Just Give this Holiday Season!

Things have been busy around the Tin Palace!  Putting the tree and Christmas decorations up, baking cookies for the teachers at the elementary school, and lets not forget the shopping!!!  So last night was a much needed night out! 

I forgot how amazing Seattle Center can be during the Holidays!  The lights throughout the center, the giant Christmas tree, and of course the Space Needle.  No, this journey was not to see the Nutcracker!!  I was fortunate enough, thanks to a good friend, to be able to see Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds play to a sold out crowd at McCaw Hall, with all proceeds going to charity though http://www.justgive.org/ .  Each attendee of the show was able to go online and designate which charity they wanted $150.00 to go to.  AMAZING! So not only did I make a charitable contribution last night, I also got to sit down for 3+ hours and listen to incredible music.  I am a big Dave Matthews fan and I make the drive out to the Gorge every year to see him, but last nights performance..... takes the WIN! 
Since I was an idiot and forgot my camera, here is a youtube clip posted by a fellow fan: and it is one of FAVE DAVE songs "Crush"





I could go on and on about how amazing the show was.  It also made me think about the things that we can do to give back to the community around us.  There are many charitable possibilities out there, from Food Banks, to clothing drives etc. So next time you are out this holiday season - make a donation to your local food bank, or drop some clothes off at the local shelter.  Help make someones holiday season a little brighter!  Just Give! 

Happy Giving!

I'm Dreaming of a White Thanksgiving.

Photo by my friend Tedra Brown!

                                                     



This morning we woke to a beautiful fresh layer of snow!  It was breathtaking - the snow on the trees in the orchard.  Everything is magical when it snows.  Then I realized.... we needed to go to the store and get last minute provisions for Thanksgiving dinner.  So off in the 4 wheel drive sleigh to the store we went.  As much as I love snow, I hate driving in it - my son even commented how calm I was about driving in it. :)  What can I say, we had to get the Tabasco sauce!!  I would not have been forgiven if we showed up with out the Tortilla Rollups! 


So today as I finish the last minute touches on my contributions to our Thanksgiving Feast - here is what I am most Thankful for in no particular order:

My Family:  I am so incredibly blessed to have such an amazing family.  People who have givin me a strong foundation in life, and who always inspire me to be better!

My Friends:  Who not unlike my family, challenge me everyday, to be braver, smarter, and funnier!  :)

I am thankful for the Tin Palace and the comfort it provides, and what it has inspired in me.

The list goes on and on......

Here's hoping that you have a safe and Happy Thanksgiving!

Cheers!                        

The Wait is Over!!

                                                  (photo from http://www.movies.msn.com/)                                                



Wow it has been some time since I last posted!  So let me explain my absence. I have spent the last week and a half in the world of Harry Potter.  As I had not read the last book Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows, I had to read it before the movie came out this weekend! I started the book Monday night and finished it Friday morning at 1 AM - Just in time to go and see the movie this weekend.

I must say that I am sad that all the books are over. Each and every one of them kept me entertained throughout the whole book.  Looking forward to sharing the time with my Son reading them to him.

So yesterday, my Son, Mom and I went to see the movie.  So many mixed reviews about this movie- I was anxious to see how they would bring this book to the big screen.  Though the movie differs from the book (as many of them do.)  I thought it was very well done, and I didn't want it to end.  Not sure if I can wait for part 2.

Have you seen Harry Potter and the Deathly Hollows??  What did you think??

If you haven't seen it yet,,, check out the preview here:  http://movies.msn.com/movies/movie-trailers/?g=f2822d1e-af61-45f5-b674-f3f697170e3d


So now that I have escaped the Wizarding World - I am looking forward to the upcoming preparations for the Thanksgiving Holiday.

Happy Holidays!!

Mastering the Art of Holiday Baking.

Look at this gem! A "vintage" Martha Stewart Holiday Cookie Magazine 2006.  Nothing better than a fantastic Goodwill find.

Dare I say it... the Holidays are right around the corner.  For the past few years I have baked the same cookie recipes, while the holiday traditions are great, it is time to change it up a bit.  I think this magazine was just the inspiration I needed.  After a quick glance I found many recipes that I can't wait to try, but the first recipe to jump out at me was Martha's Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies. 
Don't they look delicious?  THEY ARE!!

