More with Cranberries

I have cranberries on my mind. Hence the juniper, cranberry arrangements I made in my last post. I love me a good scone emmm emm. Especially when they are dense and sweet. This one has all the above.

 ::Lemon Cranberry Scones::

Preheat oven to 375, and place oven rack on upper 3rd level of the oven

3 cups flour

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1tbsp grated lemon peel

1 tsp salt

-Mix this all together in a large bowl-

Add 3/4 cup of chilled butter, cut up into small squares.

-Use a pastry blender to incorporate the butter to make a coarse meal consistency-

Stir in 1/2 cup of sliced (each in half) cranberries (I used frozen)

1tbsp of lemon juice, poured in a 1 cup measuring cup.

Add half and half to the measuring cup to fill it to measure 1 cup.

-Pour into your scone mixture and mix until clumps form then gather with you hands to form one solid lump, don't over mix. Divide in half and pat each into a 6 inch flat, round. Cut each into 6 triangles. Place on greased/ parchment lined cookie sheet. Bake for 20 min.-

Once the scones have cooled, make a glaze of

1/2 cup icing sugar, sifted

a dribble of lemon juice

and just enough milk to make a slightly runny icing (about 2 tbsp)

-Mix this up and drizzle it over your scones. Once this dries you can stack them up in your tin just fine.-

Now speaking of icing makes me think of what I saw outside early this morning...

The trees look like they were dipped in frosting.

Dusted with icing sugar

Gingerbread Coffee

Coming in from the cold, I love to have something to warm me up. For the kids it is hot chocolate of course. Homemade is the best! (Mix 1 tb. of cold milk in a mug with 1 tb. of cocoa, and 2 tb. sugar until smooth. Stir in 1 cup hot milk. Easy:) For me... coffee.
I love coffee. Also I love the flavours that each season brings. For the Christmas/winter it's peppermint, chocolate, and gingerbread.
And again trying to not frequent the coffee shops to often, I came up with a gingerbread creamer, concoction.

Its very simple, here it is:
In a small microwavable bowl, mix: 2 tb. cream with 1 tb. sugar, 1/4 tsp. ginger, 1/4 tsp. cinnamon, and a pinch nutmeg. Stir well. Nuke (microwave) for 30 seconds. Then whisk in 3/4 cup of cream. Use a funnel to pour into a small bottle with a good seal. Give it a good shake before each use. Enjoy the warm cozy feeling.

Presents!...

 I want to write about Christmas cookies and decorations, that seems like the big thing on my mind lately. I actually don't want to deal with even thinking about buying presents and the stress that comes with being able to afford them ( even the small amount we will buy ) I really desire to write about the Savior coming to the earth as a baby to pay the price for all humanities sins. But I so easily get caught up in all that happens around me with this time of year. As a child I had a big problem with getting expectations way too high. I see that in a child of mine now. To be honest I don't think it has changed too much. The realisation of what often really happens with what I hope for has taught me too see how my hopes don't always become a reality. There is this ingrained feeling in me though, that makes me not want to miss out on all the world portrays of what really brings happiness. Its so easy to be side tracked (for me anyways). The part of me that has leaned so much, thanks to my gracious Lord makes me want to have the feelings of being truly faithful to my beliefs. But the selfish, sometimes ignorant part thinks all the world has to offer is so much more fulfilling.
I, with all honesty hate the commercialism of Christmas. I believe if it weren't for all that hoopla (yes I said hoopla) going on around us, it would make it easier to stay focused on the true meaning of Christmas. Lets face it, Satan's job is a lot much easier these days. Most of the world is happy with doing his job.
 So I started thinking about the first Christmas more deeply. The song of the drummer boy came to mind (I know this is not a historical fact) and how all he had was a song to play for the Christ child. The kings came to bring one gift each. All that they had? I don't know. But they gave what they knew as being very precious. What did the shepherds offer? Their presence.
 What can we do, that means more then anything we could give? How about accepting a gift. Presence from the Father. His Son. He is even wrapped...in swaddling cloths.
 God wants us to un-wrap and share this gift. The gift of our time, or presence in others lives in love through Him.
Well with age I have been slowly slowly been enlightened with these truths through the Lords gentle guidance. Of course its usually, like most learning experiences...two steps forward, one step back. But I trust in the Lord that true faith in Him, will bring me closer to Him. And that is the ultimate blessing. Being able to be in Gods presence!

