25 Days of Christmas ~ The Holiday Kitchen

My kitchen and I have a lot in common, we both clean up pretty nice but we don't always look like this.  Knowing that the lens sees all, I gave it a little extra elbow grease setting up for this session:>) I should tell you this is a "before" photo.  We remodeled this kitchen 20+ years ago and January will be the kick off of the remodel for this room.  It has served us well, it's produced a lot of meals and been the center of many happy family gatherings, but the old girl needs a little work.

I mentioned a couple months ago that Earl was going to,that very day, order the new counter tops from Ikea...well, Ikea changed suppliers and one of the sizes we really needed is out of stock. Indefinitely.

Back to square one. In the meantime, this is where all that holiday baking has been happening, and with the Christmas music playing and the sun streaming through the windows, it's still a warm and homey place to be. So lets get started!

In November I whipped up some white valences from muslin that I had laying around and decided they were way too plain, no time before Christmas to make something else so I added some cute red and white banners for a touch of color. As soon as the remodel is done I will want something else anyway, but these are fresh and crisp in the meantime.

The live rosemary Christmas tree came from Whole Foods. I stepped in the door where they were displayed and the scent of those trees was so fragrant I had to have one. Since then I have thought of  enough ways to use fresh rosemary that I fear the little tree will be denuded before Spring. No ornaments, they would impede my snipping off tips for cooking!

 This is the view from the dining room. It's one big open space, so many times for parties or family get togethers, people sit in the dining room or belly up to the peninsula counter top and hang out while we cook. You can see the Bakery sign I made and, yes, the boots that are necessary this time of year in Michigan.

If I were a home blogger I would stuff the boots with greenery as if that is the way our boots always look and we don't need them. We need them, and I'm too lazy to cut the branches, stuff them, take the pictures and then haul them back out to the woods. Imagine pretty branches in the boots, and while you are at it, imagine red ribbons tied around the top ;>)  Nice.

The Christmas Aprons hang from a mosaic heart that I got from my sweet friend,

Penny at The Comforts of Home.  One of these days, I plan to show you how many things in my home  have been sent by my blogging friends. I think of them in every room as I see the things they have sent.

 Victoria found this Amaryllis bulb at Home Depot while she was shopping there around Thanksgiving and brought it home for me. Sweet daughter:>)  As you can see, it has co-operated nicely and has two blooms flowering now and another two that will open later. I love the color of this!  The plate holder is where I always keep the fresh fruit. It stores a lot without taking up a lot of space. 

 The apples bring a spot of pretty color into the kitchen.

 And here is a close up of the Amaryllis. Gorgeous!

 At the end of the kitchen island is the fridge and some shelves that hold a lot of necessities and some festive little touches. This is an area that used to have built in shelves when we moved in so long ago. They were the only cupboard space we had! The basket on the middle shelf holds the weeks grocery ads, my address book, and lots of little sundries that I need on a regular basis but that I don't want to have laying around junking up the place. I love baskets for storage! The basket below it holds potatoes and onions.

 This shelf is built into the wall next to the fridge.  It is actually a little bump out over the basement stairs, we could close it up, but it's a great place to keep the cookbooks and to showcase a few little holiday touches.

 I found these little guys at the dollar tree. For three bucks they add a touch of whimsy and hold cedar branches that I snipped from outside.

And that is the tour! I'm looking forward to the new year, and a little face lift for this area, but for now it's just fine, and I am pretty sure in no time at all, the counter tops will be filled with more baking supplies:>)

But that is the best decoration for a kitchen isn't it?

25 Days of Christmas ~ Hot Cocoa

The kitchen got a workout today. Home made french bread with fresh rosemary stirred into the dough made the kitchen smell divine. I also chopped up the leftover home made bread from the party Sunday and made fresh croutons with salt, pepper and garlic.  I'm looking forward to salad now, especially after all the sweets I have been eating! And speaking of sweets... the marshmallows I made yesterday just seem to be made for Hot Cocoa, although I really can't wait to try them in S'mores!  I had a little fun with the camera today :>) if only I could have found the string of lights with white wire...lol, I will no doubt find them as I am packing everything up :>}

 I had a nice steamy mug of cocoa today with one of the peppermint marshmallows,  minty and decadent!  

