Christmas Pudding

Recipe.  A pudding basin is a bowl that can be baked or steamed for several hours. I used an aluminum bowl. This is just a little different from a fruit cake. I liked it a lot.

Happy Valentine's Day

Easter Birthday Cupcake

Vanilla and malt flavor cupcake with vanilla buttercream tinted green, rolled in coconut and topped with malt ball eggs.

Christmas

Santa Baby Cookies

Memorial day

Memorial day is usually celebrated with grilling in the park. I don't know what the difference has been this year, but all the parks are full of people. July 4th was downright miserable with the heat and humidity. Maybe people felt cheated, and tried to make it up? We managed to find an unoccupied spot, deep in the valley, but our presence alerted other people to the hidden area. The bugs weren't too bad, only got bit twice.

Happy Easter

Merry Christmas

Peanut Brittle

I did a nice job this year. I added the peanuts at the last minute so they didn't get over cooked and spongy. The brittle has a good snap to it.

Pretzel Wreath

Here is a link the recipe at Pillsbury.com The size pretzel you use will greatly influence the finished size of treat. Rold Gold makes a twist the size of a nickle, now. Too time consuming for a holiday treat, would only recommend as an activity to occupy children.

Favorite Christmas Songs

Little Drummer Boy - Pentatonix
           A rum pa pa pum

Carol Of The Bells - Peter Hollens
           Ding dong ding dong, that is their song

Christmas Canon - Trans-siberian Orchestra
           On this night, on this night, on this very Christmas night

Adeste Fideles - Friar Alessandro
           Venite adoremus Dominum

The Boars Head Carol
           Caput apri defero, Reddens laudes Domino

Gloucestershire Wassail
           With a wassailing bowl, we drink unto thee

O Come O Come Emmanuel - Enya
           Gaude! Gaude! Emmanuel, nascetur pro te Israel!

Wreath

This year's wreath is also edible. It is lavender and rosemary. It smells heavenly.

Apple Pie

3 C. flour
1 stick Crisco
salt
Chilled water

Makes four small pie tins or two family sized crusts.

Lekach Honey Cake

Butter, for greasing pan	2 3⁄4 C. flour, plus more for pan
1 Tbsp. ground cinnamon	2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground ginger	1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda	1 tsp. kosher salt
1 C. sugar	6 eggs, separated
1 C. canola oil	1 C. honey
2 Tbsp. orange zest	1⁄4 cup fresh orange juice
2 Tbsp. Grand Marnier	1 1⁄2 C. confectioners' sugar

Instructions

Heat oven to 325°. Grease and flour a 4-qt. Bundt pan; set aside. Whisk together flour, cinnamon, allspice, ginger, baking powder and soda, and salt in a bowl; set aside. Beat ³⁄₄ cup sugar and egg yolks in a bowl on medium-high speed of a mixer until tripled in volume, about 4 minutes. Stir in oil, honey, 2 tbsp. juice, zest, and Grand Marnier. Add dry ingredients; stir until just combined.

Beat egg whites in a bowl on high speed of a mixer until soft peaks form. Add remaining sugar; beat until stiff peaks form. Fold whites into batter. Pour into prepared pan; smooth top. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of cake comes out clean, about 60 minutes. Let cool and invert onto a serving plate. Whisk remaining juice with confectioners' sugar; drizzle over cake.

Wreath

I made a new bow for my door wreath. The blue sparkly spider still upsets D.

Fudge Frosting

Fudge Frosting
6 Tb. butter
6 Tb. milk
1 1/2 C. sugar
1 C. chocolate chips

In a sauce pan, boil the milk, butter, and sugar. Stir to make sure it does not scald, and the sugar fully dissolves. Remove from heat. Add the chocolate chips (and a tsp. vanilla if you have it). Stir to fully incorporate. Pour over brownies. Decorate with candies or nuts, then place in fridge to harden. It sets up exactly like Christmas fudge.

