T Stands for Movie Night

 

While Himself watched Monday night football in the living room, Quill and I made ourselves comfortable in the bedroom to watch a movie. So many movies to choose from, but what to watch?

The wind was wuthering around the eaves. A perfect night to watch Wuthering Heights (1939) starring Laurence Olivier and Merle Oberon. The movie is based on the classic by Emily Bronte and is a story of love, betrayal, and revenge.

Drop by hosts, Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s blog to find out what the rest of the T gang is up to. If you want to play, include a beverage or beverage container in your post. Don’t forget to link your blog from Bleubeard and Elizabeth’s page.

'Tis the Season

 for happy mail from Tiggy in Scotland. Tiggy made her card with a lovely robin motif. The European robins are so sweet.

For those that like to look at postage stamps, this very pretty stamp of the Magi following the star to Bethlehem.

The inside sentiment

Tiggy included information on how she printed the cards with her Letter press

Handset Letterpress

Front Cover: Block made in 1950s

Bells and Birds cast in 2016

Inside: Lead fount Madonna Ronde 36 pt cast in 1920

Song "Red, Red Robin" written in 1926

Thank you for the lovely card, Tiggy.

 

How Does Your Garden Grow?

Most of this week was spent cleaning and decorating for Christmas.

Three flocks of geese were honking as they flew over the cemetery when we brought the wreath to my parents. I caught  pictures of two of the flocks

Red sky in the morning and the lawn guy showed up and cleaned up all of the leaves.

How does your garden grow?

Saturday Morning at the Library

 When I was 5 years old, I was forced to take dancing lessons while the Brother was forced to take accordion lessons. I hated dancing class. The Knights of Columbus Hall where the classes were given had no heat or it wasn't turned on. I hated wearing the pink beginner tights. I liked clacking around in the tap shoes, but Ma wouldn't let me practice inside the house on the wood floors. I spent most of my time in class being miserable and crying. Eventually, I was taken out of class.

While the Brother still had to endure accordion lessons, Dad took me to the library. He would leave me upstairs in the children's library where I could look at the books and choose to take some books home with my own library card. As I got older, I would go downstairs to the adult library and wander among the stacks enjoying the scent of the books before going to find Dad in the reference area consulting the law books and catching up on his work.

So for the next several weeks, a list of my favorite books, some I have read as a child, others as an adult and some  I have read more than once.

This week, The Guardian by Jane Hamilton.  A story about love and redemption. A guardian angel commits the most egregious crime a guardian can commit. If you haven't read this book, you can find it at your local library or favorite bookstore.

The Friday Five Good Things

 

Five good things that happened this week.

1. Roasted chestnuts for Thanksgiving.

2. A distant cousin I met through Ancestry sent me a copy of my great aunt Angelina and her husband, Manny's marriage certificate. As I suspected, they were married in Italy not here in the US.

3. Skyped with the Eldest. She's planning on coming for a visit just after Christmas (she has to work in the lab Christmas Day) and she'll stay through New Year's Day. Color me happy.

4. Worked on Christmas card design.

5. Another year around the sun. Brought a wreath to the cemetery where my parents are buried.

How was your week?

Lambie's Cinnamon Buns

I've had requests for Lambie's Cinnamon Bun recipe. The process is not fast, but so worth it. The heady smell of cinnamon, a light and fluffy texture bun, drizzled with a sticky, sweet icing. I'm  dying just typing this. The buns can also be made and left to rise in the refrigerator overnight. Then baked the next morning. Yield 12 buns

Dough

2 1/4 tsp yeast (1 packet)

1/2 c. water

1/2 c. milk, scalded

1/3 c. sugar

1/4 c. butter, softened

1 tsp salt

1 egg

1 tsp cardamon (optional, this is Lambie's secret ingredient)

3 1/2 to 4 c. flour

Heat water and milk in microwave and let cool (Temperature should be between 110 and 115 oF)

In large bowl add milk/water, yeast, sugar. Let stand until yeast is foamy

Stir in butter, egg, cardamon, and 2 cups flour. Beat until smooth

Mix in enough remaining flour to make a smooth dough.

Knead 5 minutes.

Place in greased bowl, Cover, Let rise in warm place until double, 1 1/2 hrs.

Dough is ready if an indentation remains when touched.

Punch down dough

Buns (no need to measure the brown sugar, cinnamon, or nuts as much or as little as you like)

1/2 c. butter, softened

brown sugar (but if you need measurements, maybe 1/2  - 3/4 c.)

cinnamon (1 - 2 T.)

raisins, nuts, (optional, maybe 1/4 to 1/2 c. each)

Grease a 9 x 13 in. pan and set aside

Roll dough into a 15 x 9 in. rectangle on lightly floured surface (I pat it out with my hands)

Spread with butter be sure to leave a 1/2 in. or so border on all sides of the rectangle.

Sprinkle brown sugar

Sprinkle cinnamon

Sprinkle nuts, raisins, 

Beginning on 15 in side, roll up dough tightly

Pinch edge of dough into roll to seal

Cut into twelve 1 inch slices (You may end up with 15 buns)

Place slightly apart in greased pan. Pick up any cinnamon/sugar mixture that falls out and put on top of the buns. If you are baking the rolls the same day, skip the **** paragraph

****(If you want to bake these the next morning follow the overnight instructions from Alton Brown's Recipe:  cover buns tightly with plastic wrap and refrigerate. No more than. 16 hours. Remove the rolls from the refrigerator ( I loosened the plastic wrap) and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven. Remove the plastic wrap. Recipe for overnight method continues at ****

Cover, let rise in warm place until double, about 40 mins

Halfway through rise time, 

****preheat oven to 350 oF

Bake until golden brown, 25 to 30 min. Cool pan on wire rack

Glaze

1 c. powdered sugar

1  T. of milk (you can substitute eggnog or Half n Half for the milk if you like)

1 tsp. of vanilla extract

Mix sugar, milk, vanilla until smooth. Add a little more milk if necessary to make a smooth glaze.

Spread glaze on warm buns.

Enjoy!

Whatcha Doin?

 

All paws on deck today as we go through Ma's hope chest to pull out the Christmas curtains, table linens, and some decorations.  Whata doin?