I am sorry for my absence from this space during the 2010 holiday season. It was not my intention to ignore these pages but the time was filled with activity and tasks. We had a record breaking amount of snow during December and that is an accomplishment in Minnesota. It is beautiful if you can remain indoors but it does complicate almost everything. The snow has to be removed from sidewalks and driveways and stairways to the backyard for an aging puppy dog. Lots of shoveling and sore muscles!
This is the snow on the deck at the back door. I don't remember it ever being this deep. Hope the deck can support all that weight!
We have a few special cookies that we just must have in order for it to be truly holiday time. Here is Patrick cutting a rolled cookie that is a tradition we inherited from his Mom and Dad. They are called Sand Tarts and are a family favorite. They are a challenge to make as the unbaked dough is just a bowlful of a dry, sand - like mixture that has to be bullied with a rolling pin into a thin sheet on the cutting board, carefully cut and then transfered to the baking pan.
But how beautiful they look - brushed with egg white, sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, topped with an almond sliver. We keep track on the back of the recipe card exactly how many cookies we manage to get from the batch each year. We got 16.33 dozen this year, just under the record of 16.5 dozen in 1995!
Cookies that are more like a pastry, these Smor Kringlers are from a neighbor's family recipe, shared with us years ago. They are a challenging Scandinavian treat that we only manage to make at Christmas each year. They are my personal favorites.
Patrick made these Pecan Tassies, a little bite-sized pecan pie. He got this recipe from one of his professors in graduate school when we were living in Omaha, NE. I love the idea that most of these recipes are gifts from friends and that somewhere these people may be enjoying the same holiday treats with their families, too.
I did do some fiber work during December. I worked in small bits of time on this beaded bottle. I don't have a picture of the finished product yet but it is done and will be listed on my Etsy site soon. I also finished my tea lace runners and this is such a relief. They are the pieces that have been on my 8 harness loom forever! The two main runners are for my kids but I had enough warp to weave off a small one that I will sell.
Our holiday season was filled with precious time with our children and gratitude for all we have. I could not wish for anything more or send you wishes for anything better. Peace . . . . . . .
