Dec 13

 

 

 

 

 

Pistachio Christmas Ribbon Bars

Makes about 36
1/2 pound unsalted butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 large egg
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt (omit this if your pistachios are salted)
1/2-2/3 cup raspberry or strawberry jam
2/3 cup pistachios, chopped
Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine butter, sugar and egg; beat until thoroughly blended. Stir in flour and salt. Spread one-half of dough into 9 inch square pan. Bake 10 minutes; remove from oven. Spread jam to within 1/2 inch of edge. Add pistachios to remaining dough. Drop by spoonfuls over jam to cover. Bake 35 minutes until top is golden brown; cool. Cut into squares.

 

 

Things to do with kids for Christmas, Pick out and put up the Christmas Tree

 

 

Cinnamon Honey Butter- Gifts in a Jar
Yield: 3 half pint jars

 

Ingredients

 

1 cup Honey
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup powdered sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
3 half pint canning jars
Instructions

 

Combine all ingredients in bowl. Using whisk attachment on mixer blend until smooth and creamy, scraping down sides of bowl as needed.
Use rubber spatula to pour mixture in to a large pastry bag (or Ziploc® bag), cut off tip and squeeze into half pint jars. (tip: place bag in tall glass for support, or have someone hold the bag while you pour)
Keep refrigerated. Serve room temperature.

 

Add your homemade bread or pound cake, a Christmas or vintage towel and you have a fantastic gift from the heart that took less then an hour to make from start to finish!

 

 

 

Here Comes Santa Claus

By: Gene Autry and Oakley Haldeman

 

Here comes Santa Claus! 

 

Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
Vixen and Blitzen and all his reindeer
are pulling on the reins.
Bells are ringing, children singing;
All is merry and bright.
Hang your stockings and say your prayers,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

Here comes Santa Claus!
Here comes Santa Claus!
Right down Santa Claus Lane!
He's got a bag that is filled with toys
for the boys and girls again.
Hear those sleigh bells jingle jangle,
What a beautiful sight.
Jump in bed, cover up your head,
'Cause Santa Claus comes tonight.

 

 

Sweep the garage of dust, cobwebs and dirt. Be sure to clear cobwebs from windows if any.  With winter cold and snow soon to appear if it hasn't already, clearing the space for your car and winter toys will help keep the winter blues at bay. Having a clean space now also gives you an area to store out of season or to hide things for someone else (trading hiding places with a neighbor or friend for your own hidden treasures) and keep them neat and clean.

 

http://www.marthastewart.com/949682/nature-ornaments

 

 

Nature Ornaments

It has the charm of a ship in a bottle but is far more festive: winter greenery contained in a delicate glass ornament. Fill glass-ball ornaments with sprigs of holly, bayberry, and evergreens. Remove the cap from an ornament, and carefully place a small piece of trimmed greenery inside. To prevent condensation from forming, leave the cap off for 24 hours before replacing it. Thread ribbon through the top loop, knot, and hang from the tree.

 

 

Things to do at Christmas time, Feed the birds. Keeping a bird feeder around to attract the birds is so much fun.  I wish I could, but my cats like to hunt birds so I will not be putting out a bird feeder this year.

 

 

 

 

http://www.npr.org/2011/12/14/143654121/christmas-eve-a-feast-fry-pans-and-seven-fishes

Feast Of The Seven Fishes

The Feast of the Seven Fishes is an ancient Southern Italian Christmas Eve tradition and can actually feature anywhere from seven to 13 fishes. The feast sprang up as a response to the Roman Catholic Church's decree against eating meat and meat products on certain holy days. The whole season of advent leading up to Christmas was this type of fasting time. So, resourceful Italians turned this fast into feast of fish and seafood — traditionally cooked in oil.

 

 

 

 

 

 

An Under-Tree Storage Box

The tree is trimmed, lights glowing. Packing away the storage boxes is easy, but what do you do with all those little bulbs and fuses? They wander the house, constantly underfoot--until you need one.

Keep holiday decor supplies close at hand with this simple, sneaky solution: an under-tree storage box. Select a pretty holiday gift box with a removable lid. Put all fuses, replacement light bulbs and extra ornament hooks inside the box, add a gift bow and slide it beneath the tree.

Next time you need to replace a light bulb or add a new ornament to the tree, grab the box. It'll hold--and hide--all the holiday supplies you need.

 

Billie C
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