Odds and Ends

I have been busy, but I am pretty sure everyone else out there is busy to. This is the month of madness. The month where we spend to much time energy and money busily trying to get that one thing or trying to get from place to place in record time...honestly certain aspects of this holiday I hate. I want simpler, quieter and calmer moments. Time to reflect, time to relax, to be able to enjoy the moments with family and friends. I keep telling myself that next year things will be different...I will find the time for all the quiet things...sigh.

The tree is up and this morning I wrapped and put the first of few gifts under it. For some people it is the amounts of gifts under the tree. This years gift for me is four-legged and healthy, and that is all I really care about this year. Shockingly, the chupacabra a.k.a. Katsu is ignoring the tree and it's many wonderful glass and hand beaded ornaments...so far not one casualty. (Side note the tortie kitten in the house (Willow, Bean or Willowbean) has decided to play the role of "The Grinch" this year by stealing Christmas and running off with every single bow I just stuck to every single package...Oye!).

I had my Christmas cards done, addressed and in the mail the first week of December. I am very proud of myself for that. I send out about 30+ card per year, and I never seem to get more than a handful from family and friends. Christmas cards are a old time tradition that I love to do. I love getting cards in the mail it puts a smile on my face and I like to think that my cards put a little smile on friends and family faces as well.

One more note about Thanksgiving and pie...I love pie, and one of my favorite is pumpkin pie. We have it every Thanksgiving, and maybe once or twice before and after Turkey Day. One of the reasons my pumpkin pie is so good is the love I bake into it...o.k. maybe it is a little more than love...haha.

First you start with some lovely pie pumpkins and a sharp knife.

Cut them down into manageable chuncks.

Use that handy dandy tool that you used when making Jack O Lanterns way back in October...if you can find it...check the junk drawer in the kitchen...under the unwound roll of dog poop bags...that is where you will find it. Scrap out the goop you don't want. Peel the skin from the pumpkin with a sturdy vegetable peeler.

Steam those big chunks of pumpkin until nice and tender.

What a gorgeous color!

Then puree the pumpkin in your food processor until you get a nice smooth consistency. Then after the pumpkin cools completely measure it out (It takes a cup of pumpkin for an 8 in. pie) and place in containers to freeze and use later.

Well the next step in making merry around here will be putting the finishing touches on on the gifts...if Willow ,the Krampus's handmaiden, will let me, and making the Christmas cookies for home and work. I have selected the three that I will be making so things should go smoothly.

K.B. shopping yesterday was fun always is, and we will have to do it again after the holiday madness subsides...Jan 25th...hehe. Lets start with Donuts...you know where.

Ameretti Cookies (Not just for Christmas)

This first time I had these delicious cookies was when I a temp receptionist for a major company in my chosen home town. The company had a Christmas Cookie competition and this cookie beat mine out. fortunately for me I was friends with the baker of these tasty tidbits and I got the recipe.

Super simple to make these cookies are a hit no matter where you take them. They are gluten free and nobody will know it because they taste amazing. The flavor for me reminds me of the brown crust on top of a homemade angel food cake not only in texture but flavor as well.

This is my go to cookie recipe when I am having someone over for coffee or tea and I have forgotten to ask them "are you gluten free?" which anymore seems to be one of the standard questions when having people over for any type of food.

Your guests will think you went to a ton of trouble making these delicious morsels. When in all actuality you will have spent maybe 30 min. in the kitchen, which is another reason they are so perfect you can make them up an hour before company comes and they will still be really fresh.

The recipe for these wonderful cookies is: 1 cup granulated sugar 1 (7-ounce) package almond paste (not marzipan) 1 teaspoon amaretto (almond-flavored liqueur) 2 large egg whites 1/4 cup turbinado sugar, and the mixing and baking directions are as follows: Preheat oven to 350°. Place granulated sugar and almond paste in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until almond paste is broken into small pieces. Add amaretto and egg whites; beat on high speed 4 minutes or until smooth. Chill batter for 20 minutes. Drop batter by teaspoonfuls 1 inch apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets. Sprinkle evenly with turbinado sugar. Bake at 350° for 10 minutes or until edges of cookies are golden brown. Cool completely on pans; carefully remove cookies from parchment. Cool on wire racks. You can also find this exact recipe at Cooking Light.