christmas • December 6, 2012

The Cobbler and His Guest

by Shelly Mathie

Posting today one of my favorite Christmas stories. Hoping it will guide my actions throughout the month of December and forever. Wishing you and yours a very Happy Holiday season.

There lived in the city of Marseilles, a hundred years ago, an old shoemaker, loved and honored by all his neighbors, who affectionately called him “Father Martin”.

One Christmas he sat alone in his little shop, reading of the visit of the wise men to the infant Jesus, and of the gifts they brought, and he said to himself, “If tomorrow were the first Christmas, and if Jesus were born in Marseilles this night, I know what I would give him” He arose and took from a shelf two little shoes of softest snow-white leather, with bright silver buckles. “I would give him these, my finest work. How pleased his mother would be! But I’m a foolish old man,” he thought, smiling. “The master has no need of my poor gifts.”

Replacing the shoes, he blew out the candle and retired to rest. Hardly had he closed his eyes, it seemed, when he heard a voice call his name. “Martin!” Intuitively, he felt aware of the identity of the speaker. “Martin, you have longed to see me. Tomorrow I shall pass by your window. If you see me and bid me enter, I shall be your guest and sit at your table.”

He did not sleep that night for joy. Before it was yet dawn, he arose and tidied up his little shop. Fresh sand he spread on the floor, and green boughs of fir he wreathed along the rafters. On the table he placed a loaf of white bread, a jar of honey, a pitcher of milk; and over the fire he hung a hot drink. His simple preparations were complete.

When all was in readiness, he took up his vigil at the window, He was sure he would know the Master. As he watched the driving sleet and rain in the cold, deserted street, he thought of the joy that would be his when he sat down and broke bread with his guest.

Presently, he saw an old street sweeper pass by, blowing upon his thin, gnarled hands to warm them. Poor fellow! He must be half frozen, thought Martin. Opening the door, he called out to him, “Come in my friend, and get warm, and drink something hot.” No further urging was needed, and the man gratefully accepted his invitation.

An hour passed, and Martin next saw a poor, miserably clothed woman carrying a baby. She paused, wearily, to rest in the shelter of his doorway. Quickly, he flung open the door. “Come in and get warm while you rest,” he said to her. “You are not well?” he asked.

I am going to the hospital. I hope they will take me and my baby in,” she explained. “My husband is at sea, and I am ill, without a soul to whom I can go.”

“Poor child!” cried the old man. “You must eat something while you are getting warm. No? Let me give a cup of milk to the little one. Ah! What a bright, pretty little fellow he is! Why, you have no shoes on him!”

“I have no shoes for him,” sighed the mother.

“Then he shall have this lovely pair I finished yesterday.” And Martin took down the soft little snow-white shoes he had looked at the evening before, and slipped them on the child’s feet. They fit perfectly. Shortly, the young mother went her way full of gratitude, and Martin went back to his post at the window.

Hour after hour went by, and many needy souls shared the meager hospitality of the old cobbler, but the expected guest did not appear.

At last, when night had fallen, Father Martin retired to his cot with a heavy heart. “It was only a dream,” he sighed. “I did hope and believe, but he has not come.”

Suddenly, so it seemed to his weary eyes, the room was flooded with a glorious light; and to the cobbler’s astonished vision there appeared before him, one by one, the poor street sweeper, the sick mother and her baby, and all the people he had aided during the day. Each one smiled at him and said, “Have you not seen me? Did I not sit at your table?” and vanished.

Then softly out of the silence he heard again the gently voice, repeating the old, familiar words, “Who so shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me” (Matt 18:5). For I was hungered, and ye gave me meat; I was thirsty and ye gave me drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me in.

“…Verily I say unto you, inasmuch as ye have done it unto the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me” (Matt 25:35-40).

christmas • On A Personal Note • December 4, 2012

And The Tree Is Up!

by Shelly Mathie

And the tree is finally up! It is ridiculously hard to get it all done. My husband, bless his heart, spent about 2 hours last night untangling my silver garland (and he is NOT a big fan of all this decorating!) Guess he must love me LOTS! I always look forward to hauling out all the boxes and unwrapping all the ornaments to put on the tree. THAT is my Christmas! Presents are nice too, but I could go without any gifts under the tree now that the kids are all grown-up and gone. Hope the spirit of Christmas is contagious and that you are catching it!

Tree in all its glory!

Another view

Love these ornaments – they have such a vintage feel

Gorgeous picks from last year

Some of my fancy ornaments

Another snowman ornament

fun star ornaments

Santa vintage looking ornament

Another Santa with sleigh

Snowman with tree

Snowman on rocking horse

Love this ornament

Santa with child

More ornaments

All sprinkled and sparkly!

