Red, Runners, Rodents and A Recipe!

Isn't he/she just the chubbiest?  I have a love/hate relationship with these creatures.  I find them very beautiful and I enjoy spying on them like this one right outside my den window (through a screenless window - you'll hear about that in a sec), watching them play like puppies with each other, their ears are adorable as are their bristly, curling tails - but man!  They are also driving me crazy!  I have tried every method I've read about on the internet to keep them out of bird feeders, bought so many "squirrel proof" bird feeders (yeah right), put hot pepper covered seed in feeders that they aren't supposed to be able to handle (they can and they do), given them their own feeders with corn cobs, moved most of my feeders up high on porches where they can't reach (which makes them climb the window screens poking holes in them with their sharp toenails in an attempt to find ways up whereby I have removed four screens and stored them for the winter), and yelled at them daily.  Nothing. Works.   My daughter called me yesterday to ask me how I keep squirrels out of her feeders - I. Don't. She even bought new feeders today and excitedly sent me pictures spewing optimism - I told her not to be too disappointed.   This post isn't even supposed to be about squirrels but rather cheerier subjects.  Like the paper whites and amaryllis that are blooming in the dining room and daisies that are over a month old and still looking fresh in vases.  And apple cider donut muffins.  And chocolate chip cookies.  And project results.  I am going to write out that cider donut recipe for you very shortly - it is a winner!!  It has also warmed up - like 60 degrees warmer than my last post from just a few days ago.  I went snow shoeing this week because much of the snow will be disappearing in the next few days (it's pretty much gone as I edit this post two days later).  And I finished a couple wee paintings and am pretty much done with the painted stair runner.   That we have now decided to cover with a pretty red/ivory cotton runner from Dash and Albert Co. for two reasons.  In spite of Frog Paint Tape's promise that paint won't bleed, it did and has every time I've used it for painting patterns and lines (so much for paint block technology!) and believe me, I pressed on that tape really hard and followed all instructions for success.  It was the black paint bleeding on to white that did me in. Second reason; yesterday I slipped down the last four stairs and slammed my arm.   Dan yelled out - "that's it, let's put a real stair runner on!"

 One more squirrel complaint before I go on, you see that open door?  Those are suet block feeders, squirrel proof of course and the squirrels chew off the wire that I use to keep those doors locked and hence eat all the suet.  Mad face emoji!

Yesterday while I painted stairs, Dan took on the assignment of trial-ling a new chocolate chip recipe we read about in the New York Times.  Sarah Kieffer, a baker, blogger and cookbook author has a CC cookie recipe that has gone viral whereby she preaches "pan banging" the cookie sheets a few times during the baking process so that the cookies pool and flatten, morphing into very large and thin cookies that are crisp for the outer third and chewy and meaty for the rest.  Here are the results of Dan's baking adventure.  If you are interested in trying them yourself, google Sarah Kieffer pan banging chocolate chip cookies - the NY Times and several bloggers have posted her recipe.  We love cookie adventures!

We moved that little hutch you see from the den in to the dining room to a spot it should have been in all along. My paper whites and amaryllis are very happy there.  That hutch is a piece I bought in an antique shop about 15 years ago that is made from one long piece of barn siding from a very old barn.

Those very bright mirroring abstract paintings I recently finished have been dubbed "Super Men" by my daughter Gabe because she thinks they resemble the superman logo.  I just like how they finish that wall with  colorful fun.  After the abstracts I've done lately, I'm ready to do some more "serious" and challenging works of art.

Those daisies in that vase you see are over a month old and still going strong.  That's value!  That desk is in the living room in a quiet corner where I go to drink my hot chocolate and read every morning.

I won't be doing this any time soon now that most of the snow is gone unless of course we get bombarded again - I certainly hope so!

Okay, now for the recipe many of you have asked for this week and it's a good one!  This recipe showed up in my email from Yankee.com.

CIDER DONUT MUFFINS

2 cups of sweet apple cider (not juice)
1 stick softened unsalted butter
3/4 cup sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
2 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
optional - 1 large or two small peeled and cored chopped apples - I did add apples to mine but this was not in the original recipe and is not necessary for success but it sure made them even more delicious.  

Preheat oven to 375 degrees and lightly grease muffin tins - do not use paper muffin cups!

Put the apple cider in a large saucepan, turn on high heat and bring to a boil and keep it boiling until it is reduced by half.  It took mine about 8 minutes and I checked it a couple times by pouring the cider into a glass measuring cup to see how close it was.   When it's reduced, set aside and cool .  You cannot skip this step and just use 1 cup of unreduced cider and do not use apple juice.  The reduction results in an intense apple flavor that is a tad thicker as well.  While the reducing is going on, cream the butter and sugar in a large bowl until fluffy, about 4 minutes.  Add the eggs and blend and then the vanilla.   Mix the dry ingredients in another bowl and then add this in thirds with thirds of the apple cider reduction until it's just blended.  Fold in the apples if using.  Spoon into your greased muffin tins (the recipe said it makes 12, mine made 15 and I really filled those tins).  Bake 15-17 minutes (mine took 15).  Let cool for 10 minutes.  While they cool, make the topping for dipping.  

