Walnut brown, orange zest and more cranberry red

It's that time again= baking Christmas cookies. And, after lo these many years, I couldn't get out of it if I tried. I've made these Swedish Teacakes since high school. For some reason, they always remind me of my Grandma Nordrum. She was my mum's mother, only 4 feet 11 inches tall with a Norwegian accent bigger than she was. Probably just the Scandanavian tie between where she was from and the cookie's name. Unfortunately, I didn't know her or my Grandpa Nordrum very well - they lived in British Columbia and didn't visit very often at all. For the recipe:

SWEDISH TEACAKES   

1/2 (1 stick) butter, room temp            1 cup all-purpose flour                       

1/4 cup packed light brown sugar            chopped walnuts or pecans                      

1 egg yolk, slightly beaten                      egg white              

 currant jelly

1-  Preheat oven to 325 degrees

2-  Cream together butter and sugar

3-  add egg yolk, then flour, mixing well

4-  Roll into 1-inch balls, then dip in egg

     white, followed by nuts

5-  Push down centers of each cookie

6-  Bake for 5 minutes, then push down centers again

7-  Bake for another 15minutes.

  

I actually make smaller balls and the cookies are still a really good size - in fact, I get 1&1/2 dozen. I do decrease the 2nd cooking time from 15 mins down to 11 minutes.

(Haven't figured out how to get my writing in the right place all the time, so sometimes it's kinda wonky, but I can do my photos now, so I'm not going to complain.)

Onto Cranberry Bread :

 

* 1 pkg fresh cranberries cut in 1/2's and 1/3's                       * 1 teaspoon baking soda

* 2 tablespoons grated orange peel (I use 1 orange)               * 4 tablespoons shortening

* 4 cups all-purpose flour                                                      * 1&1/2 cups orange juice

* 2 cups sugar                                                                       * 2 well-beaten eggs

* 1 tablespoon baking powder

* 2 teaspoons salt

1-   Preheat oven to 350 degrees

2-   Prepare berries and peel- set aside

3-  Grease and flour (2) 9x5x3 loaf pans

4-  Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda

5-  Cut in shortening

6-  Stir in orange juice and eggs - mix just to moisten

7-  Fold in cranberries and peel

8-  Spoon into loaf pans and bake 60 minutes

9-  Cool 15 minutes before removing pans

10-Cool completely before wrapping / storing

And, those are the 2 items that I bake every year, that people were asking about back before Thanksgiving. Makes me happy that I can give folks something to look forward to......

Cranberry red, asparagus green, purple potatoes- oh,my!

Thanksgiving, November 24, 2011 in Williamsburg, Virginia. I HUGGED Travis and Emory! Skype is great, don't get me wrong, but there's nothing like being WITH them - talking, laughing, and HUGS! And, Page and Jack were there as well = what a simply fabulous time. I cannot wait until I live much, much closer to them. But, all good things in time.

Firstly - I flew up there. I really enjoy flying - not so much the landing this time, with gusty winds making the plane fish-tail its way in on the runway, but no harm done. And, busy airports like the one in Atlanta are the best - so much LIFE!!!!! It reminds me of a beehive, all that activity and bustling about. Emory is a fantastic cook- period. The turkey was perfect, home made cranberry sauce, roasted asparagus and potatoes (some of which were actually purple!), bread dressing and the pièce de résistance, pumpkin cheesecake. She outdid herself much to our tummies' delight. She even made stuffed mushrooms and a baked brie appetizer. Trav helped as well, finishing trussing up the turkey (not an easy task, let me tell you) , carving the turkey, then cleaning up everything afterwards. And, thanks to the trusty little timer on my camera, I was able to get a group photo!

