Crafty TCB

Well, Xmas is over and just a warm fuzzy memory and the New Year is just a stone throw away.

I cooked and baked so much that the skin on my entire body felt covered in flour...

Everybody appreciated and got their seasonnal goodies...

                                     Henry found a new friend Stella of Elf on a Shelf  fame.
                                       I sure hope he behaves!

I made a fresh and lovely lunch of grilled shrimp and quinoa salad

 

                                                   And Dan made this lovely super cute birch tree for Dad.
                                                The Etsy shop might take a new direction!
                                                 I'm thinking all kinds of birch accessories!

                                                  So for now , good night and sleep tight!

Turkey? Check!

So it is Xmas eve and everything is ready...

We are waiting for my stepdaughter who took a nap....

I have a fast recipe to share with you in case you need something not too sweet or a last minute gift....

Cranberry Fudge !!!

you will need:

8 oz semi-sweet chocolate
1 cup chopped dried cranberries
2/3 cup of sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Mix the chocolate and the sweet condensed in a bowl placed on top of a pot filled with hot water, not boiling and melt, stir occasionely. When all combined, add the vanilla then the cranberries.
Pour in a bread mold lined with cellophane wrap. Smooth top and cover. Refrigerate at least 3 hours and cut in pieces.

 

 

This is super easy and DELICIOUS!

 

On this sweet note I wish you all a very Merry Xmas!

 

i hope you will have lovely and safe celebrations

 

Be well , stay safe and keep on thrifting!!! 

 

 

Thrifting

2014 was the suckyest thrifting year for little old me. There were no BIG finds and in a way that is fine since I decided to put the store on hiatus.

But I love a day where all the thrifting stars align and you find good stuff! You just need to appear and pouf! Thrifting magic!

So that’s just what happened on Saturday….We took a small roadtrip to drop a box of donation at the Value Village in Cornwall and cross the bridge for some U.S. groceries….

But our first stop was Michael’s for a Xmas Peanuts flag…I lost mine to a windstorm 2 christmasses ago….I have no idea why they don’t carry seasonal flags , they have Friends and Welcome but no Christmassy joy (SUPER DOUBLE BUMMER)

So back in the car and on to Value Village…I drop my box and went in not expecting much…There was a lot of gooood stuff

But especially a vintage Xmas tree stand new in a box from Zellers. We had the same one , until it rusted out and died and we bought a big ass Xmas tree stand that is super ugly nut the tree never tips over…My step daughter wanted one for a small tree and the price was right at $2.00 ($3.99 minus 50% off).

I also grabbed one of those mixed bags for $1.99 and I was thrilled to find this mini pitcher (creamer) that had been on my thrift bucket list for many years, ever since I bought its big bro in a church basement in Moncton NB…That takes us back to 1988 !

There were 2 other knickknacks that will re-enter the wheel of thrifting pretty soon….

 

 

We also stopped at the Salvation Army and I wa lucky enough to find this

Vintage exterior light set , new in the box for $2.00

 

 

I will use it to replace one of my sets that is cracking under the weather strain.

 

Last but certainl not least...

This is a blowmold vignette that Dan set up for me.

 

It fills me up with JOY!!!

 

                                  I'm off to watch TV because I need to get off my feet. I just came out of
                                 a Xmas cooking marathon! I made cranberry orange bread, cranberry fudge, mini cheese balls and Pfeffernusse dough (I will bake the cookies tomorrow as they taste better the same day).

Tomorrow I will cook the turkey, stuffing and Monte Carlo potatoes....Good times!

So Easy

Today I will share one of my favorite holiday treats....I found this recipe in a McCall's magazine Xmas number in 1992 (but not 100% sure).

I remember the kitchen on 2nd ave in Verdun with its black and white floor and mediterraneen  feature wall...You know...mustardy yellow with sponge paint effects...You've seen some for sure.

So if I remember correctly I was on the lookout for a low call, fat free treat...And those hit the spot!

Peppermint Meringue Kisses

4 egg white room temp
3/4 to 1 cup of white granulated sugar
pinch of cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
crushed peppermint candies or candy canes

Pre-heat the oven at 175F

 I freeze the egg yolks 2 by 2 to add to recipes later

Don't forget to label the containers

 

Whip the egg whites until soft peaks form.

add the cream of tartar and when combined add

the vanilla. Then you add the sugar 1/4 cup at a time

and beat until completely dissolved.

