a number of things

Cheesemaking 101

         

I have always been fascinated with the idea of making cheese myself.  Could it be done?  And with five kids helping?!!  A while back (during a fleeting momentary burst of self confidence) I ordered the mozzarella & ricotta kit from the New England Cheesemaking Supply Company, and today we thought we would give it a try.

         

To our complete astonishment, it worked!  I don't know why we were so surprised when people have been making cheese with much less precise and technical equipment for thousands of years, but we were. :-)

        

Naturally, we had to make cheese pizza for lunch and top it with our very own mozzarella!  Our cheesy success spurred an internet search for more cheese history and facts and turned up some really neat sites. Yum! 

    

'Tis The Season

          

It's time once again for baking oodles of cookies for some of our dear friends and neighbors.  These are cake mix cookies.  Not a regular thing around here, but fun, quick and oh-so-simple when mass producing.  James and Amelia made most of these.

          

The cookie baking and boxing are always the last things on my Christmas to-do list.  Once these babies are hand delivered this afternoon, it's time to kick back and make a nice pot of tea.  Oh there is still plenty of wrapping to be done, but most of that will be delegated to the kiddos because they love it so much. 

           

Around here, kicking back means music.  Chip plays, various kids play along, and we all sing.  He has been playing off and on all day for three days now with more to come.  Some Christmas carols of course, but mostly the bizarre assortment of old tunes that we have always sung.  The list really runs the gamut and includes everything from CCR, Jimmy Buffett and the Doobie Brothers to plenty of old hymns and spirituals.  The kids know them all and the list in the homemade binder titled "The Cantrell's Favorite Songs" keeps growing all the time.

           

Even the weather is cooperating! With highs only in the mid 40's today, we have the little wood stove fired up to add to the cozy atmosphere.  This is my last post until after Christmas, so I want to wish each and every one of you a verry merry, and truly blessed Christmas!! 

      

A House Full of Secrets

"The surveyors' house was full of secrets.  Mary had knitted new, warm socks for Pa's Christmas present.  Laura had made him a necktie from a piece of silk she found in Ma's scrap bag.  Together in the attic, she and Carrie had made an apron for Ma from one of the calico curtains that had hung in the shanty." 

~ By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder

          

This is what it feels like around here.  So many lovely secrets and secret craftings, wrappings and hidings. There are several lovely handmade gifts that I would love to share (made by myself and others), but cannot for fear the recipients would see them here. :-)

         

I will have to content myself with only a glimpse of an unfinished project or two.

Hope you are having a truly blessed Advent season!

   

Eight Random Things

The lovely Lisa, from Are we There Yet, has requested the "eight random things" meme from me, and I am happy to do it.  I am afraid however, that she will be quite disappointed and everyone will finally see just how dull I really am. :-)

1.  I am a hermit at heart.  Really.  One of my oldest dreams is to live at the very end of a dead-end road with no neighbors in sight.  But, I DO like people!  I LOVE having people over... I just don't like leaving my "hermitage".

2.  I have the annoying habit of turning the phone ringer off while we are doing school.... and then forgetting to turn it back on. (See #1) This tends to drive my friends and family nuts.  Chip is pretty much used to it. ;-)

3.  I love to bake and cook, but always have a hard time not altering the recipe in some way.

4.  I love old stuff.  Anything with a rich past or history, especially antique books and old kitchen implements.

5.  I wear a size 9 shoe and both my second and third toes are longer than my big toe. (That is probably WAY more than you wanted to know.)

6.  I do not own a cell phone. (See #1 again.)  Chip does, of course.  He makes me take it when I travel at night, but I don't turn the ringer on unless I am waiting to hear from someone. :-)

7.  I love old movies, especially from the 40's.  And almost any BBC flicks based on old novels.

8.  I am a pie person.  I'll take a birthday pie (or even giant chocolate chip cookie!) over birthday cake any day.

Well, there you have it.  Apparently I can stay home all day, baking pies, watching old movies and wearing big shoes.  Yep, that's pretty much me! ;-)

Have a great weekend!

      

The December Beauty of Toymaking Fair!

It's up and running!!  Hop on over to Colleen's and check out the December Beauty of Toymaking Fair!  Lot's of great ideas and so many cool links... gotta go back and read more!

Use-What-I-Have Back Porch Decorating

                       

Trimmings from the tree, berries found growing in the hedgerow across the road, pinecones from our pines, and bows rescued from the bottom of the Christmas decorations box.  I made three of these today and I hope to make a few more tomorrow!