Secondly - on Friday morning, whilst everyone else was being "silly" at the stores for Black Friday, we all went and watched The Muppet movie - no crowds here! LOVED the movie. Then, Emory, Page and I drove to Richmond (about an hour away) to see the Mummy exhibit at the Virginia Fine Art Museum. Ironically, they are on loan from the British Museum, so we all actually have already seen them, ahem, but we didn't know this. Besides, being a smaller display, hopefully we can have a better view (and photo op). We won't know, however, until another time. The next viewing wasn't until an hour and a half  later after we arrived, which would put us back home a bit late. No problem. I plan on returning before the exhibit's Mar 2012 departure and we turned our attention to Cary Street  - Emory's favorite street so far in Richmond. It's full of boutiques and vintage shops, and toy stores and cool places to eat. Definitely want to give it a good look next time. But, this visit wasn't so shabby - Em flourished a peacock clip in my hair the second we entered one vintage shop - the same one where I found an adorable pair of gloves and a double string of "pearls." The toy store was quite the delight and offered such treasures as an adorable bat and a pink, glass owl ornament for my Christmas tree. It was a perfect day for walking about - the row houses, what can I say? I want one- haha. We came across a plaque, from way back when, that depicted a fireman- a plaque was placed on your home if you had paid your fire dues, in which case, they would put out a fire and save your house, if not, then, oh,well.... And, all the camelias were in bloom. All of this inspired Emory to decorate for Christmas, which she did straight away when we got home.

 

Thirdly, and lastly, Saturday morning arrived. Unfortunately, Page and Jack were heading back to Mount Pleasant and left early, so they were unable to join Trav, Em and I for breakfast at the Blue Talon (French bistro). I've eaten there before and it is soooo delicious.Then we hit up the Peanut Shoppe - yummy! After that we headed back to the kids' place for Christmas photos. Dori, the cat that they've had for about 3 years now, is still getting use to their new cat, Pan. Dori decided that she was too close for comfort and started hissing,etc at Pan. The picture is priceless. And, then, it was time for me to return to Mt P as well. Beautiful sunset skies followed by twinkling lights from the cities below. What a fantastic Thanksgiving, but it's always good to be back home. The dogs and cats are happy to see me, too. Guess it's time to get my Christmas tree up - the kids will be here in less than a month! (YAY!!!)

Red, white and blue = Canines for Veterans

I was invited to be a vendor at a fund raiser event - "Pooches for Patriots" -  on November 19, 2011. It was held at the Charleston Rifle Club and proceeds benefitted the Canines for Veterans program which trains, then provides service dogs for disabled veterans. I shall quote from their website:

Canines for Veterans is a national program that provides Veterans with disabilities quality trained service dogs.  The program works with military prisoners at the Naval Consolidated Brig Charleston and teaches them how to train rescue dogs as service dogs for the wounded and injured Veteran.  Know as the “triple win” the Canines for Veterans program has twice been awarded a Newman’s Own Award for program innovations supporting our military and their families and has  recently been approved by the US Department of Labor as an apprenticeship program.

Launched in 2008, the program operates entirely on private donations. 
The program operated at the Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune until August 31, 2010.  As of September 1, 2010, the program has relocated to the Navy Consolidated Brig, Charleston, South Carolina.

A Canines for Veterans service dog is a constant assistant that can perform 70 commands to assist with everyday tasks for the wounded veteran, including:

• Retrieve and carry objects
• Pull their partner in a wheelchair, push elevator buttons and even transfer money at the grocery store.
• Provide social support by acting as a bridge to conversation and acceptance. When a service dog accompanies a wounded veteran, the focus is on the dog, not the disability.
• Provide balance and stability for an amputee or someone who has lost mobility.
• Be a source of love and companionship. Both the veteran and the dog are a team and make the transition back to independence together.

I had a great time with some great people, especially those special ones working with those amazing dogs. It was truly a heart-warming experience, aaand..., fingers crossed, I just might've gotten a commission or two.

The blue-purple iridescence of the sun on the back of a black crow

Going to Hunting Island State Park, located just outside Beaufort, SC , in order to get a photo of the light house, has long been on my bucket list (of things to see/do before I leave Charleston). Finally! at the beginning of November, Page and I went on our adventure. Little did we know that it would provide some of the best shots ever that we could get of crows.....