Christmas | Good Dinner Mrs Mellen

Category: Christmas
- Paperwhites for Winter Blooms
  
  Posted at 4:38 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 3rd
  I can’t remember when I started forcing bulbs for winter blooms, I just know that I love the look of fresh flowering bulbs throughout my home. Bulbs are easy to find in garden centers, grocery stores, and specialty gift stores. A few years ago I discovered a great site* to order healthy large bulbs that bloom profusely during the Holidays.
  
  My favorites to force are Amaryllis and Paperwhites. If you are a novice to forcing bulbs my suggestion would be to start with Paperwhites. I’ve used both the recommended methods for forcing; either in water surrounded by pebbles or planted in soil.
  
  How to Grow Paperwhites in Pebbles and Water
  
  Select a container with tall sides. Glass containers and vases are fun because you can watch the roots grow. Pour pebbles into the bottom of the container to a depth of 1-2 inches. (You can also use decorative glass stones.)
  Add water to the container so it just barely reaches the tops of the pebbles.
  Place the bulbs on top of the pebbles, pointy side-up.
  Set the container in a bright sunny area and watch for growth.
  Monitor water levels so the water is always just barely reaching the tops of the pebbles. You do not want the bulbs to sit in water. The water method is very quick and you can expect blooms in 2-3 weeks.
  
  How to Plant Paperwhites in Soil
  
  Select a shallow container if planting your own. Paperwhites only need 3-4 inches to grow, so a six-inch deep container is plenty!
  Fill the container 1/3 of the way with a well-drained potting mix.
  Plant the bulbs, pointy side up, shoulder to shoulder in the container.
  Cover the bulbs with soil so that the tips just barely peek out of the soil.
  
  Water until the soil is about as moist as a wrung-out sponge. Set the container somewhere sunny and watch the bulbs grow! Keep the soil slightly moist as the plants’ bloom. I start my bulbs in soil 4-6 weeks before I want them to bloom.
  
  Really pack your pots full if growing paperwhites in soil. That will create a full display of blooms and reduce the risk of plant stems flopping
  
  * www.Easytogrowbulbs.com
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Christmas, Christmas decorating | Tagged bulbs, easytogrowbulbs, Holidaydecorating, paperwhites
- Sandies
  
  Posted at 12:23 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 18th
  My love of baking started when I helped my Mother bake cookies at Christmas time. Since then I’ve never stopped baking cookies for Christmas. Baking isn’t very hard and I am always amazed when I hear people say I don’t like to bake. What’s not to like, sugar, butter, chocolate, all those wonderful ingredients in one place. Baking is very precise, you need to measure the correct amount of ingredients and follow the recipe especially if you’re a beginner. Once you get some experience with baking you can add your personality. Christmas cookies make wonderful personal gifts to share with family and friends. And so many beautiful boxes, bags, tins can be used as containers for your cookies gifts.
  
  A few tips that will help novice bakers. Read all the recipe through before you start and assemble everything that you need. Do any preparation before you start, if the recipe calls for chopped nuts, chop and set aside, eggs separated, the same thing. This will make the flow of baking so much easier. Only use unsalted butter. I love Cabot, it’s made in Vermont by the cheddar people, I’m not sure if this butter is available outside of New England. The first time you try a recipe always bake for less time than the recipe calls for and then add additional minutes if needed. Unless your oven is calibrated perfectly and even then, ovens do bake differently. Nothing is worse than over baked cookies, cakes, etc. Dry is not good!
  
  At Christmas, I just start baking cookies and stop when I don’t have any more time left. I have so many recipes and cookie cookbooks and I keep buying more, I just can’t help myself. I try out one or two new cookies each year to see if I can find another favorite for my holiday tradition. The two recipes that I have included below are some of the first cookies that I make with my mother. These cookies are very basic and easy to make. Out of tradition, I make them every year and I want to share them with you.
  
  Sandies – These are wonderful cookies to make a few weeks ahead of time because they keep very well.
  