3/4 cup sugar
2 Tbl.  ground cinnamon 
Mix those two together in a good sized bowl.

Melt 1/2 stick salted butter in another bowl.

Brush each muffin over the butter bowl with the melted butter and then dip the tops and sides, dredging well in the sugar/cinn. mix.  That's it!  They taste like apple cider donuts without the frying mess.  Superb!

 That's a pic of the boiling apple cider.

 I used mini bundt tins instead of muffin just for fun.

 Brush muffins with plenty of butter - I held mine over the butter bowl while I did this.

 Dredge them well!

Now for a few pictures of the ill fated stair runner project.  Ill fated in that we will cover all the work I just did.  The stairs were a brownish color that came with the house when we bought it.  I had imagined a creamy white stair case with a black trimmed red painted runner like this:

I saw these stairs on the IG feed of fashion editor Marian McEvoy.   I did paint on the black stripes but that is where a lot of bleeding occurred and the touch up was a real pain so I decided on all red just to use the paint I had bought even as I knew we would cover it with a cotton runner.  We can enjoy this until the runner arrives and I install it.

I made a 6 inch red velvet cake for a birthday girl today and I thought I'd photo it with the fresh red stairs in the background!  And red fish bombs!

CHAO!

Christmasing (So Far) and A Recipe!

I've posted before that Christmas is not my favorite time of year - I do tend to get a bit dark hearted when the days are so short and night falls so early and I had a couple Christmases long ago that were so stressful and difficult (former marriage stuff) that still pull a trigger of gloom and much of the secular Christmas music drives me crazy; nonetheless, lots of cookie baking and the anticipation of family get togethers get me through.  Here are some scenes from Christmasing around my home.

 The picture above is from my former neighbors in Kingston.  We drove by a couple nights ago even though we have sold my old house just to see if they are still putting on the gaudy glitzy wonderful night show - they are!

 The first batch of Christmas cookies going in the oven - cream cheese sugar crystal enclosed cookies from Sally's Baking Addiction book - so tender and buttery with a bit of crunch from the sugar.

 Also, Sally's PB cup stuffed chocolate cookie - really yummy!

Dan taste testing the dough for the third batch - my mother's traditional M&M cookie recipe - he approved.  Don't worry - that spoon did not go back in the dough and he only got one sample!

 My mom bought me these in Mexico and sent them to me when I was 19 or 20.

 First snowfall a couple Sunday's ago.  Bliss.  One of the four reasons I live in New England.  And it's snowing today!  The twelve bird feeders are crowded with so many varieties of birds - it's such a show all day.

 Scotty turned 10 December 14 so my son Heath sent me his birthday picture and I did a two minute sketch with my purse pen just for fun and because I love him so.

Gabe and Mark are here with us - but in Boston today to see the Pops while we babysit the little guy below.  I'm sure they are enjoying their hours of liberty!

 My grandie William Glenn is here with us for Christmas for 10 days!  More bliss!  I love him too!  I call him Crabcake because more often than not he's a bit dour, like here below - hee!

 My fourth batch of cookies - cinnamon roll cookies - also from Sally's Baking Blog and just click the cookie name and you'll get the link to her recipe on her blog so she gets all the credit.  They are truly scrumptious and faster than cinnamon rolls from yeast dough.  I made 11 different kinds of cookies in all, big batches, plus macadamia nut chocolate bark and Dan made his fabulous chocolate covered cherries and mints.

The master bedroom fall bedding has been switched out for the winter colors -

Happy Eating and Merry Christmas!

It's A Wrap (Almost)!

I always feel a bit blah for the first several days after Christmas - it's still "vacation" so I don't go back to my usual routines, yet I can't wait to do so - instead, I do things I don't usually do on weekdays like binge watch movies, do puzzles, eat too much sugar, read books during the daylight hours - it's like I can't allow myself to "be productive" until January 2nd.  It's both pleasurable and frustrating.  I'm really just complaining because I feel fat and gross from excessive cookie and candy consumption.  I'll just wrap up the year by filling you in on what went on since my last post.

We left the last day of November for a whirlwind 6 cities in 12 days trip in the west to see family and some friends.  We spent two days in each city - Boise, Seattle, Alamo/Livermore CA, San Diego, Phoenix and Dallas.  We saw our parents, a couple siblings, three children, eight grandchildren, and friends who are serving as mission presidents for our church in WA.  While it was super fun, I sat, ate and talked more than I usually do.  The pictures on this post are not in perfect order - Sorry!