I seem to be on a peppermint kick, I also made some popcorn with white chocolate and crushed candy canes to add to the gift baskets. It's sooo good, and fast and easy.

Pop 2 packets of popcorn, melt and stir in one package of white candy melts and whiz up enough candy canes (6-8) in the food processor to mix into the candy and popcorn mixture to turn it pink and flavor it well.  That's it.  Lay it out flat on a cookie sheet or piece of parchment paper until it hardens, break it up and package it for your friends.
I think making all the yummy treats to give (and sample for quality control), is one of the things I love most about Christmas.
What fun thing is a "must do" on your Christmas list?

25 Days of Christmas ~ Make Marshmallows

We are in the final stretch now so it's time to make some sweet treats for gift baskets! I love making home made marshmallows to give. Bagged up and in the basket with some hot cocoa mix these look really special!

I made plain vanilla and peppermint flavors, find the recipes here, and then you can decorate them in lots of different ways.

I rolled some in plain powdered sugar, but some of the peppermint flavor marshmallows also got rolled in crushed candy canes,

 And some were dipped halfway in melted chocolate and then crushed candy cane.

 Some of the plain ones got a toss in cocoa. The sweetness of the marshmallow is enough to counteract the bitterness of the cocoa. This is Earl's favorite:>)

 And some were dipped in powdered sugar, melted chocolate, and  sprinkled with gold sugar sprinkles. Wouldn't these look great for News Years parties?

Roll your marshmallows in any color sugar to go with a party theme, or package some of them with fancy chocolates and graham crackers for a special s'mores kit to enjoy next to a crackling fire. Yum! Not your usual Christmas cookie package at all!

These are super easy and inexpensive to make but really special and gluten free if you have someone on your list who has special dietary needs.

Now we are off to enjoy the Hobbit movie, one of my favorite books when I was a kid and I have been loving the series of movies. Have you seen any good movies lately?

25 Days of Christmas ~ A Corner of the Holiday Kitchen

No post yesterday, we were too busy getting ready to have friends over for our Christmas party.  It was perfect, snow softly falling and candle lit lanterns to greet them on the front porch. Everyone brought something yummy to pass and we served hot soup, Pasta E Fagioli in a crockpot and fresh bread, and our friends brought lots of delicious appetizers and desserts.  It was so much fun, nothing fancy, just friends spending time together :>)

This morning the sun was blindingly bright on the new snow and the sunny kitchen is calling me to make some treats to give to friends and family.  Sometimes the best gift is something you take the time to bake or put together that the recipient just doesn't have time to do themselves.  We usually give fresh bread, cookies, home made jams, pies and candies that are a once a year treat to someone who doesn't cook everything from scratch like we do.

When we moved into this house 30+ years ago, this was a door on the built in cupboard that was in the kitchen. We tore that cupboard out to use the space for the refrigerator, and Earl has been trying to sneak them into the trash for years to no avail. I always catch sight of them and haul them back in before the trash man can take my doors! One of them hangs in the hallway painted with hollyhocks, and this one got some chalkboard paint and BAKERY printed on it for the spot near the back door that was just the right size.  It seems fitting since we spend so much time baking and cooking for others and it's a fun piece of our home's history so I'm glad I rescued it!

What is your favorite thing to give (or receive!) in a gift basket?

25 Days of Christmas ~ Watch the Snow Fall

 I should have adjusted the shutter speed to show the falling snow, you can just see it in the background if you look closely, but it was biting cold and the snow was infiltrating the neck of my coat in a  most chilling way.

Suffice it to say, with a winter storm warning and icy roads, it is a perfect day to putter around the house.  The lights are on, I'm tidying the house and later I will be making bread bowls for the pasta e fagioloi soup that Earl has been making for a little party we are throwing tomorrow.

It's cozy, it's warm and we are together...watching the snow fall:>)

Beautiful.

A wreath hangs from the picket fence beside the chicken coop

What's the weather like where you are? Will you have a white Christmas?