Fridays Fun Food

 Bacon Delights

So these were a new discovery for us this Christmas.  Every  Christmas Eve 24th we have a gathering of family and friends late afternoon before church full of appetizers, light foods , warm candle light  and lots of love.   These are very simple to make and can be done way ahead frozen then reheated and serve.  My boys particularly thought they were the bomb as they like to say but then again any thing is better with bacon. 

So you need Club Crackers or something similar- they are a light butter cracker.  

Grated Parmesan Cheese  3/4 cup

Bacon  - any type will work, about 1 pound makes one sleeve of crackers

Brown Sugar  3/4 cup

Baking sheet, (Parchment, foil or silipat mat will make cleanup easier), Cooking rack

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees F
2. Set up your baking sheet with cooling rack and surface to collect grease.
3. get all your crackers out
4. Cut your Bacon in 1/2 so the strips are short
5. Having grated cheese in shallow dish with a small teaspoon is handy
6. Same for Brown sugar
7. Grab a cracker and put either brown sugar or cheese on it, then wrap if with the slice of bacon and place it on your cooling rack.
8. Repeat until all are done.
9. Put in the 250 degree oven for 2 hours.
10.  I then froze them in double plastic bags to use whenever I want or need to.

Yes that is a long time but with the bacon cooking slowly all the ingredients in the middle  does not cook out.  the bacon shrinks around the cracker.  It works out really well.

*** Pioneer Woman Ree Drummond has  this in her  cook book Pioneer Woman cooks for the Holidays. 

Christmas Tree Thoughts . . . .

Do you prefer live or artificial trees? Cut-your-own or pre-cut?

we always get a Cut your own.  We started this when the property that we border on 

One of my favorites

"My grandma made this many years ago"  " I love all the handwork and therefore love that went into it"

"a new ornament for 2015" 

What is your favorite ornament?

Are there any special tree-trimming traditions your family follows each year?
  We try to get it up just after Thanksgiving, each child puts on their own ornaments, my husband does the lights. 

When do you put it up and when do you take it down?

Colored lights or white lights?

 We put it  up the weekend after Thanksgiving, we take it down in January as we can. 

This year we have white lights but sometimes it is multi colored. 

- See more at: http://dawnathome.typepad.com/by_sun_and_candlelight/#sthash.oTzvYevq.dpuf

Fabric Garland . . . .

So here is another little project . . . . a string of 50 White lights with fabric strips tied between them .
Strips are 6 inch long bu 1 inch wide and there are 7 strips between each 2 lights.  It was an easy mindless task, I did not give great thought to what strips went where.  It is looking great in our kitchen window.

Cat antics . . .

“Have patience with all things, but, first of all with yourself.”

—Saint Francis de Sales (1567-1622)
Roman Catholic Saint

This is after Thanksgiving and after the kids left for college- I was trying to have patience as I do not want cats sleeping on my table . . . . she must have been plum tuckered out as this is not a regular spot for Maggie.

Sights of the Season . . . . .

Christmas is the season of light.

Thanksgiving 2014

So many things to be thankful . . . . good food, family, warm house, health, jobs, college kids at home. . . . Winter weather, feeding chickadees by hand.  . . . .  especially glad for wood cook stove- 2nd oven for pie baking . . . . Hoping to be present on this here ole blog more in December . . . and hoping that every one had a Happy Thanksgiving.  Blessings to all.

Throwback Thursday . . . .

Cape Cod, 4th of July very hot day probably like 2001 or 2002

                             Sitting by the edge of the road waiting for the Parade.

Memorial Day 2014

Before the Parade!

View from the Hammock -dappled sunshine, gentle breeze, summer's coming!

Sweet Scones and Doughnut Muffins on the deck with Tea of course

The current Read . . .

After breakfast with Korean War Veteran Grandpa Bob

Every year the boys march with Scouts from in Town to the cemetery, where a short ceremony will take place, the Middle school band will play a few numbers, the Legion will lay a wreath and fire some shots. We give thanks for the Veterans of today and of yesteryear for those that remain with us and for those that have passed on.  We can have this public ceremony to thank them today because of their service to protect our freedoms- you only need to watch World News this week to see how precious those freedoms are.
                   We went out for Breakfast afterwards and got my Dad to tell a few stories.   He served in the Korean Conflict in Sapporo, Japan on the Island of Hokkaido in the National Signal Core as an Interceptor. He listened to Morse Code during all of his shifts and translated it.  He told us on the boat ride over- he did not have a job.  He was in the middle of about 5 berths deep for sleeping and his head was by a water fountain and frequently he would get sprayed while sleeping.  On the return trip he worked in the on-board bakery. " oh we made jello and pie bars for the men in big sheets"  " we used some steam to cook the jello until we found out it was not safe"  "The officers and their wives got real round pies. We had a little cooking area and we cooked eggs or things if we got hungry, it was a good job"  He served there for 3 years.  I would love to interview him and record it on video- these times and stories are fading fast.   Happy Memorial Day to one and all.  We are blessed.

