A Porch View

Hello Everyone,

I love to decorate the front porch every season of the year to extend a warm welcome to visitors before entering Wilder's Last Resort.

The hardest time I have with this layout is that I forget to unplug the lights every night.  Sometimes Mr. Joe will remember to unplug the lights after he takes Mazey out for her last trip to the powder room.

Last night, the fragrance in the air was "eau de skunk" when Mazey was outside.  We had issues in the Spring with skunks, so we put out moth balls which the skunks do not like.  It's time to put them out again.  Mazey was sprayed once, and we will all never forget that experience!  I didn't plant a kiss on her little furry head or snuggle with her for weeks.

Some of you may remember a previous post where I showed holes either from a mouse or a squirrel on one of my quilts hanging on the headboard. I haven't had anything else chew any of my quilts for a few months.  Hopefully the little critters will leave this quilt alone.  The quilt is so old I don't remember the book I made it from or the name of the quilt. 

I remember the chairs when I was growing up in Paradise, so that makes them 70 or 80 years old.  Mr. Joe repainted them a few years back.  They really are quite comfortable, and we enjoy sitting on the porch during nice weather.  It's a bit too chilly right now, so the lighted presents take our place.

Quilts add such a homey feeling to a home.  I can't imagine what the cabin would look like without quilts on display.  I've always said that quilts add an extra layer of insulation to the cabin.  In looking at the 10-day forecast I see snow in our future next week.  Then, and only then, it will begin to look a lot like Christmas.

Soon,

Lynn

 

Holiday Food

Hello Everyone,

Those of you who know me, know that I love to cook......when I have the time.  Here is an excellent potato recipe you can add to your Holiday cooking.  The recipe is called: Crispy Parmesan and Gruyere Potato Gratin.

It tastes just as good as it looks.  A couple of weeks ago I made this dish for company.  The roast and the potatoes came out of the oven at the same time for us to enjoy.  Boy howdy did we enjoy it!

Here's the recipe that will not disappoint if you decide to make it.

Ingredients:

1-1/2 cups of heavy cream  (Remember, during the Holidays, calories don't count)

2 tsp of kosher salt

3 cloves of garlic, minced

1 tbsp of butter

1 small shallot, diced

5 medium Yukon Gold of White potatoes (I left the skins on)

1 cup of grated Gruyere 

1/2 cup of grated Parmesan 

1 tsp of fresh thyme

Directions:

-Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.

-In a small saucepan add the cream, salt, and garlic.  Bring to a simmer on low heat and cook for 5 minutes.  This will allow the garlic flavor to infuse the cream.  Remove from the heat and set to the side.

-Thinly slice the potatoes to 1/8" thickness using a mandolin slicer.

-In a 12" cast iron pan, add the butter and shallots and fry on low heat for 5 minutes until the shallots have caramelized.

-Arrange the sliced potatoes in a spiral pattern on top of the cooked shallots.  Pour the garlic infused cream mixture over the top of the potatoes.

-Cover the cast iron pan tightly with a piece of foil.  Place the cast iron pan into the oven and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes.

-Remove the pan from the oven and turn the oven temperature to broil.

-Cover the potatoes with the grated Gruyere and Parmesan cheeses.  Sprinkle with the thyme.  Place the cast iron pan into the oven and broil for 5 minutes until the cheese is crispy and bubbling.

-Remove from the oven and serve warm.  This is also great reheated and served the next day.

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Tonight, we've been invited over to our friend's house for dinner.  I'll be making my go-to cake recipe.   I've posted this recipe a couple of times as it is sooooo good.  I've had my share of baking mishaps over the years, which I blame on our high elevation.  That's my story and I'm sticking to it!  This cake has proven it can stand up to my baking prowess, and the elevation.

Coffee-Orange Fudge Cake

1 pkg. devil’s food cake mix

1 (8 oz) carton sour cream                              
½ cup salad oil                                               
½ cup water                                                               
4 eggs                                                                         
1 (3 oz.) pkg. instant chocolate fudge pudding mix
¼ cup coffee liqueur
2 tablespoons finely-shredded orange peel
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
12oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Powdered sugar (optional)

Directions:

©      Grease and flour a 10-inch fluted tube pan.  In a large mixer bowl, combine cake mix, sour cream, oil, water, eggs, pudding mix, liqueur, orange peel and cinnamon.

©      Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, scraping sides of bowl constantly.  Beat on medium speed for 4 minutes. 
©      Stir in chocolate pieces.  Pour into prepared pan. 
©      Bake in a 350° oven for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted near the center comes out clean.  Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.  Remove from pan and cool on rack.  Sprinkle with powdered sugar, if desired. 
©      Makes 12 to 16 servings.  This recipe is a blue-ribbon cake from Better Homes & Gardens Test Kitchen.  This cake freezes well.  It’s rich and moist.

Okay, I've blogged two days in a row!  I'll try to keep this record going during December.....or at least until Christmas.

Enjoy,

Lynn

Let the decorating begin!

 Hello Everyone,

It's that time of year when the bins and tubs full of Christmas joy come out of closets, and from under the cabin so the decorating can begin.

I've been turning my pie safe/cookbook holder into a Christmas Village every year.....for years. My Fitbit logged 15 flights of stairs just bringing the houses up the stairs and out of storage. 

Notice the time on the clock in both of the pictures.  The magic didn't take place in one day from 3 to 5pm.  I finished at 5pm the next day.  First, all of the cookbooks have to be moved and stashed away behind the couch in the great room.  I always get sidetracked because I stop and flip through some of the books.  Then I sit and read them, and make note of what I want to make for the Holidays.  So, tack on an extra hour or two just to move the books. Add another hour when I make a latte and sit and read, and start menu planning.  Can you tell I'm easily distracted?

My daughter gave me "Grandma's House" a few years ago.  This is one of my favorites.  This year I decided Grandma, and that would be me, needed to have a pink Cadillac in her driveway. Not really my style as I'm more of an off-road Grammy with mud and snow tires.

I'll bet the figurine of the ring around the Christmas tree is about 30 years old....maybe older.

Putting my Christmas Village on display every year always reminds me of the days when I used to play house.  I loved to play house, and I still do.  I love unwrapping the little people that were given to me by my mother years ago.  It brings back such precious, and happy memories.

Before we moved to the cabin, my granddaughters would help me put the village out.  In the beginning they needed a step ladder.

Then they grew up, and didn't need the ladder any longer.  Now they are in college and are too busy to help out.  Sigh.  I miss that tradition of our "Village time" together.  

I know you know what a mess you create while decorating.  I had boxes and bins all over the cabin.  To make matters worse, the new table we bought last month was delivered into the middle of the mess.  I'll take pictures of our "meals on wheels" table in another post.

So to make a long story short, the other night at 3:22am to be exact, Mazie went ballistic with barking.  I was convinced that every hound of the Baskerville's was in our great room since she was making such a clatter.  I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter....credit here to Clement Moore.  Well as I sprang not to spritely, I failed to remember the floor of the great room was littered with boxes and a new table in the middle of the room.  Did I turn on a light you say?  Well, no, because I wanted to see what was outside on the deck. My shins and toes have the bruises to show my stumbling through the room to get to the sliding door and porch light.  When, what to my wondering eyes should appear.....a terrified raccoon with eyes as big as saucers wondering what was going on inside the noisy cabin!

From now until Christmas, I'm going to try to post every day.  So, check back to see what I'm up to in the days before Christmas.  I'll be posting a few recipes from all of those cookbooks.  I'll be posting pictures of my decorations, and some of our traditions.  I may sneak in a post about quilting too!

Soon,

Lynn