 

 

 

Please don't get me wrong though. I don't believe giving material gifts to show love is wrong. Or that decorating and baking in celebration is a sign of disrespect to the Lord. Its when that is our main focus, to the point of that being all that is reflected in your Christmas.

It all comes down to what your priorities are, what you consider most desirable.

My prayer for this Christmas: to put off my old self, which belongs to my former manner of life and is corrupted through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of my mind and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness. (Ephesians 4:22)...through receiving Christ's gift.



To Inspire Cozy Feelings on a Chilly Day...Vermicellisoep met balletjes

 "While I relish our warm months, winter forms our character and brings out our best."
- Tom Allen

 

- 25 c. temperatures, and/or 40 km winds and/or 4 ft. high snow drifts. (All of which we have experienced this past month) This definitely makes me want to get back in the house and thaw out stay cozy.

Now for inspiring coziness: Vermicellisoep met balletjes (Vermicelli soup with ground meat balls) a yummy traditional Dutch soup.
I like a big pot (mmm... left overs!)
-10 cups of beef soup stock
-1/2 teaspoon of ground mace
-1 cup broken vermicelli or you can use spaghetti noodles
-1 cup ground beef
-1/2 teaspoon each: salt, pepper
-1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
-1 bread kupje (the crusty end of the bread)
-1 egg
-a bit of flour
-2 thinly sliced carrots
-2 stalks chopped celery
Prepare your little meat balls by mixing the meat with the salt, pepper, nutmeg, the kupje crumbled, and the egg. Smoosh it together and make tiny balls a bit bigger than a marble. Roll 'em in a bit of flour.
Get your beef stock boiling, add the mace. Reduce to a light bubbling. Add noodles, then  the meat balls. Dump in the veggies. Taste test. Maybe more salt or pepper or maybe even mace.
This soup has a great unique taste.

Now I'm ready to go out again and shovel a path as I walk the kids to school!
::I am constantly filled with thankfulness to the Lord for the things most of us, feel are necessary but are really blessed privileges. Snow shovels, mittens, boots and scarves, warm home, and warm food. Thank you Father::

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Overnight Pull-Apart Cinnamon Loaf

I had been wanting to try this recipe for some time now, and am glad I did. It made a really nice start to a -20 something morning for the kids and I. I was basically able to just set it on the table and the kids could pull off what looked like slices. Oh my is was yummy! I got the recipe here .

So here I sit on the eve of my birthday. Which is kinda nice having so close to New Years, because it all makes me think about new beginnings and the desire to start new or fresh on certain things in my life or my families life that could use some improvement. I would like to get into that more some other time and the different things I've done involved in that. But I have really come to the realisation that I have a HARD time adjusting from the high of Christmas. Do I sound like I'm five? I even thought maybe that was why I wanted to make a bigger deal out of Valentines Day last year. But I found I even got to the point where I was questioning myself with: am I depressed? Adjusting is hard for me I guess. I have found the older I get, the more I realise I have a lot to learn about myself. And when I thought about that when I was a lot younger or heard others mention that one needs to learn more about themselves or that we are always learning about ourselves. I would kinda do the raise one eye brow - squint one eye - and screw up my mouth, look and think HU? So I see now how I'm having to always be open to all kinds of learning, even the kind that I don't need to go far at all to learn something new!
O ya so I said...here I sit...

In cozy jammies, the only time polka dots and stripes are ok. And woolly socks, so attractive, aren't they? Who am I kidding, I'm sure husbands could unite on the fact that the cold cold months apparel don't offer much for attractiveness. "Gee honey, you don't like my scratchy socks touching your leg?"
He he. Any ways, I'm slowly getting back into the swing of things. Praise the Lord, I have his word as a warm guiding light always ready to comfort me.
Deuteronomy 31:6 Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord you God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you.
Psalm 37:4 Be delighted with the Lord. Then he will give you all your heart's desires.

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Life holds no sweeter thing than this- To teach a little child the tale most loved on earth
And watch the wonder deepen in his eyes
The while you tell him of the Christ Child's birth; The while you tell of shepherds and a song,
Of gentle drowsy beasts and fragrant Hay
On which that starlit night in Bethlehem
God's tiny Son and His young mother lay.

-Adelaide Love

 

A Merry Christmas to You!

Fields of Frost and Snow

 O! unto what do my eyes display?
 But a morning drive, that was visually enhanced with the beautiful touch of frost and snow.
 It was hard to keep my eyes on the road this morning. With the white against the blue skies, it just looked so elegant.
 Thank you Father, for Your beauty all around, drawing me closer to You.

 Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. Hebrews 10:24. I read this while reading my bible today. A perfect thought for everyday, but especially this time of year, don't you think? And with what has been all over the news lately, the verses that  proceed that and follow bring some peace and hope. Hebrew 10:23 Let us hold tightly without wavering to the hope we affirm, for God can be trusted to keep his promise. v.25 and let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near.

Baking and Making Bunting

My Holly, Lake, Violet, and Honey were in the Parade this year!

Well the time of Christmas celebrations has begun. And to be honest I always feel like its pushed so soon in the beginning but then I get right into and miss it when its over. So last year I told myself just get into it right away and it helped a bit. But I guess the part that bothers me the most is the commercialism of Christmas. That's where I always notice it being shoved at me the most. Buy buy buy. I know that I don't need to "buy" into that but it still bothers me that that is the way society goes because of the commercialism.

 Part of my and my families stand against the buy buy buy culture of the eh hem "Holiday Season" is that we do just the opposite and keep spending to a minimum.
I love the bunting I see in many of the British magazines I look at. So I made some in Christmasy colours. This was made from cast off shirts, and pyjama pants. I stitched them into triangles and sewn onto a long piece of yarn.

I finished of my week with a bunch of baking of six loaves of bread, a batch of banana strawberry muffins, and I used up the last of my pumpkin with a pumpkin pecan bunt cake.
I plan on doing some baking for gifts and more sewing for that purpose as well.
Balancing this time of year is tricky, but when I allow myself the same amount of time in the morn. to spend with the Lord but allow myself to spend less time on the things that are not as important. Like the mess in the corner can wait, I'm making a gift. The dishes can wait we are doing advent. This works out so much more pleasantly. Because I don't want to be too stressed out to enjoy the true reason for this season.

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God's gifts put man's best dreams to shame.

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning

 

This was just some of the beauty I saw on a walk this moring with my mum. All the freshly fallen snow was still beautifully coating everything.

Family Fun with sneaky lessons

 In the spirit of Family day this past Monday in Ontario, it really inspired us to do some fun activities. All winter I have been wanting to have a fire outside. We have never done this before, during the winter. So we had some hot dogs and called that dinner. It was cozy, a bonn fire is definitely a nice idea for the winter. We sat close, warmed our hands. When that was done we went in for veggies with dip.

 Another activity we did was a great idea from the "Thriving Family" magazine(http://www.thrivingfamily.ca/). It gave different ideas for cabin fever rescues. The kids all participated in the Helping Hands Scavenger Hunt. Their list consisted of:

• a good pair of pants they had out grown, for donation 
• 3 good shirts they have out grown, for donation
• 2 nice toys, for donation
• 4 socks with holes, to be thrown out
• a nicely written letter for a relative far away
• a treat picked out for a classmate (not including a friend)

The kids had fun racing around, and they accomplished a lot in the meantime! The winner got a big cookie.
 We also had an evening of reading together. We each picked what we wanted to read to everyone. Violet wanted a picture book "Saying Goodbye to Lulu", Lake picked "Captain Underpants", Holly picked a girly novel, my husband picked the news (the kids were surprisingly interested), I picked my healthy eating book "You Are What You Eat". It was a good idea we got from the "Do Good" book we look through. It was a neat way to share our differences and be cozy together.

Here is the latest pile on the coffee table, that I have started looking through, hopefully the kids will join me.

Making Winter "Warmer"

 So it seems to me that winter has been sitting around for a while, and its not as exciting as it was at the beginning. So it made me think... there needs to be another thing to look forward to. Valentines day is coming up and when I think realistically I know that my husband and I will not be having any plans for that day. This day was not even intended for lovers anyhow. Its to recognize and remember a certain loving Saint. I decided to make a big deal out of this day. Loving on our loved ones by having a big dinner and dessert, dress up (kids in red), give cards and play games. This way it also gives us a little extra something to look forward to, during these dark cold days, after Christmas has passed.
 I've been trying to optimistically join my family outside for those wintry activities as well, seeing how the fresh air is good for ya. I do love the tobogganing and skating, its just hard to leave the warmth. We made it out to Winterlude in Gatineau and walked across the bridge to Ottawa to check it out over there too. It was a lot of fun!

 I really want to strive to see Gods beauty during this time of year when we tend to day dream of spring and try to distract ourselves with the tv or the net. I wonder what helps others embrace the cold months?...