Motivate yourself with Christmas fun!

It's that time of year. I can't believe I am hearing it already: everyone is overwhelmed with everything they "have" to do for the holidays. There really is a lot to do.  Some of us love every minute of it. And some people dread every minute of it. (And then there are the in-betweeners.)  My husband learned early on that I am  a Christmas fanatic, so he puts restrictions on me so that I don't start decorating the house with garland and lights too early in the year!

My own personal strategy for enjoying the holidays is planning.  By this time, I have a plan in my head of what my responsibilities will be during the holidays, what responsibilities I will give Hubby, what needs to be done and when, and what could be done without. By the 1st of December, I write down a time frame in which to do things. I set aside realistic time frames and days to do various tasks. I usually end up taking extra days off of work in December in order to get everything done. (When my kids were smaller and hadn't started school yet, I would get a babysitter for an entire day so that I could get a ton of things done at once.)

I also don't break my neck trying to do too much. If I am an overachiever, I just end up miserable. This year,  I haven't bought Christmas cards yet. And we haven't taken a family photo. So I am contemplating whether I need to get busy stressing about that, or just skip the cards this year. Or maybe I will be one of those people that gets around to sending them in January...

There are always things on the to-do list that are more fun or enjoyable than others. I usually use these as my motivators. Gift wrapping is one of my favorite things to do, but there are some other things that need to be done first, like digging out all the decorations and figuring out where to put everything. I will usually tell myself that if I spend 3 hours with decorations, I can take a "wrapping break".  I motivate myself with what's most fun for me!

But the real secret to enjoying the holiday season: joy. As I prepare for Christmas, I think about the special people in my life. I think about gifts I will choose especially for them.  I think about creating beautiful food for them to enjoy. I think about opening my home to friends and neighbors.  I think about what I have been blessed with, and I am filled with joy. I think about why we celebrate Christmas, and the greatest Gift of all. And it makes me smile. All of it.

Adding chocolate always makes me happy

I was asked to bring "a pecan dessert to go with vanilla ice cream" this past weekend. I'm not used to  having guidelines placed on me when bringing desserts places (!), but I guess it's nice to have a little challenge every once in a while. So I decided to bring Chocolate Pecan Pie. It's basically your good old- fashioned pecan pie with some Hershey's baking chocolate mixed into the filling. You can't go wrong with chocolate, right? And although Pecan Pie is so sweet I really don't think it needs ice cream, I needed a recipe that was simple, travelled easily, and didn't require refrigeration: Chocolate Pecan Pie. It looks like a regular Pecan Pie, but it's a chocolate-y surprise inside--and I think I was actually smiling as I stirred in the chocolate.

Things are buzzing around here with December making her appearance THIS WEEK. Yikes. The second round of party invites went out today, the same day as we started getting the responses back for my daughter's cookie party. I have lists on the bulletin board to mark off responses as they come in for various parties... otherwise there is no possible way to remember everything. And I have some invitations to make for my brother's rehearsal dinner which should have been in the mail about yesterday. SO there will be some late nights as I am cutting, pasting, tying bows, printing, menu planning, gift wrapping, house decorating and treat-creating this week... stay tuned! And for now, put a little smile on your own face with some chocolate. Try the Chocolate Pecan Pie... or if there's no time for that, just snitch a few chocolate chips from the baking cabinet. No one will know.

Chocolate Pecan Pie
serves about 8

3/4 c. sugar
1 c. dark corn syrup
1/2 t. salt
2 T flour
3 eggs
2 T melted butter
3 oz. unsweetened chocolate, melted
1 1/2 t. vanilla
1 3/4 c. pecan halves
9 inch unbaked pie crust

Beat together first 5 ingredients by hand. Add next 4 ingredients, stir until blended, and pour into shell. Bake at 300 for one hour. (How's that for easy?)

Enjoy!

Soupalicious

You know about my love for things I can freeze. This soup is one of them. (And it is quick to make!) I often make a pot of this before the Christmas holidays are in full swing and put it in the freezer for a quick meal when my family comes into town or just to have as an easy dinner after a busy day. And since there are veggies in the soup, I don't feel like I need to serve a salad or anything on the side.

I also love this recipe because if you are cooking for picky children, you can give them the option to just have a bowl of tortellini instead of the soup!

Italian Tortellini Soup
makes 4 quarts

1 1/2 lb sweet Italian sausage (with casings removed)
1 medium onion, finely chopped
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 (28 oz) can crushed tomatoes, Italian style
1 (8 oz) can tomato sauce
4 beef bouillon cubes
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 medium zucchini, sliced and quartered
1 cup dry red wine
1 t. dried oregano
1 t. dried basil
20 oz refrigerated or frozen cheese tortellini
freshly grated Parmesan cheese for topping

Saute sausage, onion and garlic in Dutch oven over medium heat for 8-10 minutes or until sausage is crumbled and no longer pink. Stir in next 8 ingredients and 10 cups of water. Bring to a boil. Cover and reduce heat to low, and simmer for 20 minutes. Cook tortellini in separate pan according to package directions, drain, and add to soup just before serving. Top with Parmesan cheese after serving.

