Cottage Magpie Recipe Collection

Happy Holidays!

2008-12-24T03:00:57Z

As I sit here gazing out at an unbelievable landscape with almost two feet of snow, I can't help but think that this has been a wild year all the way around. What a year, huh? Not just with everything going on in the world, but in all of our lives, too. It's one for the record books. At times like these, I'm also filled with gratitude. Not just for my life in general, but for all of you. There are so many of you who have been so supportive and encouraging of me and visiting here every day to leave your comments and offer your thoughts to me and the other readers. I love that about our little group here, and I thank you all, sincerely, for being such great friends. I wish I could give every one of you a big hug! For now, though, it's time for me to focus my attention on my family, and the holiday, and my usual end-of-year reflection. So I'm signing off for 2008, returning next on January 1, 2009. I've got lots of ideas, tons of projects in the works and a bunch of improvements going on in my house that I haven't shared yet. So I can't wait to get back to all of you. In the meantime, I genuinely hope that each of you has a memorable holiday, filled with love and light and experiences that will charge you up for the new year. It's going to be a great year next year, I can just feel it. I can't wait for us all to meet our greatest successes in 2009. My best to all of you, Happy Holidays! P.S. Since some of you asked, the ornament at the top is my own creation. I made it from a vintage bulb reflector and a vintage earring. I have how-to photos to post, but the time got away from me. And then I made, like, 50 of them and was going to put some up for sale, but I wasn't sure people would be interested. They'd be, like, $6 each? Ish? So if you're interested, let me know. Otherwise, I'll probably go ahead and put the how-to's up later for next year, if you want to see that?

Yet More Snow!!!

2008-12-22T19:04:15Z

I know that for all of you in snow country, we PNWers seem like big babies with the snow we're having. But while this is business as usual for a lot of you, it's completely, totally and utterly bizarre for us. I mean, sure, we get snow every year or so, for a day or so. But we're on, what, our 9th straight day of snow? And it's still snowing! It's a couple of feet deep now. My driveway is buried. That's an SUV bumper, there.

My backyard dining area is buried.

My shed is buried.

My veg garden is buried. Take note, there are foot high raised beds in there. Under there.
Madness, shear madness! My last set of photos of the snow were pretty, and I don't want to sound ungrateful, but honestly, I'm kinda ready for it to be gone. Maybe more than kinda. Where's my garden!??? Happy Holidays!

Snow!

2008-12-20T20:13:58Z

You've probably heard that we're having unusual amounts of cold and snowy weather here in the Pacific Northwest. It's been snowstorm after snowstorm for, what, 8 days now? I know for a lot of you out there, this is business as usual. But for us, it's completely and utterly astounding.

When I woke up yesterday morning, the snow had fallen so heavy and thick it covered everything and flocked all the trees. I've never seen anything like it.

Usually if we get a bad storm, (which we only do every few years), we get ice. Not this. It's beautiful.

I got up early because I wanted to get pictures before anyone else came out. Lucky for me, this time of year the sun rises late and doesn't peek over the neighboring trees until 9:00 a.m. or so.

Sunshine this time of year is also unusual. Normally it's just grey and rainy for months on end. So to see both is such a treat.

Honestly, unless I move to some other part of the country, I may never see scenes like this again. And also, honestly, as beautiful as it is, this morning I was ready to have it melt and go back to my year-round gardening.

Except guess what it's doing today? Again? That's right. Unbelievable!
Supposedly it'll all be gone by Christmas. Which is a little ironic. But in the meantime, my son and I invented some new lyrics for a familiar winter-time song: The weather outside is frightful, but the cookies so delightful As long as we've got some dough, Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow. Well the cookies are nice and warm, Fresh and gooey and hot, I could go outside and play but then again, maybe not! And so on... The sugar kicks in at this point, and we get a little random with the lyrics, but you get the idea. Happy Holidays!

Virtual Cookie Exchange 2008, Results

2008-12-15T20:47:47Z

Thank you so much everyone for joining in on the Virtual Cookie Exchange! What a fantastic turnout, and SO many delicious looking cookies. Man, oh, man I think I gained 5 lbs just reading through them all! :-) If you haven't already checked them out, please do! And, now the moment you've all been waiting for, the giveaway! The winner is.... ....drumroll, please... Lisa from akawest, who posted some delicious chocolate filled thumbprints, which look fantastic! Congratulations, Lisa! You've won a $50 gift basket of at-home spa goodies, custom-made by a registered aromatherapist! You choose either Lavender Fields or Romantic Evening. I promise, they both smell FANTASTIC.

