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The Christmas season is here and I hope you are enjoying the many wonderful things that make this time of year special. For the past few weeks I’ve been gathering, preparing, and making gifts, and I will be sharing a little more about this soon. One of the items included in each gift package was these buttery semi-soft caramels with sprinkling of fleur de sel.
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Making and decorating gingerbread cookies and gingerbread houses has been a part of our family Christmas tradition for many years. It’s that time again. With a few basic Christmas cookie cutters {pine trees, stars and gingerbread man} and white Royal icing we’ve been busy baking and decorating gingerbread cookies {recipes for gingerbread cookies and royal icing, here}. I’ve adjusted this recipe over the years and have found a good balance in the flavor and texture. The cookie dough has a sweet flavor and not too spicy for the kids. When baked the cookies will hold theirs shapes well. They are great for eating, decorating, and for giving as gifts.
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The Christmas season is upon us. Bill, the kids, and I will be driving out to visit the Christmas tree farm this weekend; the decorations will be brought out from storage; and the sounds of Christmas music will be heard throughout the house. As the shopping season begins, We wanted to share some of our favorite gift ideas. The products have been tested, used, and enjoyed by us or our dog, Glory. It was fun putting the list together and we hope they will help you cross off one or more Christmas presents this season.
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In one of my previous blog posts, Fall Decorations, I shared how to decorate with squash and pumpkins. They are beautiful for displaying and just as delicious to cook with. My two favorite ways to use squash and pumpkins are to roast or make cream soups. Here is one easy recipe to do just that.
Roasted Butternut Squash soup is a rich hearty soup packed full of flavor and perfectly fitting to make at this time of year. Serve as a starter for a holiday dinner gathering or double the recipe to satisfy a large get together with friends and family. The ingredients were roasted to bring out their natural nutty and sweet flavors. It’s a basic and easy soup recipe to make and delicious to eat anytime.
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It has been an incredible 24 hours. I was home Friday, had FOX news on as I was cleaning and picking things up around the house. I started to notice that the headlines on the news weren’t changing and I kept hearing the same words repeated, Paris… shooting… hostages…deaths. What was unfolding before my eyes wasn’t reality to me, but it was. I sat glued to my chair watching the news as the events happened minute by minute. At one point, all the news organizations were asked not to televise the situation developing as Paris police stormed the Batacian theater to rescue the hostages. The situation ended and the unwanted news of those who were killed and injured were reported along with the other attacks that happened at the soccer stadium and restaurants and bars.