  1 cup butter
  
  1/3 cup sugar
  
  2 teaspoons vanilla
  
  2 teaspoons water
  
  2 cups flour
  
  1 cup chopped pecans
  
  1 cup confectionery sugar- for rolling cookies after baking
  
  Cream butter, sugar, vanilla, and water. Add flour and mix well. Stir in pecans. Shape into small balls. Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet in 325 F over for 20 minutes. Remove. Cool slightly. Roll in confectionery sugar
  
  An easy way to do this is to put sugar in a plastic bag and add 3-4 cookies and gently shake around to coat cookies. Or you can put sugar in a bowl and roll around to coat.
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  Posted in Baking, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, cookies, Dessert, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged Christmas cookies, easy, pecans
- Monte Crisco Breakfast Casserole
  
  Posted at 9:39 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 15th
  Ingredients
  
  2 1/2 cups milk
  8 eggs
  1/2 teaspoon salt
  1/4teaspoon ground black pepper
  
  1 teaspoon dry mustard
  1 1 pound round loaf country Italian bread, cut into ten 1/2-inch thick slices
  1/4 cup seedless raspberry jam
  8 ounces thinly sliced cooked ham
  8 ounces thinly sliced Swiss cheese
  
  1/2 cup shredded Swiss cheese
  
  1/4 cup butter, soften
  
  Directions
  - Grease a 3-quart baking dish. In a large bowl whisk together milk, eggs, 1/2 teaspoon salt,1/4 teaspoon black pepper and mustard.
  - Spread half the bread slices with jam, then top with ham and cheese. Spread remaining bread slices with butter then place buttered sides down on cheese. Cut each sandwich diagonally into four triangles. Arrange points up in the prepared baking dish. Pour egg mixture over sandwiches. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cover; chill overnight.
  - Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Uncover dish. Bake 35 minutes or until golden and egg mixture is set. Remove. Let cool 10 minutes. Sprinkle with powdered sugar.
  To dry bread, preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Arrange slices on the baking sheet, overlapping as necessary. Bake for 10 to 15 minutes or until dry; cool.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Breakfast, Casserole, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, Easy recipes | Tagged Breakfast casserole, Christmas morning, easy, eggs, ham & cheese, Make ahead
- Cranberry Desserts
  
  Posted at 9:36 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 8th
  You all know by now that I love using cranberries in my cooking; sauce, with veggies – so good with Brussels sprouts – and especially desserts. Cranberries also add a festive touch to all your dishes. Especially around the Holidays Cranberries add a festive flavorful touch.
  
  This year once again cranberries will be the star on my holiday dessert table – from easy make-ahead tea bread to a rich cheesecake and a sparking show-stopping white cake.
  
  The Ultimate Cheesecake
  
  The Ultimate Cheesecake
  
  A rich cheesecake topped with candied cranberries taste delicious and looks beautiful on a dessert table. My youngest son Chad loves cheesecake; we’ve even been to Juniors in Times square to sample their array of delectable cakes. At Christmas, I make especially for him a cheesecake enjoyed by all. This cheesecake is what is called a New York-style – rich, five packages of cream cheese, five eggs plus two egg yolks and cream – making for a dense creaming cake. In the spring I make this cheesecake with crushed pineapple.
  
  Snowy Winter White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
  
  Snowy Winter White Chocolate Cranberry Cake
  
  Isn’t this a beautiful cake – looking like new-fallen snow on Christmas morning. The white cake is light and moist, one of my favorite recipes that I use over and over, just changing the filling and frosting.
  
  Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  Sweet Potato Cranberry Pound Cake
  
  A deliciously easy cake, perfect after a meal, but I like to serve this cake with brunch or when sharing a cup of coffee with friends.
  
  Pumpkin Cranberry Tea Bread with White Chocolate
  
  Pumpkin Cranberry Tea Bread with White Chocolate
  
  Tea bread is great to make ahead and freeze for up to a month. I always around the holidays have a few in my freezer for when friends drop in or if I want to bring as a hostess gift. I wrap the tea bread in cello wrap which you can purchase at a craft store and tie with a festive bow.
  
  In New England, we have freshly picked cranberries from fall to December. Cranberries freeze well so I buy extra to freeze and use during the winter months in my cooking.
  
  I have many recipes on my blog with cranberries!
  
  Enjoy!
  
  gooddinnermrsmellen.com
  
  buzzchomp.com
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  Posted in Cake, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, Dessert, desserts, Elegant, entertaining, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen, Tea Breads | Tagged Christmas, Clheesecake, Cranberries, Ghiradelli Chocolate, King Arthur Flour, Philadelphia cream cheese
- Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Crean Cheese Frosting
  
  Posted at 9:56 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 3rd
  Chocolate Cake with Peppermint Crean Cheese Frosting
  
  Peppermint reminds me of old fashioned Christmases when I would find a big candy cane in my stocking which I would savor for weeks! I love the combination of chocolate, cream cheese and peppermint in this cake. As I take a bite the cool peppermint cream cheese frosting combines with the chocolate cake for an irresistible tempting dessert that will be the star of any holiday meal.
  
