Cmas Baking & Goodie Making

Greetings!
Got my Christmas goodies done today.
Made some truffles with both milk chocolate and dark chocolate....ask me if my house doesn't smell like a chocolate factory!?! 

 Dipped some pretzels in melted chocolate...how much easier does it get! 

 More truffles...this time with chocolate sprinkles on top.

The lighter colored truffles are flavored with orange.

 

 

Now to the baking part.  I made these chocolate cookies...bite sized they are,

 

 

made some shortbread trees and some gingerbread people.

 These little trees are so cute.

 These are ginger cookies--more for the adult taste buds. :)

 These are a sugar cookies with broken candy canes mixed in.

  The dark cookies are molasses cookies.

 Aren't they pretty!  Just make your favorite sugar cookie and add chopped candy cane.

More shortbread in assorted shapes. 

   Gingerbread people with silver dragees

 and others with white chocolate chips.

 And a hearty chocolate chip oatmeal cookies with coconut and almonds.

 And here are all the prepared tins waiting to be filled up.

 

The filling up of the tins.  Made me realize how much work happened in the kitchen this last week.  Enjoyed filling up the goodie tins and hopefully the receivers of the gift will love the tasty treats.

 All filled up to the brim.

 They are all so pretty and festive.  And these are the last of the tins I had in my collection. Now I have free cupboard space....WuuuuHuuuu!!

Made some Rainbow Delights for the kids I know...always a hit!

Did up a special package for a friend.  She is a collector of snowmen, so I filled this snowman box with goodies.  Also put a bit of fruit of the vine in a snowman wine bottle container.

Crocheted up some tea light candle flowers to add to my gifting.

Going to make a bunch of these tea light cozies for our patio table for the summer.

 

 

 

   So now I spread these goodies around, which I will do these next few days.

Until next time, MO

Getting into the Season

My favorite part of decorating is setting up my nativity scene.  After I got all the pieces quite a few years ago, I found this stable at a local thrift store one year, so it all goes together.

This old pine cone wreath I made many years ago...when I was into my 'blue, silver and white' theme.

This little 'tree' is one I made some time ago...the wire clothes hanger, and lengths of tinsel trick. I put this one out on a table in the lobby.  The white dove ornaments I've had for probably going on 25 yrs. I bought them at a market at a place called Whipple Tree Junction.

 

  

 Did a bit of decorating with poinsettias and such in the Lobby to greet guests. 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 A bouquet of paper flowers and star that I made a couple of Cmas's ago.

 Didn't get too carried away with the front door. 

Another wreath I made one year when I was in my red and gold Cmas theme. The candy stripe bows are new tho. 

 The roses I made out of a length gauzy-type ribbon. 

I have many plastic storage bins/tubs with lids full of Cmas decorations, in various themes.  I remember doing a Victorian-type one in pink, white and gold, with angels and such...hubby called it a 'girlie' tree.

Christmas is kind of a dreamy-time of year in some ways...all the decorative colors, candle light and Christmas music in the background.  It gets dark so early that sometimes it feels like I've spent the whole day in the dark. :)  Just think tho', after the 21st the days start getting longer!!!

 

Have most of my Christmas baking done, just a few more things to do.  My sister Jeannie, makes a melt in your mouth shortbread recipe--it does literally just stay on the tongue for only a moment it seems.  So going to make that recipe tomorrow.  Finished off my other cookie and loaf baking over this last weekend and today I made caramel popcorn to put in little gift bags.  So I am going to do my Christmas goodie drop-offs by the end of the week.

 Recipe for caramel popcorn:  Preheat oven to 250
About 5 quarts of popped popcorn, your choice of seeds and nuts. (I used Almond Slivers & Sesame Seeds this year.)
On the stove top: melt 1cup butter, 2 cups brown sugar and 1/2 cup corn syrup, add 1 tsp salt.  Bring to a slow boil and keep whisking the caramel sauce. Cook and stir for about 10 minutes.  Remove from heat and whisk in 1 teaspoon of vanilla and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  Be aware that the sauce will 'fluff up' when the baking soda is stirred in, so make sure your cooking pot is only half full in the beginning of the process.  Continue whisking for a minute or two.  Pour over the popcorn and mix it all up with a wooden spoon.  I used a wooden spoon in each hand to stir it all up...be careful because the sauce is very hot.  I divided the recipe into two baking trays and put them in the oven for an hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Then left it to cool on the counter before bagging it.  Yummy!

Last night I crocheted up a beanie and scarf to give to Karen, our motel housekeeper.  Her favorite color is purple/mauve and so I think she will be very pleased with this. 

The beanie is done in two strands DK(white & mauve) with a US 9 crochet hook and single crochet stitch.  The scarf was done in double crochet with fringe on the edges.  Very soft Bernat wool was used.  The butterfly is just a hair clip, but looks cute I think.
 

  All packaged and ready to go.

 Have a few more season things to share with you.  Until next time, MO