Holiday Fruit Bread...

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 cup milk
2 eggs
1/3 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup finely chopped dried apricots
3/4 cup finely chopped pitted prunes
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a medium loaf pan.

In a large bowl, stir together the flour, sugar, baking powder and salt. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the milk, eggs and melted butter until smooth. Stir in the apricots, prunes and nuts. Add to the combined dry ingredients and stir just until blended.

Spread evenly in the prepared pan. Bake until a thin wooden skewer inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.

Molasses Cookies...

2/3 cup packed brown sugar
2/3 cup shortening
1 1/3 cup molasses
2 eggs
5 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 tsp. ground ginger
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt

Mix brown sugar, shortening and molasses. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and refrigerate at least 1 hour.

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Roll dough 1/4-inch thick on lightly floured cloth-covered board. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place about 1 inch apart on lightly greased cookie sheet. Bake until no indentation remains when touched, 7 to 8 minutes; cool. Frost and decorate as desired.

Eggnog Thumbprints...

3/4 cup butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 egg
1/2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 cup butter
1 cup sifted powdered sugar
1 tbsp. rum, or 1 tbsp. milk and 1/4 tsp. rum extract
Ground nutmeg

In a large mixer bowl, beat 3/4 cup butter until softened. Add sugar and brown sugar and beat until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and salt and beat well. Add flour and beat until well mixed. Cover and chill about 1 hour until easy to handle.

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Place 2 inches apart on an ungreased cookie sheet. Press down centers with thumb. Bake in a 350 degree oven about 12 minutes or until done. Remove and cool.

For filling, in a small mixer bowl beat 1/4 cup butter until softened. Add powdered sugar and beat until fluffy. Add rum and beat well. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon filling into center of each cookie. Sprinkle with nutmeg. Chill until filling is firm.

Peppernuts...

3/4 cup sugar
2/3 cup dark corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup shortening
1 tsp. anise extract
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cardamom
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
3 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
Sifted powdered sugar

In a large saucepan, combine sugar, corn syrup, milk, and shortening. Bring to boiling. Remove from heat and cool about 15 minutes. Stir in anise extract, baking powder, vanilla, salt, cinnamon, cardamom, and cloves. Stir in the flour until well mixed. Cover and chill about two hours or until easy to handle.

Divide dough into 24 equal parts. On a surface dusted lightly with powdered sugar, roll each part of the dough into a 1/4-inch-thick rope. Cut into pieces about 3/4-inch long. Place 1 inch apart on a greased cookie sheet.

Bake in a 375 degree oven for 10 to 12 minutes or until done. Immediately remove and cool on paper towels. Makes 8 cups of cookies.

Christmas Kitchen and Dining Nook...

I found some burner covers this past year at Kroger, of all places, so I decorated the stove! The spoon rest is actually a candle holder that I got at Garden Ridge, and I decided I liked it better in the kitchen.



I attached this guy to the chandelier this year. Usually he's in the way, and everybody who tries to walk around him, hanging from the fan, or other light fixtures, gets hit in the head with him. Since he's hanging over the dining table now, there's no chance of that happening anymore!





These are pictures of how my dining table was decorated for the non-existant guests I had this year. (I've said it before, I just wasn't "into" Christmas this year.) I've had these dishes for years now, and I just love bringing them out every year. This was the first time I'd really set EVERYTHING up, all together. Next year, I'll actually use napkin rings.

Christmas Master Bathroom...

Unfortunately, I didn't take any pictures of the guest bathroom last year. But upon reflection, it doesn't really matter. I think I just put up a shower curtain and called it quits. I wasn't really into Christmas last year. BUT I DID do up the master bathroom. Boy did I...



I got this fabric at Joann's Fabrics. I saw it and fell in love. Mostly because I'd just painted this bathroom, and couldn't imagine anything matching that blue this well.



A close-up of the fabric...it's blue pointsettias, with silver trim. Very pretty.











