Holiday Recipes

As promised in my last post, here are a few recipes for the holidays that make perfect gifts... to you or yours!

Orange & Chocolate Truffles

8 ounces Bittersweet Chocolate

1/3 cup Heavy cream

1 tablespoon Espresso Powder

4 tablespoons Butter

1 teaspoon grated Orange Peel

1 or 2 tablespoons Grand Marnier

Cocoa Powder for dredging truffles

Melt the chocolate in the microwave carefully. Add the cream, espresso powder, butter, orange peel, and Grand Marnier. Mix all til combined, then refrigerate for an hour.

When mixture has chilled, dust your hands with cocoa powder and roll teaspoonfuls of the mixture into balls. Dredge in cocoa powder. You may also choose to dip the truffles into melted chocolate first, then dredge in cocoa powder.

Chocolate-Raspberry Truffles (my favorite!)

In a saucepan over low heat, melt together

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

12 ounces chopped Bittersweet Chocolate

1/4 cup Butter, cut into small pieces

Add

1/2 cup Seedless Raspberry Jam

2 tablespoons Chambord

Refrigerate for about 4 hours or overnight. When properly cooled, form into balls , then dredge into cocoa powder or dip into melted chocolate.

Kahlua Truffles

In a saucepan, melt together

2 cups Chocolate Chips

1/2 cup Heavy Cream

1/4 cup Butter

1 Tablespoon Instant Coffee crystals

2 tablespoons Kahlua

Whisk til smooth, then refrigerate for at least 4 hours. Form into balls and dredge in cocoa powder.

Alright, enough of the truffle recipes! You can have fun with these three and adapt them to suit what you like by varying the liqeurs and flavorings you use! I will include two of my other favorite sweet-tooth recipes for holiday gift-giving, too! Enjoy!

Candied Orange Peel (use organic oranges!)

2 cups orange peel, sliced into 1/2 inch strips

Place peel into a pan and cover with water, bring to a boil , then drain.

In a saucepan, combine the drained peel with

2 cups Sugar and 1/2 cup Water

Heat and stir til sugar dissolves. Cook slowly til peel is translucent. Drain, then roll in granulated sugar. dry on a rack or on a parchment-covered cookie sheet. If you like, dip into or drizzle with chocolate.

Toffee

1 cup chopped Almonds

2 cups Butter

2 cups Sugar

2 tablespoons light Corn Syrup

2 cups Chocolate Chips

6 tablespoons Water

Line a large heavy baking pan with aluminum foil. Sprinkle with half the chopped almonds, set aside. Melt the Butter in a large heavy pot over low heat. Stir in the sugar, water and corn syrup. Cook over medium-high heat til mixture boils; stir and let boil for 4 minutes. Clip a candy thermometer to pan, lower heat to medium, and stir often til thermometer registers 290 degrees... soft crack stage.

Pour into prepared pan, let stand for three minutes, sprinkle the chocolate chips on top, let stand one minute, then sprinkle with the remaining nuts, pressing them into the melted chocolate. Chill and break into pieces. This makes about 1 1/2 pounds of toffee.

Christmas Tidings and A Give-Away!

Sigh... December 1st, and still no snow. I do tend to get impatient when Christmas Time is coming and there is not even a hint of snow. I remember when we were little, we would have snow at Thanksgiving... and occasionally when we were out on Hallowe'en, we'd be spreckled with snow flurries! We had more snow then than now, that's for certain!

Well, I am having another Give-Away! I have been trying to get my workshop in order (there is still SO much to be done!), and I have discovered exactly how many Rubber Stamps I possess! And whilst mom has been sewing my curtains, I've been trying to feel useful! So I will present a very primitive looking set of six Sledding Crow hang tags to one  reader, whom I will select on December 15th!

If you'd like to enter the SLEDDING CROW HANG TAG GIVEAWAY, simply send an email to WildenblueFarm@aol.com, attention Hang Tag Giveaway, and include your name and address. On December 15th, I will select a winner and will mail your Hang Tags to you!

Each grubby tag measures 2 1/4" by 4 3/4". They are stamped in red, brown and black, and feature two prim Crows on a sled. They top phrase reads "Christmas Blesses Little Hearts" and the bottom says "BELIEVE". The back is stamped with a bottom row of red hearts, and "to" and "from". I have drawn a line of "stitching" all around the tags.They are tied with scraps of red checked cotton Homespun.

Well, I just had to stop in with holiday wishes to you and yours! I'll be back in a few days with recipes for homemade truffles. They make wonderful little gifts, and you'll want some, too! Til then... remember the true meaning of this season, and that the best gift is a gift not from your wallet, but from your heart!

Thanksgiving Blessings To All

I had to stop in to wish you all a happy and peaceful Thanksgiving, and share two main reasons I've been a bit preoccupied lately...

My new granddaughter Kara, who is one week old today (congratulations Trav, Ashley and Ryan!)...

and my new grandson Tristan, who is three days old today! (Congratulations Jake, Nicole and Anthony!)

I hope to get back on track with my blog and my Etsy Shops after Thanksgiving weekend, as I haven't been very attentive to either for a few weeks. Mom has been helping me refinish furniture... she found a beautiful old pine headboard and footboard for free on the side of the road, and my dear neighbor Carol called me about a free dresser and vanity on the side of the road which my son and his wife picked up for me. I've finished the floors I had been stripping and have gotten most everything back into the two rooms I was working on. Still lots of sorting to do! Mom will come up after Thanksgiving and stitch up some curtains... red homespun in the grandbabies' room and blue for mine! (I can't sew unless I have to!) We finally got the gardens cleaned up and cut back in preparation  for winter's impending snows, and I've been trying to get my workspace in order. The barn is clean, and I'm waiting for the first real snowfall, but the weather has been unseasonably warm for that to happen!

Well, there's lots to be done tomorrow, so I'm off to bed! May you have a lovely weekend!

Thank You, Janet of Meatless Mama

It has been a chaotic week, to say the least. It began with the idea of re-doing the upstairs, with the exception of my daughter's room and the bathroom. I only wanted to repaint the two bedrooms, one of which was the computer/ storage/ packing room, which became a total mess after my oldest son moved out. I want to totally redo the bedroom, and transform the computer room into a spare bedroom for the grandbabies, as Ashley is due shortly and Nicole soon after! It started with peeling off wallpaper (thanks mom and Mandy for all your help!) to sanding and stripping the beat-up pine flooring, and now everything that was in the computer room and the larger bedroom is packed and squirreled away and I know where nothing is. Bob is coming tomorrow to do the painting, and I have weeks of sorting and moving and weeding out ahead of me, and amongst all of this, I received a phone call with devastating news about a friend from the preschool I taught at.

Thus I have been away from the computer, as it's been mostly unplugged... although I am grateful to my daughter for the use of her laptop for quick check-ups now and then! When I finally got my computer hooked back up and on today, I had a note in my email from darling Janet of Meatless Mama... please view her scrumptious recipes and very informative blog at http://www.meatlessmama.com/

I am grateful to be one of her chosen six for the Friendship Award. It was such an unexpected gift, to have a trying week, and to come on and find her little note to stop in to her blog! THANK YOU for brightening my November, Janet! I will now gladly choose another 6 charming blogs to bestow this award upon!

The rules of this award-

This award is bestowed on to blogs that are exceedingly charming.

These kind bloggers aim to find and be friends.

They are not interested in self-aggrandizement.

Our hope is that when the ribbons of these prizes are cut, even more friendships are propagated.

Please give more attention to these writers.

Deliver this award to six bloggers who must choose six more and include this cleverly written text into the body of their award.

I will pass this award to six blogs that I find exceedingly charming...
 
~Crista and her photogenic blog http://nature-as-is.blogspot.com/

~Leslie and her beeyotiful blog http://comfreycottages.blogspot.com/

~Tina's herbal blog http://theessentialherbal.blogspot.com/

~Lemon Verbena Lady's lovely blog http://lemonverbenalady.blogspot.com/

~Kristi's sweet blog  http://yeoldetavernlife.blogspot.com/

~La Tea Dah's wonderful blog http;//mycozykitchen.blogspot.com/

Now see what you've helped do, Janet?! One random act of kindness will lead to many others now! Thank you, Janet, and thank you to everyone who reads all the wonderful variety of blogs created by an even more lovely variety of bloggers! Blessings from Laura of Wildenblue Farm

It's ALL about the Pumpkin!

Well, one more week til Halloween, so I thought I'd share a few tried and true Sweet-Tooth recipes featuring Pumpkin. The first recipe was given to me over 25 years ago by my friend Rachel. It is scrumptious, and as she noted on her original recipe card, it contains 100% of vitamin A and 10% of iron per serving! My children used to love this with whipped cream straight from the oven!

Pumpkin Gingerbread

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 13" X 9" pan. Place the following ingredients in a large bowl...

3 1/2 cups Flour            2 cups Sugar

1 cup soft Butter            1/2 cup Molasses

1/3 cup Water            4 Eggs, lightly beaten

2 cups Pumpkin Puree            2 teaspoons Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Salt            1 teaspoon Cinnamon

1 teaspoon Ginger            1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder

1/2 teaspoon Cloves            1 teaspoon Vanilla

Beat well and pour into prepared pan. Bake for about an hour or until toothpick in center comes out clean. Serve with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream, and enjoy!

(I think I'll head to the kitchen and make a pan of this when I'm done here!)

I always laugh at all the jokes regarding Fruit Cake, but I love the stuff! I never met a Fruit Cake I didn't like, and this one is delicious!

Pumpkin Fruit Cake

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. In a large bowl, combine

1 cup soft Butter            2 Eggs

1 cup Pumpkin Puree            1 cup Sugar

2 cups Flour            1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda

1 teaspoon Cream of Tartar            1 teaspoon Vanilla

Mix batter together til well-combined. Then add

2 cups dried, chopped mixed fruits... whatever you like.

(This can be an assortment of any combination of dried fruits or the pre-packaged typical fruitcake citron mixture that's available at your grocer's)

1/2 cup Golden Raisins

1 cup chopped nuts (pecans, walnuts or whatever you like)

Pour into either one large loaf pan (bake this for 1 1/2 hours) or smaller mini-loaf pans. (Bake these for 50-60 minutes) til a toothpick comes out clean.

When cooled, brush about 1/2 cup of rum or flavored brandy over the loaves, if desired. Wrap in plastic wrap and let set for a week or two in the refrigerator.

Pumpkin Roll Cake

(A must-have for Sunday dinner dessert or Thanksgiving around here!)

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Spray a jellyroll pan or large cookie sheet and dust with flour. Dust a clean dishtowel with 1 tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar, set aside.

In a large bowl, combine the following ingredients...

3 Eggs            1 cup Sugar

3/4 cup Flour            2/3 cup Pumpkin puree

1 tablespoon Cinnamon            2 teaspoons Ginger

1 teaspoon Nutmeg            1 teaspoon Vanilla

1/2 teaspoon Cloves            1 Tablespoon Orange Juice

Beat thoroughly and pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes. Remove from oven and cool for 5 minutes; carefully invert onto dishtowel. Sprinkle cake with 1 tablespoon Confectioner's Sugar, roll up with towel and let cool completely. Meantime, prepare icing by creaming together

1 cup Confectioner's Sugar

8 oz. Cream Cheese

1 teaspoon Vanilla

Unroll cooled cake, frost with Icing and re-roll without towel! Sprinkle with Confectioner's Sugar.

Well, that will do for now lest we have a sugar-overload. Hope all is well with you and yours as November nears. I've been trying to catch up on things, and am pleased to say I finally got around to picking the Concord Grapes. I made two batches of jelly. I got the barn cleaned for winter... and just in time. My friend Martha called me the other day and needed a home for 5 laying hens... two were just old biddies past their prime, but what's two more mouths to feed? They're sweet little things, and followed my grandson and I about the barnyard and didn't mind being petted and carried. My daughter and my mom have given me a hand peeling off wallpaper from two bedrooms upstairs. I suppose I'll have to rent the floor sander again and re-do the floors in the upstairs hallway and three adjoining bedrooms. And we've been trying to find time to get my workshop together. And I need to get the tractor out and get the frost-blackened gardens tidied up and cleaned out in preparation for winter snows. And so on! I must go bake some Pumpkin Gingerbread now, so til next time! xox ~Laura of Wildenblue Farm
PS: My daughter wanted Pumpkin Roll instead!

Roger's Rock Trail... NOT the slide!

If you're not up to another post of another hike... just skip this one! I promise I'll be back in a few days with a recipe or two and more farm-related chitchat! But a girl's gotta take advantage of a beautiful fall day before hunting season keeps her away from the woods...

This picture shows the trail about a half-hour into the hike. We started off on a pine needle-covered path that headed uphill, and came suddenly to an abrupt steep climb over and between rocks!

My ol' hiking buddy & I headed up north for a little jaunt up the trail at Roger's Rock to check out the view of the northern part of Lake George. I will tell you straight up that we did not rock climb up the slide. Here is a link to that venture posted by someone much younger and more agile than I.... bless their heart. (I am not a spring chicken and I am afraid of heights!!! These folks are not.... http://www.summitpost.org/parent/534474/rogers-rock.html

Looking back down from where we just came from (before I got scared!)

Needless to say, we did have to manuever between, up and over many rocks on the trail we took. And I am not going to lie and say I was not afraid when we hit one steep spot in particular, and I realized that I could not retrace my steps back down on account of the fact that it was almost impossible and too steep to go backwards.

My friend told me NOT to look down, and I listened... but I really wanted to snap a picture to prove  my point. However, I daren't let go of the vise-grip I had on two rocks to reach for my camera! I was frozen briefly with panic, but quickly realized how much more humiliated I would feel when I visualized myself having to be plucked off the side of this climb via a helicopter! So the only thing I could do was keep pulling myself up! I was very relieved, and very proud of myself, when we reached the overlook!

Here is part of the trail heading back down. We had to scoot along on all fours and our backside at some points to meander through the rock passageways, as it was still quite steep in certain areas.

We did find a different way back down the trail, as you could probably have guessed because I'm typing this and am not still up on Roger's Rock! It really was a lot of fun, and I would do it again since I know what's ahead! Well, this is probably it for hiking this autumn, as big-game hunting season opens October 18th and runs til December 7th, so I'm glad we got a few in before the snow flies! Til next time!

Come along for a hike

Yesterday was a LOVELY day for a hike up Sleeping Beauty Mountain! It was cool and sunny, and the foilage was beautiful. The trails were rocky and there were a lot of switch-backs at certain points, but the view at the top was gorgeous. We ate lunch and chatted with other folks on the summit for at least two hours before we headed back down! Here are a few photographs to share...

The trail started off rocky and wet, and continued to be all the way up, with the exception of certain areas that were more or less like walking up a streambed.

Through the trees, you can just make out the peak of Sleeping Beauty.

Here, you can see the switchbacks that the leaf-covered trail makes as it zig-zags up the mountain.

This is a view from the summit looking southeast towards the mountains of Vermont and Massachusetts

And this view overlooks the northern end of Lake George... to the very left across the lake is Bolton Landing... to the right are the beginnings of the High Peaks in the Adirondack Mountain Range.

Looking again towards Vermont and New Hampshire... I believe the pointy peak towards the left is either Killington or Pico in Vermont.

Looking south towards home!

My Happy Feet!

Just wanted to share this photograph of my grandson Ryan... hope I'm entitled to bragging rights this morning! I just love this picture that my daughter-in-law sent me. She informed me the other day that he has begun to CROW! I laughed when she told me this! Whenever Ryan and I are out on a hike and we spot a crow flying overhead, I point it out to him, and tell him "Do you see the crow? They say 'Caw, Caw!" and continue on our way. I told his mommy she should be grateful we have no braying donkeys!

I am headed out shortly to hike Sleeping Beauty Mountain with a friend. I haven't done a real hike in probably three years, so I hope we make it! I've been trying to get out and enjoy the fall weather before the snow hinders me! Mom and I went kayaking the other day. It was cloudy and cool, but the colors of autumn were lovely. It looks like another gorgeous day! Hope you all are enjoying the changing seasons!

Congratulations to Leslie of Comfrey Cottages

The winner of the fresh-cut Sweet Annie Bundle is Leslie of Comfrey Cottages in Illinois! If you desire information pertaining to beekeeping, herbs, and a lovely life in general, you will want to visit her bee-yootiful blog here

http://comfreycottages.blogspot.com/

A heart-warming thank you to all... this was my first give-away, and I will hold others, as it was much fun!

Leslie, your Sweet Annie will be on its way to you in the morning's mail. I hope you are pleased with it! Primitive blessings from Laura of Wildenblue Farm