Innholdsfortegnelse for December/January 2021 i Country Woman

I have never really enjoyed online shopping. I do love poking around the packed shelves of the many small businesses in my community. They stock items you can’t find just anywhere, and the shop owners who curate those collections give great advice on picking the perfect gift. But I’m not doing as much shopping this year, in trying to do my part in staying home. I’ll still pop into my favorite stores a time or two to support small shops as best I can, given how they are struggling right now. But many of those on my list will get boxes in the mail in the coming weeks with homemade gifts tucked in between layers of tissue. (No peeking, friends and family!) If you’re doing the same, you’ll find inspiration…

Q: What are your tips for this gift-giving season? I, like most people, used to throw out the tissue from gift bags, as it is usually all wrinkled—until the day my best friend, Jeannie, told me it could be ironed flat on a low setting. The paper looks new again! This saves the time and money buying new tissue papers and allows me to practice recycling. BRENDA TOON SASKATOON, SASKATCHEWAN Whenever I’m taking a gift to a party, I always write on the back of the card the gift I’m giving, attach an address label and include a sales receipt. I then place the card inside the wrapped package so it doesn’t get detached from the gift. LINDA JOHNSON IVINS, UTAH I listen to loved ones for gift ideas and…

Coffee Shop Fudge This smooth, creamy fudge has an irresistible crunch from pecans. The coffee and cinnamon blend nicely to provide subtle flavor. BETH OSBORNE SKINNER BRISTOL, TN PREP: 15 MIN. + CHILLING MAKES: 2 LBS. 1 cup chopped pecans 3 cups semisweet chocolate chips 1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk 2 Tbsp. strong brewed coffee, room temperature 1 tsp. ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp. salt 1 tsp. vanilla extract 1. Line an 8-in. square pan with foil and butter the foil; set aside. Place pecans in a microwave-safe pie plate. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 3 minutes, stirring after each minute; set aside. 2. In a 2-qt. microwave-safe bowl, combine the chocolate chips, milk, coffee, cinnamon and salt. Microwave, uncovered, on high for 1 minute. Stir until smooth. Stir…

Dry-Rub Grilled Pork Chops over Cannellini Greens My family was not a huge fan of pork until I tried this recipe. Feel free to incorporate your favorite herbs into the dry rub. You can use the rub on boneless skinless chicken breast or other meats, too. MICHAEL CIRLINCIONE STOCKTON, NJ PREP: 20 MIN. COOK: 20 MIN. + STANDING MAKES: 4 SERVINGS 1 Tbsp. olive oil 1 medium onion, chopped 2 garlic cloves, minced 1 can ( 15 oz. ) cannellini beans, rinsed and drained 1 cup water-packed artichoke hearts, drained and chopped 3/4 cup pitted Greek olives, chopped 1/4 cup dry white wine or chicken broth 1/4 cup chicken broth 1/4 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. smoked paprika 1/4 tsp. pepper 4 bone-in pork loin chops ( 8 oz. each )…

One crisp, cool winter morning, when my kids were young, I bundled them up so we could gather pine cones in the Oregon woods. My family was excited about our first Christmas in our new home, and I thought a nature craft would be the perfect project. “Mommy, what will we do with the pine cones?” asked 4-year-old Jennifer. I pointed to the bottle of glue and the red and green glitter on the kitchen counter. “Ooh, I love glitter!” Jennifer said. We picked up our baskets and headed outdoors. The cold, fresh air smelled like rain. Dark clouds gathered in the distance. “We’d better hurry,” I said. We hiked to the back of the pasture. At the edge of the woods, pine trees had dropped cones all over the…

Tell us about yourself. My family lives on a small farm in Ohio. We raise sheep, a few chickens and barn cats. I spend mornings as a preschool teacher and work several hours a week at our local library. What are your hobbies? I enjoy reading, gardening, cross-stitching and kayaking. What advice do you have for other moms to find hobby time? My children are older, and they are able to join me in what I love to do. My son is often by my side when I garden, helping or playing in the dirt. He loves to scour the pumpkin vines looking for orange orbs. My daughter is a creative soul and will sit beside me to work on her own projects while I do mine. I think when…

