on the floor...(who IS he anyway and why is he a "star?")...not dashed because he wasn't good, on the contrary, he was excellent...but watching him dance with the mister's commentary/critique/verbal vomit was more than anyone should have to endure!  But endure I did, until the mister started synchronizing his comments with the beat of the music!  I was tempted to put my sleeping pills into his water glass but instead I took them - two hours early.  I missed the last half of the show but I dreamed of dancing all night.

 

 

 

 

All the flavors of Thanksgiving are packed into this French toast...and it will make a great breakfast T-day morn.  This is holiday-morning-friendly as you prepare it the night before and let it sit in the fridge overnight.  The ginger, cinnamon and nutmeg are swirled with eggs and half-and-half and it's all soaked up by the thick slices of French bread.  In the morning just pop it into the oven for about an hour - there will be no need to ring the breakfast bell to get those sleepyheads out of bed...the aroma will do that for you!  You can serve this with apple cider syrup that takes 5 minutes to make or you can use maple syrup - this one's a keeper.

Pumpkin French Toast with Apple Cider Syrup - Adapted From Carla Hall/The Chew

1 cup whole milk

1/2 cup half-and-half

3 eggs

1/2 cup canned pumpkin

1/4 cup brown sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/4 teaspoon ground ginger

1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

1 teaspoon cinnamon

pinch salt

powdered sugar, optional

1 loaf French bread or Brioche, cut into 1-inch thick slices

Apple Cider Syrup:

1/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

1 1/2 cups apple cider (you can use apple juice)

1 tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup butter

Butter a 9x13-inch baking dish.  In a large bowl, combine milk, half-and-half, eggs, pumpkin, brown sugar, vanilla, ginger, nutmeg, cinnamon and salt.  Dip the bread slices into the milk mixture, one at a time, allowing them to be completely covered in the mixture.  Place the bread in the baking dish.  You should be able to get 8 slices in the dish.  If there is any milk mixture left in the bowl, pour that over the bread slices in the pan.  Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. 

To bake:  Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until toast is lightly browned on top and puffed up slightly in the center.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve with warm Apple Cider Syrup or maple syrup.  Serves 4, two slices each.

Apple Cider Syrup:  In a medium saucepan combine sugar, cornstarch, cinnamon and nutmeg.  Pour in apple cider and lemon juice.  Cook and stir constantly until thickened and mixture comes to a boil  Boil for 1 minute, stirring constantly.  Remove from heat and stir in butter.  Serve warm over French toast.

Better Butter, Bad Martha, Bird Boy Shirt...

Let's start with the better butter...what's that?  How could one possibly make butter better?!  All you need is a cute cookie cutter - cute butter is better butter!  This Thanksgiving you can have better butter by shaping your butter into a turkey or a leaf for your T-day feast!

 

 

 

If you have a 3-D chocolate mold of a turkey or a leaf, you can use that...but I was fresh out.  I have a 3-D bunny mold but it only comes out at Easter...anywho, cookie cutters work great and it doesn't matter if they are plastic or metal.  Line a plate/cookie sheet with parchment paper.  Using softened/room temperature butter (do not melt it!) smush it into the cutters.  Put the cookie sheet into the freezer for 10 to 15 minutes,then remove and you'll be able to plop those beautiful shapes of butter out onto a pretty plate!

That would be your bad lighting shot!  But just look at my beautiful and festive butter!  I stick of butter per cookie cutter is what I used...if your cutters are bigger you'll use more, if they're smaller, get a bigger one!

 

 

 

After making my butter I came across an idea from Martha...but alas, it was not a good thing!  Martha "likes to make these sugar turkey to decorate her buffet table..." and what buffet table would be complete without a sugar turkey?!  So I followed the instructions, using my leaf and turkey cookie cutter and smushed some of the 4 lbs of brown sugar with 3 tablespoons of water into my cutters...the directions said to let them sit for a few days to harden...it's been FIVE days and they are STILL not ready!

  When I tried to un-mold a turkey after 5 days it crumbled immediately.  So if YOU saw the cute sugar turkeys Martha has in her magazine this month and want to try them...good luck!  I'm sure one of Martha's many minions made these for her...in JULY...because it would take MONTHS for these to harden!

Thanks to She She Made for the idea for Max's Turkey Shirt this year...Max is a little stubborn about his clothes, preferring to only wear shirts with trucks, helicopters, or Mahter/McQueen on them...but he does love circles so I'm hoping those big circles for eyes will convince him to put this on!

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One year ago:  Thanksgiving "Blessings" Mix  

Two years ago:  Molasses Pork Roast

Three years ago:  Baked Sweet Potatoes With Maple Sour Cream

Four years ago:  Give Thanks Pillow

 

Max is now 3 1/2 - such a big boy!  The only thing that could make our Thanksgiving better would be to have Max at our table!  It's just not right when kids have kids and move away!!

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Parsnip Soup With Pepper Cream...

I've been auditioning soups for Thanksgiving and even though I have this great recipe for Parsnip and Parmesan Soup, which I usually serve in shot glasses to jump-start everyone's feasting gene, I have been wanting to try something different.  Okay, so this is not all that different...it's still a soup made with parsnips but this comes with a bit of a bite, thanks to the dollop of pepper cream that adorns this spectacular-savory-satiny-smooth soup...4 adjectives and a noun...wow, I'm good!  I think this version of Parsnip Soup is going to make it to the top of the T-Day Soup List this year - and I just might serve this in small bowls because only having a shot glass of it would just be torture.

 

 

 

The mister, who's only tastes buds resigned from lack of use years ago, proclaimed this soup to be "worse than pablum."  Pablum is an old-fashioned word for baby food...the mister is an old-fashioned baby...and one day he'll have to eat pablum/baby food again but it will never taste as good as this soup!  This soup is as far from pablum as you can get - it's rich and creamy yet light...the subtle sweetness of the parsnips combined with the gentle flavor of the leeks is reason enough to make this soup but when it's served with the pepper cream, it's elevated to a sophisticated soup for sophisticated people.  Which explains why the mister didn't like it. 

Parsnip Soup with Pepper Cream - Adapted From Martha Stewart Living

6 medium parsnips, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick pieces

1/4 cup butter

2 (14 oz.) cans chicken stock

2 leeks, cut into 1/4-inch thick slices, white and light green parts only

4 russet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes

2 1/2 cups water

2 bay leaves

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups half-and-half

Pepper Cream:

1/2 cup sour cream

1 tablespoon coarsely ground black pepper

Melt butter in a large stock pot over medium heat.  Add leeks and a pinch of salt and cook, stirring occasionally, until leeks are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes.  Stir in parsnips, potatoes, chicken stock, water, bay leaves and 1 teaspoon of salt.  Raise heat to high, and bring to a boil.  Reduce heat to medium-low, simmering gently, partially covered with a lid, until parsnips are soft, about 20 minutes.  Discard bay leaves. 

Working in batches, puree vegetable mixture in a blender or use your handy-dandy immersion blender and puree soup until smooth.  Return soup to the pot, if you used a blender, and stir in the half-and-half.  Turn heat to low and keep soup warm, but do not allow to boil. 

Make the pepper cream:  Combine sour cream and pepper and stir well.

Ladle soup into 8 small bowls and top each with a dollop of pepper cream.  If soup is too thick you can thin with additional stock or half-and-half. 

What type of music did the Pilgrims like?  Plymouth Rock!

Sagaponack Corn Pudding...

Before I get to the best tasting Corn Pudding you'll ever eat, I need to share the boy's big news with you...The boy needed a pie...his church group was having a pie night and he asked me to make him a really, really good pie - bragging rights were at stake!  The boy only likes chocolate pie so I figured that's what he would want but when he told me HE was supposed to make the pie and it was going to be judged, well, there is only one pie that can stand up to that kind of pressure! 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

For his efforts, the boy came home with the certificate for the Best Tasting pie...and the remnants of what pie tasters do to a pie!  I was not a bit surprised as I/He made Dixon's Famous Lemon Cream Cheese Pie and it's famous because it's dang good!!  5 dang's on the Dang Meter, my friends, FIVE!  Don't wait until you need a pie for a pie contest to make this pie - this should be added to your Thanksgiving Dessert Menu - it's that good!

 

 

 

Now, speaking of that T-day menu, this should be on the list, too!  I came across this recipe several years ago, and if I could just have a moment of silence, I'll tell you where I got it...take a few deep breaths...okay, here goes:  Ina Garten.  I think her name should be typed/spoken with reverence.  I've never had one of her recipes fail - ever.  Can't say that about Martha or Emeril (God bless him) or Giada or even (heartbeat) Tyler Florence and Anthony Bourdain...Ina's recipes are perfect every time.  So when I came across her recipe for Corn Pudding, I knew I would love it and so will  you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Aside from loving Ina's recipes, I adore her and her kitchen! (House Beautiful's 2009 Kitchen of the Year no less!)  In my next life I plan to be Ina, with all her perfect recipes in my head!  Now, having said that, I have to confess that I altered her recipe just a bit.  Instead of using fresh corn, I used frozen corn and it worked/tasted the same...plus it saved me about $15 as fresh corn is dang expensive this time of year!  This has a heady mixture of half-and-half, corn, cheese and fresh basil...creamy and rich enough to make you sigh with every bite.  Make it and see...I would not lead you astray when talking about a possible Thanksgiving day side dish!

