Best Gingerbread houses ever

This year I did two gingerbread houses: One for my friend Gulzat(her first ever real gingerbread house) and another for me.  Hers was a traditional one but mine turned out really modern and I think is the best one I have ever made.

Gulzat's house had a chocolate sugar roof complete with Santa's sleigh and reindeer with Santa in the chimney.  She decorated the rest with tiny gingerbread ornaments and a family complete with a sister that her son Daniel is wishing for someday.  She's showing it off to all her friends and getting many compliments:)

I decided to make a taller house this year and I cut out some round windows instead of all square.  I covered it with cinnamon sticks on the sides, black licorice on the back and Hershey's chocolate bars on the front polka-dotted with various candies.  The roof is frosted Mini Wheats with Rudolph on top. It kind of looks like a bank to me.  What do you think? I also stayed up until 2am the night before making a chocolate tree and Santa.  Everyone comments that he looks like a black Santa, but it was either that or albino, so I chose the dark chocolate and I think he's fabulous!

New Christmas Treat:Toffee

 My favorite: Dark chocolate on bottom, toffee, white chocolate with sliced almonds and TC

I know it's been a long time.  I've been busy traveling all over the globe and we're still on the run, but here is my favorite new treat over the holidays....toffee.  It's super easy and looks fancy.  This is the recipe you get when you search for "best toffee ever" on Allrecipes.com.  I added a generous tsp vanilla in with the sugar and butter and chocolate on the bottom with a various assortment of nuts along with, what other than, toasted coconut. 

Our three kinds: Milk chocolate with pecans, dark chocolate with ground almonds and the above mentioned.

Ingredients:

2 cups butter 2 cups white sugar 1/4 teaspoon salt

2 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 cup finely chopped almonds

Directions:

1.	In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar and salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color, and the temperature has reached 285 degrees F (137 degrees C). Stir occasionally.
2.	While the toffee is cooking, cover a large baking sheet with aluminum foil or parchment paper.
3.	As soon as the toffee reaches the proper temperature, pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet. Sprinkle the chocolate over the top, and let it set for a minute or two to soften. Spread the chocolate into a thin even layer once it is melted. Sprinkle the nuts over the chocolate, and press in slightly. Putting a plastic bag over your hand will minimize the mess.
4.	Place the toffee in the refrigerator to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container.

My sister Lucy with our precious cargo...that we couldn't eat or taste until Sunday, our treat day.  I think we made this on a Monday too, so we waited all week long to try it and it was delicious!

Dilly Bean and pickled peppers

I just did my first pickled peppers and dilly beans the other day. I didn't realize how easy it was to pickle things, but I'm not sure how much I really like pickled things.  I have to say I like the sweet pickled stuff more than the dill pickled stuff, but nonetheless I really enjoyed not having to give away the peppers and beans we picked at the farm before we left on our California trip.  Basically this is what you do...

Stuff beans or peppers in a sanitized jar
put in a couple cloves of garlic and some dill
pour in hot a vinegar solution of 2.5 cups vinegar and 2.5 cups water with 1/4 cup salt.  Add 1 cup sugar if desired.
close jar and either process in boiling water or stick in the fridge

That's it. You should try it!

Georgie's Cherries

Kids in front of the tree with the pie

Many of you know that when our son died we planted a sour cherry tree in our yard to remember him by.  We planted it in the early early spring and it was not expected to have cherries on it that year but it totally did.  We had enough cherries to make one pie for the previous two years and now this year our sour cherry tree produced enough cherries for TWO cherry pies.  We made this one and have quite a few more frozen in our freezer for one more.  Henry also enjoyed picking many of them and sharing them with his friends.  I think we may have had enough for three pies but the bugs, birds, and babies got to them first!

Close up of pie in my new bakeware pan.  Thanks Gammie!

We love everything about our sour cherry tree...the million blossoms in the spring, watching the little cherries ripen and seeing all the red cherries plump up.  They are very tart to eat right off the tree, but it reminds us of Georgie and the pain we still feel with his absence, but then we whip them up into a delicious pie and it turns into our most favorite desert.  I am grateful for his presence in our lives and we think of him daily and we will always remember him every time we see a sour cherry tree and are reminded of how sweet our reunion will be when we taste our delicious pie. 

The pie in front of the tree.  See all the cherries left over?

Bea snacking on the cherries on the lower branches.

Thought this was a cute shot.  We love our cherry tree.

Favorite new treat...Kale?

Yes, I said it.  Kale is my favorite new treat.  I have been getting all sorts of strange things in my CSA(community supported agriculture) box that I have had to find new recipes for and I was really afraid I wouldn't find a good recipe for my giant bunch of kale.  I looked up a recipe online and this one got four stars and I totally agree.  My kids were eating these and Bea was asking for "mo' mo' mo'!"

Kale Chips

Cut the stems out of the kale and cut the leafy part up into bite sized pieces,
Lightly coat the kale in olive oil and spread them out on a few cookie sheets.  Don't pile too much on one sheet.
Sprinkle with seasoned salt or any herb/salt mixture you like.
Bake in an oven at 350 for ten to fifteen minutes until crispy but not burned.  Watch them carefully!
Enjoy! And you will.  I promise.

How do I have time for this?

I'm already trying to get back into the things I did before having Clementine.  I enjoy doing just about anything crafty or sporty.  I still have three weeks before I can hit the treadmill and work myself into the ground to get in shape.  Until then I'll stick with crafting.  This is the latest thing inspired by some really cute barrettes that were sent to me by my friend Sarah.  It only took about an hour to make all these. 

Basically I got a bunch of different colors of felt, buttons, and little flippy clips, sewed them together(you can hot glue them together if you want) and then glue the clip on and they're done.  You can get pretty creative. 

Arugula Rocket

Justin is obsessed with Arugula.  I grew a bunch in planter boxes this year and it is doing great.  We have been eating bruschetta (officially pronounced bru-SKET-ta in case you were wondering) any time we can.  Justin toasts the bread either in the toaster or over the grill, then we lightly rub a clove of garlic over one side, drizzle with olive oil, sprinkle with kosher salt and then add toppings.  Our favorite is parmigiano cheese and arugula on top.  Sounds really simple but it's pretty incredible, especially if you get good bread.