** To freeze this soup, do not cook or add the tortellini until after  you have  reheated the soup

Enjoy!

Taking Christmas treats to the cabin

Well, Thanksgiving is wrapping up. I completed my Thanksgiving ritual of putting the leftover turkey in the freezer. I will get it out and make soup or something in a few weeks. I never did like the whole ordeal of figuring out 39 creative ways to use turkey so the fam doesn't get tired of eating it for days on end after Thanksgiving. So I just package it up and pop it in the freezer and we don't think about turkey at all. In due time, it will show up in a soup or enchiladas or something and everyone will think it's chicken and won't even care.

ANYWAY, now we're off to our first Christmas celebration of the season: a weekend with family at the cabin. I am bringing along some Christmasy, chocolatey, minty treats. They are easy and they freeze well. I love this recipe both for feeding a crowd and also for freezing. I just get them out of the freezer and thaw them at room temperature when I have guests, the kids need a dessert in their lunches, or  when I simply have a chocolate craving (which is often). Hubby even likes them when they're still frozen, so I save the thawing step when I am serving him!

I went a little crazy with the green food coloring-- they look a little BRIGHT, but that always makes the kids love them even more (!).

Chocolate Mint Cheesecake Bars
makes 2-3 dozen

4 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate, chopped
1 stick butter  plus 2 T butter, divided
2 c. granulated sugar
4 eggs, divided
1 1/2 t. vanilla extract
1 c.  plus 1 T all-purpose flour, divided
1 pkg cream cheese, softened
1 T cornstarch
14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
3/4 t. peppermint extract
green food coloring
1 c. semi sweet chocolate chips
1/2 c. whipping cream
3 oz  crushed peppermints (5 or 6 candy canes)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 9x13 pyrex baking pan. In large saucepan, melt baking chocolate with 1 stick of butter over low heat, stirring until smooth.  Remove from heat. Add sugar, 3 eggs, vanilla, and flour. Stir until blended and spread in prepared pan. Bake for 14 minutes.

Meanwhile, beat together cream cheese, 2 T butter, cornstarch and 1 T flour until fluffy. Slowly stir in sweetened condensed milk, 1 egg, peppermint extract, and food coloring. Pour mixture over hot brownie layer and return to oven. Bake for 30 minutes.

Combine chocolate chips and cream in small saucepan. Cook over low heat until smooth, stirring constantly. Spread over mint layer. Sprinkle with crushed peppermint. Cool completely. Refrigerate several hours or overnight. Do not cut into bars until completely cooled. Store covered in refrigerator or freezer.

Enjoy!

Turning something wrong into something sooooo right

Everyone has a little snafu once in a while in the kitchen. Actually, I feel like I have been having more than my share lately! But the latest happened today, while I was trying to get ahead by making parts of the Thanksgiving meal ahead of time. My plan was to have a chocolate mousse with raspberries on top as an alternative (or addition!) to the pumpkin pie. Since the mousse is good for several days after preparation, I thought it would be a great thing to get made this evening. I'm not sure what went wrong... so I will definitely not be sharing THAT recipe, but I thought I would share my little story of how I was able to turn my chocolate disaster/ disappointment into a little bit of chocolate deliciousness!

Making mistakes in the kitchen, having main courses that don't turn out quite right, slaving away on desserts that flop... it can be super- duper frustrating. I have shed many a tear in the kitchen over my mess-ups. But the more time I spend cooking and baking, the more creative I get in trying to salvage my recipes-gone-wrong.

SO, as I looked at the mousse which looked more like a thick chocolate sauce, I thought that I could just use it as a sauce to put on top of the berries, instead of putting the berries on top of the mousse, as originally planned.  This actually made it a little more healthy (not that healthy is what we're going for on Thanksgiving Day) since each serving contains more berries and less chocolate. I will have to go out and buy some more berries though since I will be using more than I planned for. I sprinkled chocolate shavings on top, and this will be now one of our dessert choices.  The Chocolate Mousse Sauce  is in the fridge, still as saucy as can be, and I will drizzle it over the berries before serving  this dessert on Thanksgiving. I figure most people don't turn down chocolate, no matter what it's form!  So for now, I guess I should go ahead and eat this bowl of raspberries and Chocolate Mousse Sauce-- just to make sure it tastes ok.

Cookie Party invitations... don't worry, I won't mail them until after Thanksgiving

I'm thinking about invitations! As I am still waiting on the final head count for Thanksgiving, I am planning for the Christmas festivities. I usually send out invitations for Christmas Season events right after Thanksgiving so people can save the date. Since Thanksgiving is this week.... I guess my invitations should be bought or made SOON, huh?