Sagaponack Corn Pudding - Adapted from Ian Garten

1 stick butter

5 cups frozen corn

1 cup chopped yellow onion (about 1 large onion)

4 extra-large eggs

1 cup whole milk

1 cup half-and-half

1/2 cup cornmeal

1 cup ricotta cheese

3 tablespoons chopped fresh basil leaves

1 tablespoon sugar

3/4 tablespoon salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

2 cups grated extra-sharp cheddar cheese

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.  Butter the inside of an 8 to 10-cup baking dish.  Melt butter in a very large saute pan and saute the onion over medium-high heat for 5 minutes.  Stir in the corn and continue to saute for an additional 5 minutes.  Cool slightly. 

In a large bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, and half-and-half.  Slowly whisk in the cornmeal and then the ricotta.  Add the basil, sugar, salt and pepper.  Add the cooked and slightly cooled corn mixture.  Stir in 1 cup of the grated cheddar cheese.  Pour into the prepared baking dish.  Sprinkle remaining cup of cheese evenly on top.

Place the baking dish in a larger pan and fill the pan 1/2 way up the sides of the dish with hot tap water. Bake the pudding 45  to 50 minutes until the top begins to brown and a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Serve warm.  Serves 8.

Gift Block Tutorial...

  I'm the Guest Poster (similar to a poser) over at Sew We Quilt/Stash Manicure today so be sure to click on over to read my post.  I'm sharing my Gift Block tutorial over there, as well as here, because as you know, the clock is ticking!!  Can you hear it?!?  There are only 42 days until Christmas!!  And in the nerve-center that translates to about  5 days of sewing time!  I like to make my Christmas gifts, and this year, thanks to my friend Helen, I found the perfect gift for almost everyone on my list!  Let me show you...I think you're going to like it and you'll see just how versatile this gift can be!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Helen is in my quilt group - she is a whiz-bang of a quilter!  Last August she suggested we have a Gift Block exchange - and pictured above are some of the gift blocks I received from my group - adorable, no?  So today, I'm going to show you how to make the gift block...and some things you can do with it! 

This is a great way to use up your scrap stash - and if you don't want to make a Christmasy gift block, think how cute this would be made into other colors, say for a birthday in the birthday gal's favorite colors or maybe in reds and pinks for Valentine's Day...your imagination is the limit!  Put on some Christmas music and let's get started!

You will need three colors:  background, which in this case is white. The "package" color, which is red and the "bow/ribbon" color, which is green. To make the basic block, cut:

4 squares from white background:  2 1/2-inches

2 strips from white background:  1 1/2-inches x 6 1/2-inches

2 squares from green bow/ribbon fabric:  2 1/2-inches

1 strip from green bow/ribbon fabric:  1 1/2-inches by 6 1/2-inches

2 strips from red package fabric:  3-inches x 6 1/2-inches

  Wow, my fingers look huge! But then, they kind of go with the rest of me!  You are now going to sew the strips together to form the base of the block; white to red to green, then the other red and white, see the picture below:

SEW easy!  You can't mess this block up - believe me, I've tried!  And now that you've got the base done, let's make the top:

Put one white square, right sides together, with one green square and sew diagonally, I just eyeball it but if you HAVE to then you can draw a line corner to corner, then sew on the line.  Clip away the excess.  Repeat with remaining green square and another white square, making sure your "bows" are going in the right direction.  Sew your bow squares together.  Sew on the remaining white squares to each side.

Line up your bow strip with the center of the "ribbon."  Pin in place, (yes, I actually said to pin something!  I do pin, about 3 times a year, unless I can help it!) right sides together, and sew the bow strip to the package strip.  Voila!  Your gift block is now done!   In the picture above you'll see that I opted to add another strip on the bottom of my block, that's because I decided to use this block to make a hot-pad and I thought a white strip across the bottom would look better - but it is totally optional.

Let's pretend I have that binding stitched down...My new hot-pads will go perfectly with my new Christmas apron!

 For the apron I used a restaurant-quality apron from Costco Business, which is only located in Seattle!  But I know you can order these heavy-duty aprons on-line from many places.  They usually come three to a package for about $8.00 - what a deal!  I just sewed together the block without any of the white background and then top-stitched it onto the apron with a zig-zag stitch...then I got carried away and added new ties and a ruffle at the bottom...seriously, who amongst you would not like to receive an apron and hot-pads for Christmas?!?!  It's a GREAT gift!  Of course, maybe you'll make some gift blocks and sew them around the cuff of a pillow case?!  Or maybe you'll make a table runner by sewing the gift blocks together in a long row?!  Or maybe you'll make a big gift block and turn it into a pillow for your sofa?  Or how about a gift block with a few colorful borders that becomes a placemat?!  The possibilities are endless!!  And IF you want to make a quilt with your Christmas blocks, I have two to show you that will surely inspire and motivate you!

