Well, the decorating is going really slow this year. We’ve been passing around the pre-Christmas crud around here the last couple of weeks. We are planning on being back to 100% this coming weekend! For now, I’ll post what we’ve got done and will try to post more once our ailing bodies have recovered. First stop, the dining table for a Christmas tablescape:

Next stop, the Christmas tree. So glad we got this up before the ailments began. It has been nice to enjoy the tree while we have been stuck at home.

I’ll get some more shots of the tree tomorrow (when I predict I’ll be back to at least 90%) and add them to the post.

Then there is the nativity, which I showed you earlier this week. We still have not put ours together yet. The pieces are still awaiting us on the back porch. I just hope ours looks even half as nice as Mama’s.

Still working on the fireplace. Somehow the lights are not cooperating as I would like.

A little touch of Christmas in the kitchen:

I like to hang the wreath above the kitchen sink. It has some of my favorite ornaments on it along with some old silver. Here is my Christmas piggy chef:

A little Christmas cheer on the cabinets:

Stockings for the pets (we have no children so we make do):

Our Christmas decorations are still a work in progress. Hopefully a lot more progress this weekend!

In the meantime, I promised the Christmas fruitcake story. As you may remember, I posted a fruitcake recipe earlier this week. Well, that fruitcake has been around for a long, long time. My Mama remembers that My Daddy’s father’s (my Grandpa’s) bookkeeper, who was named Jelly had a wife who would always make this fruitcake. Now, this was before my Mama and Daddy married, so that was over 50 years ago. My grandmother got the recipe and our family has been making it ever since. My mother and grandmother just didn’t soak it in the sherry. If you missed the recipe, just go back one post and check it out.

For tonight, we’ll stick with something easier.

Today’s Lagniappe:  Chocolate Coffee
This sounds like a yummy recipe for after a fun time in the snow or just for some Christmas Cheer.

4 heaping teaspoons of cocoa mix
1 scant teaspoon of instant coffee mix
cinnamon

Makes one serving.

Okay, hope everyone is having lots of holiday fun (without any of this yucky stuff). Lots of parties going on! Here are the ones I am linking to!

with Between Naps on the Porch

It is still pretty cool here today. Glad to have a fire in the fireplace. Definitely time to stay in and have a cozy supper by the fire for today’s edition of Tablescape Thursday.

I started with a small table in front of the fire. So glad I got a red tablecloth. It has had so many great uses.

I added my gold, fluted chargers.

Then, I added my Mikasa Ribbon and Holly china.

Etched glass goblets with long stems in red.

Gold flatware and a candle complete the scene.

A cozy fireside supper on a cold evening.

But it is nice and warm in here.

The decorating blitz around here is coming up this weekend. Check back for new photos and ideas!

Today’s Lagniappe: Caramelized Onion Potato Gratin
Something warm and comforting to have on a cool day from Southern Living.

* 1 1/4  cups  soft, fresh breadcrumbs
* 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
* 3  tablespoons  grated Parmesan cheese
* 2  teaspoons  lemon zest
* 3  tablespoons  butter
* 2  large sweet onions, halved and thinly sliced
* 3  garlic cloves, minced
* 3  tablespoons  all-purpose flour
* 3 1/2  cups  milk
* 1 3/4  teaspoons  salt
* 1 1/2  teaspoons  dried Italian seasoning
* 1/8  teaspoon  ground red pepper
* 1  (8-oz.) package shredded Italian six-cheese blend
* 3  pounds  baking potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced

Preparation

1. Preheat oven to 375°. Combine first 4 ingredients in a small bowl.

2. Melt butter in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat; add onion, and cook, stirring often, 15 minutes or until onions are caramel colored; add garlic, and cook 1 minute.

3. Stir in flour, and cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Gradually whisk in milk and next 3 ingredients. Cook, whisking often, 8 to 9 minutes or until mixture thickens. Remove from heat; whisk in cheese until melted and smooth.

4. Layer half of potatoes in a lightly greased 13- x 9-inch baking dish; pour 2 cups sauce over potatoes in dish. Repeat layers once.

5. Bake, uncovered, at 375° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until golden brown and potatoes are fork tender, topping with breadcrumb mixture during last 15 minutes of baking. Remove from oven, and let stand 10 minutes.

Lightened Potato-Caramelized Onion Gratin: Substitute 1% low-fat milk for whole milk, decrease butter to 1 1/2 Tbsp., and increase flour to 1/4 cup. Proceed with recipe as directed.

It turned sharply colder here today. Time for the first fire of the season! Our big Christmas decorating blitz will be this upcoming weekend. I have a pretty ambitious project going on that I hope to show you next Monday. In the meantime, our fireplace and my mother’s fireplace (she has a mantle, I don’t).

