i love turquoise and panettone

i also love the food network. my favorite being giada de laurentiis. one episode she goes on to talk about panettone. bread like cake, studded with raisin and other little fruits. its soooo delicious. especially with sweet and spicy tea! i was delighted to see it for $5 at trader joes and not $30 at the speciality italian food store in peddlers village.



this past holiday weekend. my mother-in-law taught me how to crochet potholders, like the ones she gave me for christmas last year. i got a set done in no time. after i properly learned how to hold my crochet hook and yarn. i'm left handed and so i just kinda picked up my own technique, but through her guidance i learned a more efficient way of crocheting! i was delighted to find that the ribbing matches my blue star plates. plates from my grandmother. plates i would love to find more of on ebay or thrift stores. more turquoise!

cookie day part II

cookie day part I

My husbands family always gets together to make christmas cookies each year. its truly an event. so it got me to thinking, why don't my we do that with my family! my mom sister and two nieces got together yesterday for our first annual cookie day. and i'm glad we did. it was loads of fun to bake with all the beautiful ladies in my life. more than mother, sister and nieces. truly good friends. we made chocolate crinkles. all partaking in the rolling of sticky chocolate batter, and dipping them in powdered sugar. after scrubbing our hands of the chocolate mess, we rolled out gingerbread men, snowflakes, candy canes, and angels. let them cool and had much fun decorating them. showing them exactly what i do everyday. filling bags with icing, holding them, and squeezing out beautiful creations. it was hard for little and big hands to get use to this. but they all did a wonderful job, and it made me so happy to share with them. dad even got in on the cookie action. after lunch it was on to peanut butter blossoms and spritz cookie press cookies. it was a full day. ending with a birthday celebration for my mom and myself!

bullar ( a delightful swedish cinnamon roll)

husband and i went to ikea yesterday for a few odds and ends. i saw this cinnamon roll mix, and couldn't resist. it brings back fond memories of the moments spent in sweden, with my sister and her swedish husband. we would always be served bullar and coffee or tea. they baked up quite nice, but i think i should have cut them before they rose for the second time. they are a bit misshaped. ah well, they taste pretty good. thanks to my dear sister who had infused our family with the love of swedish treats and traditions



dinner: cheddar broccoli potato cauliflower soup and squash apple cranberry bake.
dinner for sick husband : chicken noodle soup and saltines :(

pumpkin cake roll + knitting

pumpkin cake roll. my contribution to my families thanksgiving feast. i love thanksgiving. its probably my favorite food of any season. going to my husbands family for thanksgiving got me to thinking just how different every ones traditions are for the day.
ours consisted of :

turkey
cranberry relish
mashed potatoes
sweet potato bake
oyster stuffing
corn
rolls
applesauce
pumpkin pie
pumpkin cake roll
ice cream


i got some 100% cotton yarn recently to knit some more washcloths. my were getting kinda ratty.

snowy village brings me much cheer

i've been collecting these little houses one by one as i go from thrift store to thrift store. alas my little christmas village has come together. much thanks to my electrician of a husband. he rigged the whole thing up for me. i just added the fluff!
happy holidays.

little marvels

right there next to my pumpkins is a forsythia blooming. poor little thing is a bit confused. but its beauty does not go unnoticed, so i brought it inside coaxing it along to bloom. and just a few short days later we get our first little snow. very little , but not any less magical to wake up to.


my sister has this "snack set" as my mom like to call them. and i've loved it for quite a while, so i'm always happy to have soup and sandwiches and an excuse to bring these out because it works so well together. this weeks fare. sweet potato bisque and turkey burgers!

i love my mama

i am so grateful to live so near this amazing woman, who provides me with a fast and delicious tub of chili to be enjoyed on this chilly fall day.

chair shortbread cookies

we have small group on mondays. i told a friend i would bake for this. we are going to be painting, so i thought we could use a little treat. i looked in my cookbook for cookie recipes i've been wanting to try and decided on these chai shortbread cookies! they are a classic shortbread cookie, but have a little help from cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom to enhance the the chai thing. they are pretty tasty. good to dip in coffee. especially yesterday being so windy and cold. i finished that up, and then jason returned from his weekend away. i made him chai tea, to go with his shortbread taste test. he approved.

scrabble <3

we've been ( mostly me) wanting to get scrabble for a while now. its getting colder and with that comes more indoor activities. so we invested in a super awesome scrabble game! there is little grooves for the letters and a huge board to play on!!! so excited. we are still in the middle of our game!


Sushi for 1. i'm home alone this weekend. no husband, no schedule. so relaxing. at work today, i was reading the paper about a new trader joes opening up in the area. i was so excited to see this that i knew that would be my first stop after work. just opened yesterday, it was jam packed, but worth it all the same. ah so much good stuff.

this year, unlike last, i am eagerly anticipating the holiday season. i'm excited, for all the food, family and festivities. and this year i am also excited to decorate for the christmas season. i couldn't wait to hang these up. they seem festive for anytime of the year.

Show and Tell... from the yard

This fiery red tree was my grandmas. she loved it so much she wanted to bring it with her on her move up the hill. uprooting a tree, i'm afraid, is not worth the cost. i feel honored to live on her farm. to experience little pieces of her once life. and this gate is what jason and i would like to take with us when we move. not very likely, but a lovely thought all the same.

my niece Ellinor, had her 8th birthday this week. and like her older sister, she also wanted a cake themed around the season she was born, so here is the result of that. just a little bit of what i've been doing for the past several months at the bakery.

chocolate pots ( need no explanation)

thrifting around town

my day off is monday. coincidentally my monday errands take me right by my favorite local thrift store! rarely do i resist the urge just to take a quick peek to see whats new. i was especially glad this week to have found this awesome 1940's brownie. i have big plans for it! i hope to use it to take "through the viewfinder" style pictures.
today was 1/2 price sale. in which i found these adorable salt and pepper shakers and tons of vintage ribbon. i hope to get some plain brown wrapping paper, and adorn my presents with this fun ribbon. simple pleasures. 7$ indulgences are hard to pass up.