Natural Color Have you experimented with dyeing your own fabrics with natural dyes? What tips do you have? Do you have a project to show off? We want to hear about them! Collectors Wanted Do you have a vintage record player or radio? How about a weakness for old metal outdoor furniture? Antique garden tools? Quilts? If you delight in any of these items, tell us about it! Do a Good Deed Do you know someone who goes the extra mile for her community? Share her story—along with some pictures—and she could be featured in our Good Neighbors column. Consider it a good deed done!…

Gena Stout of West Plains, Missouri, is an avid gardener and yard-art collector. Looking to create some additional decorative pieces for her gardens at her previous home along Arkansas’ Spring River, she and some friends used hypertufa, a lightweight concrete substitute, to cover yoga balls in different sizes. At first, Gena used them as large stones in the yard, before creating a seasonal display by stacking three of them together. In winter, she added a top hat and a scarf to create a sturdy snowman; in the summer it transformed into a gardener, decked out in sunglasses, a bikini top and a gardening apron.…

Silver and gold decorations have been in fashion for decades—Burl Ives sang a tribute to them as Sam the Snowman in the 1964 classic Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer —but the color scheme has seen a resurgence in stores and on home decor blogs in recent years. Heather Luckhurst, the Ottawa, Canada, designer behind one of those blogs, settingforfour.com , says this is because the colors create a look that is “inviting, timeless and classic. A silver and gold holiday color palette fits with all design styles—modern, traditional, boho, vintage, French country and farmhouse.” To replicate the trend, Heather suggests starting with equal amounts of gold and silver accents in a collection of matte, shiny and glittery finishes to keep things balanced, although she loves mixing solid, striped and geometric patterns…

If you were to navigate the dots on my life’s timeline, those dots could easily be cookies. In her sunny kitchen, my apron-clad grandmother made sugar cookies when I was a child. Mom Mom had a ceramic bowl for mixing and a floured wooden board for rolling out the dough. A knife was her cookie cutter. She always admonished my sister, Edie, and me not to eat the raw concoction, but we never heeded her advice. She used the red-and-white checkered Better Homes and Gardens New Cook Book for her formula. Later, I owned the same tome, but no matter how hard I try, my sugar cookies never taste like Mom Mom’s. No matter how hard I try, my sugar cookies never taste like Mom Mom’s. I earned my Girl…

1 Not everything is shippable. To make sure your box stays on the nice list, check out Publication 52 on usps.com. Treats like candy, cookies and other baked goods are fine, as long as they are sealed in sturdy, airtight packaging. 2 Pick a box to fit the contents. Boxes that are too big can allow the contents to shift around during the shipping process. Too small, and the contents may cause the box to bulge and break along the way. Fill all the space—especially corners—with bubble wrap or crumpled paper to absorb any bumps as it makes its way to friends and family. 3 If you reuse boxes, cover any logos or old labels. If you need a new box, you can get free ones at your post office.…

Cold winds have blown into much of the country, and that is true of the central Shenandoah Valley too. But step inside a plastic-covered greenhouse there and the world still blooms in red and white. Sisters Joy Showalter and Melanie Strite have planned this display for nearly a year; they order 12,700 rooted poinsettia cuttings each January from a New Jersey greenhouse. The cuttings arrive at the sisters’ Evergrowin’ Greenhouses in Bridgewater, Virginia, in July, where their husbands and staff help raise full-grown plants by the Christmas season. Joy and Melanie’s parents, Steve and Stella Showalter, began the nursery in 1976. “It’s been growing ever since,” Joy says. Steve and Stella passed the business to their daughters, but the two still show up for duty. “It’s great to have Mom…

Family Fair I really enjoyed reading the August/September issue. All those articles about fairs prompted me to share some of my memories. For many years it has been a family tradition to enter in our local fair. In 2019 we had four generations involved with entries in baking and canning, flowers and vegetables, craft, photography, crochet and knitting, quilting, junior work and the Rosebud Baby Show. Sadly, there was no fair to enjoy this year due to COVID-19. Last year the lap quilt I entered won a first-prize ribbon! The pattern I used was the “Wiggles and Giggles” quilt featured in a 2009 Country Woman issue. I have used this pattern many times for children’s quilts and adapted the pattern for lap quilts for adults. SHERRY HARNDEN FRASERVILLE, ONTARIO All…