My daughter loves it when we have parties. And this year she's having her own. She's inviting some girls from her class at school and her ballet class to a cookie decorating party at our house. I warned her that the holidays get busy, and some of the girls won't come because their parents are busy that day. But she has observed my events in the past and seen that even with one or two guests, we can still have a lot of fun!

Our agenda is simple: A handful of 7, 8, and 9 year old girls arrive on a Saturday morning to a variety of already-baked sugar cookies in different Christmas shapes. The girls will use different frostings, frosting bags, and sprinkles to decorate the cookies at our kitchen table, counter, and bar. Girls generally love crafts and making things, so this should make for a fun morning!  (I can't imagine doing something like this with a kitchen full of BOYS...) We'll have a little lunch (something simple) at the end of the party-- that is, if they have any space left in their bellies after nibbling!

On the invitations (which we worked on today), we are asking each guest to bring a container so that she can bring home a dozen of the cookies she decorates. My daughter thinks that all of her friends will be excited about  getting to bring home cookies (I agree). I love that my daughter is excited about welcoming her friends into her home and having fun getting to know each other better while preparing for Christmas. I really do think that learning and practicing hospitality as children gives kids confidence in their ability to practice hospitality as adults. Making it fun and not stressing about it is important for parents. The more we do it, the less we stress!

Here's the sample invitation that I made  for my daughter to modify as she wanted to. We did the printing on the computer, used a gingerbread man paper punch, and some Christmas-y paper glued onto the brown invitation. My daughter loves getting out the craft supplies and being creative (where does she get that from?). And she is in luck-- my boxes of art and craft supplies just got unpacked today!

Inspiration is all around me

Being a food lover, I am always on the lookout for delicious food to eat and make. When I am at restaurants I sometimes try to figure out how I could duplicate a recipe at home. That was definitely the case at my recent visit to Rachel's Cafe and  Creperie in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. Her delish pumpkin crepes are on my list to figure out. Fortunately for my readers who are tiring of my ranting and raving about either caramel or pumpkin, pumpkin season is soon over. I would love to try to get some pumpkin crepes made for Thanksgiving weekend though. Sometimes a good Google is enough to find a recipe to tweak, perfect,  and make your own!

Rachel's is a quaint little cafe--nothing fancy. Well, except the crepes!  My pumpkin crepe had a cream cheese/ cinnamon/ nutmeg filling and whipped cream on top. It would have been good even without the whipped cream. Crepes are so thin, that you don't get all that much flavor from the actual crepe. It's the FILLING that is so delish-- and the combination of the flavors in the crepe and filling. So the next time you're in Lancaster, PA, be sure and stop in and say "hi" to Rachel. She's not endorsing this at all, but when I find good food,  I'll direct you to it! ( And I will get busy trying to duplicate it and share the recipe with you )  I love to be inspired!

The Blueberry Book

I like to have friends over for meals at our home. Breakfast, brunch, lunch, dinner... whatever. And of course I have a few of my good 'ol reliable recipes that I repeat a lot. I got to a point a few years ago that I wondered if I duplicated meals or desserts when I had the same friend over twice. How embarrassing to have a friend over for lunch twice in a year and serve the same meal both times. Maybe she wouldn't remember, but maybe she would. And really, it doesn't matter, I guess,  but I wanted to solve my problem. So I began to use The Blueberry Book. Amusingly, I have called it "The Blueberry Book" for about 3 years, and when I took a photo to share with you, I realized that they are actually blackberries. But I think I will still call it "The Blueberry Book" since that's been its name for this long!

The Blueberry Book is a hardcover book that was designed to be a journal, I think, and was one of the multiple journals I received after graduating from grad school. I wasn't using it as a journal, but it was so cute, and I decided to use it to start keeping track of what I cook for different guests.

On each page I write the date and the name of the guests and what we ate. I also write down what they brought (if I had asked them to bring something for the meal). I find it helpful to jot down any food allergies or food aversions, which can come in handy for future reference.   With so many people having gluten-free diets, vegetarian diets, or food allergies, it is helpful to keep notes. Sometimes during the meal I find out favorite foods of guests and I'll write those down at the end of the evening as well.  One time, I found out through random discussion over dinner that a new friend loved carrot cake. Several months later we had those friends over again and I made carrot cake as a dessert, based on the note I had recorded. The friend said, "Carrot cake is my favorite!" I probably wouldn't have remembered that without the note written in my Blueberry Book!

When I have parties, I also record details in the book: the date, names of people who attended, types of food served and amounts of food that was adequate for the amount of people. I also note if there was a particular food that was really popular or not so popular to help in planning for future parties.

I store my Blueberry Book on the shelf with the cookbooks. That way I always know where it is and can reference it easily. Any old notebook will do, but a cute journal-type book makes it more fun. Women keep up with a lot of details in our lives and the lives of our families--and  I think everyone needs a Blueberry Book of her own to keep up with the details related to hospitality. What do you think?

There's a new brownie in town!

