I saw this little tree on the prairie yesterday and it reminded me of a Charlie Brown Christmas. I couldn’t resist adding some decorations to it on my computer.
Wishing everyone good cheer at this time of year!
Tag Archives: Holidays
Happy Thanksgiving
Thinking of you, as I get ready for Thanksgiving …
One of my favorite recipes for Thanksgiving: Orange Carrot Soup.
… and another Bordeaux Cranberry Compote.
Don’t forget festive libations, including for designated drivers. This is my Black Tea Sangria, served over ice, with apple slices, mandarin orange slices, and frozen raspberries, then topped off with tonic water. I’m still looking for a good name for this mocktail. Have any suggestions?
Don’t forget to spend a little time in nature to get away from the hustle and bustle for preparing for the holdiays…
May everyone travel safely…
Warmest wishes to you for a most lovely holiday season!
Heart’s Desire
Rich & moist, chocolate banana muffins with dried cherries and bittersweet chocolate.
Heart’s Desire Muffins
Makes 5
3/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. granulated white sugar
1/4 c. natural cocoa
1 1/4 t. baking powder
1 t. ground cinnamon
1/4 t. baking soda
3/4 c. mashed overripe banana
1/4 c. unsalted butter, melted
1/4 c. buttermilk
1/2 c. dried cherries
1 1/2 oz. fine bittersweet chocolate, broken into small pieces
2 T. confectioner’s sugar, stirred together with a pinch of cinnamon.
Cinnamon gumdrops, optional, or desired garnish
Paper heart-shaped muffin molds*
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together flour, granulated sugar, cocoa, baking powder, cinnamon and baking soda. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, beat together banana, butter, and buttermilk.
- Stir wet ingredients into dry ingredients until no dry spots show. Fold in cherries and broken chocolate.
- Spoon batter into muffin molds. Smooth tops with the back of a spoon.
- Bake for about 22 minutes or until muffins are firm to the touch.
- Sift confectioner’s sugar blend over muffins. Garnish, if desired. Serve (either in paper molds or removed from them.)
- Available through Wilton and speciality baking supply companies.
Enjoy!
May your heart be full  of happiness this Valentine’s Day!
Christmas Goose
Getting Ready for Christmas
With less than a week until Christmas, we are all ready for holiday company. Here are a few pictures from around the B&B today.
A favorite ornament … This one survived the great-crashing-of-the-tree circa 2001. It is hung this year on a potted (living) Norwegian Pine.
Here is some fresh parsley that I have growing in the kitchen. This will go in Baked Pancetta Scallops on Christmas Eve.
Gotta have a few fresh flowers around the house, too. These are from a Christmas Party last week. There were red roses in the arrangement, but the mini-carns out lasted them. We’ll get more roses!
Seasonal decorations … I love the warm feel that they give to the house.
Willow, trying to sleep during a break between happenings.
Looking in through a window, reflecting the outside … This was the view I had earlier today while peering in at my grandparents’ tree. Our front porch (and the library across the street) reflected in the window, making for an interesting and beautiful scene.
Wishing you joy and peace around the holidays and throughout the year!
Thank you for following A Taste of Morning!
Thankful Past Thanksgiving
Thanksgiving is over and December is here, so it is time to pack away the pilgrims and the pumpkins for another year and start preparing for Christmas festivities. We had a truly delightful extended family spend their Thanksgiving with us at The Morning Star – a family that we have know through the bed and breakfast for about 15 years. For them, and for the many, many wonderful guests that we have had stay at the B&B over the last 19 years, we are thankful.
Wishing you the best as this holiday season continues …
Happy Valentine’s Day
Happy New Year’s Eve (with a Mocktail & a Cocktail)
Wishing all of my followers a healthy, happy, and inspiring 2015!
Here is a mocktail recipe and a cocktail recipe as we get ready to celebrate, with thanks, all of the good things in the year that has passed – and to toast, with joy and hopefulness, the year to come.
Berry Happy New Year (Mocktail)
Place a scoop of raspberry sorbet in the bottom of a Champagne glass. Add 3 fresh black berries. Top with flavored sparkling water.
Enjoy!
Sgroppino
Place a scoop of lemon sorbet and of limoncello sorbet in the bottom of a Champagne Glass.* Add a splash of vodka and top off with Prosecco. Enjoy!
• Sgroppini are traditionally made with lemon sorbet, vodka and Processco, but since I always make limoncello sorbet around the holidays – when I make homemade limoncello – I like to add a little limoncello sorbet to my Sgroppini. Sgroppini can also be blended for a slushy drink.
Happy New Year’s Eve! Happy New Year to Everyone!
If you entertain for New Year’s Eve, please make sure that no one who drinks will be driving.
Vintage Christmas Memories
My grandparent’s aluminum Christmas tree … sparkling with decades of happy Christmas memories.
Aluminum Christmas trees were popular in the U.S. in the late 1950’s and early 1960’s, but lost popularity after “A Charlie Brown Christmas” aired in 1965 and they were touted as being symbolic of the commercialization of Christmas. But for many of us who grew up with them, they are cherished reminders of times past.
Old Fashioned Christmas (Cocktail)
Inspired by classic bourbon cocktails such as the Old Fashioned, this cocktail has been spruced up for Christmas but still retains a pleasing balance between bitter, sweet, fruity and bourbon flavors. Cheers!
Old Fashioned Christmas
Ingredients
2 oz. Woodford Reserve or other good bourbon whiskey
1 oz. Pallini Raspicello Liqueur
1 oz. Travis Hasse’s Apple Pie Liqueur
4Â dashes Angostura Bitters
ice, for shaking
lemon peel, for garnish
Fill a cocktail shaker with ice. Add bourbon, liqueurs and bitters. Cover and shake well –  to mix ingredients, to chill the drink and to allow a little of the ice to melt. Strain into a decorative martini glass. Garnish with lemon peel and serve.
Happy Holidays!
A Taste of Morning 