winter whites

Tea is served in shades of winter in mid afternoon. It nourishes between lunch and supper.

"Winter is the time for comfort,

 for good food and warmth, 

for the touch of a friendly hand,

and for a talk besides the fire:

it is the time for home."

                           ~Edith Sitwell~

the day old man winter blew in

I am sitting at my kitchen table; I am warm through and through. But winter has made a definite stop with sudden bursts of cold wind and lower, chilling temperatures.

Today we started our first school day of the semester, a full morning under our belts. But CC does not begin until next Tuesday so there is still quite a bit of breathing room left for the time being. I managed to put a pot of soup on which is presently simmering. Smells so good!   And while I was at it I decided to take the carcass and make stock for future winter soups. We eat large amounts of soups in the winter and having bags of ready-made stock in the freezer is handy.

Near my house there is large patch of woods, graced with a running creek, rocks of all sizes, and lofty trees. It is a marvelous place to take a winter hike. We bundled up against the cool wind and set off after lunch.

Then we returned home to freshly baked cranberry scones. These are delicious. Sift together two cups of flour, six tablespoons of sugar, one tablespoon of baking powder, and one-half teaspoon of salt.  With a pastry blender cut into the dry ingredients six tablespoons of chilled, unsalted butter which has been cut into small pieces. Stir in two-third cups of half-and-half just until moistened and then gently fold in one-half cup of chopped cranberries. The cranberries just need to be halved. Gently knead on a floured surface and pat and form into a one-inch-thick circle. Cut into eight wedges and place on baking sheet. Brush the tops with a little half-and-half. Bake at 425 degrees until golden brown, about twelve minutes.

Beat one-half cup of heavy cream with one to two tablespoons of powdered sugar to be served with them.

Side note: Scones are best eaten on the day they are made.  So feed at least eight people, or maybe there are four at your table so you can each have two, or maybe....you get the picture.

Rose gave a finishing comment,  "I love the taste of the sweet cream and the tartness of the cranberries all at once".

 It does put them on my highly recommended list.

My gift to you

Another Christmas has come and gone. There resides a few forlorn presents underneath the Christmas tree, the tree that comes down tomorrow.  Bits of tissue paper are scattered in various places throughout my house, red and gold ribbons are showing signs of limpness, the once shiny colored balls are dull and are showing signs of misplacement. Even though its time to pack up all Christmasy things until next year, still we are feeling the signs of sadness now that Christmas is finally over.

 How marvelous the New Year has  arrived with its arrival of multifarious expectations, like a mass of confetti floating wildly around us!

But I have one last gift to give. A list of blogging friends garnered that have touched my life in some way. 

(The order is entirely random).

Hill Upon Hill
A Different Drum
Wayside Wanderer
Gladsome Lights
Stitching Under the Oaks
Ribbons of Light
Gypsy Slow Down
Firefly Cottage
By the Sea
the Buttr'y and Bookr'y
No Spring Chicken
Pieces of Sunshine
The Gracious Gourmand

(There are a few others that no longer blog not listed obviously, but I do miss them.)  So on this new year, situate yourself comfortable-like, grab a mug of hot tea or cocoa, and visit  some of these lovely sites and get to know these woman. They are each a gift to me and I desired to share them with you.

And because what is a post without a photo I may ask?

The "photographer" was set upon a litte shelf on the wall and set on auto.

baby alpaca knited scarf

Charlotte at eight years of age indistinctly knows fine yarn. While at the yarn shop she indubitably selects one of the better yarns. She loves to touch and scrunch the different fibers and her tastes are impeccable. A chunky baby alpaca yarn of pink and cream was knitted into a lovely scarf.

And Rose just happens to possess the exceptional flair for modeling the scarf.

sunkissed

Maybe because I woke up to the sound of steady rain this morning when even the cardinals that breakfasted from my feeder seemed hampered.

Or maybe it was the huge deluge of rain around lunch time heard outside while Rose and I were contentedly bringing order to my ribbon supply.

 Eureka! When the sun finally burst forth later during the afternoon I beheld this sight as I was coming down the stairs on my way to fix a cup of freshly brewed coffee for my husband. Their glowing faces gave such pleasure I could not help smiling.

Christmas Eve

"The people walking in darkness have seen a great light;
     on those living in the land
     of the shadow of death
     a light has dawned."
                                  Isaiah 9:2

See me in the background?

Today was a bustle with last minute preparations, so tonight a buffet was set with a smorgasbord of food consisting of: ham biscuits, raw cauliflower and broccoli florets, bacon horseradish dip, crackers and an assortment of cheeses, my most favorite being the cheddar with blue cheese.

Merry Christmas to all!

On the twenty-third of December...


          ...I traveled by car for 2 and 1/2 hours to attend the funeral of a family member. 

Bagpipes were played and a bell was struck fifteen times in honor of this firefighter.  A wonderful commendation displaying the brotherhood shared by all firefighters, a tribute containing great taste and respect for the deceased and his chosen profession.

Before I got into my car for the drive home, I embraced my cousin and we agreed it was not good to be only meeting at funerals.

burnishing

On the twenty-second of December...

...the silver was polished.

Pattern: Buttercup by Gorham

something to sink your teeth into

On the twenty-first of December...

... morning dental appointments for all.

I do not know about you, but dental appointments around here are made a year in advance and woe to him who cancels short of death. We feel so "privileged" to have a scheduled appointment. I am sure it is some kind of American Dentistry Associations approach to mind altering.

Then we stopped by our favorite deli to eat Reubens and German potato salad, the best ever.

Home to grocery shopping and making these for a neighborhood Christmas party we are attending tonight.

Prosciutto-Wrapped Asparagus Bundles


2 bunches of fresh asparagus, trimmed
3 tablespoons of olive oil
12 thin slices of prosciutto, separated and sliced in thin lengths
pepper to taste
!/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
After washing and patting asparagus dry, trim ends and coat with thin layer of olive oil. Take three spears and wrap them with one piece of prosciutto. Place the bundles on a baking sheet and bake for 7-10 minutes (depending on thickness of spears). Arrange on platter, sprinkle with pepper and cheese.

The best part is they may be served warm or room temperature, making for a perfect carry-along food.

something to dance to

 On the twentieth of December...

....I will attempt a sedulous catch-up, of sorts.

The forming of gobs of chocolate into balls and rolling them in cocoa, hazelnuts, or pearl gold dust. These truffles are simply a cinch to make.

A total of four Nutcracker performances culminating in success...and relief for all concerned.

Champagne toasts for husband's birthday...

...And a pecan pie that was delicious. 

In days of yore I would have been hesitant to admit it, but now I feel as plump and proud as a fat hen to have thought of it at all, ordered and picked up at the bakery. 

Smart move, indeed! Cluck! Cluck!

pre-show

On the fifteenth of December...

...I was backstage for the second night in a row helping with the dress rehearsal for Charlotte's dance studio's annual rendition of the Nutcracker.

 But on this night Rose was engaged to assist too. All the excitement the dancers were experiencing sparked off them and left us feeling it too. It was a busy and hectic place at times.



It was late, most of the dancers and cast had departed, the girls were waiting on me as I was replacing some trim on one of the costumes.

What's a person to do?