Tuesday, December 22, 2015

The Gifts of Friendship

 I think one of the best things about Christmas is hauling out the ornaments and all of the memories they bring on.  It's a flood of forgotten moments, people and places suddenly made real once more.
Some of our ornaments have been gifts from friends, others I've bought for fifty cents at Canadian Tire (like that sparkly green reindeer), and then there are the Rascal-produced ornaments (such as the clay tree below).
 We've actually decorated our tree twice: the first time with blue lights which just didn't look quite right.    Did you know there's been a run on white lights this December?  Huge aisles of them were recalled back to the manufacturer and you can't buy them anywhere for any price.
 Little Rascal gave up the lights she had used to decorate her room to help the cause.

 We went to a gingerbread party last night and this was the hostess gift I brought for my friend:
Linen towel for glass polishing and a scrubber.
 Also I brought booze:
 My friends really rallied around me this year and I'm so thankful.  There were some hard times in 2015, some illness in our family that really knocked us on our butts.  Health is everything as I'm sure I don't need to tell you.
Friendship and kindness are also everything.  In this life it's the relationships we build and what we give to others with our own hearts that truly matters most.
Gingerbread house pieces ready to be built.

Have you ever seen so much candy in your life?

Little Rascal's gingerbread house.
 Back at home we're ready for our big Christmas Eve party: 22 for dinner!
 I normally don't buy poinsettia plants but I couldn't resist the dark green leaves on this one.  I found the brass planter on ebay: check out those feet.

I have the presents wrapped and ready for Christmas morning.  Now that our Rascals are older we have fewer gifts so it didn't take me long.
 I'm so excited about my solution for serving the Christmas Eve dinner: chafing dishes baby!
This is the 4 quart for the lemon sole.
I also bought the 6 quart size for the roast beef.
 Care for some piggy cookies?
 We just baked a batch and I have to say it always surprises me how many cookies the recipe produces. We're practically a piggy cookie factory over here.

 PIGGY COOKIES

1/2 cup butter
1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar
1 cup + 2 Tbs. white sugar
MIX WELL
Add in 4 eggs, one at a time,  mixing well
Add 1 tsp Cinnamon
Add 1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
Add 6Tbs grated orange rind
Add the grated rinds of 2 lemons
Beat in 4 to 5 cups of flour, one cup at a time.
You want a stiffer dough, when the consistency looks ready for rolling you're done.
I typically use 4.5 cups with another half cup on the rolling surface.
(Bake at 375 for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on how hot your oven is.  Keep an eye on them, you want them golden brown, they are almost a crunchy cookie.)
 Makes 5 to 6 dozen cookies!
When they are fully cooled make an icing with confectioner's sugar and lemon juice, mixed as you go to the right consistency for spreading.  Don't forget to tint the icing a light pink!

MERRY CHRISTMAS
Merry Christmas and thank you for your friendship in 2015.
Love to all of you Tooties!
xoxDani