  Ingredients
  
  . 2 cups sugar
  
  . 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
  . ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  
  . 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  
  . 1 teaspoon baking powder
  
  . 1 teaspoon baking soda
  
  . 1 cup buttermilk
  
  . ½ cup of vegetable oil
  
  . 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
  
  . 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
  
  . 1 cup hot water
  
  . Peppermint Frosting (recipe follows)
  
  . Garnish: Hershey’s Candy Cane Kisses and crushed candy canes
  
  Instructions
  
  1. Preheat oven to 350°. Spray 3 (8-inch) round cake pans with baking spray. Line bottoms of pans with parchment paper, and spray again.
  
  2. In a large bowl, combine sugar, flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla extract. Form a well in the center of the flour mixture. Add buttermilk mixture to flour mixture, stirring just until combined. Add hot water, whisking to combine. Pour batter into prepared pans.
  
  3. Bake until a wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean, about 20 to 25 minutes.
  
  4. Remove from oven, and let cool in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pans, and let cool completely on wire racks.
  
  5. Spread Peppermint Frosting between layers and on top and sides of the cake. Decorate with kisses and crushed candy cane. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Garnish with sugared mint leaves, sparkling sugar, and candy canes, if desired. Store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
  
  Cream Cheese Buttercream
  
  1 8-oz pkg. cream cheese softened
  
  1 cup butter, softened
  
  2 16-oz pkg. powdered sugar
  
  2 tablespoon whole milk
  
  1 teaspoon vanilla
  
  1 teaspoon peppermint extract
  
  1/4 teaspoon salt
  
  Beat cream cheese and butter with an electric mixer on medium
  
  speed until smooth. Gradually add powdered sugar, milk, vanilla,
  
  peppermint, and salt, and beat until smooth. Increase speed to
  
  medium-high, and beat until light and fluffy.
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Baking, Cake, Chocolate, Christmas, Christmas Recipes, desserts, Food, Good Dinner Mrs Mellen | Tagged chocolate cake, Christmas, peppermint cream cheese frosting
- ‘It’s Beginning to Look a lot like Christmas’
  
  Posted at 4:50 pm by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Nov 26th
  I love Christmas! Christmas Magic, feeling filled with love and joy, spending time with family and friends, decorating, baking and cooking; and living in New England snow! Each year I promise that I will not go overboard – curtain my decorating frenzy – embrace a minimalistic style – each year I break my promise! I can’t help myself as I begin opening my stored Christmas decorations- how can I not use all my beautiful treasures lovingly collected over the years.
  
  And so it begins…… My tradition the day after Thanksgiving is not to rise early for Black Friday,(nothing wrong with a day of retail therapy) I start my day watching the sunrise and decorating for Christmas. I begin in my dining room with unpacking my Lenox Holiday china – gifts from my children – washing each piece I remember the Christmases when they were small their eyes filled with anticipation as I opened my special gift – then I remove all my regular china replacing with my Holiday China. Each year I get so many lovely compliments on my china and I love mixing these pieces with my china, also Lenox.
  
  https://www.lenox.com/holiday
  
  Now I can enjoy my China and I use it all for entertaining and Christmas Eve and Christmas
  
  dinner.
  
  The dining room gets a fancy dressing to host family holiday meals
  
  In the living room, we go all out with gold decorations on the tree and throughout the room. I have been called a golden girl! I love all that glitters and is gold.
  
  I can’t seem to add enough to this fireplace mantel!
  
  This little gold tree is my first Christmas decoration that my husband and I bought the first year we married. I was walking to work past a display shop where I saw this tree in the window. I went in and asked the owner if I could buy the tree. And although it was not a retail shop he sensed my excitement and sold me the tree for twenty dollars.
  
  Years ago when my oldest son was two years old I made this ceramic Christmas Village. Years later his son, my oldest grandchild loves the village; each he spends hours playing with the village just like his father.
  
  This nativity set was a gift from my mother the first year we were married. She lovingly made the figures in rich colors decorated with jewels – my style!
  
  My husband Chris many years ago started collection Department 56 Christmas in the City; his collection growing over the years with gifts from our children.
  
  In our family room with a high ceiling, we find the tallest tree on the lot and decorate with ornaments given to us by family and friends. The room and the tree is simmering in deep burgundy and – did I say I love gold- gold!
  
  So many wonderful remembrances – memories our family cherishes and we now share with the next generation.
  
  Once I’m finished I sit down with my Christmas cup of Tea china and book to read to my three grandchildren!
  
