Sunday, November 28, 2010

From Fall to Winter

We had a delicious Thanksgiving! Every part of the meal was amazing, thanks to Marie and Kelly. I brought the pies, and they turned out well too!


But as soon as Thanksgiving is over, I can't wait to use my long weekend to decorate for Christmas. Fall to winter, in one weekend: 




My mantel usually supports my antique camera collection. I moved the cameras to the bookshelf, and set up my Christmas village on the mantel instead. My favorite part of the village are the docks, and the Fish Co.



All my old stuff reminds me of A Christmas Story. 


Next weekend we get a tree!

Saturday, November 27, 2010

Flat cookies

This is the actual recipe I used for those cookies. In the last update I linked to the wrong recipe, thinking it was Ghirardelli chips that I had used. I found out that it was NOT the right one when I made a second batch, and they turned out something like this picture I found when I googled "flat chocolate chip cookies":

I went to the store and found the bag of chips I actually used, Guittard. I'm curious to try the recipe again and see if they turn out so well again.

Saturday, November 20, 2010

Cookies!

I bought these cookie cutters in a mini baking set for children at True Value Hardware when I was 6.


They make perfect little gingerbread men!

 
  I got a new piping bag, and had fun giving my cookies clothes. I think the men with neckties are my favorite.

 I made about 8 dozen cookies! I ended up giving most of them away. When will I learn?

I used  this recipe for the sugar cookies. There are two recipes on that page, and I used the first for both the frosting and the cookies. The only exception: I used half butter, half Crisco in the frosting.

The recipe for the chocolate chip cookies was from the bag of chips that I used. My mom said they were the best she'd ever had!

A little off topic, I know, but I handle my busy schedule by being very organized. I have fun with it, and color code everything. Friday night I finished up all my work and my desk looked so pretty and colorful I had to take a picture.


And finally, my sleepy cat by the fire. 

Monday, November 8, 2010

Sales Resistance and More Foodz

      Have you ever seen the episode of I Love Lucy called Sales Resistance? The part I remember the most was her inability to resist the salesman's pitch for the Handy Dandy Kitchen Helper. It was a cylindrical container with a crank on the side. All one had to do was throw in a potato, turn the dial to the desired setting (hashbrowns, fries, baked potato), crank the handle, open the door, and magically out comes the sliced and diced vegetable! Of course when she got it home, every setting seemed to be for baked potato!

A week or two ago, I saw a live demonstration at the grocery store for what was a dead ringer for the Handy Dandy Kitchen Helper. I got a free gift for watching, an apple corer. And if I bought the gadget I got another gift. I'm not sure what to call it. It cuts, zests, carves, etc.

Yes, I bought it.

But unlike Lucy, when I got it home, I got it to work!


The apple corer was maybe nothing new, but made making an apple pie a lot more fun.


The serrated device with no name cut open the pumpkin very nicely. I haven't used it again yet though...


Apple pie, recipe from simplyrecipes.com. I decided to try a dutch apple topping this time. It was good, but didn't turn out as crisp as I expected.

And, now the glimpse of the gadget that sliced the apples: 


      I don't care if its silly, I love it! Look what else it can do!!

And it took me a only a few minutes altogether!

And finally, a picture of my cat dressed for halloween, and my front porch dressed for halloween: