Christmas in the kitchen around here makes me happy. Even if I am not baking or entertaining guests the kitchen is full of cheerful reminders of this season. Some of the things in my Christmas kitchen have been with us for many years and bring with them happy memories.
This Santa cookie jar needs to be filled with cookies. The butter is out for softening at room temperature so my husband can bake his
Berry Butternuts * , jam thumbprint cookies his father made every year and now my husband continues the tradition for our family. I also make
*sugar cookies every year using my favorite recipe from many years ago. Often I wait to make and bake these cookies when I have grandchildren over a few days before Christmas.
This teapot is my hot cocoa pot, and the goose mugs are for serving lots of hot chocolate with marshmallows during the Christmas season. We received the mugs as gifts from my husband's parents many years ago. We got the teapot after his parents died. This set always remind us of my husbands' parents and their love of celebrating Christmas with family.
My Santa sugar bowl and creamer. I made these the first year my husband and I were married and have brought these two out every Christmas season. They sit beside the coffee pot ready for guests needing real cream and sugar in their coffee or tea. There are so many good memories surrounding these little Santa accessories , and the privilege of being able to serve coffee, tea, coco, and so much more to family and friends over the years is not taken for granted by my husband and me. God has been generous with us in the gift and blessings of so much family and so many good friends.
My Christmas kitchen is ready again for company and full of sweet reminders of Christmases past. Christmas kitchen memories of good times gone by and the glimmer of new memories in the making.
Don't forget to leave a comment if you'd like to win a pair of these
Wee Little Sheep*. The 20th is the last day of this give-away opportunity. I will enter your name for every comment you leave ( limited to one comment per day ).
~I made this Santa Clause sugar and creamer the first year Hubby and I were married. I don't think I appreciated them until recently. Somehow, after using them every December for 35 years, they have become familiar friends I welcome with kind feelings as I bring them out of the pantry for their annual appearance.
~Anyway, I am posting a recipe I originally got from our dear friend Kathleen Roland, about 20 years ago. She brought our family a lovely dessert that I was soooo impressed with. Kathleen is very talented in presentation of food and her home. As I was oohhing and ahhing she told me it was really a very easy dessert. She gave me the recipe and I have been making it often, at all times of the year since. This IS easy, and I frequently make it when we have drop in company . I will whip this up while we visit, and serve it warm with coffee or tea and conversation. So..here is the recipe!
~You will need 1 Cup of water, 1 cube of butter, 1 cup of flour and 3 eggs! Click on the recipe below to enlarge.
~Bring the butter and water to a boil and boil til butter is melted.~
~Add the flour and stir til the batter slips the pan.~
~Add the eggs, one at a time until well mixed.~
~Drop the batter on an un-greased or parchment covered bake sheet, into a wreath shape.~
~Bake at 425 degrees for about 40 minutes.~
~Mix 1 cup of confectioner's sugar with almond or vanilla extract and milk, or water to make a thick icing. I ice the kringle all over while it is still warm and then sprinkle colored sprinkles or finely chopped nuts. You can color the icing, embellish with sprigs of holly or fir, or decorate according to your taste. This is an easy treat for just about any occasion. It is basically a cream puff recipe served in a ring. It is the very best when eaten right away. This is a recipe that I never have leftovers of. It really is that easy and that good.
~To serve to those you love who are extremely lactose intolerant, and we have a passel of people in our lives who suffer thusly, we just substitute Nucoa for butter and use water in the icing. This is also good for our diabetic relatives because it is tasty without the icing, or being very , very stingy with the icing. The ring itself does not contain any sugar.
~"Do not be afraid Mary, you have found favor with God. You will be with child and you will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High." Luke 1:30,31