So I couldn't kick my caramel obsession ever since eating Leslie's cupcake with the salted caramel frosting. (I told her that next time she can just bring me a  big bowl of the frosting and a spoon).  Then, while waiting in line at Starbucks, I started thinking about how yummy a brownie would be (at 7:45 a.m.) with the Caramel Macchiato I was about to order. I came up with the concoction I tried last night when I had 13 other things I should have been  doing but just HAD TO HAVE A BROWNIE.

I am not ashamed to say that I use brownie mix. I used to call them "cheater brownies" whenever I made them from a mix, but not anymore. If you find a mix that you love, there's nothing wrong with spending 2 1/2 minutes whipping up a dessert!  I love the Ghirardelli Triple Chocolate mixes from Costco.

I thought if I added espresso or strong coffee to the brownie mix in place of the water that the mix calls for, made a creamy-caramelly frosting  for them after they cooled, and drizzled caramel across the top of the brownies, that I would have a pretty good little treat. I happened to have caramel sauce already on hand (imagine that), so I mixed up the brownies, made some modifications to a frosting recipe that didn't turn out super caramelly, but had just a hint of yummy buttery, caramel goodness, and my result is the Caramel Macchiato Brownie. It's sweeeeeet-- but so is a Caramel Macchiato-- so just brace yourself.

Maybe it's just because I have Thanksgiving on the brain, but the photo looks eerily similar to mashed potatoes with gravy (with a brownie hiding in the shadows!)

Caramel Macchiato Brownies

1 baked pan of your favorite brownies (frosting is enough for a 9x12 size)

Frosting:
2 cups granulated sugar
1/2 cup water
1 cup water
1 1/2 sticks butter
16 oz powdered sugar
6 T heavy cream
2 t vanilla
1 t salt

Cook 2 cups granulated sugar and 1/2 cup water in large saucepan over medium high heat without stirring until dark gold/amber colored, about 10-12 minutes. Carefully add 1 cup water. (Sugar mixture will splatter and sputter, so be very careful) Stir over medium high heat until reduced, about 15 minutes. This is your caramel "syrup", which you will not use all of for this recipe. Set aside. (Unused syrup can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge until you need for your next recipe)

Cook butter over medium heat until melted and brown, about 8 minutes. Cool . Pour into mixer bowl, trying to avoid adding the brown sediment. Slowly add powdered sugar, alternating with heavy cream and 4 T of the caramel syrup. Stir in vanilla and salt.  Once combined, beat for 2-4 minutes. Spread over cooled brownies. The caramel syrup that you didn't add to the frosting might not have a strong enough caramel flavor for you as far as using as a drizzle, but if you don't have any other on hand, it will definitely do in a pinch.

Enjoy!

Plan to plan ahead

This morning, I got an email from a friend who is planning her first Christmas Open House in her new neighborhood. She thought it would be a great way to get to know her neighbors better and was excited about opening her home and welcoming her new neighbors. She was asking me for tips on how to have a successful Open House without getting too stressed. I emailed her back, but I also thought this would be a great time to share those tips with anyone who might be planning a big (or small) Christmas Party this December. YES, I do realize that we haven't even gotten to Thanksgiving yet, but these are some ideas to tuck away in the back of your mind until after Turkey Day...

This is the order in which I do most of my planning, and it generally helps me stay organized and not forget things:

Plan the size of event you want to host.  Do you want to have your house overflowing with people? Do you want just a handful of people?

Plan the age range. Adults only? Families? Young children? If you send invitations, the names of those invited should be on the invitation. This usually-but not always- helps people know whether or not their entire family is invited.

Plan the type of event. Dinner, brunch, lunch, tea, just desserts, appetizers, a theme party, White Elephant Party, Cookie-decorating Party, Gift Wrapping Party, Ornament Exchange...the options are endless! Be creative!

Plan the date and time. Mark your calendar, clear it with any family members who need to know (ie, Hubby) and schedule/reserve your babysitter NOW if you need one!

Make or order your invitations. I know e-vites are popular, but they aren't nearly as fun an festive as an actual "old fashioned" invitation...are they? I never do e-vites... but do what you want. You can print up cute invites on the computer, make them by hand, or order them inexpensively online.

Plan the menu. Decide if you will make the food, order it, have it catered, have people bring things, or a combination. Decide on specific recipes and foods you want to serve. Be sure to include a variety of things that can be made ahead or ordered ahead so that you aren't running around like a crazy woman on the day of your event.

Plan the decorations. At Christmas this is easy because you likely have decorations out anyway, but plan specifically what you will use as centerpieces on dining tables or buffet tables, any special lighting or decor outside (and of course whether you want to hang mistletoe anywhere!)

