Christmas 2016 Photos

We are so thankful for our family and friends!

These photos need no description:)

Struffoli

Struffoli is a classic Italian holiday dessert.

All the ingredients are mixed together in a food processor to form the dough.  Then I roll little dough balls to get ready for frying.  When they cool I coat them with a honey-rum glaze!  Sprinkles make them pretty.  The dough isn't too sweet and the glaze is just right!

Here's my recipe:

Struffoli

2 cups flour 4-5 tsp rum

3 tsp baking powder 2+ tsp lemon zest

2 Tbs sugar 2+ tsp orange zest

1 / 2 tsp salt 1 / 2 cup honey

2 eggs 2 tsp sugar or rum

4 Tbs soft butter oil for frying

1. Combine all ingredients (except honey and sugar/rum) in a food processor.
2. Blend to pizza dough consistency.
3. Wrap in plastic and let it rest for 30 minutes.
4. Cut off piece of dough the size of a tomato and roll out to 1 / 2 inch diameter cylinder.
5. Cut small pieces and roll into balls.
6. Fry for 2-3 minutes in oil.  Set on paper towels to cool.
7. Heat 1 / 2 cup honey and 1 tsp sugar.
8. Pour over Struffoli and decorate with sprinkles.

Favorite Christmas Decorations!

Here are some of my favorite Christmas decorations!

Would you post pictures of your favorites??

I'd love to see them.

Angelo and Abba's Reception Lantern

Vintage Red Cardinals

 My Mom's Favorite Tree

Antique Feather Tree - Tony's Favorite

Snowmen Braving the Winter Cold:)

Pencil Tree with Antique Glass Ornaments

Sweet Snowman and Rudolf - gifts from dear friends

 Mini-Tree and Kazakhstan Doll -gift from a dear student

Antique Candle Box - gift from dear friends

Low-Stress Holidays

This time of the year brings family traditions, expectations, shopping lists, decorating, baking...and a whole lot more.

Is it possible to have a low-stress Christmas season?

I think so.  Here are a few tips I have for keeping JOY in this season.

1.  Plan ahead as much as possible.  If you know you are hosting a big dinner, do anything that you can ahead of time.  I love to get desserts in the freezer a week or two in advance.  That's one less thing to think about at the last minute.  I set my table the day before and set out serving dishes, my beverage station, and dessert dishes.  I make lists of what I need to do the day of the dinner.  It comforts me to know I'm not forgetting a bowl of fruit in the refrigerator, or something in the microwave.  

2.  Set a Budget.  Our culture revolves around marketing schemes that are aimed at our wallets.  Here's the truth:  You don't have to spend a lot of money to prove you care about people!  Be realistic about your finances and stick with your plan.  Sometimes a heartfelt card sent to a loved one means so much more than a store-bought gift.  The last thing you need is credit card debt piled on top of holiday stress.  Don't go into debt for Christmas shopping!!  There's no joy there, but there is joy in caring about the friends and family you love!

3.  Decorate with Joy.  I have a low tolerance for clutter, so I keep my decorations to a minimum.  It's what makes me happy.  But I have friends who "Christmas-up" their homes from one end to the other, and they love it!  It brings them such happiness to set out items that were gifts from friends.  They enjoy all the memories that come with those decorations.  Again, do what brings you joy, and forget all the rest.

This was a centerpiece for Angelo and Abba's reception.

This little tree covered with vintage red cardinals makes me smile.

My mother loved this ceramic Christmas tree, and now I do too:)

4.  Enjoy people.  If you are blessed with family and friends to celebrate with, be thankful!  There are plenty of people who don't have anyone to share holidays with.  Consider inviting some of them to your home - you'll never be sorry you did.  Start your own holiday traditions with love and laughter.  Don't get stressed about the mess in your house, you can clean later.  I never fuss about dishes while I have guests in my home.  I just want to enjoy them while they're around my table.  I can always do dishes the next day:)

Christmas Cactus

Full disclosure:  I'm not a houseplant person. 

I prefer to garden outside.  Any plant that requires water more than once a week or so won't make it in my house.

When I married Tony 34 years ago he had this rather ugly houseplant and a few others.  I killed all of them but this one.  I kept it in a low-light room and to me, this plant was just an odd,
homely greenish-brown plant.  

I never knew that I had a lovely Christmas Cactus! 

By chance I moved it into our well-lit office one fall 5 or 6 years ago.  In November, to my delight all these gorgeous red-pink blooms started appearing on it.  Now every year I expect the show to begin  just after Halloween.

This plant is very low maintenance, needs little water and lots of indirect light.  If you live in Indiana and would like a cutting, let me know!  It's easy to propagate.

Embroidering

I've been forced to do a lot of sitting lately to nurse a foot problem.  My mom taught me how to embroider when I was young.  Here's a sample of her lovely needlework:

Since I have lots of time to just sit and concentrate on counted cross stitch, here's what I'm learning from my embroidery:

1. patience - There's just no rushing needles and thread.  It's got to be done right, so I need to take my time and do good work.

2. precision - I more than a little OCD, just ask Tony, so if a stitch is a fraction of a millimeter off, I notice it and I have to redo it.  I'm getting better at putting my stitches right where they should go.

3.  underside of the tapestry - I can't stop thinking about my good friend Corrie Ten Boom.  She was an expert embroiderer.  She compared earth life to the underside of tapestry with its frays and knots, not really pretty.  Only when we are in heaven will we ever see the "good side" and understand life's sticky situations, troubles and hardships.

Fall Yard Work

Fall is a great time to do some yard work in preparation for next spring.  If you have some time, you might want to do some of these things!

1. Plant Grass - Fall is the perfect time to spread seed, cover it with straw and let it sit until next spring.  You'll have new grass without the fuss of watering in the heat of summer.

2. Put down mulch - If you have some areas where your mulch is thin, or you need to cover some problem spots, now's the time!  To kill grass or weeds just lay 10 sheets (more or less) of damp newspaper over them, and cover with some dirt and mulch.  Next spring you'll have a great landscaping bed.

3. Weeding - Fall is a great time to pull any noxious weeds that sneaked into your landscaping during the summer.  You don't want to let those seeds spread or the roots grow stronger over the winter. Yikes! Is that a thistle in MY yard??

4. Trimming Vines - I just trimmed my honeysuckle vine that grows on some picket fence to hide our AC units.  They were a little out of control.  Not anymore!

5. Plant Bulbs - This is the time to plant tulips, daffodils, crocuses, and other spring bloomers.  You'll be so glad you took the time next spring!

6. Don't forget to disconnect your water hoses and pull out vegetable plants from the garden.  If I have time I just might wipe down my patio chairs before I put them in the garage for the winter!

Drying Herbs

We love to grow fresh herbs in our garden every year.  I have many that are perennials: sage, thyme, oregano, mint and parsley.  We grow other annual herbs like basil, lemon verbena, rosemary, and cilantro.

A great way to keep that flavor going through the winter is by drying the herbs and keeping them in jars.  It's easier than you think!

Pick bunches of green stems, rinse them well,pat dry, then lay them on a baking sheet.  Place the sheet somewhere that air will not be stagnant.  So, don't put them inside a cupboard.  Some good spots are above the fridge or on an open shelf.

Basil and Oregano

 

Lemon Verbena

Now let them sit for a few weeks until all the leaves are crumbly.  Hold the stems from the top and push all the leaves off in one swoop.  Store them in a jar!

I use my mint and lemon verbena all winter long for herbal tea.

We use our dried basil and oregano mixture on pizzas and other Italian dishes.