Front door with address added and funnel “tree”

Better view of address addition

Merry Christmas friends! Hope this finds you also decked out for the holidays! May your month be merry and bright and may God pour out his blessings upon you and your family! Thanks for stopping by!

christmas • On A Personal Note • December 3, 2012

It’s Starting to Feel A Little Bit Like Christmas

by Shelly Mathie

Just wanted to share a little peek inside my front door at Christmas time …

Front door

Fireplace Santa

Angel

Table centerpiece

New this year

Santa with bag of toys

Santa from piece of wood with bark still intact on back

Another view

Small Santa collection

Hand-carved

Also handcarved

My very first hand-carved Santa

This one was purchased with the above Santa

Found this cutie in Cali

My only one from clay

Another hand-carved cutie

Love how silly this one is – found in Cali

From my early days

Hand pieced and quilted each of the stockings

Fireplace mantel

One of my first collectibles

My sister-in-law Kelli made this for me years ago!

A little snowman love

LOVE this artist!

A few of my Willie Rayes

New nativity this year

My very favorite piece of all!

Willie Raye snowman

Living room Santa collection

Living room shelf – more Santas

Living room coffee table Santa/snowman collection

Close up of one of the snowmen

Silly Santa with horse

Funky snowman

same artist – different snowman

Kristy – do you remember giving me this one year for our shared b-day dinner?

Here’s one for the wall

Family room coffee table Santa collection

Other side of the family room coffee table Santa collection

Isn’t he a sweet Santa?!

Love this guy too!

I am in LOVE with this artist

Willie Raye Santa

Love the puppet

He reminds me of a chocolate Santa

Added this hand-carved Santa last year

Old world looking Santa

Another one by that awesome artist Greg Guedel

Another view

You’d better BELIEVE!

Older snowman

Also an early purchase

Feeling patriotic!

From my early days….

Believe blocks

Nativity from Olive Wood – thanks mom and dad!

Love this pic of Santa with an original artist’s signature

Merry Christmas to me from last year (first time displaying it) Even Santa knows who is the reason for the season!

Christmas bulbs hanging from light in kitchen

I painted this Santa years ago at a neighborhood craft night

Just hanging out in the front

Greeting friends who drop by

Wagon with trees and Santa on front porch

Hanging out by the front door – just watching for naughty or nice!

Hope this helps you get into the Christmas spirit. (Tree to follow on a subsequent post.) Christmas is my very favorite time of year and I love all that it represents. I love looking for ways to serve my neighbors, finding just the right gift for family members, and the wonderful calming spirit that Christmas music brings into my heart and home. I love baking for those I love and sharing treasured family traditions. And most of all, I love thinking about the Savior, truly the greatest gift of all time. May your hearts be touched at this awesome time of year. May you be blessed with an attitude of gratitude for your many blessings and may you always have “enough”.

Merry Christmas everyone!

bars • chocolate • dessert • recipes • November 30, 2012

Layers of Love Brownies

by Shelly Mathie

3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Baking Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, cut in pieces
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
3 large eggs, divided
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Premier White Morsels
1/2 cup caramel ice cream topping
3/4 cup NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Morsels
PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease 8-inch-square baking pan.

COMBINE flour, cocoa and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar in large mixer bowl until creamy. Add 2 eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Add vanilla extract; mix well. Gradually beat in flour mixture. Reserve 3/4 cup batter. Spread remaining batter into prepared baking pan. Sprinkle nuts and white morsels over batter. Drizzle caramel topping over top. Beat remaining egg and reserved batter in same large bowl until light in color. Stir in semi-sweet morsels. Spread evenly over caramel topping.

BAKE for 30 to 35 minutes or until center is set. Cool completely in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.

NOTE: These were “borrowed” from http://www.verybestbaking.com/recipes/32212/Layers-Of-Love-Chocolate-Brownies/detail.aspx from my Pinterest board “I Am So Making This!”. I did these for a closing the other day and my clients thought they were awesome! Although there are many layers, they whipped up pretty quickly and were easy to cut and serve (some layered things have a tendency to fall apart when serving).

breakfast • recipes • November 8, 2012

Copy-Cat Cracker Barrel Pancakes

by Shelly Mathie

For the recipe go to the link below. These taste best served right off the griddle / pan onto the plate for immediate eating!!

Don’t have buttermilk?

I recommend using actual buttermilk for this recipe. However, you can still make these pancakes, by using this buttermilk substitute: 1 T lemon juice to 1 cup milk – let sit 5 minutes before using. Recipe found on Pinterest and linked to: http://www.christineiscooking.com/2011/10/cracker-barrel-pancakes-copycat-recipe.html

The pancake recipe I usually use is very heavy (delicious though!) and these are super light and fluffy! Haven’t tried the blueberries, but will next time I make them – I am sure it will only make them better! Enjoy!!!!!!

chicken • main dish • recipes • soup • October 30, 2012

David’s Chicken and Potato Florentine Soup

by Shelly Mathie

My husband created this recipe from the copy-cat recipe going around from Olive Garden (he can’t ever just follow a recipe! – ha!!!!!)

