Christmastide:MLK Weekend Tuesday - Gingertopia

Tuesday, January 21, 2025

Yep, pretty darn cold this morning. Good thing they called off school. 

Dale's workplace was closed for the money so he worked. from home. Sylvester was very active this morning and started to terrorize Dale while he was trying to work on the computer. The little guy finally settled in behind Dale's computer and calmed down. 

Dale's building opened up in the afternoon so he decided to go in and get a little more work done. I decided to have a cigar upstairs.

And a little port.  

Afterward I got some reading done. I'm now halfway through this book on Swedish American foodways and holiday foods. 

Dale stopped by the store on his way home from work. He picked up some gingery things like ginger snaps and some raspberry jam to go with them. 

They go really well together. 

Listened to some music. 

I had a gingerbread cake mix which I got ready just before dinner. 

After dinner Dale mixed up some whipped cream and we had the gingerbread cake for dessert. 

Chilly January Afternoon and Evening - Gingerbread and Music

Sunday, January 30, 2022

Didn't make gingerbread this past holiday season until this afternoon. 

Used a Betty Crocker mix and it turned out great. 

Listened to some wintery music while it was in the oven.

For dessert it was simply heaven with whipped cream.

Odd & Ends: Gingerman Cookies and Chocolate

Recently Dale and I had some Pepperidge Farms Gingerman cookies along with some Tillamook Chocolate Mudslide ice cream. They went together extremely well. 

Earlier this season we had chocolate ice cream with Stouffer's ginger cookies. Equally delicious. 

MLK Weekend - MLK Day

Monday, January 18, 2021

Largely quiet day today. Dale and I went to the gym this morning and the store in the afternoon. In the alley Athena and I found evidence of Christmas slowly slipping away. 

Had a nice amount of time to read and blog today and also get in some gingerbread and coffee as the afternoon wound down. 

Also had a chance to listen to some more music. Sting's If On a Winter's Night is perfect for mid-winter.  

MLK Weekend 2021 - Old Twelfth Night: Gingerbread Bundt Cake

Sunday, January 17, 2021

Quiet and restful day today. Was checking some old blog posts and realized today is Old Twelfth Night. According to Karen Burns-Booth's blog, Lavender & Lovage, "Today, the 17th of January, is Old Twelfth Night, a date that is still celebrated in many rural communities throughout Great Britain, particularly in the  English counties where apples and orchards are prevalent, mainly Suffolk, Kent, Somerset, Herefordshire, and Devon, and, where wassailing the apple orchards and trees is still celebrated. These English counties are also the main cider (cyder) and apple juice producing areas of the U.K. too." The different date all has to do with the conversion of the old Julian calendar to the Gregorian one. For me it comes down to having and excuse for one more celebration to recognize during the cold, dark winter months. 

Since I didn't get to making a cake for Twelfth Night on the 5th I decided I'd make one for tonight, Old Twelfth Night. Something with apples probably would have been more appropriate but since I didn't get to make anything gingerbread this Christmastide I decided to go with that. A number of years ago I tried making a gingerbread cake with a house-shaped Bundt pan from Nordic Ware. I didn't turn out right. It didn't quite bake through. This time I decided I'd try it but with a regular Bundt pan in case the odd shape of the previous one had something to do with the shape of the pan. 

It looked okay when it came out of the oven. 

However, upon turning it over I discovered the result wasn't quite what I'd hoped for. What you see on top of the cake was stuck to the pan. Although the recipe recommended baking it for 55-65 minutes I kept it in for 70.  I guess I didn't use enough cooking spray. 

The cake ended up being rather crumbly. In reviewing the recipe afterward I realized I only used two eggs instead of the required four so this is most likely the reason for that consistency. Regardless, it still tasted fantastic and a huge amount of whipped cream covered up the imperfections. Maybe I'll retry making it at Valentine's Day keeping in mind the cooking spray and the eggs. 

Christmastide 2020: The 3rd Day of Christmas - Odds & Ends

Sunday, December 27, 2020

Although I didn’t get too much done today I had a change to do a bit more decorating (finally got the tree skirt in place), and...

drink some egg nog (splash of rum), and...

eat some gingerbread cookies, and...

listen to more Christmas music (Miss Bette). 

Sometimes not doing much is more than enough. 

Holiday Season 2020 - A Ghost Story, A Gingerbread Man, and A Blizzard

Wednesday, December 23, 2020

Drizzle and rain around 10 am. Felt stuck inside. It turned to a very blustery snow shortly after noon. Finished a ghost story I'd started a few days ago titled The Open Door by Mrs. Oliphant. The story involves a retired British officer who leases an isolated mansion in Scotland. On the estate are ruins of an older house where strange events begin to occur. The book is part of the Ghost Stories for Christmas series designed and illustrated by Seth. I rather enjoyed it. 

As I was eating the gingerbread shortbread cookie I picked up at Kowalski's a couple days ago I got a notice on my phone about a blizzard warning that extends through tomorrow morning to 6:00 a.m. It looks like we could get 7-12 inches of snow and travel is being discouraged. Looks like we're snowbound. How cozy. That cookie was awesome by the way. 

The above photo captures the whiteness of the storm but not the heavy winds and blowing snow. While sitting in the chair pictured at left I listened to the the whistling, and at times moaning, wind. Sarah Vaughn's version of Snowbound is running through my head. 

Candlemas 2020

Saturday, February 2, 2020

Today is Candlemas which is when many Christians, at least historically, brought candles to be used for the year to church to be blessed. It is also known as the Feast of the Presentation of Jesus Christ which commemorates the presentation of Jesus at the temple. While many Christian traditions take down Christmas decorations on Epiphany, other wait until Candlemas. For many people, Candlemas marks the end of Christmas. Oh, and there's also that groundhog thing today too.

The sun's been up most of the day today. In the above picture, which I took this morning on the way to the gym, you can see it reflecting off a downtown building. I can't get enough of it as we've been deprived for quite a while now. 

It's not only sunny but unseasonably warm right now. 

Due to the sunny weather I listened to the above song a few times today.

I never really got my gingerbread jones satisfied this holiday season so I picked up some mini ginger cookies while Dale and I were at Kowalski's today. They were quite tasty and really hit the spot. 

We had a simple dinner of burritos tonight along with Dove ice cream bars for dessert. It was a low key day and it's time to say goodbye to the Christmas season. However, there are still weeks of winter to enjoy. Until next time...

Holiday Season 2018: Martinmas Eve Part 3 - Shopping with Noel

Saturday, November 10, 2018

I've been feeling the need for Christmas much earlier than usual this year. It may be that I got an early Christmas present with the recent mid-term elections. It may be that we've got snow on the ground a tad earlier than usual. What's tipped it over the edge though was the Squire House Gardens holiday open house that Noel and I went to in Afton today. 

Although Martin's scaled it back a bit over the last couple of years, the place was festive with decorations and treats.

Glass ornaments and a Christmas tree with more glass ornaments adorned the front room.

Martin's hired a young landscape architect who helped tend the store today. Perhaps he'll one day take over the business?

Although there was no accordian player to add atmosphere this year and no mulled wine, the treats were plentiful and delicious.

Coffee, tea, cookies, and cheese and crackers...

 I sampled a ginger man who was quite tasty. 

Noel bought a baby seal ornament and some gloves. 

I picked up a lovely winter arrangement and some Christmas cards featuring a black lab which of course reminded me of Athena.

After Squire House we headed to Gypsy Moon in St. Paul. Marsha is beginning to set out many of her holiday wares. 

Of course there will be more holiday shopping to come...