This is Helen's quilt - she is definitely an over-achiever!  Each block is different - differnt sizes and different colors - and isn't it all just so dang cute?!?  This quilt just puts the Merry in Merry Christmas!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Helen's quilt reminds me of Cindy-Lou-Who down in Who-Ville...and I'm sure the Grinch's heart would not be two-sizes too small if he had this quilt to curl up in!  

This is Barbara's quilt - all of her blocks are the same size but with different fabrics - they look great with a sashing that ties them all together!  And I adore her border fabric!  Reminds me of the original movie, Miracle on 34th Street, oh how I love the hustle and bustle of Christmas!

Two different quilts with the same blocks...both would look so great with me snuggled up under them!  I don't know how I'm going to piece my gift blocks together - maybe with a simple Christmas tree block in between or maybe I'll use them at the bottom of a big Christmas tree block as the center of a quilt? 

Now that you have the basic block instructions, you can make any size gift block that you want - just enlarge or decrease the sizes of the pieces - it's YOUR block so it can be any size you want!  Have fun and get busy...that clock is still ticking! 

Thanks Helen and Barbara for letting me share your quilts! 

The Pilgrim Party...2011

Six little Girl Scout Pilgrims came to make and eat dinner...they arrived 40 minutes early!!!  40 minutes!  That's like a day and a half in my world!  It kind of threw me...I didn't have time to turn on my "Pilgrim music" or to make the punch or to read over my list so I'd remember what it was we were doing!  Fortunately 8 year olds enjoy chaos and discombobulation!

My turkey placemats are kept under wraps for 11 months a year so I have to use them when I can this month!  Each little pilgrim received a priceless turkey pin (pictured to the right on the placemat, wooden turkey purchased at Ben Franklin for .50 cents each, I added the pin to the back!) and a stunning "towel-apron" - made by yours truly...they were thrilled as any 8 year old would be!  That's why I like 8 year olds, a kitchen towel turned into an apron brings out a smile!  (Directions for making a towel-apron are on my Quilts-Pins page, click here.)

 

 

 

We started off by making Pilgrim Ships out of Sculpey (you could also use FIMO.)  Sculpey is a bakeable clay, each girl was given 1/4 of a block, so a very small piece.  The clay is a bit hard to work with so they had to keep pushing it with their hands to soften it - then she shaped it into a ship - or a canoe or a tire, with a hole in the center to hold their sail...then we baked them, 15 minutes at 275 degrees.  Once they were cooled we added the masts and sails and the girls filled with with nuts and seeds, which everyone knows is what Pilgrims snacked on.  

Isabel, Kayla, Kait, Kate, Marissa, MaKayla...cute, cute, cute!  And they were so good!  After making their Pilgrim Ships they set about making their dinner...chopping, slicing and dicing and not one of them chopped off a finger!

 

 

 

 

 

 

The girls had a great time making the skewers for the turkey feathers on our honeydew turkey...it's easy to make, just slice off a piece of honeydew on the bottom so it will sit without rolling.  Use a half a pear as the head, stuck on with toothpicks through the raisin eyes.  From a piece of pear cut the beak and from one large red pepper cut two wings, two feet and the wattle...the girls really liked the turkey but when it came time to eat they pulled out the skewers but I forgot to cut the melon!  The mister and I will be eating honeydew for days!

 

 

 

The girls made turkey tacos (rolled up like a cornucopia), the fruit skewers, corn pudding and corn on the cob...I'm sure the Pilgrims had fruit skewers for Thanksgiving!  And then they made dessert...I saw both of these ides on Pinterest, super easy to make and the girls loved them!

 

 

 

 

Donut holes dipped in nutella, dipped in chocolate sprinkles with a half a pretzel stick stuck in makes the cutest little acorns!  And, if you buy the right kind of Hershey Kisses - the regular Kisses that are just chocolate and not striped(!) you can make a smaller acorn treat...Kisses glued to a Mini-Nutter-Butter Cookie with chocolate frosting and a chocolate chip stuck on top with more frosting...I've got to say, they are tasty little things!  The little Pilgrims really liked this and it was easy enough for them to do so they each made quite a few!

 

And there were plenty left for me to enjoy while doing the dishes!  Thanks to Gracious Rain for this idea and for putting it on Pinterest for all to see!  You can check out my Pinterest boards, (click on button on the left) I'm just a baby Pinhead, with only about 1,200 pins - some people have thousands and thousands of pins! There is just no end to the creativity out there!

Thanks to my Pilgrims for coming - we sure had a fun time!  The recipe for Corn Pudding will be up soon - you're going to want it - it's like a corn souffle, light and creamy with a hint of basil...totally delicious and would be a great addition to your T-day Menu!