Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, everyone! Merry Christmas!

And it's even pretty with snowing outside! Not the slushy, wet day we had yesterday!

It's just...

.....lovely!

The family and I had a grand time at one of my sister's last night. She has this beautiful huge home on a lake south of Jackson....and having all the nieces and nephews, I swear Jordan (almost 2) is the busiest kid of them all. But it was great to be able to finally, FINALLY, hold the youngest of all, Madeline. She is one and just an adorable baby.

And I'm sure everyone was pretty surprised to see how much Ashley has grown. She is officially a teenager, so I know everyone was pretty...taken aback. I was very proud of her.

The Apple Pie Party Dip was a hit...and I'm glad I made that.

This morning....

"No, Honey! Don't use the haircutting scissors to open a package!!!!"

Okay, back to this. Joshua and Ashley patiently waited for both me and husband to wake up. Then we opened gifts.

Very lovely things such as a little water fountain, and a new tea pot from the husband. I had gotten a sweet angel from the daughter. Lovely things. We don't need much.

Well, I will make egg nog bread and just find a pan to slap it in.

EGGNOG Bread

2 eggs, beaten
1 cup eggnog
2 teaspoons rum flavored extract (I am opting out on this...)
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup butter softened
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Grease bottom only of a 9x5 inch loaf pan or three 3x5 inch loaf pans.

Blend together the eggs, eggnog, rum extract (again, not using, not have...so necessary?), sugar, vanilla and butter.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt and nutmeg. Add to eggnog mixture and stir just enough to moisten; pour into prepared pan.

Bake bread in large pan for 40-60 minutes or until tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Breads baked in smaller pans require 35-40 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and remove from pan. Cool completely, wrap tightly and store in fridge.

So, you're welcome to join me in my kitchen and try this out with me.

Again, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas!

Bakin' away

Oh, come on into Kirstan's Kitchen.

I'm trying out a couple recipes.

Apple Pie Party Dip. That is with 1 1/3 cup of peeled, diced up apples. Then 2 tsp of apricot preserves mixed with it, and a couple teaspoon of fresh lemon juice (I squeezed a lemon to death for this one), then toss in some cinnamon and stir it up. Chill it for a while. Well, I put it in the fridge for overnight. It looks like a fruity salsa. Then to go with it, to make your own cinnamon tortilla chips. I was fortunate to find freshly made tortillas and cut those up, spread butter on those and sprinkle cinnamon over it (yeah, cinnamon with sugar) and bake for a few minutes in the oven at 350 degrees.

Hmmm....

At the same time I made sugar cookie dough last night and this morning just baked a couple batches. I made my own icing (powdered sugar, milk, vanilla, stir it up then add food color for color)....Since I couldn't find my christmas cookie cutters I just rolled them in balls and let them become...."ornaments". And with those, it was easy to dip them in the icing. I had several different sprinkles to decorate so I did that.

I originally planned to make eggnog bread BUT...I do not have a loaf pan. SO...that will have to be done some other time. *darn*

Oh yes let's not forget the usual cheese & cracker tray and pepperoni slices.

We will leave around here about 1:30 or so and head out to a sister's house that is on the lake. She has 3 daughters...all under 6 years of age. Busy mom. And it'll be a fun-filled house.

What are you guys up to today? What are you guys bakin'?

Merry Christmas Eve.

Sunday Snoozes

On the way home Friday, I took the back roads....and of course, a woman had the misfortune to slam into a doe. Poor thing. Her windshield was smashed up, and the doe laid there dying in the middle of the road. Had to drive AROUND them. There were several good samaratians helping that woman so I knew she was in good hands.

(that reminds me, GET A CELL PHONE, KIRSTAN!)

We had a wonderful Deaf Cafe program Saturday night. Whew. But I'm paying for it with my sore hips, already. Having to kneel for a lonnnnnng time onstage, and waiting for the soloist to realize it was time for her to get up here NOW and SING! My hips were screaming....and charley horses going on at the same time. Even the kids' uncle who came to check out Josh's debut as a main role character in one drama knows me very well...could tell I was trying not to fall apart.

That happens when you're 40 and you have joined all those older people who breaks their hips or something.

I'm cooking ... no, baking sugar cookies right now with my own homemade powdered sugar frosting (food-colored, too).... (red and green...)....and just dipping them in. I couldn't find my own christmas cookie cutters at this time so I just rolled them up into balls, slapped them on cookie sheets and threw them in the oven. Then when cookies are done, I take 'em off onto cooling rack then I let it cool off a wee bit, then start dipping them in the frosting. Yum.

And they're for my student assistants at work. Yeah.

We were sooo tired from last night, even Josh got really sick during the night...ate too many brownies and peppermint patty candies. He's feeling better now...but yeah. Whoo. Being so sick, we decided best course of action was to come straight home instead of going to church. I don't want the risk of Josh getting sick again during church. Good thing, because we ALL napped...well, I know I did. And so did Josh. My hips were very thankful.

Oh yeah, he did great as his character of a boy buying a pair of red christmas shoes for his dying mom (this is from a song, and was turned into a movie...)...and a man was touched and helped this boy out by paying the rest of it. Josh did very well.

We also did the Charlie Brown Christmas too...so that was fun. I missed a lot so I will have to ask someone for the video so I can watch!

Well I better go finish up bakin' and frostin' those cookies then settle down for the night.

Oh my hips...

Snickerdoodles...

Josh and I are gonna bake!

For dinner today, I made up something out of thin air---well, okay, I confess. I had gazdillions of pop bottles to return. Josh helped me pop those in and get our money back...and had enough to get ground beef. I COULD HAVE gotten couple more items but no...I didn't. I used the ground beef to make this instant lasagna thing that you throw stuff together from a box. A Betty Crocker thing. It was actually pretty good but I couldn't eat a lot of that.

We need something....something...to settle dinner.

Thought...aha! Snickerdoodles!

Where's the butter? All out. Well, not completely OUT but not enough to get a 1/2 cup's worth.

I sent my husband to the store to pick up some butter. I seem to have forgotten all about THAT one. I ought to fire myself.

Will watch Dancing with the Stars tonight...I'm looking forward to that. Read a book, and just be careful not to do something that'll throw my back out.

Eat cookies.

Yum.