2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
32 ounces chicken broth
1 1/2 T Italian seasoning
1 tsp ground black pepper
1 tsp basil
1 tsp thyme
1/2 T paprika
2-15 oz cans diced tomatoes with juice
1 cup grated carrots
4 medium potatoes, diced
4 green onions, diced
1 crown broccoli
1 cup sliced mushrooms
1 cup Greek Yogurt
8 oz mozzarella cheese, grated

Brown chicken. Then heat chicken broth and all spices. Add potatoes and cook until tender. Blend tomatoes and yogurt in blender; add to chicken broth and whisk in. Add carrots and cook until tender. Add broccoli and mushrooms the last 10-15 minutes of simmering. Add cheese in small amounts (to avoid balling and sticking) and stir in until melted.

Serve with crusty bread.

Wonderful flavor and lots of great veggies. Gotta hand it to my man – it’s a winner!!!!! Will try to remember to snap a pic before we eat the entire pot next time (we did that over a few days…..)

pumpkins • recipes • soup • October 25, 2012

Coconut Curry Pumpkin Soup

by Shelly Mathie

1/4 cup coconut oil (or butter)
1 cup chopped onions
1 clove garlic, minced
3 cups vegetable broth
1 tsp curry powder (or more if desired)
1/2 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp allspice
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 15-oz can pumpkin
1 cup coconut milk

Heat the coconut oil in a deep pot over med-high heat. Stir in the onions and garlic and cook until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Mix in the vegetable broth and all spices. Cook and stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil, about 10 minutes. Cover, and boil 15-20 minutes more, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the pumpkin and coconut milk, and cook another 5 minutes.

Pour the soup into a blender, filling only about half full and working in batches if necessary; process until smooth. Return to pot, and reheat briefly over a medium heat before serving.

NOTE: May add grated carrots and small chunks of cooked potato if desired.

chocolate • cookies • dessert • recipes • October 11, 2012

Oatmeal Turtle Cookies

by Shelly Mathie

TRIED THESE FOR A CLOSING THE OTHER DAY – THEY ARE REALLY TASTY! lOTS OF GOOD TEXTURES!

OATMEAL TURTLE COOKIES

INGREDIENTS:

3/4 c. butter
1 c. packed brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 tsp. baking powder
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla
1 3/4 c. all purpose flour
2 c. rolled oats
1 c. rolos, unwrapped and halved
1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. chopped pecans

DIRECTIONS:

In a stand mixer, beat together the butter, the brown sugar, and the granulated sugar for about 30 seconds. Add baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Beat until combined.
Add eggs and vanilla, beating until combined and scraping down the sides.
Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer, using a wooden spoon to mix in the rest.
Stir in the oats, rolos, chocolate chips, and pecans.
Drop by rounded tablespoons onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Bake at 375° for 8-10 minutes, until edges are golden. Let cool on baking sheet for a few minutes before transferring to wire rack.

Found these here: HTTP://WWW.SOMEWHATSIMPLE.COM/OATMEAL-TURTLE-COOKIES/

Halloween • Izze • On A Personal Note • October 11, 2012

Pumpkin Time!

by Shelly Mathie

So I had a couple of helpers with my pumpkin harvest this year – Izze and her cousin had a great time loading (throwing) pumpkins into the garden cart. I ended up with 79 small pumpkins and 75 minis – SOOOOO fun! The large ones are out on my porch and benches in the yard. Didn’t have as many big ones this year, but I really use more of the small ones in decorating anyway.

Izze with her pumpkin

Cousin helping out

All our workers cutting and loading pumpkins

He’s got his pumpkin!

Izze throwing pumpkins into the garden cart

Filling up!

Izze helping out with a big one!

Loading a medium size pumpkin

Helping cousin out

Check out all my pumpkins!

Can I get some more grandma?

Aren’t I just the cutest thing ever?!

And IN the house we look like this:

Funny little double pumkins – twinners!

Happy Fall y’all!

bars • chocolate • dessert • recipes • October 9, 2012

Brownies

by Shelly Mathie

3/4 cup cocoa
1/4 cup canola oil
1 cup butter
2 cups sugar
4 eggs
2 tsp vanilla
1 cup flour
1 cup nuts (optional)

Cream butter and sugar, add eggs and vanilla. Fold in flour, cocoa and oil; mix until just blended. Bake in 9X13″ pan at 325 degrees for 35 minutes (do not over-bake!).

Melissa, this is for you! I don’t have a picture – will have to work on that. This is the first brownie recipe I ever made and is still my go-to favorite. Can’t believe I hadn’t posted earlier!

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