Monday, December 14, 2020

T Stands for Tuesday and Christmas Baking

   Hi Everyone, 

    Tuesdays are also T Stands for Tuesday where we gather over at our hostess Bluebeard and Elizabeth and share a drink related post. Any one can join in for T just share a drink related photo.

  My most favorite Christmas cookies are cut out cookies, molds, or stamps. I have recipes I have used for almost 40 years now. I have changed up the flour and sweeteners for our health concerns over the years but they always turn out so good.

  I baked and decorated the vanilla cookies Sunday, so Monday I will be baking up the gingerbread cookies.

  I am not great at decorating for sure but I always have fun with them. These cookies are gluten free and keto sweetened except for the sugar sprinkles The frosting made with keto powdered sweetener turned out really good and hardened when dry. The cookies are soft too which we like. and we are really enjoying those soft molasses white chocolate chip cookies I shared a couple posts back.




I also made chocolate popcorn on Sunday 

    Everything is now packaged up and in the freezer-for safe keeping haha  I saved out just a few cookies and a little bit of the popcorn. Yum


  Did you get a chance to view the total eclipse online?? It was spectacular. I found a site that was sharing live images from Chili and also Argentina At around the 75 minute mark was the time closest to the total eclipse. They also said they will be sharing the two planets aligning that some call the Christmas Star on the 21st   I believe they said.  First time in over 800 years for this to occur. Amazing 


For my drink references this week. 

   A few days ago, I unwrapped the cheesecloth from the fruitcakes and re soaked the cloth with brandy and re wrapped the cakes. Behind the brandy you can see my coffee mug with coffee


and I had shared this photo before, but I am really enjoying this tea in the afternoons most days now-the box of tea is almost gone


Happy T everyone

48 comments:

  1. I can't wait to have a slice of that fruitcake! :~) I only wish! And, I love the cookies with all the sparkles. Yesterday was such a dismal day so I spent most of the afternoon putting more of my favorite recipes into the books I have been working on. I am adding some of your recipes to the gluten free section. The fruitcake and molasses cookies will be there, for sure. I am hoping for a clear sky on the 21st.

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    1. Oh your recipe books sound fun! so glad you found recipes of mine you like. I am hoping for clear skies too on the 21st-so exciting!

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  2. I love how your cookies Look Kathy. I have some dough made in the fridge and now I need to roll and cut them out. I decorate like you, but to me that is the way full of memories. I like holiday baking too. Your fruitcake looks good also. I am the only in the house that will eat it so I don't make it. I hope you have a super week and more baking fun! Happy T day. Hugs-Erika

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    1. Hi Erika, I think we are both enjoying baking for the holidays. you have an awesome week too hugs

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  3. what splendid looking Christmas treats you have made Kathy!! I have always loved the cut outs as well and have fond memories of making them with my great grandmother. I still use her cookie cutters and recipe:)Did not see the footage of the eclipse but will watch. Happy T day!

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    1. Hi Linda, that's wonderful you have your great grandmother's recipes-love that. I have many of my grandmothers that keeps her memory alive for me.
      this link was really good footage of the eclipse I really enjoyed it-I was disappointed in Nasa coverage. Have a good week

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  4. The cookies and fruit cake look wonderful. Have a great week, take care, hugs, Valerie

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  5. :-) Sweetness overload, LOL. I still have Spekulatius here. I manage one every... other... day. And I so wanted them!
    A happy, sweet T-day to you!

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    1. I made those one year we all need a sweet treat once in awhile-hugs

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  6. Your cookies look great and will definitely be tasty, especially with that yummy tea. Enjoy!

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  7. Your cookies look scrumptious particularly the glittered ones. I really need to get cracking and get some Christmas baking done. I've been "under the weather" the last few days and haven't been able to face food or cooking but better now. I really have to get myself organised. I am not a great fan of fruitcake but Sr P does enjoy a slice or two or more :-) Very interesting about the Christmas star on 21st. I shall look out for it. I wonder if we will be able to see it here in Europe. keep well Amanda x

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    1. Sorry you haven't been feeling well-I went through that last week-for me it's the up and down weather changes-really gets to me.
      I don't know if one needs a telescope to see it or not-but will be watching at the link I shared for sure-so exciting

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  8. More yummy cookies and fruit cake! I so enjoy looking at the photos of cookies, while enjoying my own baked goods. What a fun time hopping around for T stands for..... :)

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  9. What a delicious post! Your sugar cookies look so good and so festive. I had to give up using the non-sugar sweeteners. Both Himself and The Young One are super-tasters and complained there was an aftertaste with using Swerve. I had wished that besides the sugars, manufacturers would make sugar-free sprinkles. I thought about making them myself, but too time consuming. I haven't done any holiday baking. Planning on baking today, but that's for the blizzard that is forecasted for Wed - Thurs. Happy T Day

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    1. Hi CJ there does seem to be a bit of warm or peppermint taste sometimes I have been using lakanto sweeteners they have monk fruit added but the last few months they are not keeping the main sweeteners in stock-I had to wait 2 months for the brown sweetener (brown sugar substitute) and now they are out of powdered sweetener-pretty poor timing for them with holiday baking going on .
      so I searched online for swerve prices so will see how we like those.
      stay safe in the noreaster I have been reading up to 18 inches-wow that's a big one

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  10. Your cookies look great. My Mom used to make cut out cookies for Christmas. I didn't hear about the total eclipse. But I did hear about the Christmas Star, and marked my calendar. I'm hoping I can get a good photo of it. Happy T-Day!

