Lots of ones and twos in todays date 01/02/2012. Happy New Year to all of you! It's been over two weeks since I blogged and it seems like just last week. We had a nice Christmas. Although it didn't go as planned--never plan. The stormy weather in the south caused cancelled and delayed flights. Jen was unable to get home for the holidays. Thankfully she had friends to spend it with and was not alone.
It isn't often that DH tells me to take a picture, but he was very impressed with the dessert table this year. Every one was so full of turkey and dressing there was alot left over.
Cherry Cheesecake
Here are the traditional Kolaches I only make at Christmas. They have cherry and prune filling. The cherry always disappear first. I should make them more often.
Lots of fun, food and family--another Christmas in the book of Time.
It's hard to tell it is January here. We are having very, very unseasonal weather for South Dakota. We haven't had any snow since the first 6 inches we had. Last Thursday it rained. We have been enjoying the 30 to 50 degree days--and so have the cattle! It makes doing chores so much quicker and easier.
The bulls wait for their breakfast of ground hay and silage.
The cows are fed in the pasture south of the place. They have the run of the corn stalks and wheat stubble too. It looks like fall.
It isn't often that DH tells me to take a picture, but he was very impressed with the dessert table this year. Every one was so full of turkey and dressing there was alot left over.
Cherry Cheesecake
Here are the traditional Kolaches I only make at Christmas. They have cherry and prune filling. The cherry always disappear first. I should make them more often.
Pumpkin and pecan pie are favorite holiday treats.
Lots of fun, food and family--another Christmas in the book of Time.
It's hard to tell it is January here. We are having very, very unseasonal weather for South Dakota. We haven't had any snow since the first 6 inches we had. Last Thursday it rained. We have been enjoying the 30 to 50 degree days--and so have the cattle! It makes doing chores so much quicker and easier.
The bulls wait for their breakfast of ground hay and silage.
The cows are fed in the pasture south of the place. They have the run of the corn stalks and wheat stubble too. It looks like fall.
The calves are no longer babies. They have grown well on their diet of corn, silage and ground hay.
I have been really lazy lately. I have been reading books on my new Kindle Fire and crocheting potholders. The quilt bug has not bit me yet. Our quilting group meets next week. I think that is what I need to get started again. The pheasant and deer hunting seasons are over now, so I can spread everything out in the bedroom again.
That is an impressive dessert table. Gosh, remember last year, all the snow you had. And, we had tons of rain. Not so much this year....so far. Happy New Year Janet
ReplyDeleteYUM!! Al the desserts look great.
ReplyDeleteYes we have had cooler weather her but today is 37,well over your 100 mark.I did it enjoy the cool.
Like you Janet I don't seem to be able to get back into stitching. Hope it helps when you go to the sewing group.
Happy New Year, Janet! That picture in the header is awesome!!!
ReplyDeleteYour dessert pics are awesome too! What are kolaches? They look like some pastries the Slovaks make, which I can't recall the name right now.)
Glad your livestock are doing so well. Don't you wish winter could be like this all season?
I've just gotten my sewing bug back...took the new year and shock that I only have a couple of months to finish one birth announcement and then will only have another 3 months to finish the 2nd one! I hope you get the urge to sew again after you attend your quilting session and see what lovelies the other ladies are working on!
Carol (NJ)
Happy New Year! It all looks good. We had our Christmas Dinner on Saturday the 24th. Conner's preschool had sold Perkins pies as a fund raiser. I ordered two---my family was not pleased! When I served them for dessert!!
ReplyDeleteWe had the first brown Christmas I can remember with temps in the upper 30's and 40's. Six inches of snow came on New Year's Eve with 35 mph winds.
I'm so sorry Jen wasn't able to make it home. The disappointment is hard on everyone. I hope you will be able to visit her this winter!
Does this 'unusual' weather worry you???
ReplyDeleteI do wonder==hope it doesn't catch up with us later?????
I am doing some hand quilting and have gotten into one or two challenges--one is a counted cross stitch one==you start 15 projects==one each day for the first 15 days in Jan==then you have the rest of year to finish them--am having fun with it==just not sure who is going do finish all these after the 15th???????
It is really cold here tonight==single digits--
but suppose to be back to to the 40s by Friday--
Hugs, Di and her Miss gracie
PS what an awesome photo at the top of your page!!!!!!!!
Impressive dessert table! that's my favorite part of the meal.
ReplyDeleteOur cows are lovin this weather too, not to mention us:)
Sorry so long, Janet.
ReplyDeleteThe Vondra great aunts were fabulous bakers, Anna Hanson in particular, with a legacy from G Grandma Marie Vondra who often baked for weddings and parties. Their favorite kolache fillings were prune and poppy seed, but they would also make apricot filling from dried apricots. Their breads were tender and would melt in your mouth.
There was another pastry made with the same ingredients as kolaches, called buchticky. The dough is rolled out similarly to kolaches and cut into 3 inch squares. The filling is put in the middle of the square and the 4 corners are brought together, enclosing the filling. These were probably raised and then baked in the oven until golden brown. When they baked, their edges would touch in the pan, and you wouldn't see the bottom of the pan, similar to how some people make cinnamon rolls. I have personally never made them. They are typically eaten this way from the oven. The Vondra great aunts would additionally dip them in melted butter and then sugar (either powdered or crystallized) before eating them.
This is a recipe for poppy seed filling, but not from the family. Do you know someone who has a family recipe for kolaches? Maybe you do? G Grandma Vondra raised her own poppy seeds. Having given birth to 15 children, 13 who survived infancy, she often worked in the garden with her children close at hand. If she had a fussy baby, she would break off a poppy seed flower stalk and put the end of it in her babies mouth and the baby would be sedated. Can you say drugging your children? I believe these poppies are illegal to grow in home gardens now, but I could wrong.Perhaps this was common amongst other Bohemian women with their children. I would be concerned about killing a child.
Poppy Seed Filling
2 cups ground poppy seed
3/4 cup milk
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel
1 egg
Simmer the poppy seeds in milk, stirring constantly for 5 minutes. Stir in sugar, butter and vanilla, cinnamon, lemon peel, and simmer for 5 minutes longer.
Cool filling, blend in egg yolk and fold in stiffly beaten egg white. Makes about
1 1/2 - 2 cups filling.