I love the lights in the darkening room with the warm fire.

Decorated with ribons and bulbs and sparkling white lights.

Of course, it is going to warm back up tomorrow, but for today, a fire in the fireplace and festive decorations were just the ticket!

Now on to Mama’s.

Mama's Christmas Mantel

Pretty, tradtional colors

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas!

Christmas day, what a blessing! It is snowing heavily where I am and I am so thankful to be safely inside. Please remember to pray for those who may still be on the road.

Luke 2: 1 – 20

¹And it came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be taxed.

²(And this taxing was first made when Cyrenius was governor of Syria.)

³And all went to be taxed, every one into his own city.

⁴And Joseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judaea, unto the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; (because he was of the house and lineage of David:)

⁵To be taxed with Mary his espoused wife, being great with child.

⁶And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered.

⁷And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.

⁸And there were in the same country shepherds abiding in the field, keeping watch over their flock by night.

⁹And, lo, the angel of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about them: and they were sore afraid.

¹⁰And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.

¹¹For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.

¹²And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.

¹³And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of the heavenly host praising God, and saying,

¹⁴Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.

¹⁵And it came to pass, as the angels were gone away from them into heaven, the shepherds said one to another, Let us now go even unto Bethlehem, and see this thing which is come to pass, which the Lord hath made known unto us.

¹⁶And they came with haste, and found Mary, and Joseph, and the babe lying in a manger.

¹⁷And when they had seen it, they made known abroad the saying which was told them concerning this child.

¹⁸And all they that heard it wondered at those things which were told them by the shepherds.

¹⁹But Mary kept all these things, and pondered them in her heart.

²⁰And the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told unto them.

Here are some pictures from the Christmas Eve table for Tablescape Thursday (since these pics didn’t make it earlier)

And, the scene outside on Christmas eve:

Wishing you peace and goodwill in your heart and home and a very Merry Christmas!

Today’s Lagniappe: Eggnog French Toast
Something yummy for Christmas morning and for Foodie Friday with Gollum!

Christmas eve at Mama’s house is special. We’ve set the table and will have a lot of fun laughing and sharing the special season of Christmas and honor the birth of our Saviour, Jesus Christ!

I’ve got some technical issues on Mama’s computer (which being her techie daughter, I get to address tomorrow) so I’m posting some past pics that she took from a dinner they hosted as well as some from my home.  Once I get some of these technical taken care of, I’ll post more!

Merry Christmas!

What mansion would that be? The Palace on the Prairie, the Marland Mansion in Ponca City Oklahoma. My mother and her husband, Chester hosted a party for all the church staff in the Kay Baptist Association at the Marland Mansion this week. Chester is the Director of Missions for the association. They have had this event at other places before but the past few years have been at this beautiful landmark.

According to the Marland Mansion website:

The dream of oil baron E.W. Marland was to live in a palace. This magnificent mansion reflects the elegance of the affluent days of the oilman, who lived lavishly and entertained in the same style.

The Marland Mansion

This National Historic Landmark took three years to construct, 1925 to 1928. The mansion is 78 feet wide and 184 feet long, and contains 43,561 square feet distributed over four levels. There are 55 rooms, including 10 bedrooms, 12 bathrooms, 7 fireplaces, and 3 kitchens. It takes 861 light bulbs to light the mansion.

Come with me to the bottom of the Grand Staircase

Grand Staircase

There were just over 50 guest. The guests were entertained by a very talented pianist (I’ll tell you more about him before Christmas). They dined on delicious Mexican food and sang along to the Christmas Carols.

Mama took these pictures the morning of the dinner.

Isnt' it beautiful?

Lovely

The globes on tables held green and red pillar candles and were wreathed with holly. There are also songsheets on the tables for the carol-along. The napkins (which she didn’t send me a close up of) were decorated with poinsettias.

Reports tell me that a fun time was had by all. You can read more about the Marland Mansion and see more pictures on their website.

Okay, now back to my humble abode

We are having potato soup and cornbread tonight and it will be serve yourself in the kitchen!

Looks like the decorating fairy has visited my kitchen cabinets:

Here is another peek at my Swarovski Santa and sleigh:

Another look at the fireplace:

P. S. Come join us at my new Facebook page for A Southern Life. Either follow the link on the left of search for “A Southern Life” on Facebook!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Chocolate Coffee
This sounds like a yummy recipe for after a fun time in the snow (which it looks like we will have this Christmas eve!). From santaclaus.com

4 heaping teaspoons of cocoa mix
1 scant teaspoon of instant coffee mix
cinnamon

Makes one serving.

