Charm of the Carolines

Christmas Baking

Besides cooking for our traditional family Christmas Eve dinner which will be at my brother's house this year and preparing a brunch casserole for tomorrow, I'm looking forward to delivering packages to my neighbors of baked goodies my friends Dawn, Amber, Carson and I made yesterday.

Dawn and her kids have a Christmas tradition of baking every year, and this year they let me join them. What a blast!!

We made Ginger Cookies, Russian Teacakes, Chocolate Biscotti, and Sugar Cookies with Amaretto Vanilla Butter Cream Icing. Although Dawn slowed down to make us a delicious lunch, we still snacked on Carson's homemade Chex Party Mix and their secret family recipe of Pecan Toffee Bark. DE-LISH!!!

Ginger Cookies

• 1 1/2 stick butter
• 1 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 egg
• 2 cup flour
• 2 tsp ginger
• 2 tsp soda
• 2 tsp cinnamon

 

Cream sugar, butter, egg, and molasses. Add dry ingredients. Chill overnight. Roll into small balls and roll in granulated sugar.

Bake on greased cookie sheet at 350* for about 10 minutes. Makes 100 cookies.

 

I loved that we baked these first. The aroma filled the whole house and mixed with the pine scent from their Christmas tree, the Jones house smelled like Christmas.

The next item to make is a tradition for Dawn and her family, and may be a tradition for me from now on. We baked Russian Teacakes. They are coveted!

Russan Teacakes

• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cup all purpose flour (Dawn insists on King Arthur Flour)
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts

Pre-heat oven to 400*. Mix butter, sugar, and vanilla. Work in flour, salt and nuts until the dough holds together. Roll in 1- inch balls. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 10-12 minutes until set, but not brown.

While warm, roll into confectioner's sugar. Cool. And then roll a second time in powdered sugar.

 Chocolate Biscotti

• 1 stick butter
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 eggs
• 1 teaspoon almond extract
• 2 1/2 cups flour
• 1/4 cup cocoa
• 1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 350*

Beat butter and sugar until well blended. Add eggs, almond and vanilla extracts and beat well.

Sift together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt. Gradually add butter mixture, beating till smooth. (Dough will be very thick.)

Stir in nuts.

Shape dough into 2 inch long rolls. Place rolls 3-4 inches apart on large ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake for 30 minutes. Cool. Cut rolls diagonally in 1/2 inch slices. Arrange slices cut side down and bake 8-9 minutes. Turn slices over and back 8-9 minutes.

Cool on wire rack.

Optional: Dip one end in melted chocolate.

 

We also spent much of the day baking and decorating sugar cookies.

We had an assortment of sprinkles, pearls, coconut flakes, and Amber mixed up several colors of icing for us to use in piping bags. This was my first experience using piping bags, and it was so much fun.

I had just learned a trick to putting the icing in the bag and was happy to contribute useful information to these folks who were experienced cooks. Below is the Youtube tutorial I found on Pinterest.

 

 

Amaretto Vanilla Butter Cream Icing

• 2 sticks butter
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• pinch salt
• 2 tsp vanilla
• 2 tsp almond extract
• 2-3 TBSP milk

Soften butter and cream with sugar. Add salt, vanilla, and almond extract. Add milk to create the consistency you want...thicker for piping or thinner for spreading.

Merry Christmas Ya'll!!!

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Windy Acre Cottage

I had a dream that my home was named Windy Acre Cottage. Even in the dream, I remember thinking, "It's not windy here."   Until this past weekend when we experienced two days of 35mph winds as an arctic blast dipped down into what had been the warm, sunny, south.

I love my cottage. It was home the moment I layed eyes on it years before I ever purchased it. However, there is a downside to living in a hundred year old Craftsman cottage, not the least of which are hundred year old pecan trees near it.

You may remember last year when lightning hit this tree and arced to hit my home. What a day!

Only this past Sunday was reminiscent of that day. There was another loud boom. And then there were neighbors running. Thank you Dave Rochelle for being first on the scene!!!

Question:  And what is worse than a tree landing on your car??

Answer:  A tree landing on your father's car that you borrowed while yours was in the shop.

Let me admit there was a brief meltdown. I felt so badly.

However, my Dad took it all in stride and simply said, "It's just stuff."

Within minutes the best insurance agent on the planet was at the scene helping me get the claim called in and covering the car with a tarp to prevent further damage. And although it wasn't mandated in my policy, Shelter Insurance hired a man to remove the tree, cut it up and stack it for firewood. Thank goodness! Otherwise I don't know what I would have done. The portion of the tree that fell was so heavy it wouldn't budge.

I don't know if you remember last year when Brad Paisley named his tour "H2O" and then a 1000 year flood came days before he and his band were to leave on tour?  When later interviewed Brad said that his next tour would be named "Gumdrops" or something equally wonderful if it manifested.

Here's to my next dream naming my home "Lottery Winner Manor!"

Haynes Haven

In the years since Saturn and subsequently General Motors came to Spring Hill, the auto manufacturer has helped preserve the history of the area.  In the purchase of the land for Saturn was Rippavilla Mansion which was turned over to a private group in May, 2009, along with about 100 acres so that the site could be maintained for education and historic preservation.

Now the stately white house perched on a hill by the facility, across from Rippavilla, is GM’s focus. They are restoring it to it’s previous grandeur. The project is expected to take several years.

Once known as Haynes Haven, the house was home to Colonel Jack Haynes in the late 1930s through the mid 1940s. It stands on the site of an even older home named Woodlawn built just after the Civil War, but burned in 1937. Many of the architectural pieces used to build Haynes Haven were salvaged from Woodlawn.

Haynes, owner of Haynes Haven Stock Farms, was renowned in the horse world for his prize-winning Tennessee Walking Horses, including 1940 and 1941 Grand Champion Tennessee Walking Horse of the World, Haynes Peacock.

The barn that housed Haynes Peacock still stands on the GM site and has been restored to be the company's visitors center.  The big white house perched on the hill now serves as occasional meeting space for GM, however GM is open to working with our local historical society to open it as a museum.

The front doors were salvaged from Woodlawn, the home which stood on the property before Haynes Haven.

A special Thank You goes to Kathie Fuston for the use of her beautiful photographs! Thanks Kathie!

Ladies' Soldiers Friend Society at Cragfont

 
Historic Cragfont hosted the Ladies’ Soldiers Friends Society Civil War Era re-enactment Oct. 1-2. My friend Beth participated... wore period attire, slept in a tent, and cooked meals over fire to depict life in the mid-1800s.

The society, a 40-person, nonprofit group with members from Tennessee and other states, make period items, support cemetery tours and fundraise for historic preservation projects. Beth is extremely talented, making quilts and handmade tatted lace.

Beth and other participants came to Cragfont, built in the mid-1700s, as part of their Ladies Day weekend they hold every other year. The weather was gorgeous this weekend, though nippy. Highs were in the 60*s and overnight temperatures dipped in to the 30*s. We had frost on the rooftops this morning.  I haven't spoken to Beth yet, but she's shared her pictures.

This is a hobby I have not embraced yet. As much as I love history, I also love central heat and air!

 
 
 
 
 
 
(Photos courtesy Beth Sims)

Martinmas

Recently I made a trip to Chicago and on the flight was reading a book I found in a second-hand bookstore. The book is titled Mrs. Sharp's Traditions by Sarah Ban Breathnach and it's all about reviving Victorian traditions with your family today. One celebration I had never heard of is called Martinmas. I liked the idea so much, I'm considering celebrating Martinmas this year.

According to the book, on November 11 comes the fesitval of Martinmas, a very old European winter celebration dating back to the Middle Ages. As the legend goes, St. Martin of Tours was passing under an archway when he discovered a poor beggar huddled there. It was very cold and the man was nearly naked. Although Martin was not a rich man, upon seeing the beggar, he took off his own cape and ripped it in half in order to clothe the beggar.

The following night Martin had a dream in which he saw Jesus Christ wearing his cape. Christ said, "Martin, what you have done unto the least of your brothers you have done to me, also."

Martin was so moved by his dream, he gave up his career and spent the remainder of his life helping mankind. Today he is considered the patron saint of the poor and outcast.

According to the book, in many countries November 11 is celebrated with a festival of lanterns, symbolizing the light of generosity that illuminates the darkness of lack. You have your children make the lanterns and invite family and friends over for dinner, but everyone must bring unused clothing, clean and folded, ready to donate to those in need... either to the Goodwill, Thrift Store, or church clothes closet.

It is also a tradition for the guests to bring a warm, knitted scarf, gift-wrapped to exchange with the other guests, so everyone leaves with a symbol of warmth, generosity and love to face the cold winter ahead.

The story would end here, but later the same day after reading this story, I decided to use a few free hours I had in the afternoon to take the L from Rosemont to downtown Chicago and tour a portion of the Art Institute of Chicago. What an experience! I can't even begin to describe it, but might try in future posts. The point I want to make regarding Martinmas is to have never heard of this man or this holiday, twice in one day it is revealed to me. At the AIC in the little time I had to spend there, I found a painting of St. Martin.

 

 

In my lifetime I've celebrated egg-toting rabbits and jolly ol' elves, spooks and goblins, pilgrims and turkeys. Why not celebrate light, warmth, love, and generosity?