Staycation in Oklahoma and Christmas baking

We are still on our stay around home vacation and it has been fun.

We were in Texas and Arkansas last weekend visiting our parents. 

Monday, we took a leisurely drive home and stopped at this Amish store in Atoka.

We had lunch in Coalgate at this small, old fashioned diner. 

Tuesday, we took a day trip to Chouteau to a much bigger Amish store.

It is a cheese store, lunch diner, country store and bakery all in one building.  We did some souvenir shopping there including some canned goods, bread and cinnamon rolls from the bakery, a few spices and an assortment of kitchen tools that are all made in the USA, except for the plastic knife.
that pretty doily was made by my mom

Some of the canned goods from the Amish store. These will be on the relish plates next week.

We had a delicious supper in Sand Springs at this small Italian place called Napolis.

Another trip on Wednesday- we had lunch at The Cattlemans.  We also wandered around the shopping part of the stockyards, then drove to a new outlet mall in Oklahoma City and finished up Christmas shopping.

One more trip on Thursday, it was my birthday and I was treated to a manicure, pedicure and also had my hair done at my daughter in law's salon.  Then we had lunch with our son and grand daughter. 

I really did have my hair done and it looked great at the shop but it was just windy that day so you can't really tell I this photo. 

That night, more of our children came to our home for supper.  I made a salad and cooked frozen pizzas.  It was a happy birthday for me all day long. 

When we woke up Friday morning, we talked about going somewhere, but we decided to just stay in our town. We did a few errands and my husband did a couple little fix it jobs around our house. 

Traveling is fun and I am glad we went, but I am truly a homebody- happy to be home now. My husband doesn't have to go back to work until after Christmas. 

Besides home repairs, he is staying busy picking out pecans. 

All week long we had pleasant warm weather, except for the wind. 

But it turned very cold yesterday with freezing rain last night and today. 

So today was a perfect day to stay in the kitchen and work on Christmas food. 

Salad dressing- just Good Seasons made with balsamic vinegar but it is family favorite

Salad crackers- oyster crackers seasoned with dry ranch dressing mix, dill, onion and garlic.

A double batch of Mexican wedding cookies

Oatmeal coconut cookies

In the top left are Shaker Spice cookies 

Peanut chocolate clusters- I used a jar of salted peanuts, about 16 ounces,  1 bag milk chocolate chips, 1.2 bag semi sweet chips and 1/2 bag white chocolate chips.  I melted the chocolate over low in double boiler made of a small stock pot with water in it and a Pyrex bowl with little handles for the top.

I also mixed up a double batch of sugar cookie dough to chill to make rolled cookies- but I goofed up and did not realized it until they were already mixed up.  The recipe called for 3 cups of powdered sugar but I used 2 cups of regular table sugar mistake.  Sweetness wise,  I think it will be about the same but I am not sure of the texture.  So,  next week,  I will bake a few samples and see if they taste and bake right.  If not,  I will start over.  Frosted sugar cookies with coconut are a family tradition.  

Below is part of the big batch of cracker toffee candy- so easy and delicious, just be sure to spread out the cooked butter- brown sugar mixture as thin as possible so you have thin crispy toffee, and not thick hard toffee that could break a tooth.  I use the recipe in the link but I use enough cracker to cover a 10 by 15 pan that is lined with foil and spray with cooking spray.

Except for a few left out for snacks, all the treats are now packed in pretty tins and in the fridge or freezer to stay fresh for next week. 

so what's cooking in your kitchen?  

In my mom's sewing room

one more post about Texas........

This is my mom's sewing room and their computer is in this room too,  and lots of interesting photos are on those walls too. 

Years ago,  it was my wreath making professor brother's bedroom.  That is his college track team photo in a black frame just about in the middle of the room photo. 

Mom got this Accuquilt machine recently.  I was not really familiar with it but it is special gadget for cutting quilt pieces and other fabric craft pieces especially accurate.

The Accuquilt opens up like a waffle iron.

These dies are used  to cut the shapes. 

Mom says it is easy to use and cuts the pieces so perfectly,  she was so happy that the pieces sew together so nicely when they are the exact same size. 

this a green scrappy quilt she has been working on. 

This is a felt penny rug- the circles are perfect and felt is hard to cut as it shifts around when just using scissors.   Mom says the Accuquilt does waste  fabric than the traditional way of cutting fabric but that is not really an issue for her as she has plenty of fabric. 

If you have some extra money and like to do really perfect quilts,  you might want to look into an Accuquilt.  I think Mom ordered hers online. 


Some of the pictures on her sewing room walls

Mom's Senior picture- she was valedictorian and FFA sweetheart. 

My grandfather on my dad's side on a cool motorcycle- probably around the 1920s

My dad with one of his colts when he had  a few horses on his hobby farm.  I like his polka dot cap. 

Dad again,  with my son Bobby when he was about 2.  Now Bobby is 32 and looks like a Duck Dynasty body double.

Mom has always, and I mean always, done handwork. This is an embroidered picture- look at all that perfect satin stitches on the 2 horses.  I think she stitched this when we kids were little.  If you look in craft room photo, there is a pair of deer picture just to the left of this horse picture that was in the same series and stitched about the same time. 


We are back in Oklahoma now and I didn't take any other photos while we were in Texas so this will be last Texas post for awhile.  My husband is on vacation from his job this week and we are doing some sightseeing day trips around Oklahoma so I'll have some posts on those soon.

Hope you are all getting those last minute things done to be ready for Christmas, it is just a few days away!