Coon Bars and other baking

Our power was out for 50 minutes this morning, early!

(I was up already! 6 AM...!)... thank God it went back on! 

I had baking to do!

I baked mint brownies! 

After this, my beloved Husband came in singing happy birthday to me 

and had a bag with these gifts for me! I have the best Husband! 

(Since my birthday was last Saturday and we were still in Michigan, 

we waited until now to have gifts. .!)

Annual VNA garage opening of cans that were in storage to be sure of no bugs! 

A batch of various stationary paper, a cute basket and a lovely journal

 that I think I will use as a daily thanksgiving journal like I have done in past years!

I also got some cookbooks and Christmas kid books! 

 I had fun rearranging my cookbooks! 

I am realizing how much I love pasta and pizzas during fast seasons... 

So was excited to see that my W-S book on Italian food had a lot of 

vegan options for fasts... 

Cleo I think was more undecided in the topic :)

This was a rainbow up high in the sky that I saw a few times 

when we were flying back home to NJ yesterday! 

I've had a 30$$ gift card for Williams-Sonoma for 4 years.... 

saw these two things on sale, 

with the gift card I only had to pay 12.62 more for the 2 pans! 

Future Christmas baking awaits, God willing!

I wrote this earlier about the lemon bars I made:

On Friday my Grandma told me of my +Aunt Karen's creamy lemon bars (my Mom said she called them Coon Bars as the Raccoons liked them! and I remember my Aunt Karen talking about Coon Bars) ... so... when I realized that I did not have either the cake mix with pudding (don't know if that is made anymore...) for an orange cake that sounded good, I was going to make a cinnamon cake instead, with yellow cake mix that I had (time is of essence right now) but no instant pudding in house or at corner stores when my Valiant Husband went to look. So then I thought of my Church spiral bound cookbook section (I have two narrow bookshelves with cookbooks) and sure enough, a cookbook I got years ago from my Sister and brother-in-law had the 'lemon gooey bar' (as it was called there) recipe. Then I called my Mom and she corrected me on some points (the recipe said 1 cup of powdered sugar but I was sure my Grandma said 1 LB of it and I was right in that my Grandma DID say so) and then I double checked a similar recipe online and added 5+tbs of lemon juice to the cream cheese topping as it was not a lemon cake mix and I really wanted the LEMON taste in it! So now a double batch is in the oven. I say that this is a very much a family group recipe and event even though I was alone making it... yet my +Aunt Karen, my Grandma, my Sister and my Mom were all involved and that makes me very happy!!!

I also baked one batch of brownies that I melted half a box of Andes chocolate mints on top of (once they were out of the oven), which was an idea stolen from the chocolate mint cookies that my cousin M. makes. So all in all, my baking had many family MI connections! Even the cookbook my sister gave me was from a church in Michigan...

***

Tonight I read more of Tolkien's letters to Mr. Husband.

So lovely!

I did at least 2 loads of dishes in the dishwasher today! 

It was a very busy day with baking, making meals for us to eat

and getting the VNA things out, etc.

But it was a good day.

I also did paperwork (20 minutes of work) for Mr Husband.

We still have some unbloggable stuff to face in the coming months and weeks

and ask your prayers.

Tomorrow I hope to bake cookies and have enough to have a baked gift for everyone...

It's tricky to know when one has enough, esp as our church is growing.

I really want to do the tea gift too but that may have to wait till next week, 

we will see.  I have not checked the vanilla I am making either...

Well, one thing at a time, right? 

I have a bit more wrapping to do as well, plus I want this house clean and ready to go...

so a lot to do but praying that God continues to give me the strength and that

we don't get sick, as we have in years past between now and summer!

***

I keep hoping that one of the 12 days of Christmas will be a 'veg out' day for me

and that I can have rest.

Next week is already seeming very full, start to finish, but we will see.

But the week after seems to have some wide open spaces so hopefully

I will be able to do some resting then!

***

May God bless each of you and help us in all we are facing and doing!

Monday ~ Feast Day Blessings and thanksgiving

Thanksgiving list! 