Virtual Cookie Exchange 2008

2008-12-13T22:37:24Z

It's here! The day of the virtual cookie exchange! Happening simultaneously with my real-life cookie exchange, this is my chance to include all of you! And, to thank you for participating, on Monday morning one lucky winner will receive a $50 gift basket of at-home spa goodies. It's custom-made just for me by a registered aromatherapist. You choose either Lavender Fields or Romantic Evening. I promise, they both smell FANTASTIC.
Okay, some rules:

Please link directly to your cookie post, not to your home page. I want people to be able to find those recipes months from now! :-)
Please include a link back to this post so everyone can get access to the amazing collection of cookies
If you have more than one cookie post, please feel free to add more than once. I'll definitely be adding all of mine (though of course I'm not eligible to win my own prize! :-)
One last one: please include the name of your cookie in your Mr. Linky (along with your name)

Thanks so much for sharing your favorite holiday cookies (and recipes, if you can). I can't wait to see them all! Mr. Linky will be up until Monday morning, so have fun! :-) Happy Holidays! Sorry, the contest is now closed and the gift basket has been given away. However, feel free to add your cookie recipes as a resource to others!

Food & Cookie Recipe Sharing Giveaway

2008-12-10T22:56:30Z

What would the holidays be without cookies? I love cookies. They're my specialty. And this year I'm having my first ever cookie exchange party. I can't wait to try some new cookies! I really want to invite you all to come. I love all of your ideas and suggestions and support and bloggy love. Of course, for 99% of you all, that would be impractical. So I'm having, simultaneously, a... Virtual Cookie Exchange! Who: You! What: A dozen holiday cookies (and the recipe, too, would be nice! :-) Where: Here! When: Saturday, December 13th. Why: Because I want to include all of you amazing, supportive people in my first ever cookie exchange party. How: I'll put up a Mr. Linky post sometime Saturday with a place for you to share your cookies (and a recipe, if you can!)

Here's the best part. Since you'll all be knackered from baking, on Sunday I'll give away a luxury gift basket of spa goodies, custom made just for me by a registered aromatherapist and worth over $50. The randomly selected winner will get to choose between Lavender Fields blend, or Romantic Evening blend. Heavenly.
Speaking of food sharing posts, a randomly selected winner from that post is also winning a spa gift basket. And that winner is..... .....drumroll..... Laura of Shore(house) Chic! Congrats Laura! You can choose either Lavender Fields or Romantic Evening scent for your goodies. Happy Holidays!

Welcome to Thanksgiving Food Week at Cottage Magpie!

2008-11-28T07:59:59Z

Update: There's still time to win the $25.00 gift certificate! Just add your Thanksgiving food post to Mr. Linky below before midnight tonight, PST! :-) Thanksgiving has always been about food. The Pilgrims wouldn't have survived if the Native American Wampanoag people hadn't shared their knowledge of fishing, hunting and New World crops. And we're still doing it, here in the blogosphere, we're all sharing. Tips, tricks, ideas, support.... and food. In the spirit of sharing food together, let's share our food recipes and tips with each other! All this week, Mr. Linky will be open below so that you can link to your recipe posts, and I'll post my favorites too. They can be new or they can be old, just include 'em! Best of all, on Satuday, one random participant will win a $25.00 gift certificate to...drumroll...my shop, which will open Friday! I have all kinds of vintage cottage-style decor items, handmade Christmas ornaments plus luxury bath items! :-) I've added a link to my Thanksgiving page, so you can check that out and then add your own! Please, so that people can find your post months from now, please link directly to your post, not to your front page. Thank you, and enjoy!

No-Bake Cheesecake

2008-11-25T03:28:35Z

I adore cheesecake. Love, love, love it. But sometimes I want to get all the delicious cheesecake flavor without the extra effort. Or sometimes I want to put cheesecake on something else, like pumpkin pie. Especially for those occasions, I created this easy, addictive no-bake cheesecake recipe. Ingredients 8 oz cream cheese (one package) 8 oz whipping cream (1 cup) 1/4 cup sugar 1 teaspoon lemon juice Unless you are using the cheesecake as a topping, you will also need a pre-prepared crust, either a pre-baked pie crust or a graham cracker crust. Method 1. Whip the cream until stiff. For instructions, see How To Make Whipped Cream. Set aside. 2. Whip the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. Scrape the bowl often and really whip it up. Don't skip the lemon juice, even if you're pairing the cheesecake with another flavor. It's an essential ingredient. It doesn't make the cheesecake taste lemony, just gives it a depth of flavor that you need since there's no eggs or baking involved. 3. Add the whipped cream back in and whip until the whole thing is smooth, smooth, smooth. It might take a few minutes to get all the lumps out. 4. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a pre-made crust (I recommend graham cracker) or onto another pie (like pumpkin), or just into bowls to eat like pudding. 5. Chill until firm. The cheesecake will firm up and be slice able in a couple of hours, and you'll need to store the cheescake in the fridge until it's all gone. Which shouldn't be too long! Enjoy! :-)