I love going out in the cold December nights to drive around and look at Christmas lights. Here are a few pics I snapped this past week:

When we got home from checking out the lights it was such a clear and beautiful night that I decided to get a picture of the stars. After I downloaded the picture, I used the auto-tone option on photoshop and it turned out like this:

I thought that was so spectacular. You can just see the tops of the trees  in the bottom of the picture. They are somewhat illuminated by a street light.

Merry Christmas eve, eve, eve!

A little outdoor red for Outdoor Wednesday with A Southern Daydreamer and Rednesday! with It’s a Very Cherry.

Today’s Lagniappe: The Best Party Mix – Ever!
My mom used to make this party mix when we were growing up. It is spicy and delicious. I think I could actually live on it (for a while anyway). You’ll never find this version in a bag at the grocery store!

1 box rice chex
1 box wheat chex
1 box corn chex
1 large bag pretzel sticks
1 box cherrios
1 lb. pecans
1 lb. cashews

1 stick of butter, melted
1 cup cooking oil
3 tablespoons tobasco
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 tablespoon garlic salt
1 tablespoon celery salt
1 tablespoon onion powder

This makes a whole lot, so you will need large pans for this.

Pour all of the chex cereals, pretzels, cherrios and nuts in a very large mixing bowl (may take more than one) Mix them up and pour them into shallow pans Mix, melted butter, oil, tobasco and all the spices together. Pour the butter mixture evenly over the cereal mixture and stir to coat.

Cook 1-1/2 hours at 250 stirring every 15 to 20 minutes.

Oh, Christmas Tree
Oh, Christmas Tree
How lovely are thy branches

For unto us a child is born,
unto us a son is given:
and the government shall be upon his shoulder:
and his name shall be called
Wonderful,
Counsellor,
The mighty God,
The everlasting Father,
The Prince of Peace.

Merry Christmas to all! Check out today’s lagniappe for never fail divinity.

Deck the Halls with Thoughts from Over the Rainbow

Home for the Holidays

Balancing Beauty and Bedlam’s Tasty Tuesday

Blessed with Grace’s Tempt My Tummy Tuesday

The Gypsy’s Corner’s Three or More Tuesday

Today’s Lagniappe:  Never Fail Divinity
I had a little trouble with my divinity this past weekend. My wonderful friend from high school Tamara Gouge Ketter sent me her recipe for Never Fail Divinity. Tamara says, “This recipe was contributed to THE NINETIES COOKBOOK by the Garvin County, Oklahoma Extension homemakers by May Lacy.  I made this for my dad who was a divinity aficionado and he loved it.” Thanks so much Tamara – no more trying to beat egg whites in the Southern humidity!

I’ve been really busy this weekend.

I’ve turned this:

Christmas Cooking Ingredients

Into this:

Christmas Goodies

Christmas cookies and candies

Now, we can enjoy time with our family with the goodies and their wonderful loving company. What could be better than that?

Metamorphosis Monday with Between Naps on the Porch

I’ll be posting Christmas things all week. Hope you’ll come back! Merry Christmas!!!

Today’s Lagniappe:  Broccoli Gratin
After all those sweets, I really feel the need for some veggies!

• 1/4 cup butter, plus more for the baking dish
• 3 tablespoons flour
• 1 1/2 cups milk
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, plus more as needed
• Pinch nutmeg
• Black pepper
• 2 pounds broccoli (about 4 heads), cut into small florets (about 8 cups)
• 1 cup grated sharp Cheddar (about 4 ounces)
• 1/2 cup fresh bread crumbs

Place a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 450 degrees F. Butter an 8-by-8-by-2-inch baking dish or an 8-cup gratin dish.

Melt 3 tablespoons of the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour until smooth. Cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Add the milk, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and nutmeg and bring to a boil while whisking constantly. Lower the heat and simmer, stirring occasionally, until the white sauce is thickened, about 10 minutes. Season with pepper. Remove from the heat.

Meanwhile, bring about 1-inch of water to a boil in a large saucepan and set up a collapsible steamer on top. Put the broccoli in the steamer and season with salt. Cover, and steam until crisp-tender, about 5 minutes. Put the broccoli in the prepared dish, sprinkle with half of the cheese and pour on the sauce. Cover with the remaining cheese.

Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat. Add the bread crumbs and cook, stirring, until lightly browned, about 2 minutes. Cover the gratin with the bread crumbs. Bake until lightly browned and bubbly, about 20 minutes. Serve immediately.

Join Chari at Happy to Design for Sunday favorites and Charlotte and Ginger at Blogger Spirit for Spiritual Sunday and enjoy your Sunday

From Christmas Day, December 25, 2008:

Luke 2:11

For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.

I am grateful for the Christ child who came to bring life and light to the world. I pray for those who do not know Him.

