Christmas in the Air

"It is Christmas
 in the heart that
 puts Christmas in
 the air."

~ W.T. Ellis

There is definitely

Christmas in the

air here:

in my heart and

in my kitchen.

Holiday baking

begins today:

candies

cookies

fudge

Have a great weekend

and enjoy the season.xx

A Fish Bag

"There is certainly
 something in angling
 that tends to  produce
 a serenity of the mind."

~Washington Irving

 ...and there is something
about painting that produces
a serenity of the mind too.

A fishing bag for a son-in-law
who always brings me fresh fish.

It still needs to be lined with
vinyl and a fishing journal added,
but the major part is complete.

Now, to bring out the sewing
machine and start on the next
project on my list...
the sewing machine,
hum...
there goes my serenity.xx

I Know

"I don't believe;
 I know."

~Carl Jung

 i know that the next
three weeks are going
to be very busy.

i pray you take a little
time to enjoy the moment~
enjoy this season of preparing
and waiting. [exhale].

have a great weekend.xx

Toast

"...the noise from good
 toast should reverberate
 in the head like thunder
 of July."

~ E.V. Lucas

toast has been feeding my

creative hunger on these

cold mornings.

knitting in the warmth of

my home with the sunlight

peeking through the blinds

i can pretend it is july and

not 25 days until christmas.

yes, the noise i hear is thunder

and not jingle bells, right?

why, i even  have time to

lounge around and read a

magazine. xx

Butter Pumpkin Cake

"Eat butter first,
 and eat it last,
 and live till a
 hundred years
 have past."
~Old Dutch Proverb

I only make this 
around the holiday's.
It is very rich and
oh, so good.

Butter should have
it's own food group.

So, what should we
do when we're a hundred?

Honey Caramel

"Tiggers
don't like
honey."

~Winnie the Pooh

Well, I am definitely

not a Tigger...

I have been munching

on these caramels all

day...

I have completely

ruined my "eating

to be healthy" plan...

I'll start that tomorrow.

Honey Caramels

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

1 2/3 cup white sugar

1 cup butter

1/2 cup corn syrup

1/2 cup honey

1 1/2 cup heavy cream

1/2 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

Combine all ingredients in a large saucepan.

Heat, stirring constantly to  240 degrees.

Pour in a well buttered 8 x 8 pan. Let set

 until completely cool before cutting.

Try one sprinkled
with Hawaiian red
salt...
Oh yeah!

Pumpkin Caramel Bars

"Life is uncertain,
 eat cake first."

~Ernestine Ulmer

The pumpkin cake is good,
but the frosting is "to die
for":

I wanted to eat it all off
the cake with a spoon!

Pumpkin Caramel Bars

For the bars-

2 cups all purpose flour [ I used 1/2 whole wheat]
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
4 Tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 cup chopped, toasted pecans [optional]

For the Frosting-

2 cups packed brown sugar
1/3 cup water
Pinch of salt
1/2 cup heavy cream
1 stick unsalted buttr, cubed
4 oz. cream cheese, cut into 1 inch cubes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat  a 9x13 inch baking pan with non-stick spray.

Whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt in a medium bowl; set aside.

Whisk together pumpkin puree, sugars, egg, melted butter and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Stir in flour mixture and pecans.

Spread pumpkin batter evenly into prepared pan; bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, about 20 minutes. Let cool completely before frosting.

Frosting-

Boil 2 cups brown sugar, water and salt in a large saucepan over high heat, 5 minutes, gently swirling occasionally to prevent scorching.  Whisk in cream and butter pieces. (Mixture will bubble furiously; keep whisking). Boil 2 minutes more.

Transfer caramel to the bowl of a stand mixer; whip on high speed until sides of bowl are cool to the touch and caramel is thick, 8 - 10 minutes, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.  Add cream cheese, 1 cube at a time, until frosting is smooth.  Frost cooled bars.  Store bars in the refrigerator up to a week.