Christmas Tea Ceremony

I received a gift of

a teapot and tea

from

Jenn

for christmas.

What a great name

for the tea.

You begin by placing

the pot on a flat disc

which prevents the water from

escaping while the

tea is brewing.

Pour boiling water

gently over tea leaves

which will float freely

while brewing.

After tea is brewed

place pot over tea cup.

The cup will push up

another disc

and tea will flow into cup.

Pick up the pot and

the tea immediately

stops flowing.

I don't normally use sugar in my tea

but the gift included this bag

of rock sugar.

I put just a couple of the

little pebbles

in my cup.

The tea was perfectly brewed

and delicious.

I look forward to sharing

this tea with a friend.

Thank you Jenn.

Christmas Cheesecake

We are having a family Christmas dinner this weekend

in order to accommodate various family members'

travel on Christmas.

I have been asked to provide dessert.

I found this recipe of Betty Rosbottom on the internet.

First, I marinated dried cranberries, golden raisins, and apricots (the recipe also called for currants but I could not find any) in orange liguor for 2 hours.

I mixed one cup each of finely ground pecans, graham cracker crumbs, and confectioner's sugar in a 10 inch springform pan.



I added 8 tablespoons of melted unsalted butter, mixing it well with a fork

and packed it well with my fingers on the bottom and half way up the sides of the pan.

I placed 1 1/2 pounds of room temperature cream cheese and 1 cup of sugar into the mixer bowl beat for a few minutes until the mixture was smooth and creamy.

I added 4 large eggs and mixed just long enough to incorporate the eggs.

I drained the marinated fruits and folded them into the cheesecake mixture.

The mixture was poured into the prepared pan

and baked in a 300 degree oven for 55 minutes.

At the end of the baking time I removed the cake from the oven

and spread a mixture of 16 ounces of sour cream and 3/4 cup sugar which had been whisked together, over the top of the warm cake.

The cake was returned to the 300 degree oven for 10 minutes

and then removed to allow it to cool to room temperature.

I then decorated the cake with additional dried fruit.

The cake will be stored in the refrigerator

for 2 days before being served.

The recipe describes the cake as

rich, indulgent, and irresistible.

I sure hope so!

Merry Christmas

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We don't have any snow yet and the weather has been reasonably mild, but houses around town are beginning to be decorated. Here are a few Christmas touches I have added to our house.

Merry Christmas

Tabbouleh

Pour 1 1/2 cup boiling water over 1 cup bulghur wheat.

Add in 1/4 cup lemon juice, 1/4 cup olive oil

and 1 1/2 teaspoon salt.

Mix and let stand for at least an hour.

Note: the camera settings were incorrect for the lighting conditions. Unfortunately I did not notice this until it was too late.

Add 1 cup chopped english cucumber.




I whole bunch green onion, chopped real fine.

1 bunch parsley, chopped

I bunch fresh mint, stems removed, chopped

2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved

2 large roasted chicken breasts

cut into bite size pieces

Add 2 teaspoons salt and 1 teaspoon pepper.

Toss well

This large bowl will provide a nice lunch for several days

after it sits in the refrigerator over night thus

greatly improving the flavor.

In the meantime I will have a small sample.

Baking Bread - Some Improvement

I want to perfect this basic white bread

before I move on to whole wheat,

sourdough, and pumpernickle.

The stand mixer really makes it easier.

I use the paddle to mix the yeast, flower, salt, and honey.

I switch to the dough hook

to incorporate more flour and

to do the heavy duty kneading.

I also did some kneading by hand on a floured board.

A warm spot in the furnace room

which is adjacent to the kitchen

worked perfectly for the rising.

The loaves are a little mishapened




but oh, it was delicious eaten warm
while the kitchen still had that wonderful aroma
of freshly baked bread.






I ate the first slice with
Kate's of Maine
homemade sweet butter with seasalt.

The second slice which followed immediately
with the same butter
and strawberry preserves.

I can hardly wait to toast a couple of slices
for breakfast tomorrow.

Stop Diabetes

Ed's son, David and Mary

Mary and Vernon

Ed and Mary

We were serenaded by a marching band

as we set off for a walk around the perimeter of

Boston Common

It was an absolutely gorgeous cool morning

and the Common looked great.

We walked three times

around the perimeter of

Boston Common.