  So begins ‘The most wonderful time of the year’! I didn’t forget Christmas songs and carols. I’ll say that for another blog.
  
  https://www.amazon.com/Cup-Christmas-Tea-Tom-Hegg/dp/1939881099
  
  Enjoy!
  
  P.S. I’d love to hear about your family traditions!
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  Posted in Christmas, Christmas decorating | Tagged Christmas traditions, cup of Christmas Tea, lenox china, Memories of Christmas past
- Christmas Past and Present
  
  Posted at 9:25 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 25th
  Christmas Past and Present
  
  When the last burnished Autumn leaves drift effortlessly to the frosted ground soft as cinnamon floating on top of hot cocoa, memories join anticipation heralding the arrival of my favorite time of the year – Christmas. A glorious season I observe with food, decorating, celebrations, and most important family and friends. Time for all our family to return home, coming together once again, making new holiday memories while remembering our past Christmases including our cherished holiday traditions.
  
  Oh, how I love Christmas traditions even as a very young child. The Christmases of my childhood were filled with excitement waking up Christmas morning to find our living room magically transformed into a beautiful Christmas scene while we children were soundly sleeping in our beds. My parents would wait until after we went to bed to decorate the biggest tree my father could find, then lovingly, they wrapped all our gifts during the early morning hours getting no sleep before we excitedly woke to see if Santa had visited our home. We were never disappointed when we all soared into the living room to see that yes Santa had been hard at work throughout the night. I can still feel my excitement stepping into the living room holding my breath in wonder seeing the beautiful Christmas tree decorated by my mother. My Mother crafted her tree so each light, ornament, and how can I forget that tacky silver tinsel, placed strand by strand, was in perfect harmony. I adored seeing the tree for the first time each year!
  
  I learned from my parents that Christmas was a special time to share with family and friends as a steady stream of guests visited our home. One of my favorite Christmas memories happened one cold snowy Christmas morning when I was nine years old. We had just finished opening our presents when there was a knock at our door. My Father opened the door to find a group of family friends who braved the snow-covered roads, barely making it up the hill on our street, for a Christmas morning visit. My parents graciously welcomed their guests even at six o’clock in the morning with food and hot coffee. After our guests were fed, warmed, enjoying my parents’ famous hospitality, I played Christmas songs on the piano with everyone robustly singing along! That Christmas morning so long ago lives forever in my heart.
  
  As I became older I actively participated in our family traditions going with My Dad to purchase our tree, decorating not only our tree but throughout our home, helping Mother bake copious amounts of cookies for our guests to enjoy during Christmas visits. Mother gave me the important responsibility of making Pizzelles with my grandmother’s cast iron pizzelle mold. First, she made the dough from my grandmother’s special recipe passed down through the generations. Next came my important two-fold, putting just the right amount of dough on the hot pizzelle mold, then standing over the stove burner making sure that I turned the mold over at just the right second to insure that each pizzelle were perfectly thin and crisp to Mother’s exact specifications.
  
  All my cherished Christmas memories return to me each December as I await the return of my own family, home to share in our holiday festivities. I to deck the halls just as I learned from my Mother. Christmas starts for me the day after Thanksgiving, not with shopping on Black Friday, but with decorating. When our children were young their Christmas gifts to me were festive Lenox Christmas china for holiday entertaining. Every year my decorating starts with displaying my Christmas china in the dining room china cabinet. Like crisp New England mornings with a dusting of snow seeing Christmas China in the cabinet signals to our family the Christmas holiday season has begun. Net on to decorating throughout our home with abandonment while memories of Christmases past live again flowing back to me as I lovingly unwrap so many special decorations including the beautiful nativity figurines that my mother made for me and my husband for our first Christmas. Once each room is thoroughly dressed in Christmas finery I can turn my full attention to baking Christmas cookies. Yes, I still make Pizzelles with my grandmother’s monogrammed mold, part of her trousseaux, using my family’s special recipe, perfectly thin and crisp as my mother taught me so long ago. My baking takes, according to my family, mythical proportions with the rumor circulating through our family that I actually bake thousands of cookies! Never having counted my cookies I only know that tin after tin magically appears lining the shelves of my pantry where pounds of flour, sugar, chocolate, nuts, and preserves formerly resided. Each year my cookie assortment contains old favorites as well as new recipes that I can’t resist adding to my cookie collection. Trays of cookies greet guests as they visit with the remaindering cookies packed in holiday tins for family and friends near and far.
  
