The recipe... and a winner!

There were some surprising entries in the drawing this week.  Never in a million years would I have imagined people (yes, more than one) would say 'Fruitcake' was their favorite holiday food!  Seriously...about the same odds as my husband uttering the words, "I'm craving a tuna sandwich".   There were some other interesting foods like mashed rutabagas and oxtail soup and some foods like Divinity that I have not had since I was a child.  I also loved Jane's story of her grandmother that would only give out a family recipe to the "worthy" (if you weren't worthy she left out one of the ingredients! hilarious).   Thank you all for sharing!

I live in a house that was once owned by very good friends of our family.  The lady of the house was an amazing cook and made caramel's every Christmas to pass out to friends and neighbors.  Growing up we would wait for the plate to arrive, peel back the Saran Wrap, and count how many caramels were on the plate so we could at least get one (yes, they were that good).

She never gave out the recipe.

Fast forward about 20 years - my husband and I buy the house from the family (the wonderful lady had previously passed away).   When we started to renovate there were still some items in the garage waiting for the owner to pick up...leftovers, like old chairs and tools.  I opened a cabinet and to my amazement there was her recipe book.  It only took a few turns of the pages to find "the recipe" all typed out.   Amazing to find such a treasure.  When the husband came back to collect the rest of the property I asked about the recipe book.  He said, "you can keep it, none of the girls wanted it when they cleaned out the house." (I assumed they already had copies of the recipes or more than one cookbook).

So now I have it...the coveted recipe that even my mother (her best friend) didn't have.  I have shared it with only one other person, my friend Sue W. who was also a friend of the family and had eaten the caramels.  I make them at Christmas, put them on a plate and wrap them in Saran Wrap and give them to friends.  And when they ask me for the recipe I say, "it's a family secret".

don't you love that she had to hand write in the 1/8th pound?

Congratulations to the winner!

...and can I come over for breakfast?

Laura Strack
This wreath card is simply sweet!!! My favorite Holiday Food is this wonderful Breakfast Casserole that I make on Christmas morning that has hash browns cooked in the oven and then topped with scrambled eggs, cheddar cheese, diced ham, and then you can add various toppings such as jalapeno, green onions etc...I've made it for my Hubbie for 18 years and now, he along with my 2 sons, look forward to a hearty brunch on Christmas. Which reminds me, I need to go to the store! Merry Christmas, Everyone!!!

Laura please send me your shipping address to paula@oneluckyday.net!

Just for fun I made more gift tags using the Tattered Leaves die.
Here's what you need in order of use:

 tattered leaves sizzix die

grungeboard

adirondack dabber Paint - silver

glossy accents

distress glitter - pumice stone

chit chat stickers - seasonal

distress ink - brushed corduroy

a stick from a tree

red and white string

 The washi Tape is by October Afternoon - I used it on all my packages to secure the ribbon!

Here's what you need in order of use:

 tattered leaves sizzix die

grungeboard

adirondack dabber Paint - silver 

Distress Stickles - Clear Rock Candy

chit chat stickers - seasonal

distress ink - brushed corduroy

 5 small bells on wire

Trimmings - red and cream

 

the leaf was painted silver, word added, then covered with Distress Stickles

Have a great day everyone! And thanks for sharing your memories this week - it really made me think about what I love and appreciate at this time of year!

now carry on,

paula

InLinkz.com