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    1. The eclipse was very exciting-the link I shared is a really good one. Not sure if one needs a telescope or not to really see the Christmas star-I think it is suppose to be in the south area of the sky. I am excited to see it-we need this for hope ending 2020

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  11. I think you cookies look fantastic! OMG chocolate popcorn one of my faves for sure. Your tea mug is beautiful too. Have a very nice day.

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  12. Your cookies look delicious. Yes, we like the soft ones too.
    And your fruit cake is amazing! I'm sure it tastes as good as it looks!
    Happy T-Day,
    Hugs,
    Lisca

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    1. Larry says the cake is excellent this year. my gluten free version is a bit too soggy may have to freeze that one.
      Happy T

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  13. Your cookies look really good, Kathy. I have a soft spot for melt in our mouth sugar cookies, No need to decorate, in my opinion, but these look adorable, especially the stars.

    I am a HUGE fan of space and the sky, so I was truly surprised when you told us about the eclipse. I had NO idea. I look forward to seeing the Christmas Star on the 21st. I'm too far south to see the Aurora Borealis, but want to see if I am able to see these two planets aligning. Thanks for that.

    Your fruitcake is starting to look good. It's definitely a lot of hard work to get a good, well soaked fruitcake. Thanks for sharing your cookies, your video, your fruitcake with brandy, and your green tea with us for T this Tuesday.

    I was planning to leave a comment about the Executive Order you shared, then decided others might be interested in the comment, too. Instead, I edited my post so others could see my remark.

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    1. I am excited about the Christmas Star too-will look for it but want to watch it from the telescope videos too on that site I shared.
      Larry loves it when I re soak the cakes-so he can taste test them haha
      I believe in vaccines but we are not totally confident with this one-we have read about some pretty bad side effects already. we don't usually take something that is the first go around either. will decide when it comes available.
      I appreciate your edited comment it's good to have these discussions-we no longer listen to Fox or any other mainstream media at all anymore-we search around on the net for views and reporting and then try to decide what is the truth--difficult these days for sure.
      Happy T Elizabeth

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  14. Color sugar sprinkles! They bring back memories. Mother use to use those at the holidays. Happy Baking!

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    1. My Mom did too, I think that is why I use them at Christmas time-my Mom and sister have now passed so good memories

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  15. Your cookies are a delight to the eye, and I'm imagining how yummy they taste :) We missed the Geminids because of cloud cover :( but as the alignment grows closer we'll try to see it. Happy T Tuesday!

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    1. I didn't know if one needs a telescope to see the Christmas star or not-I will look for it but I will watch it live on the site I posted too Happy T

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  16. The cookies and popcorn look so yummy ! I haven't done any baking at all this season...just can't get in the mood.

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  17. The cookies look sooo good! And so does that popcorn! I love that tea also. God bless you and hubby!

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  18. Wow, so many cookies - yum, yum! Never tried chocolate popcorn, but I have just bought some Gingerbread popcorn to eat whilst I'm watching Christmas movies ...lol 😉. Always make a fruit cake too which I ice with homemade fondant icing. I'd love to join you for a cuppa, sending Happy T Day wishes! Hugs, Jo x

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    1. oh yum gingerbread popcorn sounds delicious too I will check that out. My Mom would always ice her fruit cake too. Clinking cups of tea

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  19. Your cookies look wonderful! The silver stars are very pretty and the snowmen are adorable. Thank you for the video. It was awesome - in the real sense of the word.

    Happy T-day! Stay safe and well. Hugs, Eileen

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    1. thanks we were so disappointed in the Nasa coverage all they were showing was just the final 2 minutes of it-no fun at all. I am glad I found this site-they are on fb too Happy T

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  20. Look at all those yummy cookies! did you already share a recipe? I would like the gluten free gingerbread recipe for sure ~ I'm looking forward to seeing the Christmas star too. Your fruitcake sounds like it's going to be a winner as well ~ Enjoy!!

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  21. Hi, I couldn't see in my previous posts where I shared the recipe. If you have a favorite gingerbread cookie recipe-just use that and substitute Bobs Red Mill 1-1 flour for baking sometimes you need just a little less flour than the recipe says. and for the sugars I used the molasses but then I used a keto brown sweetener to cut down on sugars

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  22. Your baking looks so good! You have given me some encouragement to get baking soon!
    I'll be back for a proper catch up! Belated Happy T Day, Chrisx

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    1. Oh good-enjoy your baking-hugs I didn't do as much as I usually do this year-we just don't need all the carbs and sugars I haven't found a cookie we really like with only almond flour which has no carbs so I am using the keto sweeteners to lessen the sugars-carbs

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  23. Your cookies all look delicious! And of course the fruitcake. You gave me the idea to make popcorn. It is so addicting though so maybe I shouldn't. Yours looks yummy.
    happy Tea Day,
    Kate

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    1. Hi Kate-the chocolate popcorn is sooo good so I bag it in quart ziploks and freeze it to portion it out Happy Tea

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  24. Wanted to thank you for your old post on the history of Chex Party Mix. I remember my Mom making it way back in the 50's and it had Kix corn cereal (There were no corn chex back then.) in it. Friends said I was NUTS - now I know one of the original recipes DID have Kix in it! You should repost that to this site for posterity. The information is hard to find!

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    1. thank you much I totally forgot about this post http://kathyinozarks.blogspot.com/search?q=chex+mix I will post it for a 2nd on the second where we share a previous post

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