‘Tis The Season: Sylvia is Baking in the Kitchen with Betty Crocker!

Candy Cane Cookies

1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup shortening
1 cup confectioners’ sugar
1 egg
1 1/2 tsp almond extract
2 1/2 cups Gold Medal flour
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp red food color

Heat oven to 375*.  Mix thoroughly butter, shortening, confectioners’ sugar, egg and flavorings. Blend in flour and salt.  Divide dough in half; blend food color into one half.
Shape 1 teaspoon dough from each half into 4-inch rope.  For smooth, even ropes, roll them back and forth on lightly floured board.  Place ropes side by side; press together lightly and twist.  Complete cookies one at a time.  Place on ungreased baking sheet; curve top of cookie down to form handle of cane.
Bake about 9 minutes or until set and very light brown.  If you wish, mix 1/2 cup crushed peppermint candy and 1/2 cup granulated sugar.  Immediately sprinkle cookies with candy mixture;  remove from baking sheet.  About 4 dozen cookies.

*if using self-rising flour, omit salt.  If using instantized flour, stir 2 tablespoons milk into butter mixture.

More Sylvia after the jump!

A Holiday Book Review

I was at a book sale at work recently and happened to pick up a book of short stories written by Truman Capote. The  main story inside is the Christmas Memory. This is a largely autobiographical story which takes place in the 1930s. It’s a very cute story of a young boy who befriended an elderly cousin named Sook. The tale focuses on the ingredients of what Sook puts in her fruitcakes and the simplicity of making the gifts for others.

I enjoyed reading the book because Truman is a queeny outsider growing up in a conservative environment where no one understood the young man. The evocative narrative focuses on country life, friendship, and the joy of giving during the Christmas season, and it also gently yet poignantly touches on loneliness and loss.

“A Christmas Memory” is a short story by Truman Capote. Originally published in Mademoiselle Magazine in December 1956, it was reprinted in The Selected Writings of Truman Capote in 1963. It was issued in a stand-alone hardcover edition by Random House in 1966, and it has been published in many editions and anthologies since.

If you get a chance, pick it up, its cute nontraditional Holiday story.

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Holiday Lights

During the holiday season one of my favorite memories was going up to Preston Idaho to see the town lights. Preston Idaho is about a 30 minute drive north of Logan and sits right on the Border of Utah and Idaho. The town really goes all out for the decorations, on Main Street which is all of 6 blocks long you will see lights in every store front window and it all ends at one of those crazy Christmas houses that goes all out with custom wood painted lawn ornaments. The house usually comes complete with Mormon sayings and other seasonal messages.

Our house growing up was always very tasteful. No glowing snowmen, no plastic Santa, no extras on the lawn. I really wanted a whole Christmas pageant going on at all times outside, but never really got to decorate that way. The first year I was on my own I had a Santa, Snowman, Two candy canes, and a soldier in the front of the house I was renting. As years come and go the decorations change. When I moved into the boat house it came with an old row boat on the side so I was thrilled to be able to have a built in feature to exploit for the season. For the next four years we had a Christmas boat for a lawn ornament which at its peak had Three Wise Men. And of course all three were chain linked to the boat so no one would steal them. Deck the halls darlings, if you enjoy seeing Christmas lights locally make sure to check out Candy Cane lane in the University district. It is Seattle’s very own version of a lighted Christmas wonderland. 5249 17th Ave NE, Seattle, Washington 98105.

Candy Cane Lane Map

Best Places to see Holiday Lights by Courtney Shannon Strand