Flag Planting 2014

Every Year the Scout Troop Plants about 400 flags on the graves of veterans in our towns cemetery.   They range from recent to back into the 1700's.  They first search to  find the veterans correct resting spot. Plant the flag, stand at attention and then give the veteran a salute.  We had about 4 teams working and it takes about 2 hours. A job well done, memory not forgotten.  This instills wonderful civic inspiration in today's youth.

Happy May Day- Throwback Thursday . . .

Happy May Day- Throwback Thursday . . . .

 Wall Paper May Baskets . . . flowers cut from the garden, hang them on the neighbors door, ring the bell and run . . .oh so much fun . . .but in 2014 this no longer happens.  My babies have grown up  and out of this tradition until perhaps they have babes of their own... we will still celebrate here at Chestnut Hill but just not in the same way.  I can see by this picture that the garden was much further along 6 years ago when this was taken.  it has been a cold, damp snowy spring here this year.  Still looking forward to some warm sunny days but not this week- lots of rain . . .  So Happy May Day to you!!!

Easter 2014

the bunny came!

Asparagus Cheese Tart

Doughnut Bread Pudding

After dinner walk in nearby park- on a ridge Trail

Eggs 2014

Love all the bright colors!!

  A few of the things that made Easter special.  We stayed home and caught up on some much needed yard work, some had not had attention for well over a year. We searched for Easter baskets, dyed eggs, went to church and Maundy Thursday  service, had a brunch and went for a nice walk afterward, it was close to 80 that day and as i write this- we are expecting snow overnight . . . .will it ever end???  Hoping that everyone enjoyed Easter  and all the joy that it brings with it.

Whats Happening on the Hill ?

                Well life is as full as ever. We have 2 kids that are in the college application process, one as a freshman and one as a Jr. transfer student. That means we as parents are busy with FASFA forms . . . So essay proof reading, support, application fees . . . mid-terms, starting a new semester, buying books . . .all are part of everyday life right now.

                  The weather here on the hill can best be described as blustery and bone chilling. We have had so very many days that start below zero with wind chills in the -25 region than I can remember. Living on a hill the snow is driven across the yard and drifts in to the driveway. Some years we put up a snow fence but it does not really help all that much. The wood stove is warm and cozy but the almost 200 year old house is very drafty. This time of year it is good to be the knitter and quilter in the house. Everyone needs or wants something.

Seasonal decorating keeps us inspired, this has now changed to red and valentines :> :>

Our feathered friends are gracing our feeders and we try to be diligent about keeping them in food and water. This is a white breasted Nuthatch.  They love to cache seeds that they take from the feeders.

This is a rosy breasted Nuthatch, smaller but still a lovely bird.

This is our old wood stove, it is an Irish wood cook stove and it came with the house.  The large door on the right is the oven. The firebox for wood is the small door on the upper left.   We cook on the top - great for stews and soups and we cook in it. Wood heat is such a comforting heat.  We do thankfully have alternative heat - baseboard hot water especially with this winter, but the first year we were here - this was all that we had.  There was many a night coming home from work to sit in my coat, sipping hot cocoa and watching my cold breath.

We have been having a lot of fun listening to  and following the Syracuse Orange Basketball Team.  They are 24-0 right now and every game is a close one.  Because of our rural area we only get one TV station and it does not have SU basket ball or the Olympics- boo hoo but we are trying to make do with using the computer.

 So that is a little picture of everyday life here on the Hill.

Edna's Christmas

Edna our 8 year old Yellow Lab knows exactly what Christmas morning means.  Ever since she was a puppy she has seemed to know that under the tree would be something for her.  This year she stole the show over the 3 teens in the house.  She got in the living room and right away she started looking, nosing and smelling everything, definitely wanting the first gift for her before anyone else.  She loves to poke her nose in the wrapping in order to get it off.  Her reward with this one was a stuffed Moose. Edna is very good to her toys, she does not rip them apart but plays nicely with them and they seem to last forever.  She stayed right in by us and the tree all morning. Merry Christmas Edna, Merry Christmas everyone!