Plan your timetable. I usually get out the calendar, look at the week of the event and decide what needs to be done on various days leading up to the event. This includes mundane things like cleaning the house,  but also the fun things like unpacking, setting up, making, or purchasing decorations. My list includes specific household things to be done, grocery shopping and errand-running,  as well as a specific timeline for food preparation. (For example, things like cheese platters or a cheese ball can be made a few days ahead. Pastries or desserts should be made closer to the time of the event. )

Plan activities for family members. Spouse, children, roommates... whoever lives with you  either needs to be involved in the preparation or needs to get out of the way. I once kept my toddlers busy for about 45 minutes collecting twigs from the backyard to put in the fireplace on the night of the event. They loved having a job, and I raced around like a maniac trying to get things done while they were occupied. Involve people who want to help in the preparation. It makes it more fun for everyone and creates memories.

and most importantly...
Plan to have fun. Remember that your guests will have more fun and enjoy themselves more if they see that you are enjoying being a hostess. No one expects the house to be spotless, the decorations to be perfect, and the food to be gourmet. They just love that you thought of them and invited them into your home. Enjoy the Christmas season and spending time with special people in your life!

Happy planning!

Hey, turkey!

Kids love holidays. (Almost as much as I do). It is so much fun to spend time with children on  the days leading up to holidays and work on establishing or continuing traditions. At our house, one of our traditions leading up to holidays is (surprise, surprise)  baking cookies. When parents enjoy something and involve our kids, the enjoyment often spreads! My kids love it when I break out the cookie cutters, icing and sprinkles, and we decorate cookies. Last Thanksgiving, they had some friends over a few days before Thanksgiving and made "turkey cookies" together. This year we did it as a family. I had seen the idea in advertisements for Pillsbury (I think) cookie dough last year. These little turkeys are made on round cookies with candy corn tail feathers. Of course they recommended that you use their dough, but you can use any sugar cookie dough to make these adorable cookies that the kids LOVE to decorate because they involve not only cookies and icing, but also candy. You need cookie dough, cut into about 3-inch circles and baked, white frosting, brown frosting (in a frosting bag with a small round tip), candy corn and mini-M&Ms (the kind used for baking) or any other small round candy.

You just spread the white frosting all over the baked cookie (so that the candy sticks on), use about 6 candy corn for the tail (my son has been known to use up to 15), M&Ms for the eyes, and brown frosting to make eyeballs, a little beak and legs. Young children may have trouble with the frosting bag, but they can have fun putting on the candy and you can finish off the rest of the decorating for them. Just be sure that everyone eats lunch or dinner prior to starting this project or they will fill up on SUGAR SUGAR SUGAR while decorating!  Kids love to decorate these little cuties. Moms do too. And people of all ages love to help out with the eating. Everyone loves a cute, festive, holiday treat. In fact, I think I might just go gobble one up right now.

Clumping: I think it actually works pretty well.

Sometimes I pack a few days full of friends. This was one of those weekends. There were several people or families on my mental list that I had been wanting to have over to our house for a meal and chit-chat, and I just happened to schedule them all on the same weekend (at different times). I had the weekend "free" of appointments, kids' sporting events, and other general requirements, so I decided to fill the days with cooking, eating and catching up with friends. I did a dinner Friday night, breakfast (a late one) Saturday morning, and dinner Saturday night. That could sound overwhelming, but there are some reasons that "clumping" guests in a few days' time is sometimes actually easier than spreading them out. Here is my rationale:

1) I clean the house and it is still generally clean by the time the last guests leave

2) I get menu planning and grocery shopping done all in one swoop.

3) I can bake a few things the same day in preparation and they'll be fresh for all the guests (or I can even make the SAME THING for several guests (I just make sure my own family doesn't get tired of it!)

4) I can put out candles or table decorations/centerpieces, and set out place mats and just leave them up the whole time.

So instead of doing, undoing and re-doing things multiple times over several weeks, I actually just did everything once (in BULK, you could say!). It was a great weekend. Try it sometime. See if you agree with me.

Breakfast with the babies' mothers

Two of my friends from work are pregnant and we were trying to find a date to get together one last time before one of them has her baby. We found a date surprisingly easily (often it seems to take about 13 emails before we can decide on a time and date). It's so much fun to catch up with the happenings in friends' lives, especially during big life changes like having babies!  Even though scheduling can be a nightmare, I think it is always worth it to make people a priority. A Saturday morning seemed to work well, and the nice thing about hosting pregnant women is that they are generally so hungry that they eat about anything!

The menu: fresh fruit, ham and cheese quiche, pumpkin scones and cranberry orange scones. I really didn't need two kinds of scones, but they both sounded so good, I decided to just do both. My oven didn't seem to be working quite right (possibly due to my disassembly and reassembly of it the other night) and the quiche didn't cook how I expected it to, but at least I didn't lock it inside as I did with my dinner and dessert a few nights ago.  I had some whipped cream (my version of clotted cream) to have with the scones, although I confused my guests with the cream. They weren't familiar with eating a scone with cream. (So now they're educated!)  I hadn't made these scones before, but my favorite was the cranberry orange.  I expected to like the pumpkin one more, considering my Fall pumpkin obsession. Scones are good even without the cream, and are a nice part of a  breakfast menu,  good for a treat with tea or coffee, and the leftovers (if there are any) are great to enjoy on your way out the door in the morning. The cranberry orange scones are a nice treat for the Christmas holidays because cranberry is just so holidayish. Scones don't have to be warm to be enjoyed ( although I do prefer them that way). I may take this recipe along to my mom's at Christmas and whip these up for the fam one day during the holidays.

