Happy November!
~November is the month to remind us to be thankful for the many positive things happening in our life.~
Well, my good readers it’s officially fall. The chill is in the air and the frost is on the windshield. It seems I can’t get warm until I’m eating something comforting and snuggling under a blanket. I checked out our copy of Good Lookin’ Cookin’ by Dolly Parton and her sister Rachel Parton George. I found their recipe for Biscuits and Ham and want to share with you. What could hit the spot right now more than a hot biscuit?
Country Ham and Biscuits
Ingredients:
¼ cup shortening, plus more for greasing
3 cups flour, plus more for dusting
1 tbls. Sugar
1 tbls. Baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp cream of tartar
½ cup cold butter, cut into ½ inch pieces
1 ¼ cup whole buttermilk
1 tsp bacon grease or shortening
3 slices country ham
Softened butter for serving
Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Grease an 8-inch cast iron skillet with shortening. In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a food processor, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and cream of tartar. Mix or pulse a few times to combine.
Cut butter and ¼ cup shortening into the flour mixture just until you get a crumbly consistency. Add buttermilk to flour mixture. Gently stir until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
Turn the dough onto a floured surface. With floured hands, pat dough to approximately 2-inch thickness. Using a 2 ½ inch biscuit cutter, cut out 6-8 biscuits. Transfer to greased skillet. Bake until golden brown, about 30 minutes. Remove biscuits from oven and let cool 5 minutes.
While biscuits are baking, cook ham. Add bacon grease to a cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add ham slices and fry until edges are brown, a few minutes per side. Remove ham from skillet and place on a paper-towel lined plate to drain. Cut each slice in half.
To serve, split biscuit in half, spread with softened butter, and sandwich with a piece of ham.
I encourage you to check out this book especially if you like down-home cooking from scratch. And you will get plenty of sweet stories from Dolly and her sister. So you get an autobiography and a cooking book all in one!
Now let’s do a simple recipe for the kids:
Pilgrim Hats Recipe by Mommy Snippets
1 pkg. Keebler fudge striped cookies
1 pkg. small bite size Reese’s peanut butter cups
Yellow icing in the Wilton or any other icing already in the tube.
Instructions:
Turn the cookies, chocolate side facing up on a large plate. Add a dab of icing to the larger base of the peanut butter cup. Gently place it on top of the cookie base covering the hole in the middle of the cookie; this should resemble a hat. Draw a rim to the peanut butter cups base with icing. Draw a pretty square/rectangle shape buckle. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve to prevent chocolate from melting.
I’m going to throw in a few November craft ideas that are quick and easy but turn out great for the holiday.
Foam Pumpkin candle
You will need Foam Pumpkins (any color)
Butter Knife
Battery operated tea lights or candle tea lights
Pull stem out of pumpkins. Use the tea light as a guide and place it onto the center and trace a circle around it. Using the butter knife cut the circle out and remove the pieces from the circle. Turn on the tea light and insert into the hole you created. These look great in a grouping.
Fall candle centerpieces:
You will need: small or medium size round votive candles, cinnamon sticks, jute string.
For this easy craft using a glue gun or free hand place the cinnamon sticks around the candle and secure with the jute string tying to firmly keep in place.
Make multiples of these and tuck in and place on a long tray. Scatter small artificial pumpkins and acorns around the plate. Light the candles and enjoy the sweet scent of cinnamon.
For the second candle craft you will need medium size round votive candles. Use a small scrap of fall fabric or cut out fall shapes from a napkin. Wrap around the candle and secure with jute string or twine. Tuck an artificial leaf into the string. This craft works best with candles with artificial flame since you will be using fabric or paper.
These little crafts whichever you choose to make will light up and bring a warmth and cozy feel to your home. I hope you try at least one of them.
Ok let’s move on to my book picks:
I at times just want to read a good Juvenile Fiction novel. I picked up The Scarlet Stockings: The Enchanted Riddle by Charlotte Kandel.
