Snowbound Blessings...

If you can't get out...if the snow is blowing and ice glazes each glittering tree branch and country road...

If your cupboards are full and tea's steeping in your mug...if you have heat, light, and your loved ones with you...

If mother nature has decided your holiday shopping and preparations are as good as they're going to get...

Take a moment to embrace the simple peace and hope of the Season.

Merry Christmas to each of you. :)

P.S.  If you find yourself with a bit of time on your hands after the 25th, you might visit Averyl's Attic, which features lovely Victorian clip art. Beautiful!

Christmas All Week Long

 Do something special for yourself each day this week as you ready for the holidays. Relish a perfect cup of eggnog.  Get up very late (or very early!) Monday night and watch the lunar eclipse. Go to a child's Christmas concert. Count your Blessings!

Present of the Day: Starbucks Nesting Tea Mug Set. So darling. So practical. Something pretty I could use each day.

Writing Quote of the Day: "A writer who waits for ideal conditions under which to work will die without putting a word on paper." E B White (1899-1985)   Wow, do I love this one. And absolutely treasure the work of E.B. White, which only makes it better.

Cures for the Hum Bugs!

Happy, happy holidays...busy, busy, happy days...frantic, frenzied, wired days!  Joy to anyone who can balance the bliss and bedlam of this season.  I know what I do when it's all just too much:  hibernate.

Now, the hibernation may consist of an entire day, or only a stolen hour or two, but if it's intentional and deliberate on your part, with all those things that you love most around you, it goes a long way toward enjoying the rest of the holiday festivities.

Naps are essential. You need the coziest blanket you can find, after you've wrapped up in the coziest sweater you own. Curl up on the couch. Light some candles, turn off the lights, and drift away. Preferably at one o'clock in the afternoon. Most of the free world has this right. Only crazy, work-obsessed Americans push through an entire day ninety-to-nothing and then wonder why we're so cranky. Channel your inner todler, and sleep...

Perfect Hibernation Book: The Long Winter, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It's full of adventure, happy endings, and a description of the most mouth-watering flapjacks. You'll crave pancakes for days. Indulge yourself.

Perfect Hibernation Food: Fudge. There is my Mom's fudge, and all other fudge. This is my Mom's fudge.  

FANTASY FUDGE

Read more about it at www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,189,152182-243194,00.html Content Copyright © 2010 Cooks.com - All rights reserved. 3 c. sugar 3/4 c. butter 2/3 c. (5 1/3 fl. oz. can) Carnation evaporated milk 1 (12 oz.) pkg. semi-sweet chocolate pieces 2 c. Kraft marshmallow creme 1 c. chopped nuts 1 tsp. vanilla Combine sugar, butter and milk in heavy 2 1/2 quart saucepan; bring to a full rolling boil, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly to prevent scorching. Remove from heat; stir in chocolate pieces until melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts and vanilla; beat until well blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9 inch pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes approximately 3 pounds.Double recipe: Use this full 13 ounce jar of Kraft marshmallow creme, doubling all ingredients. Prepare fudge as directed, using 5-quart Dutch oven. Pour fudge into 2 greased 13 x 9 inch pans. Makes approximately 6 pounds.

13 Days to Santa

Christmas Book of the Day: Tosca's Christmas by Matthew Sturgis. Christmas picture books are magical. This is one of my favorites.


Christmas gift of the day: The Writing Sets from Barnes and Noble. Just the perfect combination of practical and pretty. I love them all. 

The Writing Quote of the day: "Keep away from people who try to belittle your ambitions. Small people always do that, but the really great make you feel that you, too, can become great."
— Mark Twain

Sugar and Spice

Christmas recipe of the day: Yule log! Isn't it pretty?

My oldest and her boyfriend make one each year for their French club contest. They have more patience than I do.I like my food fairly quick and easy. But this is oh so impressive on a Christmas table!

Christmas book of the day:  A Holiday Yarn by Sally Goldenbaum.  A yuletide Mystery!

Writing quote of the day:"Continuous effort - not strength or intelligence - is the key to unlocking our potential." - Frank A. Clark 

Have a lovely day!

Winter Treats

Recipe of the Day: 

Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

Photo by: Taste of Home

 

Rate Roasted Red Pepper Hummus Recipe

• 12 Servings
• Prep: 30 min. + standing

Ingredients

• 2 large sweet red pepper
• 2 cans (15 ounces each) garbanzo beans or chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons tahini
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 garlic cloves, peeled
• 1-1/4 teaspoons salt
• 1 teaspoon curry powder
• 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• Pita bread, warmed and cut into wedges, and reduced-fat wheat snack crackers
• Additional garbanzo beans or chickpeas, optional

Directions

• Broil red peppers 4 in. from the heat until skins blister, about 5 minutes. With tongs, rotate peppers a quarter turn. Broil and rotate until all sides are blistered and blackened. Immediately place peppers in a bowl; cover and let stand for 15-20 minutes.
• Peel off and discard charred skin. Remove stems and seeds. Place the peppers in a food processor. Add beans, lemon juice, tahini, oil, garlic and seasonings; cover and process until blended.
• Transfer to a serving bowl. Serve with pita bread and crackers. Garnish with additional beans if desired. Yield: 3 cups.

31 Days of Celebration

Today's writing quote: "And by the way, everything in life is writable about if you have the outgoing guts to do it, and the imagination to improvise.  The worst enemy to creativity is self-doubt."  ~Sylvia Plath

Today's Christmas book: "Under the Mistletoe" by Mary Balogh. (Yup, same title, different anthology collection) A wonderful selection of novellas. 

Today's Christmas gift suggestion: 

This is an amazing organization.  You can pick an animal, a country, or make this a monthly donation. And they don't just help those in need overseas, but right here in the USA.  Nothing feels better at Christmas than giving!


What's your favorite animal? I'm partial right now to the honeybees, and those little rabbits are charming. :)

31 Days of Celebration

Welcome to December! All month long we'll celebrate the season with recipes, book suggestions, simple gift ideas, and inspirational writing quotes. Enjoy!

Writing quote of the day:  “Planning to write is not writing. Outlining, researching, talking to people about what you're doing, none of that is writing. Writing is writing.” E. L. Doctorow.


Christmas book of the day: Under the Mistletoe by Irene Brand and Anita Higman. Two heartwarming stories of Christmas past and present.

Christmas recipe of the day:  Easy Toffee Bars

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1 (10 ounce) package saltine crackers
• 1 (12 ounce) package semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat melt butter with brown sugar; bring to a boil and remove from heat.
3. Arrange crackers (salt side up) on a jelly roll pan. Pour butter mixture over crackers.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 5 minutes.
5. Remove from oven and sprinkle chocolate chips over crackers. Bake for another 5 minutes. 
6. Spread the melted chocolate, then sprinkle with nuts, coconut, or toffee pieces. Cool, break into smaller bits, and enjoy!