Yeah, after a couple of weeks of this, the husband was rolling his eyes. I'm sure he was hoping Christmas would hurry up and come so I would get all this crap out of the bathroom...:-D









After a couple of runs to Lowe's, Bath and Body Works, and Garden Ridge, I had even more "things" to stuff into this bathroom. The women that saw my bathroom swooned, the men just rolled their eyes and said it was too "over the top". The hubby just kept his mouth shut. Smart guy, huh?



And finally, what's a toilet at Christmas without a Christmas tree? It was looking awfully neglected over there in the corner...

Gingerbread Pancakes...

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tbsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. ground ginger
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp. ground cloves
1/4 cup ground hazelnuts (optional)
1 1/2 cups low-fat milk
2 tbsp. chocolate syrup
3 egg whites
3 tbsp. dark molasses
2 tbsp. canola oil (divided use)

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, cloves and hazelnuts (if desired) until well blended.

In a medium bowl, whisk together milk, chocolate syrup, egg whites and molasses. Make a well in the dry ingredients and pour the wet ingredients into it. Stir just to moisten; batter will be lumpy.

Heat a thick, nonstick griddle or frying pan over medium heat. Spread 1 1/2 teaspoons canola oil over the bottom of the pan. Pour batter onto the griddle, using 1/4 cup for each pancake. Cook until lightly brown on both sides. Oil pan as needed.

Old-Fashioned Rice Pudding...

1/2 cup rice
4 cups milk
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. lemon juice
1/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 cup raisins

Combine rice, milk, sugar, and salt. Pour into greased 1 1/2-quart baking dish. Bake at 300 degrees for 1 hour, stirring several times. Add lemon juice, nutmeg, and raisins. Bake 2 to 2 1/2 hours longer. Serve warm or cold.

Peanut Butter Cookies...

3/4 cup Jif Creamy Peanut Butter
1/2 cup Crisco butter-flavored All-Vegetable Shortening
1 1/4 cups firmly packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp. milk
1 tbsp. vanilla
1 egg
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 tsp. salt
3/4 tsp. baking soda

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Place sheets of foil on countertop for cooling cookies.

Combine peanut butter, shortening, brown sugar, milk, and vanilla in large bowl. Beat at medium speed of electric mixer until well blended. Add egg. Beat just until combined.

Combine flour, salt, and baking soda. Add to creamed mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended. Drop by heaping teaspoonfuls 2-inches apart onto ungreased baking sheet. Flatten slightly in crisscross pattern with the tines of a fork. Bake at 375 degrees for 7 to 8 minutes, or until set and just beginning to brown. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheet. Remove cookies to foil to cool completely.

Christmas Living Room Pictures...

A wide shot of the corner where the Christmas tree lives. This tree was GIVEN to us the year before we got married by a lady that was getting ready to move, and her new house didn't have the tall ceilings necessary for this tree. It's only nine feet tall...



The fireplace all decorated for Christmas. I DIG that fireplace screen. It's so...Christmas-y!







A few pics of the mantle from last year. This year, I'm sure it will look more rustic, since I've gotten a new mantle. Should be fun...





We have a long shelf that runs the length of the living room. I've yet to ever REALLY decorate it, and my husband was feeling a little more ambitious last year. I have a thing about heights, so he was the perfect nominee to do this for me. I remember, while he was putting this up, I was watching "White Christmas" for the very first time. Good movie. I *heart* Danny Kaye!



The couch, all decorated for Christmas. All the pillows bother my husband, and that stuffed dog bothers my real dog! But, I figure it's only for a month. They can both live with it!



This is the coffee table decorated. It's almost time to retire that tree candle holder; the silver plating is turning colors, and the colored coating on the glass is starting to chip off. Grrrr...that was the first Christmas decoration I ever bought, too. Maybe I can fix it... Those books are "The Gift of the Magi", "The Polar Express", and "The Velveteen Rabbit". I've collected them over the years from various places, and the ONLY time they're out is at Christmas. The rest of the year, they're packed up. I appreciate them more when I don't have easy access to them during the year.