Crochet pattern designer Toni Lipsey set out to make something “fabulous and festive” for her tree last year, and she hit the mark with her faux fur tree skirt. You can get the free pattern from her blog at tlycblog. com/solstice-tree-skirt-free-crochet-pattern/. Toni is the designer and teacher behind TL Yarn Crafts in Columbus, Ohio. Through her approachable, printable patterns and cheery video tutorials, she strives to make crochet accessible to makers of every skill level. Toni learned to crochet as a teen but honed her skills after graduating college. She was bitten by the entrepreneur bug in 2013 and began TL Yarn Crafts as a finished product business. Designing quickly became the focus and she was able to quit her day job in 2017. Follow her journey on Instagram @tlyarncrafts…

FOR THE COO K WOOD-BURNED SPOONS WHAT YOU’LL NEED Wooden spoons Hand-held wood-burning tool DIRECTIONS 1 Lightly draw out designs on wooden utensils with a pencil. 2 Carefully use wood-burning tool to burn designs into wood. 3 Cool spoon completely and erase pencil marks. Tie It Together Package the spoons with a favorite recipe card, an oven mitt and a pretty tea towel. FOR THE PET OWNER DOG PAW BALM WHAT YOU’LL NEED 2 Tbsp. beeswax 2 Tbsp. shea butter 2 Tbsp. coconut oil 2 Tbsp. olive oil 20 drops lavender essential oil Toothpick 4 oz. Mason jar with lid Small glass bowl Card stock Electronic cutting machine or pencil and craft knife Glue stick DIRECTIONS 1 Microwave beeswax, shea butter and coconut and olive oils in glass bowl for…

Rich, buttery cookies like these never last long at a party. I use seasonal cutters to celebrate the holidays. LYNN BURGESS ROLLA, MO PREP: 15 MIN. + CHILLING BAKE: 10 MIN./BATCH + COOLING MAKES: ABOUT 6 DOZEN (21/2-IN. COOKIES) 3/4 cup butter, softened 1 cup sugar 2 large eggs, room temperature 1 tsp. vanilla extract 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 tsp. baking powder 1/2 tsp. salt Tinted frostings, colored sugars, edible glitter and nonpareils 1. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Add eggs and vanilla; mix well. Combine the flour, baking powder and salt; gradually add to creamed mixture and mix well. Chill until firm, 1 hour. 2. On a lightly floured surface, roll out dough to 1/4-in thickness. Cut out with…

Eggnog Cheesecake I make good use of extra eggnog by creating this luscious cheesecake. A bit of rum extract adds a lovely rich flavor. KRISTEN GRULA HAZELTON, PA PREP: 15 MIN. BAKE: 45 MIN. + CHILLING MAKES: 16 SERVINGS 1 cup graham cracker crumbs 2 Tbsp. sugar 3 Tbsp. butter, melted FILLING 3 pkg. ( 8 oz. each ) cream cheese, softened 1 cup sugar 3 Tbsp. all-purpose flour 2 large eggs, room temperature, lightly beaten 3/4 cup eggnog 1/2 tsp. rum extract Dash ground nutmeg Whipped cream and additional ground nutmeg, optional 1. Place a greased 9-in. springform pan on a double thickness of heavy-duty foil (about 18 in. square). Securely wrap foil around pan. 2. In a small bowl, combine the cracker crumbs, sugar and butter. Press onto…

Grandma Maggie didn’t fit the mold of a traditional midcentury grandmother. She wore pantsuits to places women only wore dresses, she was a rattlesnake hunter whose weapon was a machete she carried in her little blue Falcon, and she spread bluebonnet seeds along the highways. Besides being a self-taught artist and poet, she was also a talented warbler—not to be confused with a whistler. Calling Maggie’s performance whistling would be like calling the Mona Lisa a picture. With trills and phrasing, her warbling was like that of a finely tuned instrument played by a master. With a grandmother like this, it was natural that Christmas at Maggie Capps’ house would be as interesting as she was. Each year in early December, Maggie, even in her 70s, would drive to the…