Monday, December 10, 2012

Kitchens in December...

I was half listening to Paula Deen this afternoon as I wrapped some Christmas gifts. I've always said I'd like to have our whole family shipped over to Paula's kitchen for a special weekend in December... all of us together, with PAULA cooking and baking! That girl L.O.V.E.S her kitchen! She just makes me smile.

It made me think of my own kitchen, especially in December. I love my kitchen, and I love to be in it, but I don't always love to cook. I don't always even LIKE to cook. But in December... that's a whole other story.


Out come the recipes that my mother baked and cooked all through my life, and some favorites gathered along the way from others' kitchens. When December comes, there is real JOY in my kitchen! I'm not thinking about calories or even good health, I'm just filled with memories of Christmases past, and the fun & excitement that all of these recipes have given. Now they  are little cards in a big bowl, some of them spotted with the 'baking and making' drips from other Decembers.

The most fun of all is what I make and bake for others, my family, friends and some who don't even know who I am. That's what makes my kitchen so happy in December, and probably yours too.


So as I begin my sugared pecans, pumpkins breads, and Norwegian cookies, my step is light and my heart is full of joy. My kitchen will be a mess, and that's the way it should be. I'm pretty sure there will also be Norwegian pancakes and riisengrut somewhere during the month, as well as grandchildren baking and decorating their favorite cookies.


So, although it would be great to be in Paula's kitchen... in December there is really no place like home, in my own kitchen!

15 comments:

myletterstoemily said...

i don't give two figs for paula's kitchen,
but i would happily be an elf in yours!
i've feasted on your norwegian cookies
and will never forget them!!!!

Debbie said...

Oh isn't this just the truth? One of my favorite spots during this season is in the kitchen! Soo many memories and cherished traditions. I am looking forward to my mom being here with me this year as we do some baking! Enjoy!

Vee said...

There is something more joyful about a kitchen in December! Loved the description of your recipes and how you'll not care about calories just now. Good. There'll be plenty of time for that in the bleak midwinter.

Felisol said...

That is a wonderful think to say. My kitchen is my castle, especially in December.
You share traditions accumulated through life and make new ones with your grandchildren.
Yours must be the happiest home.

Debbie Petras said...

I think I need to stop by and visit you in your kitchen. My mouth is watering thinking of the many Norwegian foods, especially at Christmastime. My grandmother was the best baker and would make all sorts of cookies and pancakes and cakes. Riisengrut is something my mom continued to make in our family. I love the smell of cardamom. I have all the ingredients for Norwegian waffles so I think I need to make some now.

Love you,
Debbie

Lea @ CiCis Corner said...

I'm with you Sonja! I love my kitchen and especially in Dec. I love baking, candy making and giving and sharing it all. I start in mid Oct. and go through about mid-Dec. and then spend the rest of the time delivering. Christmas blessings!

Farm Girl said...

I think it sounds so nice. Reading what you make at Christmas time reminds me of our house keeper growing up. She was Norwegian. A little tiny bit of a woman. She would make us the best things to eat at Christmas time. We loved her so much and she would tell us the best stories.
She also had the most beautiful skin in the world. I am glad you shared what you make because it made me think of Hope and that was just was she was a lady filled with hope.

Maryann said...

i do love my kitchen in December as well...it's all about the memories for us as well. We don't worry about the calories either...that is until January....until then we will enjoy.

joy said...

Oh! I would love to be in your kitchen too:) hope I have the time to do that:)

Janettessage.blogspot.com said...

I totally agree...but since my gang is so Health party poopers, I am sending it out for others..the red velvet cheesecake last week for the teachers appreciation party was the first from my December kitchen

Oh the recipe cards...aren't they precious..and you know Pinterest is great, but it doesn't replace family recipes

Enjoy, enjoy, enjoy and maybe an someone will do your dishes

Sharon said...

Paula's got nothing on you, Sonja! Just sayin'...

The very best ingredient in ANY cooking or baking is TLC - and I know you've got a heart as big as a ton-cake (notice I didn't say pound cake - your heart is MUCH bigger!!)

GOD BLESS!

Debbie said...

You are so right! I am not one who loves to cook as a rule, but I actually DO like to bake, and I love to bake at Christmas time more than any other time of the year.


Now... the one exception would be the extremely TALL cake that I made today for a DAR meeting. I have renamed it Peppermint Pain in the Neck cake. Sigh...

But I do love the old time worn Christmas recipes. I never get tired of making them.

Just a little something from Judy said...

The kitchen...it contains hundreds of special memories for me too. But, I must tell you, as pretty and bustling as Paula's kitchen is, I would consider it an even greater honor to be seated in the midst of yours. I never tasted Norwegian food, but I would love to try them.

Oh the joy of our precious memories.

elaineolsen@live.com said...

I can smell it now, wafting over the miles . . . your kitchen warms my heart. I'd love to be there. Yes, December is one month where I spend happy time in the kitchen. Just yesterday, I made a box of Christmas cookies for the UPS man and left them on the front porch (with a note), knowing that he'd be bringing a package my way. A simple thing, but it brought me a lot of joy. Now, I'm going to package some up for Mr. Jim and Mrs. Dorothy (an elderly couple next door).

Throw calorie counts out the window!!!

peace~elaine

Kathleen said...

Among my own favorite memories of Christmases past are those of my mother's kitchen. That women was a whirling dervish when it came to fudge, divinity, caramels, cookies, & all things yummy. She never weighed more than 110 lbs in her life ~ a mystery I've yet to solve or replicate.

All that to say, I stay away from baking since I always seem to eat more than my fair share, if even there is such a thing.

I love the memories anyway. They're calorie free :)