I have a column in the living room, and use it as a Christmas card holder. I just wind garland and lights around it, and attach the cards with a little curling ribbon.



This photo has ended up being a tribute to the two snowpeople in the middle. They met their untimely end this year when they were about to be packed up. I left the room for a while, and when I came back, the dog, after staring at them all season, finally had his say. The vacuum cleaner earned it's keep that day. Oh, well. That "Merry X-Mas" sign (which you can't really see, but the boy is holding it) always bugged me.



I'm STILL amazed the dog didn't get mad at this grapevine reindeer. I guess he picks his battles.



Who, me?

Pasta E Fagioli...

1 1/2 tsp. olive oil
1 lb. ground beef
1 small onion, chopped
2 carrots, slivered
2 stalks celery, diced
24 oz. canned diced tomatoes
1 cup cooked red kidney beans
1 cup cooked white kidney beans
44 oz. beef stock
1 1/2 tsp. oregano
1 1/4 tsp. ground pepper
2 1/2 tsp. freshly chopped parsley
3/4 tsp. tabasco sauce
24 oz. spaghetti sauce
4 oz. dry pasta shell macaroni, or other pasta

Saute ground beef in large dutch oven until beef starts to brown. Add onions, carrots, celery and tomatoes and simmer for about 10 minutes. Drain and rinse beans and add to the pot. Add beef stock, oregano, pepper, tabasco, spaghetti sauce, and noodles. Add chopped parsley. Simmer until celery and carrots are tender, about 45 minutes.

Christmas Decorating For Next Year...

Living Room: Just refer back to the pictures you took last year to know what you did. Also, look back at the magazine clippings you saved for decorating ideas. Specifically, remember to use the wide red velvet ribbon to tiebacks with bells attached. Try something different with the mantle, too. Get some solid white pillows (or other colors, maybe?) and use ribbon on them to look like gift wrap.

Kitchen: Do this up this year. Hang up wreaths with red velvet ribbons with candles like the house across the street. During the year, look for nice red and white fabrics for the dining table. Make some drapes JUST for the kitchen. Again, refer back to magazine clippings. Decorate on top of the cabinets, just a little. Don’t put anything too heavy up there, though. You don’t want the cabinets to fall off the walls!

Front Bedroom: Lots of potential here. Use flannel sheets, red quilt and shams, and the throw mama gave me. Also use one of the the Christmas colored throws from Wal-Mart. Make up some cute curtains for the window, and decorate the top of the piano. Maybe get a nice silk arrangement. Need some extra throw pillows for the bed.

Office: Nah, don’t see much point in decorating this. Maybe later. If anything, a valance for the window.

Front Bathroom: Just see if you can add things to the bathroom. It was okay this year, but I’d like it a little more over the top. Try not to go overboard buying things, though. You’ve already spent plenty on decorations.

Master Bathroom: It was lovely last year; there’s not much room for improvement. Look for silver bows or poinsettias for the garland over the mirrors. Maybe white or light green towels with silver trim? White or silver mats would be pretty cool, too. Just keep an eye out for little extras. You did it up right last year.

Master Bedroom: So much potential here! Maybe wrap bedposts with ribbon, garland on the canopy, lights wound up in the garland? Keep an eye out for a Christmas quilt. Put up small tree on table in corner, if you still have it, and that’s the dog tree. Refer to the magazine clipping for ideas here. Just need little knickknacks on the drawers, maybe some Christmas-colored rugs on the floor? If you get new lamps for the nightstands, paint up some shades! Maybe decorate with beads? Need a tablecloth for the table in the corner, and a tree skirt for the “dog tree”. Think about this and be creative! Maybe appliquéd felt bones?