Day 17

It's supposed to be 95 degrees today. I have no desire to step out of my house. I need to clean for our family breakfast on Saturday, and get some decorating done. So, that's my focus today. Not very exciting, but necessary.

Since no sane person wants to read about house cleaning, today I've decided to share more pearls of wisdom from my collection of Christmas books. This recipe comes from Gooseberry Patch Christmas book #2. I keep this made up, in a small jar in the spice cabinet. It is wonderful on French bread, but I've used it on biscuits to make them savory, then served them with spaghetti or lasagna. I also like to package it in those cute little 4 oz. jelly jars, put a spiffy little label on it and give it as a gift. If I have them, I use herbs from my garden, dried, for this mix. So, here goes:

Garden Herb Bread Blend

1/3 c. dried parsley flakes
1/3 c. dried minced onions (I use onion powder, due to the "is there anything weird in this" factor at my house)
2 1/2 T. dried basil
2 1/2 t. dried thyme leaves
2 1/2 t. dried oregano leaves
1 1/4 t. garlic powder

Blend herbs together in bowl. Package in airtight container or bag. Makes one cup or enough for 6 loaves of bread.

The recipe actually calls for putting the mix right into the bread dough, and I will share that recipe with you. However, I usually just brush melted butter or drizzle olive oil on my bread slices, then sprinkle with the mix. Bake in a 350 degree oven, serve with additional oil for dipping, if desired.

Bread Recipe:
3-4 t. Garden Bread Herb Blend
1 pkg. hot roll mix
4 T. margarine, divided
1 egg

Add Garden Herb blend to dry hot roll mix. Follow the instructions on hot roll mix box for mixing, kneading and resting. Shape dough into regular size or mini loaves or follow instructions on box for rolls. Allow dough to rise. Bake regular sized bread loaves in greased loaf pans for 35-40 minutes at 375 degrees. Bake mini loaves about 10 minutes less, 25-30 minutes. Brush tops with remaining 2T margarine.

Reading this recipe, it's not clear what you do with the egg or the first 2 T. margarine...I guess you need them for the bread recipe.

I might try this as a bread this weekend..it sounds really good.

Now, some ideas from GP#2, as I refer to the books in my notes!

*A fire in the fireplace says "welcome". Keep several dry logs nearby as well as a bucketful of cinnamon pine cones for a quick country fire. The heat from the fire will scent the entire room with cinnamon.

*Don't throw away those beautiful cards. Use them to create your own ornaments and package tie-ons. Cut off the back of the card and trim around the picture, if you wish. Punch a small hole at the top. Lightly coat with spray adhesive and dust with glitter for all-over sparkle, or use a glue stick to highlight certain areas. Sprinkle on the glitter, then shake the excess onto a newspaper. Thread a piece of raffia, twine or ribbon through the hole and you have a wonderful ornament or darling package tie-on!

*Make snow days extra special for the kids....tell stories, go sledding, make cocoa, sing Christmas carols, watch Christmas movies, wrap presents... (ok, this one is wishful thinking on my part...snow in Arkansas is an exception, rather than a rule. However, in the 10 Christmases we've been married, we've had at least 3 white Christmases. Not too bad!)

*Freshly baked coffee cake makes a welcome gift! Tuck it into a round basket lined with a cheery red fabric. Trim the edge of the basket with greenery, cinnamon sticks, bay leaves and sprigs of berries. Tie your gift card to the handle with several strands of raffia.

And, here's a yummy coffee cake to go in that festive basket!

Jean's Coffee Cake
Coffee Cake:
1/2 c. butter, softened
1 c. sugar
3 eggs, lightly beaten
1 t. baking powder
1 t. baking soda
2 c. all purpose flour
1 c. sour cream
2 c. fresh raspberries, or frozen, thawed and drained

Topping:
1 c. brown sugar, packed
1/4 c. butter, softened
1/4 c. all-purpose flour

For coffee cake, cream butter and sugar; add eggs, baking powder and baking soda. Alternately add flour and sour cream to mixture and fold in raspberries. Pour into a well-buttered Bundt pan. For topping, combine brown sugar and butter, mixing well. Add flour; mixture will be lumpy. Spread on coffee cake batter; bake at 350 degrees for 35-45 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

I think I'll make this for our breakfast Saturday, but I'm going to sub strawberries for raspberries. Try this and let me know if you like it!

What are YOU doing to get ready for Christmas in July?

Merry, Merry
Cathy