Some Colors to Show

Larger Wine Rack: Turquoise

Smaller Wine Rack: Hunter Green

Storage or Shoe Bench: Rustic Old Wood

Important: Please keep in mind that our reclaimed wood comes from various sources and does not necessarily always mean antique wood nor is it always the exact color shown in the listing. Reclaimed wood can vary in color, knots, holes, etc., which is out of our control. All our painted and stained pieces are made from pine wood unless otherwise noted and all painted colors come distressed.

Merry and Bright

Christmas was a quiet time of celebration with our family.  We played games and ate good food and just hung out.  Today was more slow paced which was nice.  I got to sleep in a little longer than usual and then went to the gym for a workout.  Came home and packaged up some orders for shipment and got them off on their way to their new homes. 

Tomorrow will be fun!  I'm excited because we're going with family and friends to our favorite restaurant in Santa Rosa, Bistro 29.  Our good friend's son, Brian, is the owner/chef.  I've mentioned it in another post before.  Delicious comfort food with a nice and relaxing atmosphere with accommodating waitstaff. 

I want to take this moment to say thank you!  We've had a blessed year with our business, Honey's Treasures on Etsy.  My new jewelry cabinet design proved to be a popular item in the shop throughout the year and for Christmas gifts.

There are a few new ideas for furniture pieces and shelving floating around in my head which I'm hoping to get on paper for Michael and have made to add to the shop in 2015.  Fingers crossed. 

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Michael and Lisa xoxo

Amber Glow

As you can see, it's garbage day tomorrow.  I guess I should've positioned my camera at a different angle. lol

Last Christmas I didn't put up a tree or anything.  In fact, I have a whole attic full of Christmas decorations.  Boxes and boxes of them, it's kinda crazy.  I used to be obsessed with the whole decorating thing and I do miss it.  It's a whole lotta work though and last year I didn't do anything and this year I told Michael that I wasn't going to put up a tree again.  He seemed fine with it until he got up in the attic and grabbed these three woodland trees and brought them down.  Then I knew.  He wanted Christmas in the house. 

I'm really not a bah humbug person, I just don't feel like doing the work of it all.  I have enough work to do.  So I stopped off at Michael's (the craft store) after gym this morning and purchased two boxes of amber lights.  I didn't want bright white.  I wanted mellow yellow.  Now that it's up, I'm okay with it and it is kind of pretty.  Better than not having any tree or decorations up.  At least we have a little.  A little holiday glow.

Sweet Potato Pie with Streusel Topping

For Christmas in 1993 my mom gave me a cookbook by Better Homes and Gardens called Heritage of America Cookbook.  I've kept it in my collection all these years because it has a many beautiful pictures and a lot of interesting history about the early years of cooking in America and where a lot of recipes originated.  Some recipes familiar to me, others not so much.  Every now and then I would pull it off the shelf and read the stories and go through some of the recipes.

Only recently have I begun making some things from it, testing it out.  After all these years.  Only twenty-one years!  ;-)

Here's a new favorite recipe of mine.  I've made it using almonds for the streusel each time.

Sweet Potato Pie with Hazelnut Streusel Topping

1 pound sweet potatoes

1/4 cup butter

Cornmeal Pastry (recipe follows)

1/2 cup packed brown sugar

1 tbsp. finely shredded orange peel
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
3 slightly beaten eggs
1 cup half-and-half or light cream
Hazelnut Streusel Topping (recipe follows)

Peel sweet potatoes, cut off woody ends and portions.  Cut into quarters.  Cook, covered, in enough boiling salted water to cover for 25 to 35 minutes until tender.  Add butter to hot potatoes and mash and stir.  You should have 1 1/2 cups mashed sweet potatoes with butter melted in.

Meanwhile, prepare Cornmeal Pastry.  Roll dough into a 12 inch circle and ease into a 9 inch pie plate.  Trim and flute edges.  Do not prick pastry.

For filling: Add brown sugar, orange peel, and spices to potatoes.  Stir in eggs and half-and-half.  Place pastry shell on the oven rack and pour in the filling.  Cover edge of pie with foil strips.  Bake in a 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.  Remove foil.  Sprinkle top of pie with streusel topping.  Bake another 20 to 25 minutes more until knife inserted near center comes out clean.  Cool.  Serves 8.

Cornmeal Pastry:  Mix 3/4 cup flour, 1/2 cup yellow cornmeal, 1 Tbsp. sugar, and 1/4 tsp. salt.  Cut in 1/3 cup butter or coconut oil until the size of small peas.  Sprinkle 3 to 5 Tbsp. cold water, 1 Tbsp. at a time with a fork until all moistened.  Form into a ball.

Hazelnut Streusel Topping:  Mix 1/4 cup flour, 1/4 cup packed brown sugar, 1/8 tsp. ground cinnamon, 1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg.  Cut in 2 Tbsp. butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.  Stir in 1/4 cup chopped, toasted hazelnuts or almonds.

Nutrition information per serving:  456 calories.  7 g protein, 52 g carbohydrate, 25 g total fat, (6 gram saturated) 91 mg cholesterol, 214 mg sodium, 341 mg potassium.

Note:  Since I'm counting my calories and don't want to deprive myself, I cut the pie slices in smaller pieces.  I get 16 slices out of one pie.  Oh, don't forget the whipped cream!