Jenyfer Matthews

An Italian court has ruled that a couple could not name their son “Friday” and ordered that he instead be called Gregory after the saint whose feast day he was born on.

While you are out and about preparing for the holidays, take some time to think about those less fortunate than you. Even a small gesture can mean a lot at this time of the year.

I made the children’s beds with their new Christmas quilts this morning and decided to include a present that my sister sent as well – a battery operated, antler-wearing, dancing chicken. I knew they would get a kick out of it and the bell-ed antlers are Christmas-y.

It was a tactical error on my part. I should have known that the kids would overlook the quilts in favor of a dancing chicken. He is cute, even if his song is annoying.

I’ll have the last laugh though – the quilts will be around long after the chicken’s wings have flapped it’s last chicken-dance polka…

I took the final stitches on my daughter’s Christmas quilt last night. Today I’ll wash it so it will be all ready to put on her bed tomorrow – and the children can come home from their final day of school to a decorated room. Phew!

On to cookie baking now. I ran across one reader on another blog who says she has close to 2000 cookies already made in her freezer, ready for distribution. My own plans are much simpler by comparison! I thought I’d share a recipe that I got from my grandmother. I have no idea where she got it, but whenever I eat these, I’m right back in her kitchen.

Toffee Bars

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup brown sugar
1 egg yolk
1/2 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour

Cream together butter, sugar, egg yolk and vanilla. Mix in flour. Pat into a greased pan, 10″x15″ and bake for 15 minutes at 350F/180C. While hot, top with 6 plain Hershey bars. Spread chocolate when melted. Let cool before cutting.

NOTES: you can use a bag of semi-sweet choc chips instead of Hershey bars. Sprinkle with chopped nuts if you like.

Based on the ingredients, I shouldn’t have to tell you that these are decadent. I will however warn you that they are also addictive. I rarely make them outside of the holidays because no one in my family can resist them!

A friend gave me a bag of MINT choc chips this year. I’m thinking of trying them on this recipe but I’m afraid that I may not want to share them. Mint choc is my absolute favorite combination!

I had a note home from school yesterday saying that the children’s last day of school would be Monday, a half day, instead of Tuesday as previously announced. And hubby is taking a few days off next week as well, starting on Sunday (our Monday).

It’s funny how looming deadlines work. I got the end of my scene written this morning. Still working on the quilts but I think I might *just* make it.

At least my shopping is all done now. Wrapping is another story…

And don’t forget, it’s Thursday – time for the next part of Ember, Bettie Sharpe’s fabulous serial over on Dionne Galace’s blog. Check it out, if you dare…

If you thought the other poinsettia pictures were impressive, check these out – taken in my neighborhood. Imagine having a hedge like this:

I can’t even manage to keep my potted poinsettia alive after Christmas – what sort of green thumb do you need to grow them like this? They must be nine feet tall!

Sorry for being scarce these days, but it’s tough to quilt and type at the same time. The children’s school holiday starts next week and I’d really like to have their Christmas quilts ready as a last-day-of-school surprise. I’m nearly there but still have a couple of matching cushion covers to whip up.

I’m also suffering a bit of writer’s block. Or maybe just writer’s reluctance. I know what I want to do to finish off the scene I left off in the middle of a few days ago, but I can’t seem to make myself sit down and just finish it. And I really need to because DH will also be off next week. It will be mid-January before I have the house to myself again!

So for now I’m quilting, shopping and preparing for my Christmas baking blitz. Might even make some cookie dough ornaments this year. What’s on your schedule?

Another whirlwind weekend come and gone.

One of the things I did this weekend was to attend the European Christmas Bazaar at the Nile Hilton in downtown Cairo. But it’s not just any old Christmas Bazaar – this one is near legendary around here.

This is the bazaar to attend to get authentic European products which are generally unavailable here in Egypt. Because the holidays are approaching, there were lots of chocolates and cookies and cakes available. But the main reason that people attend is for the booze.

Why so exciting? Because foreign produced liquor is only available in the duty free shops and unless you have some sort of special privileges through your employer, you only get to go to the duty free shops when you are traveling in or out of the country. All other times you either do without or make do with the Egyptian products. It’s limitations like this that create the hysteria that was on display yesterday.

I brought my camera along, thinking that maybe I’d take a few pictures of the scenery. I didn’t bother – there were far too many people around. Most pulling suitcases with them as they went from table to table stocking up.

There were some limits on how much alcohol you were allowed to purchase: 12 bottles of wine/person, 2 bottles of spirits and a couple of cases of beer. And even so, there were things that sold out within the first two hours. I admit I got caught up in the frenzy and bought a few bottles but I ran out of money before I even approached my limit. Most of the wine was 100LE / bottle (US$20) A case of Belgian beer was 350LE (US$63) I saw a bottle of Cointreau for 250LE (US$45)

There was an ATM in the hotel lobby but I kept my head. Besides, I had enough to carry home!

I did enjoy an Irish coffee before we left. I didn’t eat much though. There were authentic European treats available but the lines were terribly long. We opted for the short line but the hotel’s menu wasn’t that appealing:

A friend puzzled out that they must have meant crepe station. Another example of why proofreading is essential…

I’ve been asked a few times if it’s difficult to celebrate Christmas in Cairo. I took a couple of pictures at a neighborhood plant nursery, where I bought my poinsettia. I like to walk past this place, just to look. It’s always lovely, no matter the season, but right now it’s particularly beautiful.

No, it’s not difficult to get in the spirit at all.

You never know what you might find when you run a search on your own name. I was just out surfing, killing time (eg, procrastinating) when I found the online version of an interview I did for a print magazine here in Cairo. I have the print copy already but I thought I’d share this with anyone who is interested.