  Preserving my maternal family’s traditional Christmas Eve dinner celebration I serve the Italian Feast of seven fishes, Festa dei sette pesci, in honor of my grandmother Theresa. On Christmas day guests find our home, just like my childhood home, decked in holiday finery, doors open wide, welcoming family and friends for festive merrymaking. Gathering around our large table, enjoying Christmas dinner, we toast with gratitude our good fortunes, especially that we are all together to celebrate another special Christmas. After our guests leave I sit by the fire with a cup of hot tea and cookie, savoring the day as memories of Christmas’s past play in my mind like a cherished old movie.
  
  Like Scrooge, I can only hope that my epitaph will be “She knew how to keep Christmas well”
  
  Enjoy!
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  Posted in Christmas | Tagged Christmas, memories, Past & Present
- Cherished Christmas Memories
  
  Posted at 9:26 am by Good Dinner Mrs Mellen
  
  Dec 11th
  Cherished Christmas Memories
  
  The Christmases of my childhood were filled with excitement waking up Christmas morning to find our living room magically transformed into a beautiful Christmas scene while we children were soundly sleeping in our beds. My parents would wait until after we went to bed to decorate the biggest tree my father could find, then lovingly, they wrapped all our gifts during the early morning hours getting no sleep before we excitedly woke to see if Santa had visited our home. We were never disappointed when we all flew into the living room to see Santa had been hard at work throughout the night. I can still feel my excitement stepping into the living room holding my breath in wonder seeing the beautiful Christmas tree decorated by my mother. She crafted her tree so each light, ornament, and how can I forget that tacky silver tinsel, placed strand by strand, was in perfect harmony. I adored seeing the tree for the first time each year!
  
  I learned from my parents that Christmas was a special time to share with family and friends as a steady stream of guests visited our home. One of my favorite Christmas memories happened on cold snowy Christmas morning when I was nine years old. We had just finished opening our presents when there was a knock at our door. Opening the door my Father found a group of family friends who braved the snow-covered roads – barely making it up the hill on our street – for a Christmas morning visit. My parents graciously welcomed their guests even at six o’clock in the morning with food and hot coffee. After our guests were fed, warmed, enjoying my parents’ famous hospitality, I played Christmas songs on the piano with everyone robustly singing along! That Christmas morning so long ago lives forever in my heart.
  
  As I became older I actively participated in helping my Mother bake copious amounts of cookies for family and friends. My important responsibility was making pizzelles with my grandmother’s cast iron pizzelle mold. My Mother made the dough from my grandmother’s special recipe. My important role was “cooking” the pizzelles. I put just the right amount of dough on the hot pizzelle mold then placed the mold on the stove burner making sure that I turned the mold over at just the right second to insure that each pizzelle was perfectly thin and crisp to my Mother’s exact specifications.
  
  All my cherished Christmas memories return to me each December as I begin preparing for my family’s holiday festivities. Christmas starts for me the day after Thanksgiving, not with shopping on Black Friday, but with decorating. When our children were young their Christmas gifts to me were festive Lenox Christmas china for holiday entertaining. Every year my decorating starts with displaying my Christmas china in the dining room china cabinet. Seeing my Christmas China in the cabinet signals to our family the Christmas holiday season has begun. Now I decorate throughout our home with abandonment while memories of Christmases past live again flowing back to me as I lovingly unwrap so many special decorations including the beautiful nativity figurines that my mother made for me and my husband for our first Christmas. Once each room is thoroughly dressed in Christmas finery I can turn my full attention to baking Christmas cookies. I still make pizzelles just as I did so many years ago with my grandmother’s monogrammed mold, part of her trousseaux, using my family’s special recipe, perfectly thin and crisp as my mother taught me. My baking takes, according to my family, mythical proportions with the rumor circulating throughout our family that I actually bake thousands of cookies! Never having counted my cookies I only know that tin after tin magically appears lining the shelves of my pantry where pounds of flour, sugar, chocolate, nuts, and preserves formerly resided. Each year my cookie assortment contains old favorites as well as new recipes that I can’t resist adding to my cookie collection. Trays of cookies greet guests as they visit with the remaindering cookies packed in holiday tins for family and friends near and far.
  
  Gathering around our large table, enjoying Christmas dinner, we toast with gratitude our good fortunes, especially that we are all together to celebrate another special Christmas. After our guests leave I sit by the fire savoring the day as memories of Christmas’s past play in my mind like a cherished old movie.
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  Posted in Christmas, Uncategorized | Tagged Christmas, Holiday reflections, Memories of Christmas past
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