1. We were able to go to liturgy today! My Oma passed away 6 years ago and it is so meaningful to be in church on this day 

2. My Husband is my valiant Best Friend. 

3. So I have had reports that the cardamon cake I baked (The one with more sugar) was quite good. I am hoping next week to try a yellow coffee cake with cinnamon and cardamon.

4. Seeing kids at church being happy at church and playing church (today again a little young boy was play priest, holding up his book, etc, it was so so dear). 

5. Husband and I stocked up on a few things we needed at the grocery store and that's always a blessing. 

6. Laughter and good humour.

 7. St. Nicholas day (new calendar) is soon!!! (I do it twice here, one can never have enough of St Nicholas day in my book!).

8. A dear friend sent me a card with a beautiful magazine with an article by

beloved Mat. Rebekah!

Whoosh: Patrick, baking and blizzard preparations + prayer request

I woke up to the Blizzard Watch being a Blizzard Warning for

our part of New Jersey and for NYC.

I've been working on prep since Saturday, when I made a soup.

Today I got my baking done.

2 tins of vegan! chocolate chip cookies;

two loaves of bread + 6 rolls;

4 small tins of Koek, 1 medium, 1 large.

I moved veggie burgers, English muffins, batteries up

from our garage freezer as we have no indoor door to it

and the snow may block us from getting in, etc. 

I have jars of filtered water; we filled the tub

for toilet flushing, if we lose power;

we have lots of wool blankets; Mr Husband bought a 

hot water bottle, as if we lose power but not gas, we will

still have our stove top to heat water.

Mr Husband bought gauze and medical tape...

he burned his wrist when he put it over the 

electric kettle that does not whistle and had 

steam coming out of it; it's a second degree burn, 

blistering... it does not hurt him now, but was quite painful last night.

We have a shovel upstairs if needed; 

we could get up to 24 inches of snow.

I ordered a new phone battery bank (a portable charger for the phone) on 

Saturday and impressively Amazon delivered it the next day...

we have an older phone charger as well, both are charged,

our phones are charging, my digital camera batteries are charged...

We have done everything we can think of...

We will see what happens.....

***

We were at Patrick's after church,

we worked the afternoon and evening,

with a nice dinner break.

We ended up not getting home till 10 PM,

then my Husband had his wrist burnt,

after we were putting away the things that we brought from

Patrick's home; it was a good but intense (emotionally) time.

The beautiful lamp in the picture above is from Patrick's study.

It's such a treasure; we worked on the kitchen a bit and 

I was given a beautiful silver coloured bread basket, some

kitchen things and some baking tins.

I treasure them and have used the two bread tins 2x already today.

It feels like such a good way to honour and love Patrick,

as we miss him and keep praying for him...

I can't stress what a special time yesterday was for us...

***

So, Mr Husband got home, was doing fine, we had dinner,

did some things, (Koek baking for me!), and then did our prayers.

And then I found out that for the last hour or so, my dear Husband's

throat has been sore.

This really worries me.... he got the flu last March, in Lent,

and it began with a sore throat.

He went to bed already with it still being sore.

He had his first full time week last week...

as you may remember, he was sick full time 5 weeks and then

on half time 2 weeks... for flu and subsequent illnesses. 

***

Please pray that he (and myself) do not fall ill...

***

We are as ready as we can be for the storm that is coming.

Now we pray and wait. 

***

I am remembering again the three prayers Elizabeth Goudge writes of:

Lord I adore

Into Thy Hands

Lord have mercy.

Baking the Red Wine + Chocolate Cake

Deb's Red Wine Chocolate Cake. 

Notes: I used a very inexpensive small bottle of red wine for this.

Extra egg white went into a fried egg for lunch,

I sifted all the dry ingredients other than the baking soda, baking powder and salt. 

The topping I do not have a picture of, 

but I made the whipped topping of heavy cream and mascarpone cheese.

It would of been good with a chocolate frosting as well, like Lisa did,

or with a cream cheese + heavy cream + powdered sugar icing, whipped.

It was enjoyed by all and did not survive till Sunday!