I am thankful for so many things. I am very thankful to have a roof over my head and a warm home. I pray for those who do not.

I am thankful for food to eat. I have been baking cookies and goodies for when the family visits. I pray for those who are hungry.

I am thankful for clothes and shoes to wear. I pray for those without.

I am especially thankful for friends and family who love me and who I love in return. I pray for those who are lonely.
What are you thankful for?
Merry Christmas!

Mama's snowman cookie jar and salt and pepper shakers

Let’s have some fun in the kitchen for Foodie Friday at Designs by Gollum and a first for me with Show and Tell Friday with My Romantic Home.

Some of the best recipes I have found come on the label of the package for one of the ingredients. I love the chocolate chip cookie recipe on the back of the Nestle chocolate chip bag. Here are a few recipes for Christmas munching from some great Southern ingredient websites.

From White Lily Flour:

Snowflake Cookies

Ingredients:
•    3/4 cup shredded coconut
•    1 cup granulated sugar, plus 2 tbsps., divided
•    1 cup butter, softened
•    1 large egg
•    1 teaspoon vanilla extract
•    3 cups White Lily® All Purpose Flour
•    1 teaspoon baking powder
•    Crisco® Original No-Stick Cooking Spray
•
FROSTING
•    9 cups powdered sugar, sifted
•    1/4 cup dried egg whites
•    2/3 cup water
•    Paste style food colors

Instructions:

1.    COMBINE coconut and 2 tablespoons granulated sugar in small food processor. Pulse until coconut is finely chopped; set aside.
2.    BEAT butter and 1 cup sugar in large bowl with electric mixer until light and fluffy. Add egg and vanilla; beat well.
3.    ADD flour and baking powder; beat on low speed to combine. Add coconut; mix to combine. Refrigerate at least 1 hour.
4.    SPRAY baking sheet with no-stick cooking spray.
5.    CUT dough with snowflake shaped cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheet..
6.    BAKE 12 to 14 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to rack to cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.
FROSTING
1.    STIR together powdered sugar and dried egg whites in large bowl. Stir in just enough water to make a spreadable consistency. Divide into several small bowls. Add coloring.
2.    BRUSH frosting on each cookie with pastry brush to coat top. Spoon remaining frosting in small decorating bag. Pipe on cookies to create designs.

From Duke’s Mayonnaise

Baked Artichoke Parmesan Dip

Ingredients

* 2 (10oz.) cans quartered artichoke hearts, well drained
* 6 ounces Parmesan cheese, grated
* ½ cup Duke’s Light Mayonnaise
* 2 tsp. Sauer’s Garlic Powder

Preparation

* Preheat oven to 350°F. Combine all ingredients and pour into a small baking dish or pie pan. Bake for 30 minutes or until top is bubbly and browned. Serve with crackers or French bread.

From Tobasco

Cheese Crisps

* 1 (10-ounce) package pie crust mix
* 1/2 cup finely shredded sharp Cheddar cheese
* 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
* 1 teaspoon Original TABASCO® brand Pepper Sauce
* Water
* Poppy seeds

Preheat oven to 375°F. Place pie crust mix in a medium bowl; stir in cheeses. Add TABASCO® Sauce to water called for in package directions and stir into pie crust mix with a fork until dough forms.

Shape dough into a disc and place between 2 sheets of waxed paper. Roll into a square about 1/8 inch thick with a rolling pin. Cut pastry into 2-inch wide strips and cut strips into triangles with a floured pastry wheel, pizza cutter, or knife. Place on ungreased cookie sheets and sprinkle with poppy seeds. Bake 5 to 8 minutes or until browned.

Makes 2 to 3 dozen.

I’m ready to do some final Christmas baking this weekend. Can’t wait for the fun!

Today’s Lagniappe: Butterscotch Pecan Cookie Mix in a Jar
A yummy gift to give from Domino Sugar

1 1/4 cups – all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon – baking soda
1/2 teaspoon – salt
3/4 cup – firmly packed Domino® Light Brown Sugar
1 cup – butterscotch chips
3/4 cup – chopped pecans

Combine flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl. Spoon into 1 quart, widemouthed canning jar. Layer remaining ingredients in order given, making sure to pack down each layer firmly. Clean inside of jar with a dry paper towel after each layer. Decorate lid by cutting fabric into a 7-inch wide square or circle. Secure with a rubber band and tie with a decorative ribbon and accents.

Attach these instructions to the jar:
In a large mixing bowl, cream together 2/3 cup softened butter or margarine, 1 egg and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla until combined.

Slowly add contents of jar and mix well. Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto greased cookie sheet.

Bake at 375°F for 9-11 minutes or until lightly browned.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies.