Recent Readings

Ride the Dark Trail

How To Listen To and Appreciate Jazz

Zip, Zip... Homework

My Feet

The Sackett Brand

Twilight

"Just Wait Till You Have Children of Your Own!"

J.K. Rowling (biography)

Jungle Scout

Portuguese Irregular Verbs

TitaniCat

The Animals Came Two by Two

The Sacred Quest

The Tales of Beedle the Bard

Waylander

Paul of Dune

Warriors: The Darkest Hour

The Lost Scrolls

As Luck Would Have It

The Golden Crown

Little Brother

New Moon

Tales From the Perilous Realm

Warriors: Fire and Ice

Warriors: Forest of Secrets

Warriors: Rising Storm

Wuthering Heights

Warriors: A Dangerous Path

Warriors of Cumorah

Heretics of Dune

Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone

Amadi's Snowman

Natalie and Naughtily

My Chincoteague Pony

The Christmas Memory Quilt

Critter Sitter

Warriors New Prophecy: Midnight

Lila and the Secret of Rain

Warriors New Prophecy: Moonrise

Warriors New Prophecy: Dawn

Education of A Wandering Man

Warriors New Prophecy: Starlight

Tower of Thunder

Warriors New Prophecy: Twilight

Ender's Game

The Modern Magi

Warriors New Prophecy: Sunset

Power of Three: The Sight

December 2008 Food Co-op

Food Co-op for December $14 Half Share:
2 lbs. chicken breasts (boneless, skinless)
1 lb. lean ground beef
1 2-lb bag whole carrots
2 grapefruit
3 Utah red onions
6 Gala apples
1 bunch celery
1 carton mushrooms
5 bananas
1 lb bag black beans
1 loaf Stone Ground Artisan Wheat Loaf

Back to regular mundane posts. Enough with the candy! (besides, I'm sure there will be more candy in a few days)

Just for comparison, here was the offering for the Harvest Share $14:
1 5 lb. bag Yukon Gold potatoes, 3 grapefruit, 2 bunches celery, 4 Utah red onions, 2 2-lb bags whole carrots, 8 Gala apples, 1 carton mushrooms, 6 bananas, 3 avocados, 1 lb bag black beans and 1 loaf Stone Ground Artisan Wheat loaf.

And the Standard share $23:
2 lb Eye of chuck beef pot roast, 2 lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts, 4 4-oz center cut pork chops, 1 5 lb. Yukon Gold potatoes, 2 grapefruit, 1 bunch celery, 2 Utah red onions, 1 2-lb bag whole carrots, 5 Gala apples, 1 carton mushrooms, 4 bananas, 1 1-lb bag black beans, and 1 loaf Stone Ground Artisan Wheat loaf

Orders for January are due by Friday January 9th. For more information go to www.foodco-op.org

Part 9 Gingerbread Finale (We make our own!)

After seeing so many wonderful examples of gingerbread houses at the Festival of Trees, we were able to make and decorate our own gingerbread houses. I awoke early to make the houses with enough time for cooling before assembly. We were using molds loaned to us from my uncle and with my aunt's recipe, we were able to make three houses. The mold needed is John Wright Gingerbread House Cookie Pan 14-in and can be found at Amazon for around $26. For assembly I made sugar glue for the first time. Hence the burnt dark brown/black sugar glue for the first house. After using up the first batch of sugar glue, I attempted another batch, watching it more closely and taking it on and off the heat as it started to melt, while stirring with a wooden spoon. This second batch came out to a golden amber and tasted quite yummy from the little drizzles that we enjoyed after they cooled.
At a family party we decorated the houses. And here is Eva's beautiful gingerbread cottage with a frosting door.
Sarah went with a pink and red theme for her gingerbread cottage. They both included a lot of gummy bears with a few fish.
So this ends the series on Gingerbread for now.
Note: Sugar glue is merely melted sugar. Measure 1 cup sugar into a heavy pan and place over high heat. Stir occasionally at first and then constantly near the end - taking on and off the heat as needed to keep the syrup amber and not dark brown or black. Do not attempt to make sugar glue unless you have previous candy making experience since the syrup is far hotter (350-365 degrees F) than boiling water (212 degrees F) and can result in third degree burns. It requires a lot of patience and caution-definitely do not have children around while gluing the houses. Do a line of sugar glue on the base and then place the smoothed bottom of the wall onto the glue and hold until stable. Repeat with remaining walls. Drizzle sugar glue down the seams of the walls to seal together. Once the walls are assembled and the glue has hardened (about a few minutes) drizzle glue on the tops and apply roof pieces. Drizzle more glue along the top ridge of the roof to seal the roof together.

From Farmhouse to The Big Apple to North Pole Gingerbread Part #8

# 1 Thatched Roof Farm House
People celebrate Christmas from all kinds of habitations including farmhouses.#2 The Big Apple
And they celebrate in the cities with advertisements on buildings for Target and Coca-cola. And let's not forget movies like Twilight-does there seem to be a small fad for Edward Cullen among the gingerbread makers this year?
#3 North Pole Sweets
And what is something that they celebrate? Why, sweets! And some of the best sweets come from the North Pole.
(Please know that this is the materialistic and commercial celebration of Christmas-the birth of the Saviour of the World is the meaningful part and the focus of our lives but I think we are also here to enjoy things and the Festival of Trees is very enjoyable. Plus the Festival of Trees along with the accompanying gingerbread houses and wreaths and play cabins and other trappings represent a beautiful example of charity at work of helping others by raising money through donations and volunteers for Primary Children's Hospital.)

Part 7 From Gingerbread Cottages to Castles

#1 Janie May's Cottage
I really like the stone foundation and pretzel tree.#2 Castle (sorry, I didn't get the name in the picture)
How many turrets are on this gingerbread castle?

Gingerbread Christmas Part #6

# 1 The Christmas Village
Traditional style gingerbread houses with candy canes and gumdrops and mints.#2 Christmas Carousel
Unique design and artful use of gingerbread reindeer.
#3 Kalahari Christmas
A generally warmer climate makes for a less insulated Gingerbread house although it can get below freezing in the winter in the Kalahari.