 

Then on baking sheets lined with parchement paper,

with 2 teaspoons drop teaspoonfuls and be sure

to leave little peaks.

 Garnish with pinches of crushed candy.

I found these pepermints bits at Walmart in Plattsburg NY on a roadtrip

in November. They were approximately the same price as candy canes, and I didn't need to crush them. 

 

Cook 2 hours with the oven door slightly ajar.

Turn the oven off and leave to cool completely overnight.

 

 

Sweet and crunchy and pepperminty!

 

 

Enjoy!!!

 

 

Oh and guess who the cat dragged in?

 

 



 

Henry!!! Back from a world tour....

He will be spending Xmas with me at my house of Pyrex!

So Cheery

 

I am definitely a sucker for nice holiday decor

 

In downtown Montreal you can see some pretty elegant decorations.

 

                                                    I think the trick is matching greenery and lights for
                                                   some great results!

                                               We wanted to do planter with aspen and lights but
                                                we got caught in the snow storm.

                               There is still 13 days until Xmas....

                                            So time will tell!

Great Sunday

I love weekends where everything seems to glide and flow effortlessy....

Don't get me wrong, I'm not talking about a lazy couch potatoey weekend but one where you suddenly get up from the couch and start taking care of business, slow and steady!

The meat pies are all wrapped up and frozen ready for future feasting. The burned out bulbs are replaced.

The basement door is insulated, the garden hose rolled up in the caddy (We bring the frozen hose down in the basement, let it defrost and rolled it up again so It is snug as a bug for winter).

Dan has been a busy bee cleaning out the basement and throwing away broken things. And I decided to start decorating inside!

 A nice and joyous winter scene....

                                      This is our new Xmas frame...It lights up!
                                             SWEET!

                                   As you can see Bandito is totally ignoring my decorating efforts!
                                   He is content to bask in the keyboard's soft heat....

I am now working on a blowmold scene.....Stay tuned!

Caramel Corn

Ok here it is my caramel corn recipe.

 

It is gooooood! And super addictive.

 

It came from a blog with the word tree in it...It was a great recipe blog and then one day poof you had to be invited to be able to read it.

 

I am really glad I copied the recipe before!

 

 

Caramel Corn

2 cups brown sugar (packed)

1 cup butter

½ cup dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon baking soda

5 quarts popped corn

Pop corn and keep warm in 2 shallow pans (however, I recommend using one large roasting pan versus cookie sheets) in 250 degree oven. Combine sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt in a sauce pan on stovetop. Bring to a boil slowly and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda. Pour immediately over popped corn and mix well. Place back in oven and bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Let cool and break up. Store in container . Freezes well.

 

Now you could do the whisky version as well...When you remove from the heat, do not add the baking soda but add 12 tablespoons of whisky and 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract. Mix well and put on the stove again and cook until it gets thicker.

 

So enjoy and see you soon!  

More Xmas goodies

Since my last post I made 2 batches of gingerbread dough. In one I replaced the wheat  flour for spelt flour for my Dad who can't eat wheat anymore (for the time being) it gives him asthma...and a regular batch as well.

Now I scoured the web for my recipe but couldn't find it and I am too lazy to type it up....The difference is the addition of 2 tablespoons of orange zest.

Delicious!


I participated in the Black Friday satanic shopping ritual....at Target to get a B-Day gift for Dan. It was pretty organized...

 Outside...We got coffee and a nifty store plan....

                                          Inside , well that was total chaos! A lady was yelling at me in Greek and trying to sit me down in her cart! Another one kept saying : It is just like Scandal! Do you watch Scandal, I am hooked on Scandal...
                                         By a shopping miracle I got the last item I cam to get....
                                  
                                          I also saw these drinking accessories...

                                          And Pyrex! Xmas Pyrex!

 
                                          But I did not get one, or 2 or 3. I bought NONE!
                                          After I took the subway and went to the office!

                        

                                           I spent the weekend making caramel corn...It keeps very well and is totally delicious!

Now this is where I would share the recipe but it didn't copy well, so I will have to work on it. Sorry

 

And now I have this big black line I can't get rid of.

 

And this morning I decorate my desk and got a lot of comments on my Xmas wallpaper.

 

So sleep tight and dream beautiful dreams! I'm off to bed cause I am pooped!