A Blog For Your Seasonal Home
Bringing you homemaking tips, festive food, and seasonal stories. Coming to you from the DC Metro area, by way of Pennsylvania Dutch Country. Welcome! Stay and get cozy.
Recent Posts
The In-Between Time
Thoughts on the cookie-laden, relaxing, hygge-centric time between Christmas and New Year's Eve…
Today I’m taking the 6th day of Christmas to write all about geese a-laying, Linzer cookies, peanut butter cookies, New Year's Resolutions, and plans for starting 2023 off right.
St. Nicholas Day
Many European traditions (and Christian households the world over) still celebrate St. Nicholas’s Day on December 6th. He is known as the patron Saint of sailors, various cities and nations, and children.
Adventures in Cooking: Shaped Vegan Cranberry Sauce
Thanksgiving is one of my favorite holidays. These last few years we’ve brought a few items to the family potluck table, and one item I’ve been in charge of is cranberry sauce. This year I’ll be making a vegan, moulded sauce from apple and cranberries.
Halloween: Randomness Round-Up
It’s almost Halloween! In real life, and also in that through-the-looking-glass bizarre world of social media where every holiday needs 20 specialty baked goods to celebrate it. I’ve cherished seeing the cute and inventive snack ideas, all the while knowing I’m far too lazy to do anything besides eat candy corn by itself.
Warming Up: Beverages to Burn the Tongue and Soothe the Soul
I also have a big dumb dog who likes to put his tongue in any dishes sitting around unattended, so hot chocolate is usually not on the menu. Tea is more my speed most days though that doesn’t slow my canine down if left to his own devices. Rude, amiright? Then I have to get a fresh cup. Give me a moment’s peace, dude.
Slow Cooker Beef Goulash
I love this crockpot meal: I can “set it and forget it” for the day while I spend the free time skipping through leaves or whatever you’re supposed to do in Autumn.
Pinnacle of Fall: Pumpkin Pie
Pumpkins can take us through the whole fall season. From divisive pumpkin spice beverages in September (I’m firmly pro-latte) to wholesome pumpkin patch picking in October, the whole festive season is guided by these orange gourds. And what better food to encapsulate the flavors and spices of the season than a pumpkin pie?
Autumn Home Checklist
…When gutters are full of debris they pull away from the house, sometimes taking the fascia boards with them and leaving your roofline poised for leaks. Water overflowing from full gutters can also cascade into your home’s seams, coming into your house, so don’t overlook this item.
Snitz un Knepp (Apples and Dumplings)
Snitz un Knepp is dried apples with dumplings, but there is also meat so it is more savory. It is considered an iconic Pennsylvania Dutch dish, passed down through ye olde generations. Here’s the kicker:
I’ve never actually had it.
But I just knew I had to make it.
Twisted Treats: Soft Pretzels for Autumn
Lately I’ve been making soft pretzels more and more from scratch as I’ve found new recipes to incorporate in with the oldie goldies. Plus, although chasing the perfect twist shape on these puppies is rarely satisfying in the outcome (I see you, uneven ends), it’s a worthy challenge nonetheless.
Decorating for Fall
…This year I wanted something a little more moody: festive enough for a mid-October day while adding the coziness of cuddling up with a Harry Potter movie near Halloween (I’m too much of a scaredy-cat for horror films!) So I went with black accents and muted harvest colors in a variety of textures.
Herding Swine and Judging Cornbread: Fun at the 4-H Fair
While summer is still here, I wanted to remind us that it is the time of County fairs. In some places that means rides and funnel cake, in others it means farm competitions and animal sales. For those of us in the Central Pennsylvania county of my youth, it meant our 4-H projects needed to be finished and ready for competition.
Pennsylvania Dutch Adventures: Snitz Pie
…Perhaps those older recipes were even more vague than what I’d been given. An incremental vagueness stretching back to the very beginning of time when someone's Grandmother’s instruction was simply “Make the pie... Serve.” Shudder.
When Life Gives You Lemons…
Now is the season to use faux fruits and patterns. Seriously, go wild. You can’t overdo this in a kitchen, and I’ve tried. These days you could have citrus fruits coming out of your ears and as long as you’ve got a cute sign saying “easy peasy lemon squeezy” I guarantee no one would bat an eye.
Cabinet Care 101
Cabinets hold emotions. And plates, and that one lid that doesn’t go to anything- But lots of emotions. Why? Because the decision of whether or not to spend the money on a big purchase can be fraught with stress and worry.
Hygge By The Hearth
A fireplace can be the heart of a home during cold Winter months. The tips below will help to keep your home safe and cozy. So why are you seeing a fireplace post in Summer? Keep reading to find out…
Quick Flooring Tips
Quick tips for keeping your floors sparkling during the summer months.
Wayward Deck Chairs and Sneaky Sludge
No one wants to open that outdoor table umbrella in the spring and be surprised by bugs or rusty water or errant leaves - but once those babies have been exposed to the elements all season, it's a roulette of which experience you'll receive.
Easy Deviled Eggs
The most important part of cooking the perfect deviled egg is how the egg is boiled in the first place. This makes all the difference between a filling that is golden, soft, and flavorful versus one that is greenish-grey, dry, and smells like — well, old eggs.
Dad’s Famous Cookies
This recipe also has a special place in my heart: It is a recipe that was handed down through generations of my family. My Dad made tons of these cookies when I was growing up (and still does!), and we kids helped as well (lots of licking of the -unplugged- beaters at the end, before the scrumptious tradition of eating raw dough fell out of fashion).
Yearly Homemaking Checklist
Give yourself the tools to tackle your home this year! This checklist offers maintenance, housekeeping, and tips for a well-managed home.