It's been a great weekend of fun and food with friends. Although hospitality can take some planning and effort, it is always worth it! And the next time I see my one pregnant friend, I will most likely be visiting her at the hospital after she's had the baby. And yes, of course, I will have treats in hand.

Christmas Cranberry Orange Scone ( pictured on dessert-sized plate)

Christmas Cranberry Orange Scones
makes 8

2 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 T flour, divided
1/4 cup sugar
1 T baking powder
1/2 t salt
3 t orange zest
1 1/2 sticks butter, cut into pieces
2 eggs, beaten
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries (Craisins)

1 egg yolk, beaten
2 T milk
1 T sugar

Preheat oven to 400.
Mix flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and orange zest with electric mixer. Add the cold butter and mix at low speed until the butter is the size of peas. In a separate bowl, combine eggs and cream and then slowly add to flour mixture. Mix only until blended. (Dough will be lumpy) Toss dried cranberries with 2 T flour and add to dough, mixing only until blended.

On a floured surface, with floured hands, form the dough into two equal balls. Flatten out the balls until they are about 1 inch thick and resemble disks. Cut each disk  into 4 wedges (you could do 6 wedges if you want them smaller). Mix together the egg yolk and milk to make an egg wash, and brush the tops of the scones with the egg wash. Sprinkle with sugar and bake for 15-20 min. Scones will be firm to the touch. Enjoy!

Treats from a friend

We had friends over for dinner, and while the dinner was tasty, the DESSERT was the highlight of the evening (which is pretty typical for me, I guess). Leslie brought over her latest cupcake concoction without even knowing of my affection for all things caramel.  The cupcake was her newly-created Bananas Foster cupcake, which didn't sound that appealing since I am not the hugest banana dessert fan. HOWEVER, when she mentioned that the cupcake was a banana cake and the frosting was "salted caramel", I knew I would be a fan. You really can't go wrong with caramel. It's basically just butter and sugar. (Love 'em separately and love 'em even more together.) The cupcakes were topped with chopped banana chips. Eating treats that have an artistic flair or a little fancyness always make them even more delicious doesn't it?  There were a few cupcakes left at the end of the night and Leslie left them for me  my family and me to enjoy. I didn't even have to beg. As she was leaving, she was brainstorming other cupcake flavors to combine with the salted caramel frosting. I think I will be having Leslie and her cupcakes over again soon.

The miracle dessert

The fact that we had dessert tonight was a miracle. Actually, the fact that we even had DINNER was a miracle. The latch on the oven door jammed shut with our dinner and dessert inside and I ended up taking apart the front of the oven using various tools that I generally try to avoid.  So  I  learned a lot about the inner-workings of oven doors, the dinner was pretty dry, and the dessert was a little overcooked. The dessert was still yummy, however, and I was just glad to rescue it in time. If it was that tasty after being trapped in the oven too long, I will definitely be making it again under the proper baking conditions!

The whole reason we  had dessert tonight  in the first place was because I had a craving. In our house we usually have dessert for one of three reasons, in the following order: 1) We're having company 2) Mommy has a craving 3) Mommy's just in the mood to bake. My craving all day today was  for this particular dessert that is in my "recipes to try" file: Praline Pudding Cake.

This recipe was originally from Cooking Light magazine, years ago, although I changed a few minor things. If I were making this one again, I would not over bake it (ha ha) and I would drizzle caramel over the top, which of course would make it not-so-light,   but oh-so-good.  I love several things about this recipe. One is its simplicity:  you mix everything together,  put it in the oven and it bakes into two layers-- one is cake-like and one is pudding-like. Also, there's the fact that it uses basic ingredients that I usually have on hand, so I can make this dessert on a whim... in a pinch... whenever!

Praline Pudding Cake
serves 8, technically, but you're going to want to make it serve 4 or 5!
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/4 cup plus 1 T all-purpose flour, divided
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1/2 cup milk
1 Tablespoon baking soda
1/4 t. salt
3 T butter, melted
1 t vanilla
1 3/4 c boiling water
whipped cream and chopped pecans, for topping

Preheat oven to 350.
Combine brown sugar and 1 T flour in a small bowl and set aside. In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/4 cups flour, granulated sugar, 1/2 cup pecans, baking powder and salt. Combine milk, melted butter and vanilla  and add to flour mixture, stirring only until moist. Spread batter into 8x8 baking pan. Sprinkle with brown sugar mixture. Pour boiling water over batter AND DO NOT STIR. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes or until pudding is bubbly and the cake part springs back if touched lightly in the center. Serve warm with toppings, if desired. (And give the caramel drizzle a try!)