                                                           

                                  Peanut Butter Swirl Brownies
                            Makes 9 large or 16 small squares                  

FOR THE BATTER
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into small pieces, plus more for pan
2 ounces good-quality unsweetened chocolate, coarsely chopped
4 ounces good-quality semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped
2/3 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
FOR THE FILLING
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract                    Directions

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Butter an 8-inch square baking pan and line with parchment, allowing a 2-inch overhang. Butter lining (not overhang).
Make batter: Put butter and chocolates in a heatproof medium bowl set over a pan of simmering water; stir until melted. Let cool slightly. Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt in a bowl.
Whisk granulated sugar into chocolate mixture. Add eggs, and whisk until mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla. Add flour mixture; stir until well incorporated.
Make filling: Stir together butter, confectioners' sugar, peanut butter, salt, and vanilla in a bowl until smooth.
Pour one-third of batter into prepared pan; spread evenly with a rubber spatula. Drop dollops of peanut butter filling (about 1 tablespoon each) on top of batter, spacing about 1 inch apart. Drizzle remaining batter on top, and gently spread to fill pan. Drop dollops of remaining filling on top. Gently swirl peanut butter filling into batter with a butter knife, running the knife lengthwise and crosswise through layers.
Bake until a cake tester inserted into brownies (avoid center and edges) comes out with a few crumbs but is not wet, about 45 minutes. Let cool slightly in pan, about 15 minutes. Lift out; let cool completely on a wire rack before cutting into squares. Brownies can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature up to 3 days

People have cooked their way through Julia Child's cookbook Mastering the Art of French Cooking, I just may bake my way through Martha's Holiday Cookie Magazine. That sounds like delicious fun, and I am just crazy enough to do it!!  Stay tuned to see what sweet treats I bake up at the Tin Palace next!

                

My Roots Run Deep in Maltby

One thing that really makes the Tin Palace feel like home, is that this land has been in my family for many years.  My son and I are the 3rd and 4th generation to live here.

My Maternal grandparents rented the house that was on this land when they were first married.  They lived here from August of 1949 to October of 1951.  It was the home they resided in when my Mother was born.  The original house was a single room with a large closet and a wood cook stove. It was smaller then the garage that is maintained on the property today.

In 1951 my grandparents moved to a different home about a 1/2 mile away, but it wouldn't be long before they would once again reside on this land.  In 1953 my grandfather was approached to purchase the property, which at that time was approximately 36 acres, which included the house and garage where the Tin Palace is now. It also included: another old house, barn, pump house, outhouse, and a house that was in the process of being built.


The little single room house is long gone although the garage to it has been maintained  and over the years improved on and I use it to this day.  The older house was torn down a few years after my grandparents moved back, and they then lived in the newer house for some time- which is still standing today and is the house next door.

Over the years the 36 acres was subdivided and sold off until only about 1/2 acre remained which included the original garage and the Tin Palace which had been added there in 1965. In 2006 my grandfather decided it was time to part with this last little morsel of land.  After a lot of thought I decided that a little Tin Palace on 1/2 acre with a cute little orchard, room for a garden, and a yard to run around on in Maltby was a pretty good place for Matt and I.

That is how I became the Queen of the Tin Palace.

                                     Matt lounging in the orchard right (2006).

Welcome to The Tin Palace!

Lincoln had Monticello, Anne had Green Gables and Me.....  I have the Tin Palace.

What is the Tin Palace?  It is the 1965 Leisure Home that I am proud to call home. I moved here about 4 years ago and so far it has been an inspiring ride. 

My whole life I have felt an urge to be creative in one medium or another, from writing, painting, baking and drawing.  Though I loved all of those things I was never able to find my niche, or more accurately.... never comfortable enough in my own skin to allow myself to explore my creative side.  Moving into the Tin Palace has been the perfect outlet for years of stunting my creative growth, and I am ready to share that with you.

Intrigued?  Then check in once in a while and see what crafty project I am working on, what treasure I have found while out junking, what delicious treat I am baking or simply what new thing I am obsessed with.

Welcome to The Tin Palace!!