Girlhood Tidbit #13 Christmas Time Treat

During the holidays it is fun to remember our friends by giving them a little something special. Nothing say special more than homemade right? I think so that is why I made Candied Citrus Peel candy this year. My friend Laura makes this wonderful Christmas time treat and shares this delectible delight with her friends and family. What a sweet idea. I love sharing recipes with my friends don't you? When I tried her candied orange peel I thought I had died and gone to sugar plum heaven, it was such perfection.

This year we have been eating by the box full, Little Cuties, which are a seedless Tangerines, ooohhh are they good. My children kept leaving their peels around and so I got the idea to actually save them and then use them to make this sweet treat. I had to improvise a bit because Laura just told me how she made it, I didn't really have a recipe. But no biggy because it is super easy. This is my version from my memory. Thanks so much Laura!

Candied Citrus Peels

1 cup sugar

1 cup water

1/4 cup orange juice (optional)

Citrus Peels- Orange, Tangerine, Lemon, Grapefruit, Lime you choose. How about a variety? Wouldn't that be wonderful!!

Incorporate together in a sauce pan on the stove.

Slice orange peel in long strips and place in sugar mixture once sugar is dissolved.

Simmer on low until white part of peel starts to turn translucent. Remove your pieces from the syrup and into a shallow dish of plain white sugar. Turn gently and coat each piece and then lay on a cooling rack to dry. Then package in cello bags and fun ribbon. Yum.

I also bottle up the remaining syrup in pretty glass pitchers to use in tea as a sweetner. It is delicious in Double Bergamot tea, which happens to be one of my favorites. This makes a wonderful hostess gift around the hoidays paired together with the Candied Citrus Peels.

Getting back into the swing!

Getting back to the swing of things. There is something of great comfort to me about the change in season and rhythm of life. It does my mind and spirit good!

Today was a great day! My friend D. and kids came over and we went on our annual blueberry pickin' trek. We picked in the morning, came home and made lunch for the kids, then got busy!

We canned 16 jars of blueberry preserves with some left over to snack on. We are pretty proud of ourselves and let me tell you the blueberry preserves are something to die for. And to think the berries were free at our local blueberry park, that makes it even sweeter!

I have always enjoyed the organic process of picking fresh food and then preserving it for later for my family to enjoy. It seems like a lot of work but I sure do enjoy the satisfaction that I get from it. D. and I enjoyed the afternoon, chatting and laughing the day away. I can't think of a better way to get back into the swing of things!

Girl Time Tidbit #6- Harvest Time Cider

I wanted to share a harvest season recipe that can be used right through Thanksgiving or until you bring out the Egg Nog. I have given this recipe to my daughters to put into their very own recipe notebooks. What is a recipe notebook you ask? There is an article in the latest Girlhood Home Companion click here to go to The Patchwork Heart, Co. find out more about this. This can be any kind of note book, but of course, we have made ours special by creating a unique cover and then using that theme design throughout the rest of the notebook. We collect recipes, projects and tips that sound wonderful to us and put them into our notebook.

I started these when the girls were around 9 or 10 as they developed an interest in cooking and baking. We started with baking skills since making treats is so much fun especially since you get to lick the beater on the Kitchenaid mixer. We then moved into other cooking, for example, dishes for everyday meals. Now we are into meal preparation. It has been such a joy to watch my youngest, especially, enjoy this skill and learn it well.

From our home to yours here is our wonderful recipe for:

Harvest Time Cider

Apple juice or Apple cider whichever you prefer
Good Earth brand Tea or other cinnamon flavored tea
1 Whole orange- sliced in rings

In a sauce pot combine 1 cup of cider for every person you will be serving and 2 tea bags, for every 4 servings. If you are making 8 servings then use 4 tea bags and so on. Bring to a simmer until tea has seeped 3-5 min. Then slice up your orange into rings and add to your cider and heat through. We like this cider hot but you can also serve it cold. However, you must heat all ingredients together first and then chill and serve. Cuddle up by the fire and enjoy!

Look What I Won!

Cathy from Victorian Garden Gourmet found my website and left me a wonderful comment. So when I visited her site to reciprocate I found out she has

a monthly give away, isn't that a fun idea!

Here is the sweet tag!

So naturally, I left a comment and sure enough I won! What is so great is what I won. A gift basket sampling of some of her products. I couldn't believe it when it came, it was like getting a Christmas gift in the mail. It came packaged beautifully in a sweet little tin bucket with clear cellophane and a lovely ribbon too. I was so excited that I torn into it before I took any pictures but I am sure you can use your imagination. Here is what I got:

Lavender Sugar, Wedding Soup Mix, Naughty Nancy's Nautical Herbs, and

White Pizza Cheese Spread

Is your mouth watering yet? So, here is a big thank you to Cathy and The Victorian Garden Gourmet, go stop by and see what she has that might tickle your tastebuds!