DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

Patina fun................ I have been experimenting the last couple days.  The gold heart was shiny gold yesterday, and today it looks like this.   Now here is what you need to have and the directions: If you have this magazine you will find this article and all you need to know about changing those shiny gold charms to a beautiful verdigris color. Tips: I wanted fast results so I dipped mine in the solution and let it set for 30 minutes and then took it out to dry and then did it several more times that same day.  And it happened quicker than I thought. Have fun if you have all the elements to experiment.

   The World Egg Throwing Federation is based at Swaton, in the county of Lincolnshire, England. This ancient village has stood on this ground since before Roman times. The occupying army created a canal that ran from Lincoln to Cambridge which was fed by, and crossed, by the River Eau at Swaton. Much of the canal is still extant today. The village is mentioned in the Dooms Day book of 1068 as possessing a moated site. It’s known that this small village had a market, its own gibbet and the Church is considered to be one of the finest in England. The first female Sherriff of Nottingham is buried here.    The organised sport of Egg Throwing is thought to date back to at least 1322 when the newly appointed Abbot took possession of the Parish of Swaton by royal decree. It is said that he was the only person to own chickens and ensured the attendance at church of his peasant by providing them alms of one egg for each attendee. However, when the River Eau flooded...

So, it turns out I’ve never had a  Twinkie . How is this possible? Well, I am Canadian after all but that’s still no excuse. With the latest buzz about the Hostess trouble and potential  Twinkie production coming to a halt in the U.S., I suppose we Canadians should be excited about the fact that they will continue to be manufactured and distributed here, from what I’ve read. (Isn’t it ironic?) So even though they are available in Canada, I still think of them as an all-American snack. But really, to have one might just be to say I’ve had one. The truth is I think I’d take homemade Twinkie-ness over the store-bought variety, any day. What I do have fond memories of, however, are Canada’s answer to the  Twinkie : Vachon’s  1/2 Moon Cakes  (and incidentally, this is the same company who manufactures Twinkies here in Canada). My mom used to buy 1/2 Moons for me, along with a few other Canadian gems, such as  Jos Louis cakes  (red velvet cakes...