         

Oh yes, and the shutter was trash-picked then painted a few years back. :-)

         

By the way, does anyone know what type of berries these are?  I am hoping they are not poisonous, but I realize they very well could be.  Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated!

***UPDATE***  Ellen, from Across the Net, left a comment saying she thought the berries were "Winterberries", and I think she is right!  They fit the Wiki description exactly. Thank you so much, Ellen!!!

   

Toymaking Fair Postponed

Due to the pace of the season, the December Beauty of Toymaking Fair will be on Monday, December 10th instead of today.  But, that just means you all have even MORE time to get your submissions to Colleen! 

I know that many of us are making more this year than ever before for many different reasons, not the least of which is the quality, thought and love that goes into a hand crafted item.  This will be the last chance before Christmas to share your thoughts, ideas, memories etc on handmade toys... so send them in to Colleen! :-)

   

Printables & Downloads

Click on the little bowl to the right to be taken to the new "Printables & Downloads" page!  This the place where I hope to (fairly) regularly list fun things such as "extras" for the Tea & Cake book and eventually, downloadable patterns and more! 

I just uploaded a little Advent / Christmas printout with a brand new recipe card, gift idea and tags.  Print one out for yourself and your daughter too! 

Enjoy! 

Baked Spaghetti

Well, we are off camping again this weekend, but before we go I wanted to leave you with a recipe that was recently requested by a friend or two. :-)

A big pan of baked spaghetti is my standard feed-n-fill a hungry crowd dish.  My version is so easy it's ridiculous. (Almost feels like I'm cheating!) This is what I fed to the 3 ladies and 13 kids that came to call on Monday.

Alice's Super Simple Baked Spaghetti

~  2 lbs browned and seasoned (Italian style) ground meat (I usually brown a bunch at a time and keep 2 lb packages frozen and ready to use.)

~  About 20 oz uncooked spaghetti (I used plain, organic noodles)

~  2 jars of sauce (You can, of course, use homemade.  I cheated and used 2 jars of Ragu Organic Traditional style.)

~  About 3 cups grated mozzarella cheese (I never really measure, but sometimes I use less and just put it on top.)

While the water is heating and the noodles are cooking, I simmer the meat and the sauce together.  When the noodles are done, I dump them into the meat and sauce mixture.  Next, I spoon about half the spaghetti into a 9 x 13 (might be slightly larger) casserole dish.  Pack it down lightly and sprinkle on half of the grated cheese.  Add the other half of the spaghetti, pack down lightly and top with the rest of the cheese.  Stick it in the oven on 375 for about 15-20 minutes or until the cheese is nice and bubbly.  Serve with grated Parmesan, salad and a nice crusty garlic bread.  Yum!

Have a beautiful weekend!

   

Book Walk Time Again!

Cay, over at the Cajun Cottage Under the Oaks, is hosting another book walk!  The prize this time a copy of Tea & Cake with the Saints, so click on over to Cay's and enter!  Good luck!!

Also, if you love a good book (and who doesn't!), check out Cay's latest gem, Christmas Mosaic! This terrific book "features study guides for 30 Christmas-themed picture books. It includes a booklist of over 200 Christmas titles and 87 of them are annotated. We've also added recipes, craft ideas, essays by some of your favorite Catholic-mother authors, and a little Christmas poetry. A Christmas literature treasury!!"

I just received my copy and I can tell you, this amazing resource will be used for years and years to come.  It is simply wonderful!

   

November Toymaking Fair!

Fe in Australia has the November Beauty of Toymaking Fair up and running!

Check it out!!

And the Winner is....

... number 4 !!!  Congrats to Cath!!  If you will email me your mailing address, I will get your copy of Tea & Cake right out to you!  Thank you everyone, for all your lovely comments!

On another note, I have already discovered an error in the new book.  Yes, I am hopelessly human and on page 92 in the "Molasses and Ginger Cookie" recipe, I completely forgot to mention WHEN to add the molasses.  Well, you add it with the egg in step #3.  If (when) anyone finds any more corrections, PLEASE let me know so that they can be fixed in future reprints. :-)

And don't forget!  Advent is just around the corner, Christmas is near, and the November Beauty of Toymaking Fair is coming right up on the 12th!  Get your submissions in to Fe in good old Australia ASAP!!  We could all use a few more ideas for good quality, handmade gifts.

One more thing!  If anyone would like another shot at a free copy of Tea & Cake, hop on over to Cay Gibson's blog for her next Book Walk!  What a great line-up of books!