Let there be light

~ Liz A

Grace replied to my comment on her blog with this question:

“You have Frost?”

To which the answer is “Yes, yes we do … even here, deep in the heart of Texas” …

Therefore, on occasion, the plants have to be covered (thanks to Don, who keeps a watchful eye out for such things) …

Although deep freezes never last for long, as yesterday’s weather dashboard attests …

Gotta love Texas.

And so, after the longest night …

we welcome the coming of the light …

As always, we will celebrate the season with lots (and lots) of sweets. The baking binge began with this recipe from my grandmother, Scotswoman Jessie Russell Watson, who called all things Scottish “Scotch” … hence “Scotch Shortbread” (with thanks to Fiona for some new pricking patterns and to Deb for a new ingredient) …

And the cookie baking will not be complete until the grandkids help with this new-ish family tradition …

seen here in 2019 and 2018 … because the third time’s the charm, right?

26 thoughts on “Let there be light”

  1. Yes frost and hail in Texas…I remember one year during this time of the year in Texas, when I opened our front door to hail the size of golf balls!

    As ever, your unique wonderful chocolate trains are so loaded with joy and whimsy and the Christmas spirit…

    Food, at this time of the year, features heavily in our celebrations. Our breakfast, this morning of the Winter Solstice, will be a slice of one of my most favorite foods from my childhood, fruit bread, Italian Panettone, thanks to our daughter Shelley who included a glorious one in her gift to us this year. It sits center in our table, bedecked with some green beads from New Orleans and a miniature golden French horn…why these decorations? Well because New Orleans is one of my favorite cities, never losing its spirit or traditions, even when devastated by Katrina, music rang out, we were there the year after the Hurricane…to me, French horns are such a celebratory sound.

    Our daughter Erika celebrated the coming of the light with her family last night with this simple but so special desert and accompanying words. She said, “in a ramekin an orange slice is topped with my white coconut cream ice cream because you have to digest winter to get to the light always behind everything”.

    For the light, love and warmth of family. Peace to you and yours.

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    1. I am sitting in my stitching chair, sunlight pouring in the window, reading your words ……
      “For the light, love and warmth of family. Peace to you and yours.”

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  4. Beautiful, adorned tree 🌲!
    Warm weather welcomed!
    Will add Scotch shortbread recipe to “must do.” Especially, since Ancestry.com relates that I am 31% Scottish – Aye ❤️

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  5. Hi LA – interesting the traditions families hold and develop over time. Having children around certainly means shortbread ands wet mango becomes a priority. Amidst the cold and challenges it is good to be able to celebrate light and family. Go well. B

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  8. I laughed to think you might check in with my shortbread pricking Liz – I was saying to B that I don’t know where the ‘tradition’ began (possibly with me?) that each shortbread I make I try to do a different pattern! I am not sure if my mum taught me that or I thought it, but I really do try to do something a bit different each time (if I can recall between baking days…). I have never used rice flour – my great granny might not have had access to it in Scotland at the time I think, and really enjoy the cake-ey nature of the shortbread without it – its the only one I have known since I was small. Enjoy all the festivities and gatherings and sharing of new traditions too.

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    1. interestingly, my grandmother’s original shortbread recipe did have rice flour in it, which my mom eliminated (either because it wasn’t available or because she would have had no other recipes that required rice flour, so what to do with the unused portion?) Anyway, it was an interesting experiment, but not likely to be repeated (and I’m thinking my son-in-law will come up with a use for the remaining rice flour)

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  9. Wow, a thirty degree swing in temperature in one day. We have been in a continuing pattern of 43-46 degrees F, day and night. You remind me of a Christmas trip to Texas we took in 1988 to visit Mike’s brother in Port Arthur. The weather swung from high seventies to the thirties and back again in the week we were there. We got up every morning and tried to figure out if we needed the heater or the air conditioner that day….also, what the heck were we going to wear? The most disorienting thing in that dead flat country covered by dead flat gray clouds was which way was which. I had no way to tell what direction I was facing. Your tree is so charming…I love the starfish star! Good luck with this year’s chocolate train.

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    1. Fortunately, the central Texas Hill Country is anything but flat! But the temperature swings are wild enough that I once envisioned trying to piece together a quilt that would document the highs and lows for one year … that only lasted two weeks, but who knows, it might get made some day.

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  10. A lovely tree Liz. Wishing you and Don and the kids a wonderful Holiday season. Have too much fun baking with the little ones! xoxoxoxxo

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  11. Hmm…now I want to experiment some more. I’ve made shortbread without the rice flour and like it that way too. What I am curious about is if the texture of the shortbread changes as it ages? I always eat mine too fast… 🙂

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    1. Merry Christmas Deb … my mom always swore by “aging” her shortbread, so she made it in early December and stacked it in a square tin with alphabet illustrations on the lid (I wonder what ever happened to that … hmmmm) … I’m with you though, I eat mine too fast, too!

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      1. My mom is the same way with the shortbread…best if aged so that the butter “ripens.” If only I could hide them somewhere where I can’t find them….

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