Household Hints By Rosemary ~ Christmas Craft and Candy

Anyone who has been reading this column for a while knows that I'm a picture and frame nut. While out shopping I dropped in at a small specialty store in our village that stocks all sorts of different Christmas items. One that really caught my eye was a wooden cedar shingle that had been made into a family Christmas photo display.
I always like ideas that I can adapt and make myself. In this case it was easy enough to see the materials needed. The local home renovation center carries cedar shingles in packages, but I was able to ask for and get a couple of loose pieces for a couple of dollars. The shingle can either be covered with Christmas fabric or left natural. Using old Christmas cards cut out images of Santa, snowmen, reindeer or elves. Cut out the faces and insert behind a photo of a family member. If you have snowmen, their tummies can be used as a frame. I have one that I like very much made by using cards with front doors, cut around three sides of the frame of the door and insert a picture of the whole family; the children will love it when they open the door and see their family standing behind. It can be further embellished with stars, more ribbon, sparkle or whatever takes your fancy. Punch a hole in the shingle about a half inch down from the top and about an inch in, using Christmas ribbon (red and green plaid is my favourite), you can either tie a bow at the punch holes or at the top join of the ribbon to hang it up.
It can also be adapted for a children's project by using a piece of cardboard instead of wood and covered with Christmas wrapping paper instead of fabric. The best is that you can also add a shingle each year by punching a hole in the bottom and attaching another frame with ribbons.
While on the subject of ribbons, I looked up a recipe for ribbon candy, I remember my grandmother making at the kitchen table when I was young. I never realized how much work actually went into the setting of the candy. The ingredients are, three cups of granulated sugar, one cup of corn syrup, one quarter cup of water, peppermint extract, red and green food colouring, vegetable spray and vinyl gloves. My grandmother didn't use gloves or vegetable spray, she buttered her hands. Warm the oven to 120 celsius, prepare three cookie sheets by covering them with a buttered parchment paper. Combine all the ingredients in a saucepan and boil until the mixture reaches a soft candy stage. At this time add the extract and pour the candy onto the cookie sheets in equal amounts, sprinkle one with red colouring and another with green and put two aside in the warm oven. Allow one set to sit and form a “skin”. Once the candy is cool enough to handle start to spread it with your hands, pushing and pulling it over itself. Then pick it up and stretch it out, twist and stretch again. Return this one to the oven and do the same procedure with the others. Once they all have a glossy look, flatten them out with a buttered rolling pin or by hand until about a quarter inch thick, place them on top of one another, the clear in the middle, and slice into strips. Ribbon up the strips with your fingers and cut at two inch intervals. Allow them to cool and wrap them loosely in wax paper; wonderful old fashioned taste.