a snowy walk about

gratitudes

yesterday was a snow day! the wonderful sort of day where you wake up with mounds of snow and more coming down to watch out your window. today is the same sort of day. on these cold snowy days we have experienced some extra kindness. neighbors stopping by to help plow our very large driveway. our fuel  oil delivery guy just stopping by, because he was in the area, to see if we needed more fuel... and we did.

also thankful for this old beautiful kerosene heater. keeping our pipes from freezing in the laundry room and cozying up our living room.

and here is progress. a primed pantry, awaiting more paint and some wainscoting. small things are happening in these winter months.

pretty petit fours

today i worked on these engagement petit fours for friends of ours. jeff and nicole. petit fours are her favorite... i had lots of fun doing these and it got me in the mood to dabble in more valentines day treats.

if you would like to give them ago. i used a simple pound cake recipe i've been using for years. baked it in a 9x13 pan and cut them into squares. place the cut cakes squares onto a cooling rack with a sheet pan underneath ( to catch the dripping glaze). make sure you cut off the brown parts of the cake or they will show through.  

petit four icing:

from martha stewart

• 9 cups sifted confectioners' sugar
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 teaspoon clear vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• Gel food coloring, in desired colors

In a heatproof bowl set over (but not touching) simmering water, mix sugar, corn syrup, 1/2 cup water, vanilla and almond extracts together until they are warm, well combined, and smooth. Stir in enough food coloring until desired color is reached. Do not overheat. Let cool about 8 minutes before pouring.