I am standing behind Dan's 98 1/2 year old mom and all the parked walkers as we went to the dining room for dinner.  She lives in a wonderful assisted living facility.

 So excited to go in to Yogurt Mill in El Cajon CA - been going there since 1978!

I couldn't finish this one - I intended to eat it all during the drive from San Diego to Phoenix but I just couldn't do it.

 My mom's painted tree - it died many years ago so she painted it and decorates it with the seasons.

 That's me and my mama!

 The view from our hotel in San Diego.  We didn't stay with my parents but rather downtown.

 My big brother Scott - also known as Scotty Wamps!

 Scott does all my mom's gardening now and he especially loves to work with succulents.  I am inspired by this medusa type one and I'll be on the lookout for a pot just like it.

Here's a not so professional picture of the Sampson's - Dan's daughter Brooke and her family (minus son Koby). We went to the Mesa AZ Temple with them one night to see all the Christmas lights.

 In Seattle, before we met up with our mission president friends, the Blatters, we walked all over that town and went to a bakery I've been hoping to visit one day - I have the cookbook from that bakery and it's fabulous - Dahlia Bakery.  We ate lunch there and bought a box of goodies.

 Of course we went to the famous Pike's Public Market and perused all the stalls.

Took at bite out of everything we bought.

Our dear friends, John and Diane Blatter.  They are serving a three year mission as heads of the Tacoma Mission of our church, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints (you know, the Mormons!).

 In Livermore/Alamo, we stayed with Dan's daughter Kara's family.  I made Nilla wafer banana pudding at her son's request and we dug in right after church and before dinner.

 The two pics above are of a house in Livermore CA where Dan's daughter Kara lives and she and her family took us to a house owned by "Deacon Dave" who starts putting up lights on his property in October for Christmas.  It is so spectacular that people line up every night to tour his yard.

 Below are some lights we saw in Dallas neighborhoods.  Those Santas are all in one front Dallas yard.

 Here is Dan balancing baby Vivi (daughter Krista's 7 month old) at their Dallas home.

 As soon as we got home from the trip I put up a little live tree in a large terra cotta pot (I'm done with big trees) and decorated the mantels, some table tops, and put wreaths outside.

 We did a day/night trip to Boston and saw the Boston Pops mid December - wonderful wonderful!  We stayed at the Eliot Hotel on the corner of Commonwealth and Massachusetts Aves - beautiful, European style, boutique hotel (we decided that from now on, when in Boston, that is where we will stay).  Every room is a lovely suite and the Japanese restaurant in the hotel is said to be tops.  We did not eat there but rather ate across the street at a French one called Deuxave - the food and service were most excellent!
Then the baking began.  I made nine different kinds of cookies and/or candy and Dan made his chocolate covered cherries and mints he has made for years and years.

 Chocolate covered truffles.

 This is my "cookie candy" - I tweeked a recipe I found years ago in a big way and this is my version.  It is so addictive - chocolatey, crunchy, nutty, fruity - incredible!  I included the recipe too and it's super easy.

 I made wool yarn pom poms watching a youtube video (Kristen Nichols) and using Clover pom pom molds.  Very fast work - each one takes about two minutes.

 It snowed a couple days before Christmas but it melted the day before so we didn't have a white Christmas after all.  Today was 58 degrees in Rye!

After Christmas "fun" - a puzzle - I haven't put one together in 15 years I bet.

 When Gabe and I went to Prince Edward Island two months ago, I bought two kinds of wool yarn and asked Gabe to make me a hat and mittens in whatever style she wanted as a Christmas gift to me.  The finished products are adorable!  Below I have donned them for a Boxing Day walk

 

 Our boys; my son Dane and Dan's son Caleb holding their Christmas stockings.  We so enjoyed having them home for the holiday.

On Christmas Eve after the game, Dan and I took a 12 pound prime rib and slathered it in butter, fresh rosemary and thyme.  We made slits and inserted garlic slices in each.  We roasted the meat the following day for a couple hours after we got home from church and it was so so so delicious.  We had 15 people at our table for prime rib, mashed potatoes, sweet potatoes, salad, rolls, scalloped corn , a made-from-scratch green bean casserole (not the campbell's cream of mushroom soup one) and tons of cookies.

Some of the goodies I made.

 These "sugar whoopies" are a family favorite.

 Gabe also made me some vases for Christmas.  She made the one in back her freshman year of high school and the two in front just recently.  Love!

On Christmas Eve Day, Dan and I and our sons went to see the Patriots destroy the NY Jets.  It rained pretty hard most of the game but our ponchos kept us more or less dry.  In the pic above, you can see that the skies cleared and the sun came out the last half hour of the game.

Dane (Binky) and I here :)

I'll endure a few more days of loafing around and then I have so many projects to work on in the new year.  Dan and I have also planned four trips for the winter months; little week long get-aways at warm beaches here and there.

Okay, back to the puzzle table!