Graham Cracker Crust

2008-11-24T23:12:19Z

One of my favorite no-bake pie crusts is the classic graham cracker crust. It's tasty, crunchy and great with all types of no-bake pies such as no-bake cheesecake. The best part? It's super easy. Ingredients 1 1/2 cups crushed graham crackers (about 20 squares) 1/2 cup butter (1 stick) 2 Tablespoons sugar

In addition to your ingredients, you will need a 9- or 10-inch pie pan, a large, sealable plastic bag and a rubber mallet (or rolling pin). Method 1. First, put all the graham crackers in the plastic bag and smash them into crumbs using the rubber mallet. Or, if you don't have a mallet, you can roll them with the rolling pin. Set aside.

It's always helpful to have a destruction-inclined child at the ready for this operation.

2. Next, if your pie plate is microwave safe, melt the butter directly in it. If not, melt the butter in a microwave safe container and pour into the pie plate. 3. Add the graham cracker crumbs and the sugar to the pan. Mix thoroughly.
4. Press the mixture into the pan uniformly, starting on the bottom, then pressing the corner and sides. Finally, press an even edge into the top rim of the crust.

5. Chill the crust in the refrigerator for an hour to solidify. That's it! You're now ready to fill that crust with something fantastic. Naturally, I recommend no-bake cheesecake (coming up next!)

Cranberry Sauce with Orange and Port

2008-11-24T23:07:32Z

My entire life I've never liked cranberry sauce. Ever. Until I came up with this particular concoction. It's so good, you could eat it on ice cream. In fact, I have. It's fast, easy, and incredibly delicious. Plus it's a nice excuse to buy a bottle of Port. Ingredients: 3/4 cup sugar 1/4 cup + 1 T Port 2 Clementine oranges (you can use Satsuma, but Clementine are better) 12 oz fresh cranberries 1 apple, finely chopped Method: 1. Remove zest from oranges, set aside. 2. In a medium saucepan place the sugar and 1/4 cup of the Port. Squeeze the juice from the 2 oranges into the pan. Place on low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved. 3. Add cranberries, apple and orange zest. Cook over medium heat, stirring occassionally, 10-20 minutes or until soft and thick. 4. Remove from heat. Stir in remaining 1 T Port. For fun, give each person (or every two people) a small serving in a vintage glass punch cup with just enough sauce for one or two. It'll save on passing dishes and add cottage charm to your table.

And don't forget to eat the leftovers over ice cream. Enjoy!

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-31T08:01:01Z

Happy Halloween, friends! :-) I can't tell you how much fun it is to be sharing all this fun with all of you. The last several days have been a flurry of crafts, friendship and fun for which I am eternally grateful. Thank you so much, all of you, for commenting, being supportive, providing ad space and doing all the amazing things that you do to make this possible. I am so thankful for your support that words really do fail me, quite often. I also want to give a very special thank you to everyone on Twitter. What a fun, supportive community of people. Even with all of the diversity of blogs, politics and opinions, there's always someone willing to help out, and I love that. If you haven't already been following, I share behind-the-scenes process and progress there as well as get your input and ideas. So if you're interested in all of that, you can find me there. Meanwhile, I'm in the final throes of my next big project, launching a Cottage Magpie online shop, featuring all of the same thrift finds and crafty projects that I do for myself in the blog. We'll be going live over the weekend, so I hope you stop in and check it out. Whew! That's all from me for now. I hope you all have a happy and safe Halloween! Enjoy! P.S. If you haven't already seen it, take a peek at the Halloween Idea Extravaganza.