Enjoy.

You won't go back to canned soup again.

Fall and Winter are prime soup seasons at my house. I especially love soups that freeze well, so I can have some on hand for a quick meal, an easy and cozy lunch, or even a meal for unexpected  guests. Soups that are freezer-friendly (like my Chicken Lemon Soup) are great to freeze in individual serving sizes as well-- perfect to take to the office for lunch. And they are also ideal  for stay-at-home moms who just can't bear to eat mac and cheese or pb&j one more time this week. Whip out a single-serving size of soup and ENJOY its homemade yumminess.

I used to just eat canned soups. Then I started making my own soup and suddenly canned soups tasted kind of... well... not that good.  And I am not even a soup expert.  Ideal soups are made with homemade chicken or beef stock, but I just don't always get around to that. But I do what I can when I can. It's just so nice to know exactly what's going into your soup!

Chicken Lemon Soup
(makes about 4 quarts)

3 quarts water
3 skinless chicken breasts
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 T olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
3 celery ribs, chopped
3/4 c. onion, finely chopped
3 medium carrots, sliced
2 t. lemon zest
1 bay leaf
1/2 cup loosely packed fresh parsley
2 t. salt
lemon slices for topping/garnish (optional)

Bring chicken and 3 quarts water to a boil over medium high heat. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for one hour. Remove chicken from liquid and let cool about 15 minutes. Shred chicken and return to liquid. Add 3 cups water.

In saute pan, saute onion, garlic, and celery in olive oil over medium heat for about 5-6 minutes, until tender. Add to pot with chicken. Add carrots, lemon zest, and bay leaf. Cover and cook on medium heat for 20 minutes, until carrots are tender. Add parsley and stir. Serve with lemon slice garnish if desired. (Bay leaf should be removed before serving).

**To freeze, cool, and separate into desired freezer containers.Cover tightly and freeze up to several months. (Mine never lasts that long!) To reheat, thaw in refrigerator  overnight and pour into crock pot to continue thawing/ warming  for several hours, or else heat in saucepan on stove. Individual serving sizes can be microwaved. Enjoy!

The multi-purpose golden leaf!

Well, I have a few examples of how to use these lovely golden leaves. (Isn't gold spray paint FUN?!)  I am off to the grocery store tomorrow and will be whipping up all sorts of deliciousness for  this weekend, so be watching for my breakfast menu (perfect for overnight guests during the holidays,  friends coming over on a weekend, or just a special morning with your family), truffles, kid-friendly (kid-created!) candy-corn turkeys, and hearty soup.

So... the leaves. I was using some as a centerpiece, so decided to use them as place cards as well. I used a Sharpie permanent marker to write a name on one, but you could use paint or a paint pen instead. The leaf can  then be propped up against a glass or tucked into a napkin ring. The leaves are nice gift toppers for a hostess gift, birthday gift, or teacher's gift, or Christmas gift.



If you weren't ready to play with gold paint before, you are now, right!? Enjoy!

And oh yeah,  go out and buy some Candy Corn on clearance somewhere, because you're going to need it for these cutie-pie turkeys my kids are making with their friends.



Thanksgiving-y tables

In the midst of unpacking various dining room dishes, placemats, candlesticks, et cetera, I started thinking about how to use my newly-painted golden leaves, twigs and PUMPKIN. I found a hollow plastic (or something) pumpkin on clearance at Target and painted it gold when I was on my painting rampage the other day. It was larger than I was looking for-- and I was actually planning to get real, small,  pumpkin-looking gourds to paint, but I decided to try this big one. So I took a break from unpacking, brought my golden darlings in from the garage, and came up with a few ways to decorate a table... for Thanksgiving or Fall entertaining in general. One of the fun parts of using twigs, leaves, and things from nature  is that you don't have to get all fussy about arranging them. You can kind of toss them out there, move them around a little, and you're done. They'll look like they just fell from a tree. A gold one.

I am playing with the individual leaves too-- they can be used in so many fun ways. (Take a peek here tomorrow.) Have a golden evening.

Monday morning muffins

Mondays can be so... mundane. They are just so hard to face, aren't they? Whether it's a new work week or school week, it is tough to go from weekend to Monday! That's why I like to plan Monday Morning Muffins.  The family loves to wake up to the smell of something baking. (They love to wake up to it more than I enjoy waking up EARLY to do the baking). It can be so motivating to get up and get ready if you know there is a special breakfast waiting for you. So tomorrow it's blueberry muffins, fresh from the oven, to start off the week.  Sometimes I take the leftovers in to work to spread the Monday Morning Muffin joy! Don't get impressed-- these muffins are going to be from a box. (Duncan Hines Blueberry with streusel topping). The box is sitting out next to the oven, with the muffin pan, measuring cup and everything ready to go-- so I have to do minimal thinking when I am groggy and up early on a Monday morning. But then I can enjoy a Monday morning muffin... with a BIG cup of coffee!