Happy St. Patrick's Day

Pickling Spice
2 Tb. black peppercorns	2 Tb. mustard seeds
2 Tb. coriander seed	2 Tb. crushed red pepper flake
2 Tb. allspice berries	1 Tb. ground mace
2 small cinnamon sticks crushed	3 bay leaves, crumbled
2 Tb. whole cloves	1 Tb. ground ginger

Toss the peppercorns, mustard seeds, and coriander seeds in a small dry skillet and place over medium heat until the spices are lightly toasted. Dump them on a cutting board and smash them with the side of a chef’s knife to crack them, being careful so the seeds don’t roll all over your counter and onto the floor. Scrape the cracked spices into a large plastic container or glass jar or other nonreactive container and add the remaining ingredients. Stir until completely combined. Cover tightly.

Brine
1 gallon water	2 cups kosher salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar	1 ounce (5 teaspoons) pink salt*
3 garlic cloves, minced	2 tablespoons pickling spice
One 5-pound well-marbled (first-cut) beef brisket

In a pot that’s just large enough to hold the brisket, combine the water, salt, sugar, pink salt, garlic, and 2 tablespoons pickling spice. Bring to a simmer, stirring until the salt and sugar dissolve. Remove the pot from the heat, let the brine cool to room temperature, and then refrigerate until the brine is completely chilled. Place the brisket in the chilled brine and weight it with a plate to keep it submerged. Refrigerate for 5 days. Remove the brisket from the brine solution, discarding the brine. Rinse the brisket thoroughly under cool running water. (Don’t worry, you’re just rinsing the the brine solution from the surface of the brisket. The brine will continue to permeate the beef and work its considerable magic.)

Cook the corned beef

Oplatek Wafers

The Christmas wafer is a central European Christian, Christmas tradition celebrated in Poland, Lithuania, and Slovakia during the Christmas Eve Vigil.  Oplatki are unleavened wafers identical in composition to the alter bread that becomes the Eucharist during a Catholic mass.  Being only a reminder of the Body of Christ used in private homes, Oplatki lack sanctification by priests or bishops.  The wafers are embossed with Christmas related images.
Wigilia (pronounced [vee-GEEL-ya] in Polish) is the traditional Christmas Eve vigil supper in Poland, held on December 24. The word "Wigilia" derives from the Latin verb vigilare, "to watch", and literally means 'eve'. Before partaking of the Christmas Eve meal, the family gathers around the table. The eldest member holds a large wafer and breaks off a piece to begin the ritual. The remaining wafer is passed on to another member while a prayer for loved ones is said. This continues until everyone at the table has a piece of the wafer. Finally, the family members consume their share quietly.

Wafer
1 c. Flour
1 c. Water
Mix into a smooth paste. Cook tablespoon sized chunks of dough on special oplatek plates, or you can use an electric pizzelle machine as well.

Christingle

Advent is the beginning of the liturgical year.  The name “Advent” actually comes from the Latin word adventus which means “coming.” It was given to this time of year in December because Christians are waiting for the coming of Jesus Christ, who they believe is the Messiah or Son of God. This season is traditionally seen to be a time of waiting expectantly and happily and preparing for the Christmas season at the end of December. It is also a reminder of how the Jewish nation waited for the Messiah and how Christians are now waiting for the return of Christ.  One of Advent’s most prominent symbols is the candles lit at the beginning of each week. There are 3 purple or blue candles and one pink or rose candle – four total with one for each week. A fifth white candle may be added to be lit on Christmas day.  During mass at the beginning of each week, a special ceremony is performed to light that week’s candle. The candles’ fires burn during each mass so that by the end of Advent, all of the candles’ lights shine.  A Christingle is a fancy Advent orange that was designed with children in mind to teach them the symbolism surrounding the season.  The orange represents the world, a candle pushed into the center of the orange, then lit, represents Jesus as the Light of The World, a red ribbon wrapped around the orange represents the blood of Christ, and dried fruits on cocktail sticks pushed into the orange represents the fruits of the earth and the four seasons.

OSU Bottle

Viking blood mead bottle spray painted matte silver. Decals applied with Mod Podge. Festive Christmas ribbon. Happy Birthday, Shanna.