Hope everyone had a great Christmas! Ours was great! Yesterday I drank a cup of Christmas hot tea that I had received as a gift. I enjoyed it. This year I developed a taste for coffee and now a taste for hot tea. My husband went to Dollar Tree yesterday so I asked him to pick me up a box of hot tea bags since I enjoyed the ones I had received. It was peppermint tea and it is fantastic! 30 bag box for a buck! Some products I have tried from Dollar Tree were a waste of money but the majority of products I have tried live up to brand name products and some excel. This excels! If you enjoy relaxing with a cup of flavored hot tea then try it!

Grandma's Gingerbread

Grandma's Gingerbread                                                                                                                                                                                                     

2 eggs                                 1 tsp. allspice
3/4 cup brown sugar           3 tsp. ginger
3/4 cup molasses                3 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 cup melted crisco         1/2 tsp cloves
2 1/2 cups flour                  1 tsp nutmeg
2 tsp. baking soda              2 tsp. pummpkin pie spice
1/2 tsp. baking powder       1 cup boiling water

Add beaten eggs to sugar, syrup and melted crisco.  Sift dry
ingredients and add to egg mixture.  Lastly, add boiling water
and mix well.  Pour into greased and floured bundt pan and bake
at 350 degrees for 30 to 40 minutes.

Christmas Craft: Bead & Pipe Cleaner Ornaments

Christmas ornaments made from ordinary pipe cleaners and inexpensive acrylic beads are very pretty and easy to make.  They look quite impressive yet are easy enough for small children to make.  This is one Christmas craft idea to use again and again.  Older people will enjoy making this Christmas craft, too, which can be varied to make a number of different sparkling ornaments for your Christmas tree.

To make the bead and pipe cleaner ornaments, you need common pipe cleaners in desired colors and acrylic beads.  Two types of beads are particularly effective when strung on pipe cleaners.  One type are called sunburst beads, but are also known as paddlewheel beads, snowflake beads, or starburst beads.  These beads have six faceted paddles spaced equally around a center that contains the hole for stringing.  When several of these sunburst beads are strung consecutively, they fit against each other in an interlocking pattern.

The other type of bead that is also effective for this Christmas craft is called the tri bead or propeller bead.  It has three rounded bumps arranged around the stringing hole.  Like the sunburst beads, the tri beads interlock when strung consecutively.  For the most sparkly and attractive Christmas ornaments, get tri beads and/or sunburst beads in translucent colors of red, green, and clear.  The tri beads can also be found in metallic gold and silver which can be used in this Christmas craft as well.

Pipe cleaners can be found in silver and gold tinsel as well as chenille of all colors.  For the Christmas craft, the best colors to use are the metallic and Christmas colors.  The beads cover the pipe cleaners, but the ends will need to be twisted together and made into hangers, so they show.
Anyone, even small children, can string these beads on pipe cleaners.  Bend up the end of the pipe cleaner so the beads don't fall off.  The pipe cleaner works like a needle, making a needle unnecessary. 

For best results, show the children how to alternate colors when stringing, or start a pattern of three colors.  When the beads are strung on the pipe cleaners, they can be bent into different Christmas shapes.  For instance, string red and clear beads alternately, then bend down one end of the pipe cleaner for a candy cane shape.  Or alternate red and green beads and form a circle for a wreath.  Use red pipe cleaner to form a small bow to decorate the wreath.  Form a hanger for the Christmas craft or simply slip the circle over a branch of the tree.

If you experiment with clear beads and silver pipe cleaners, you can make some beautiful snowflake or star ornaments.  Snowflake designs can be twisted of silver pipe cleaner only, without the beads for a simple but pretty decoration.
Bead and pipe cleaner ornaments are a Christmas craft you will find yourself using every year.  Children and their parents will both appreciate this simple yet pretty Christmas craft.

Fried Green Tomatoes

1   large egg, lightly beaten 
1/2 cup  buttermilk 
1/2 cup  self-rising cornmeal mix 
1/2 teaspoon  salt 
1/2 teaspoon  pepper 
1/2 cup  all-purpose flour 
3  medium green tomatoes, 1/3-inch-thick slices 
Vegetable oil

Whisk together egg and buttermilk. Combine cornmeal mix,
salt, pepper, and 1/4 cup flour in a shallow dish. Dredge
tomato slices in remaining 1/4 cup flour; dip in egg mixture,
and dredge in cornmeal mixture. Pour oil to a depth of 1/2
inch in a large cast-iron skillet; heat to 375° over medium-high
heat. Drop tomatoes, in batches, into hot oil, and cook 2
minutes on each side or until golden. Drain on paper towels.
Sprinkle hot tomatoes with salt to taste.

The Original Magic Pie Recipe

4 eggs
1/4 cup margarine
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
2 cups milk or half and half
1 cup coconut
1 teaspoon vanilla

Place all ingredients in blender at one time and blend until
mixed together. Pour into a buttered 10-inch piepan. Bake in a
350 degree oven for 1 hour. When done, crust will be on bottom,
custard in the middle, an coconut on top - right where they
belong.

Old Fashion Teacake Cookies

                                                          
1 cup butter
1 3/4 cups white sugar
2 eggs
 3 cups all-purpose flour
 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking soda, salt and nutmeg; stir into the creamed mixture. Knead dough for a few turnns on a floured board until smooth. Cover and refrigerate until firm. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough out to 1/4 inch in thickness. Cut into desired shapes with cookie cutters. Place cookies 1 1/2 inches apart onto cookie sheets. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!

Beginning of a Southern Christmas

Our Christmas tree in living room of our rustic country home. My country décor on top 2 shelves of my bedroom desk where I blog and publish my Southern recipes and articles. Today I added a Christmas moose jar and tin snowman box I received last year and an antique gold farm bell with bow that I have had forever. Saving some ornaments for my grandson to help me with tomorrow! We will also make old fashion teacake cookies. Recipe is above.