Thirteen years ago, a little girl named Daphne was left on the doorstep of an orphanage in London. She had two dreams for her life (1) To solve the pieces of her past and her identity, (2) to be a Prima Ballerina. She receives a book which contains a riddle for her to solve. Also inside the book is a pair of scarlet stockings. When she puts the stockings on, they are magic. She can leap and dance just as she imagines. She hides the stockings under her uniform so you can pretty much guess she’s asking for trouble. She locks horns especially with one strict nun and can’t seem to do anything right in her eyes, so Daphne is sent to live with a loving family who sell their vegetables in the local market square right near the Ballet Theater. Here Daphne meets this family of farmers and actors who put on plays in the street. She gets to know the children and parents from this sweet town. After much discussion, the family adopts Daphne and treat her as their own. Follow Daphne as her book, along with the stockings will hold more than just the key into her past and her destiny. Please read as our little character tries to navigate her unfamiliar world to find where and with who she truly belongs. It’s a jewel of a book people I would love for you to read it. You heart will truly be touched.
My second Juvenile Fiction choice is The Best (Worst) Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. What a classic! If you have never read this one please pick it up. It can be read on your lunch break. It’s so entertaining. It is about a family named The Herdman’s. They are about the worst rough and tumble kids around. They lie, steal, smoke cigars, swear, and sometimes hit little kids. Sounds like a cool bunch huh? Well hang on as this family march into church one Sunday and decide to take over the Christmas Pageant! I don’t want to give it away but if you have never read it I encourage you to do so. It will warm your heart this Christmas with humor and constant outrageous antics.
Ok so I have probably stated this more times than I can count. My favorite male author is Nicholas Sparks. I just finished his new one Counting Miracles. I am not sure how I feel about it yet, I am still processing. It felt kind of rushed and normally he really goes into a lot of background and depth of his characters, but this didn’t happen with this one. It’s a good story but it felt a little disconnected. Our main character is Tanner Hughes, a military Army Ranger who is constantly on the move. Before his grandmother passes away, she tells him to find where he belongs. So, he heads to Asheboro, North Carolina. Here he meets Kaitlyn Cooper, a doctor and single mom of 2. The book’s other character is Jasper, an 83-year-old who lives in a cabin near the National Forest with his dog Arlo. All these characters will become inter-twined in this story. It is filled with a tragic past and a hopeful future.
Katharine, the Wright Sister by Tracey Enerson Wood. This book is about Katherine Wright, Orville and Wilbur’s little sister. The book chronicles their childhood in Dayton, Ohio and their dreams of building and airplane. They start out simple with paper planes and bird watching. They use these to understand speed and wingspan. They first open a bicycle shop where they build and repair bikes. In the back of the shop is where they find inspiration and plan to fly the first plane. They are a very close-knit family with doting parents who support their dreams and future plans. However, little Katherine is the driving force behind the brothers. She sets aside her own dreams of being an Italian language teacher and her promises of love to dedicate herself to her brother’s dreams. This book is very detailed, and you really have to pay attention to the wording and meanings and I sometimes go back and read the same paragraph a few times to understand the technical language used. But like the book about the Brooklyn Bridge by this same author, I can tell you it doesn’t disappoint. It’s a great book and so full of history. How do they get to Kitty Hawk, North Carolina? If you want to satisfy any curiosities about the Wright brothers and their sister Katherine this is the book for you. This one will take you a bit to get through but hey cold weather is on our doorstep so curl up and give it a try.
Here is a short list of a few new books we have at Bookmobile:
Counting Miracles by Nicholas Sparks
Triangle by Danielle Steel
Lies He Told Me by James Patterson
Book Nooks: Inspired Ideas for Cozy Reading Corners and Stylish Book Displays by Vanessa Dina and Claire Gilhuly.
And if you are into the new movie Wicked coming out, we have the book by Gregory McGuire
Our New Christmas Books:
One Big Happy Family by Susan Mallery
A Christmas Duet by Debbie Macomber
Santa’s Secret by Fern Michaels
We also have lots of new Christmas books for the kiddies!
Some of the new DVD’s we have received:
Deadpool vs. Wolverine
Borderlands
Adventures at the Chocolate Factory
Small Town Santa
As for what I’m listening to; I’m still on the island of Nantucket with Elin Hilderbrand listening to all my favorites. I just can’t help myself; she always transports me to blue skies, sand and cobblestone streets. But just as the nip gets in the air, I will start her Christmas Stroll series.
And remember if reading is not your thing a good audio can do the trick. It’s also a good time to pick up an adult coloring book and cozy up by the fire and color your way through the long evenings.
Dates to Remember
November 11 Veterans Day
November 28 Thanksgiving Day
“Hope your November is unbe-leafable!”
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