Holiday « Stoneview

Having no definite aim or purpose

The heat was out for a little while yesterday so I put Gwen’s sweater on her for a bit. It turned out not to be necessary as I discovered the problem before it got very cool in the house and the repair man was here within an hour of Jason’s call. Thankfully the furnace only needed a bit of maintenance and the fellow was kind enough to explain how to do it.

A new little fountain pen arrived this week. An inexpensive little Kaweco Sport that I thought would make a good pen for purse or pocket as it’s leak proof. I’m not sure I can get around the medium nib though, it writes a very fat line.

The past 4 or 5 years I’ve been shopping the 50cent-dollar items at Micheal’s for silly gifts for stockings for Jason and the boys. Pink rubber balls were a popular item one year and this year I emerged with two items that were well received- some re-useable handwarmers and these funny chia men. Daniel apparently watered his right away and it’s already growing some “hair”.

Now the milkman’s on his way, It’s too late to say goodnight.

I really made good progress on mitten #2 last night. I might even manage to finish it up today. For New Year’s Eve dinner we traditionally have assorted cheeses, pate, smoked whitefish and some type of salmon. This year I used a recipe from Stir and made my own citrus cured salmon which turned out to be really amazing. It’s cured with salt, sugar, ground bay leaf, ground allspice and ground juniper berries. I don’t like heavily salty cured salmon so I’m always reading the labels and looking for the one with the least sodium. Usually that’s also the most expensive one. This recipe was wonderfully delicious and frankly less expensive so I suspect it’ll be a goto recipe for holidays around here.

we’ll take a cup of kindness yet

I’m spending my New Year’s Eve with a Lord of the Rings marathon and knitting the second Lotus Mitten.

A very merry Christmas

We spent the last few days down in New Jersey with my sister, my niece, my nephew and both my boys. The guys played lots of video games, my niece learned to make sweet potato rolls and we had a fabulous dinner. I think it’s fair to say a good time was had by all.

I seek the grail

Some really nice gifts came my way this year including this holy grail of pots- a large oval copper roaster and a beautiful new watch to replace my old Timex. The new pot will replace the Le Creuset that’s become rusty around the top edge. This pot is also much lighter so it’ll be easier on my shoulder to lift in and out of the oven.

Cashew Brittle

Thanks for all the thermometer suggestions! I did try my infrared but the rapidly boiling sugar syrup doesn’t work with my IR which needs a smooth surface for an accurate measurement. When we went out Christmas shopping I popped in to Crate and Barrel and picked up this very sturdy red guy who seems very reliable so far. His first job was the cashew brittle Chris requested for Christmas. I’ve never made that before but I think this recipe is a keeper. Mine came out a bit thick because I overshot the temp and it was about 15 degrees hotter than it should have been. Tastes fantastic though!

Cashew Brittle

2 cups sugar

½ cup water

½ cup unsalted butter

1/3 cup light corn syrup

½ teaspoon baking soda

2 cups cashews

Bring sugar, water, butter, and corn syrup to a boil and cook over high heat until mixture reaches 300 F on a candy thermometer. (It will go up very quickly after about 275 F so keep a close eye on it at that point.) Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda. (Expect it to foam up as the baking soda goes in.) Quickly fold in the nuts and spread onto a nonstick baking sheet coated with cooking spray. Allow to cool completely and then break into pieces. Store in an airtight container.

It’s all in the bag

This year we are moving away from wrapping paper and starting to use fabric gift bags that will reduce our paper waste each year. There’s been a bit of grumbling about this change but hopefully the guys will get used to it as time goes on. I’m going to hit the after xmas holiday fabric sale and look for a little diversity for our bag collection, we really need more red!

I currently have Tacos by Mark Miller from the library. It’s got some great recipes in it and this was the first one I tried. It’s my take on his roasted tomato and pumpkin seed tacos with Manchego cheese. Also included in these are roasted bell pepper, roasted ancho peppers, roasted jalapenos, cilantro and avocado. Delicious!

With visions of sugar plums

biscotti pralines-and-almond-roca All week long I’ve been making candy and cookies as gifts for friends and relatives. Sometime between last December and this I had to replace my candy thermometer. The new one doesn’t seem to be up to snuff so it’s been a bit of a bumpy ride but I’m getting there. I did ask Santa for a digital one that clips onto the side of the pot, recommendations are welcome though!

Cranberry Pistachio Biscotti

1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup boiling water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature
1 cup sugar
4 large eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla
1/2 cup pistachios, coarsely chopped
1/4 cup sanding sugar

Preheat oven to 375 F. Place cranberries in a small bowl and add 1/2 cup boiling water, or enough to cover. Let stand until cranberries are plump, about 15 minutes. Drain and set aside. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, baking powder and salt; set aside. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.

In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream butter and granulated sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes. Add 3 eggs, one at a time, beating to incorporate after each addition. Beat in vanilla. Add the dry ingredients, beating on low, until fully combined. Stir in the drained cranberries and pistachios.

Remove dough to a lightly floured surface. Divide in two. Roll each piece into a 2 x 18 inch long log and place on prepared baking sheet, leaving about 3 inches between logs. Flatten logs slightly with palm of hand. In a small bowl, lightly beat remaining egg. Brush logs with beaten egg and sprinkle with sanding sugar.

Bake for 25 minutes. Remove from oven and cool on a rack until warm to the touch, about 20 minutes. Place logs on a cutting board and cut crosswise on the diagonal into 3/4 inch pieces. Return biscotti to baking sheet, cut side down. Bake until biscotti are beginning to brown around the edges, about 12 minutes more. Transfer to wire racks to cool.

Pralines

2 cups granulated sugar
1 cup buttermilk
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 pinch salt
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 cups pecan halves
1 teaspoon vanilla

Combine sugar, buttermilk and salt in a heavy bottom saucepan and cook over medium-high heat to 210 F on a candy thermometer with occasional stirring. Add the butter and the nuts and continue to cook to 235 F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda (it will foam like crazy at this point). Stir continuously until the mixture begins to lose it’s glossiness and then drop by spoonfuls onto a silpat or waxed paper.

Almond Roca

1 pound unsalted butter

3 cups sugar

1 pinch salt

6 tablespoons water

juice of half a lemon

2 tablespoons light corn syrup

3 ½ cups slivered almonds

9 ounces dark chocolate

Melt butter over medium heat in a large heavy bottomed pan. Add sugar, salt, water, lemon juice and corn syrup and stir to mix well. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until mixture reaches 300 F on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and stir in 2 cups of the almonds. Pour into a buttered jelly roll pan lined with buttered parchment paper. Allow to cool completely. Chop chocolate and melt in a double boiler. Spread chocolate over cooled candy and sprinkle with remaining nuts. Allow to set over night. In the morning, turn candy out onto a large board and break into bite sized pieces.

Catnaps

tree 12-7-Winnie 12-7-lotion-bars We managed to finish decorating the tree this week- lights compliments of Daniel who helped more than usual. I finally managed to get a snap of Winnie sleeping on the sheepskin. She’s been doing it for weeks but she’s so camera shy that she would bolt each time I’d come in the room with the camera. I also have a new mold for lotion bars and the hearts might go out the window pretty as they are. The square lotion bars are about the same volume but they are so much easier to use, I think that’s a keeper!

Lickety split

back I’ve got another quickie knitting project to crank out. Back in August when I visited my brother and his family I promised to knit a bathrobe for my niece’s American Doll. It turned out to be quite easy to find a pattern and looked like a very speedy little knit. Here’s the beginning of it in Red Heart Baby Clouds which should safe to machine wash and dry- perfect for a busy household with kiddos.