Soft Sugar Cookie

2008-10-29T04:51:46Z

One of my favorite cookies is a sugar cookie, and I like them soft and thick and smothered with buttercream frosting. For me, this is the perfect cookie. Ingredients 4 cups flour 1 teaspoon baking powder 1 teaspoon soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg (optional) 1/3 cup butter 1/3 cup lard 1/3 cup shortening 1 1/2 cups sugar 2 teaspoons vanilla 2 eggs 3/4 cup sour cream Preparing Dough 1. Sift the flour, then measure out four cups. Measure the flour by spooning into the measuring cup and leveling with a knife. Don't scoop the flour up with the measuring cup. 2. Sift four more times (yes, four) with the baking powder, soda, salt and nutmeg. Set aside. 3. In a large mixing bowl, cream the fats until smooth. 4. Add sugar gradually, creaming well. 5. Add eggs and vanilla, beat until fluffy. 6. Add approximately 1/3 of the flour mixture, mix until smooth. 7. Add approximately 1/2 of the sour cream, mix until smooth. 8. Continue to add and mix flour and sour cream, alternately, ending with flour. 9. Cover bowl and refrigerate dough for several hours, or until firm enough to shape. I usually leave mine overnight. Shaping and Baking Cookies This dough is very soft, even when chilled, and can be difficult to work with if you aren't relatively patient. Work with small amounts at a time with plenty of flour, and keep the remaining dough in the fridge between batches. It's a little tricky, but the end result is so worth it. 1. When ready to shape and bake cookies, grease cookie sheets and preheat oven to 425 degrees (yes, 425 degrees). 2. Working in small batches, pat the dough out with your hands. Use a rolling pin to smooth the top if necessary. You want the dough fairly thick; a generous 1/4" is what I use. 3. Cut with cookie cutters of your choice, but try to use cutters at least 3" across or bigger. 4. Place on prepared cookie sheets and bake 6-8 minutes, or until just set. 5. Let cool completely on wire rack before frosting. Of course, you could sprinkle them with sugar before baking, but for me, the true treat is eating these cookies with a thick layer of my favorite buttercream frosting. Let me know if you try it! Best, Note: You can substitute a cup of butter for the mixed fats, but the cookie won't be quite as soft.

Buttercream Frosting

2008-10-25T05:46:40Z

Whether frosting cakes or cookies, this creamy frosting is a classic. This recipe makes enough to frost an 8" two-layer cake or a batch of soft sugar cookies. Ingredients 1/2 cup butter (one stick) 1 teaspoon vanilla or almond extract 3 cups confectioner's (powdered) sugar 2-3 teaspoons milk or water

Method 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream 1/2 cup butter (one stick). 2. Add the confectioner's (powdered) sugar and blend thoroughly, creating a dry mixture. 3. Add the vanilla or almond extract and beat thoroughly. The mixture will begin to form clumps. 4. Add the milk or water, 1/2 teaspoon at a time, beating thoroughly after each addition. The frosting will begin to form a solid mass. 5. Continue to add milk or water in 1/2 teaspoon increments until the frosting is the desired consistency for your frosting project. 6. If tinting the frosting, separate the frosting into bowls and tint each individually. If frosting cookies, leave them out on a tray until the frosting dries. Usually within a few hours, the frosting hardens enough to gently stack cookies, however, it never hardens completely, ensuring that the frosting and cookie are soft and delicious. This frosting is best used immediately, but can be stored in the refrigerator in an air-tight container. When chilled the frosting will be stiff and will need to be warmed to room temperature before using. Enjoy!

Welcome Back

2008-09-30T16:30:37Z

Somehow for the last several months my posts have mostly been, "So sorry I've been gone, I'm back now." It's embarrassing. I keep saying it's been crazy, and when I look back on it, I can't believe how crazy. This year has been crazy. We went months without work this summer. And I was sick for several weeks, and then sick again just recently. We've had technical problems, including with this website. I won't even go into the various family dramas. So I kept not making time for this because I felt guilty for spending time on it when I had so much else going on. But guess what? I *need* this. I need you guys. I need to share my little successes with my home and garden. So I'm back. This time for good. I refuse to feel guilty that being a part of our (not so) little online community here is important to me! Here's the best part: while I've not been on the computer, I *have* been able to chip away at a few projects here at home, with the help of my (not so) little boy. So I have lots to share (like my new veg garden in the photo above). Not all of it is timely anymore -- I have lots of summer garden pictures and I know everyone else is on to the holidays already. But I'll post it anyway. I'll just pretend it's not October yet for a few days! I'm so glad to be back, I'm so sorry to have been gone so long. I hope you've all had spectacular years and I can't wait to catch up with you all!

Happy Fourth of July, 2008

2008-07-07T21:26:50Z

Whew! What a crazy six weeks. We've been through everything from unemployment to in-laws here at Chez Guzzo. It seems like we've had an awful lot of drama here this year, so I'll spare you the details. But let me just say that I'm sorry to disappear like that and I sincerely hope it won't happen again. I really appreciate all of your kinds thoughts, comments and e-mails. I'm sorry I haven't answered you all! But I read every e-mail and they were all very welcomed. It's just been nuts. I've missed you all so much!! SO. Tune in tomorrow for new posts, new fun, lots of new photos and some surprises, too. Oh yes, and... Happy (Belated) Fourth!