Christmas in the Kitchen

I am thrilled to have finally finished the stitching on a Sue Hillis Designs pattern, “Christmas in the Kitchen.“

It was great fun to stitch, but it took a l-o-n-g time. There were so many color changes; for example, the pie probably had four or five different shades of tans and browns, and the whole piece had lots of backstitching. 

Since the topic is sweets from the kitchen, I thought I would share a favorite recipe for chocolate coconut bars with you. My mom always made these bars for family gatherings, parties, and cookouts. They are definitely a crowd pleaser! My cousin asked for the recipe which is hand written in an old notebook, but I also found the original recipe booklet in a drawer

A search showed a number of copies of this booklet available on Etsy and on eBay. The copyright date is 1955!!! Here is what they look like. I never add the nuts, and I always double the recipe. Notice the tiny spatula; it is perfect for removing the bars from the pan. It came from a Betty Crocker Junior Baking Set that Santa once brought me. The set had child size pans, utensils, bowls, a cookbook, and mixes to make and bake. It was a great present. The spatula survived and is still in use to this day. 

Try this recipe for these moist, yummy bars when doing your Christmas baking and be sure to let me know how you like them.

The recipe booklet also had an advertising insert.

 I’m curious . . . when was the last time you ironed your finest lingerie???   :-)

Okay. Fair warning: you might want to stop here rather than read the staggering, grim statistics below. 

                              =========================================

Tonight the National Cathedral in Washington is tolling its mourning bell in remembrance of the 800,000 lives lost to Covid in the US.  It was on October 5, 2021, when they tolled the bell for 700, 000 lives lost and June 11, 2021 when they tolled the bell for 600,000. It seems inconceivable. We have at this point surpassed the number of deaths in the Civil War; historians believe that number to have been about 750,000 lives lost.

The seven day average of Covid deaths in our country is now 1,300 daily. The Omicron variant is spreading rapidly and health experts fear for the months ahead.

I have had the two course Moderna vaccine and the booster, but I am still very afraid. Yesterday, I did not attend a holiday guild meeting nor did I go to a neighbor’s annual cookie swap. I’m trying to be as careful as I possibly can be. I am continuing my flute lessons, but it means wearing my mask into my teacher’s home. She then sits in her dining room while I sit in her music room about eight/ten feet away. At this point, I do not think any of us can be too careful. I did have to do an errand this afternoon and noted a dramatic increase in the number of people wearing masks. 

If you read this far, I’m sorry to end this on such a somber note, but I do want to keep a record of these dark days. Stay safe. Enjoy the holidays as best you can.