putting Christmas away

Today I finally got the last of my Christmas down and stored.  I decided that it was time to follow up a bit on some Christmasy loose ends and then move on.

Christmas puddings

Before Christmas I shared a picture from my kitchen showing a basket of steamed pudding molds.

I had found several recipes for steamed puddings and planned to try them all, probably one each day of our celebrations and then evaluate.  In the craziness leading up to the holiday I only got one made, the figgy pudding.  It was not a great hit with our family.  My dad is the only one who is really a fan of fruitcake so he was okay with it but the rest, not so much.  I don't think that we even got a picture of it.  It worked great.  I used the center (largest) of the molds.  It is similar to a angel food tube pan in that there is a tube in the center so that when the cake is unmolded it has a hole down the center.  The mold as shown in the picture is upside down for how it is baked but then it is tipped out of the mold and rests on the plate in the same position that is it in the picture.  Figgy pudding is a cake that contains a large amount of dried figs and other dried fruits.  It also contains some liquor (brandy and rum) and when ready to serve heated brandy is poured over the cake and ignited.

Before Christmas I had purchased sufficient fruit to make two recipes and so after Christmas I used the rest of the fruit to make a different recipe for a Christmas Plum Pudding.  Unlike Figgy Pudding that actually contains figs, the plum pudding does not contain plums.  It does contain other dried fruit.  This recipe contained molasses and spices for more of a gingerbread like flavor.  Again the recipe went together well.  I again used the largest of the molds as I was not sure that the amount of cake batter that the recipe made would fit in the smaller melon shaped or round, non tube pan.  This pudding is served with a hard sauce.  Both the hard sauce and the cake contain Brandy.  I did get a picture of this cake.

It was okay.  The third pudding that I had planned to make was a chocolate one that does not contain fruit.  I still plan to make that one and I have a feeling that might be the one that ends up being the favorite.

Decanters

Last week I shared a link to a post by Helen at Entertablement that included a great bar cart and shared how I had recently scored a group of decanters.  I do not yet have a bar cart but I am now on the lookout for one but in the meantime I  needed a place to display my new collection.  So right now they are on my dry sink.  This is a piece that my uncle built many years ago and until I locate a bar cart this will be a fun place for them.

I took this picture a couple of days ago.  The stockings and the wine themed tree are put away but the throw that usually hangs there is yet to be put back up.  That and the chocolate steamed pudding should happen this week.  

It  has been quite wintry here in Minnesota.  We had a cold snap, followed by an ice storm, followed by a couple of snow storms.  We have had icy roads with snow covering, blowing and drifting, and all of the travel headaches that goes along with icy roads.  Tomorrow another day of a wintry mix is forecast.  Not sure if it will be snow or rain but following that we are predicted to have several days in a row with highs in the upper 30s so hopefully it will be enough to clear the last of the ice off of the roads.  Sounds like much of the country is dealing with winter.  Stay safe.     

Joining Met Monday at BNOTP.

Thinking spring

Several things have me thinking of spring while it is the Persephone period and bitter cold in Minnesota.

The first seed catalog has arrived this week:

Two recent finds at the thrift store have a garden theme:

 

Set of four salad plates with an orchard theme (above) and a large pasta serving bowl with heirloom tomatoes (below).

A Christmas gift from my daughter and son-in-law will hopefully help discourage some rabbit nibbling.

We are a zone 4 so our last frost date is May 23.  A little early to begin counting down the days or starting the seedlings but not too early to start planning and dreaming.
 
Not even close to a tablescape but some pictures of dishes so even though it is a stretch I will join Tablescape Thursday here.

fun how things come together

This is a long story, sort of, with multiple parts.  And it is not finished yet, but it is closer.  It started over a year ago.  My daughter and then future son-in-law were planning a wedding.  They had registered for all of the usual things, fine china, flatware, crystal, stoneware and I was interested in getting them something special.  In talking with the bride she mentioned that the groom had an interest in a decanter but they hadn't found the one that they loved so it was not on their registry.  I set about searching for a vintage one, sending pictures to my daughter of the occasional one that I ran across.  None were perfect.

At the same time I had been picking up vintage glass in a pattern called Wexford.  My other daughter had bought some glasses and the pattern was pretty distinctive and I started seeing it on thrifting outings with my sister and bought the first few pieces thinking that they would supplement her collection.  I don't know if it is a midwestern thing but I started finding it everywhere, fell in love with it myself and now my collection is larger than hers.  This summer I found two of the Wexford decanters and added them to my collection.  I did break the stopper to the one decanter but it didn't fit well and it fell off when I was carrying it so I wonder now if at some point it been substituted for the correct one prior to my purchase.   

I also found this little decanter that I hoped would hold small amounts of homemade elderberry cordial that I had steeping.

Then, just recently I discovered a blog through a link party that I had not read before.  Not sure how it had evaded my radar as the archives go back several years but I am so glad to have found it. And last week Helen, the blog's author, shared a drool worthy picture of her bar cart.

Go here to check it out.

She had written about how her husband was collecting decanters.  Each of their decanters was different and I loved the look and it changed my perspective.  I no longer was only on the lookout for Wexford decanters but would instead consider any that were interesting and fun.

Now, I have to admit that the idea of a bar cart for me is probably foolish.  I live alone.  I do not entertain often.  My kids are grown and live across the state with busy lives so we get together less than I would like.  But I want one.

Then, my favorite shop, a mix of thrift store and antique store, that specializes in estates, decided to move to another town.  They were having a sale, deeply discounting their inventory.  My sister and I decided to make probably our last trip to the store before they closed.  They had lots of stuff that they were selling that had not previously made it to their sales floor.  They would box up an estate, haul it to the shop, store the boxes in the basement and unload the boxes as space allowed.  They had six decanters.  And I grabbed them up.  Some of them still had old price tags on them so I think that they were probably collected over time and then the collection ended up as part of an estate.

In the blink of an eye I was a whole bunch closer to Helen's bar cart.  Yay!

To finish up this story.  I ended up choosing a different gift as a wedding gift for the bride and groom.  I continued to share pictures of new and vintage decanters with my daughter and this fall an online catalog that I received as an email had a new decanter that they liked and purchased.  I now am going to keep my eye out for a bar cart to hold my new collection.  And plan a cocktail party next time the kids are home.

Cheers.  

I will be joining BNOTP for Met Monday here.