Painting the town gold

Well, I painted my leaves. I think I will paint some more. The trees here at my new house are different kinds than at my old house, so I am working with some different (and smaller) leaves. I laid them out on cardboard (newspaper will do as well)  and sprayed them with a light coating of gold spray paint. The instructions on this paint said that it is dry to the touch in 15 minutes. So, after 15 minutes I flipped the leaves and sprayed the other sides. After another 15 minutes, I checked them and did a few touch up sprays to those that needed it, and waited an hour for them to dry completely. Now they are ready to use. I am putting these up on my mantle for now. I had an artificial Fall garland that I am just sticking the golden leaves into. But I will show you some other ways to use them too, so check back soon to see what I am up to with these golden leaves! I am also thinking of painting some cute twigs and some little pumpkins gold for my Thanksgiving table. Set me loose with a can of gold and I can be dangerous (!). It is just so much fun to see how you can transform things just by painting them: leaves, twigs, pumpkins and gourds, holly, pine cones, picture frames, shelves... Believe me, if you buy a can of gold spray paint, it won't go to waste!

Golden leaf day

Today was supposed to be golden leaf day. As part of my fall decor, I usually use painted gold leaves. They look gorgeous and  last for years. They are so versatile and can be used on mantles, as centerpieces, in wreaths, to decorate gifts,  on a thanksgiving table... the possibilities are endless. However, the box containing my leaves hasn't been located since our move, so I was planning to paint some new ones today. And then it rained. So all of the leaves in the yard are soggy and  unpaintable!  I collected some (which are drying in the garage) and hopefully tomorrow can be golden leaf day. You can get ready too. All it takes is some DRY leaves that have fallen and a can of gold spray paint. Get ready. Tomorrow will be golden!

Back away from the cooling rack!

I am backing away from the cooling rack. I had a few self-control issues tonight with these yummalicious cookies that made the house smell SO Fall-ish. These are a twist on the typical spice cookie that is so perfect this time of year. These have Craisins in them. (Whenever fruits are used in cookies, that makes them "healthy", right?). Cookies right out of the oven are a weakness of mine to begin with, but then  I decided I would give some of these as gifts, so I figured I should try a few cooled ones to make sure they were also good. I'm pleased to report that these cookies are tasty at all temperatures. (Well, I didn't try them refrigerated yet... )

I am going  to my son's classroom tomorrow to help for a few hours, so I thought I would wrap up a few of these cookies to take to his teacher as a "Happy Friday!" present. I had a roll of cellophane in my wrapping paper box and cut a square of that, stacked  5  cooled cookies in the center and tied a ribbon around them. Everything looks just a little more special when wrapped in cellophane with a bow! I think I will wrap a "Happy Friday" cookie for each of my kids for their lunchboxes while I am at it. Here's the recipe for this tasty cookie that cries out "Happy Fall" (and in my case, also "Happy Friday!"). There's so much to love about baking with spices in the fall. Just be prepared with your will-power. These cookies are hard to resist!

Cranberry Spice Cookies

2 cups all- purpose flour

2 t. baking soda

2 t. ground ginger

1 t. ground cinnamon

1 t. ground cloves

3/4 t. salt

1 c. sweetened, dried cranberries

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/4 c. butter (1/2 stick), softened

1/2 c. shortening

1 large egg

1/4 c. molasses

sugar for rolling

Combine flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt in a bowl. Add cranberries and stir. Set aside. In a separate bowl, using an electric mixer, beat butter, shortening and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg and molasses and mix until blended. Add flour mixture, mixing just until blended. Cover bowl and refrigerate for one hour.

Preheat oven to 350. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper. Spoon sugar onto a plate or shallow bowl. Form dough into 1 1/4 inch balls (moisten hands if needed). Roll balls in sugar to coat completely. Place balls on prepared baking sheets 2 inches apart. Bake for about 12 minutes until cookies crack slightly on top but are still soft to the touch. Cool on sheets about one minute before transferring to cooling racks. Store in airtight container at room temperature.

Notes in the margins

I think I need to install a new book shelf in the kitchen. I unpacked all-at least I hope it's ALL-of the cookbooks. It was very tempting to sit down and page through some of them, putting bookmarks in some and turning down pages of tasty looking recipes, but I resisted the urge and decided to just take a photo for now!  I do need to do a cookbook assessment and inventory and get rid of some of these that I never use.

My favorite cookbooks have beautiful pictures of almost every recipe. I like to see how food is supposed to look before I make it! Appearance and presentation of food is so important. I don't like to eat things that look bad, and I assume other people don't either. I also write little notes in the margins of my well-loved cookbooks, something I learned from my mother. My notes indicate the date I tried the recipe, and a comment like "yummy" or "not worth the effort" or "cooked too long and got dried out". It can be fun to look through my books and read the notes in the margins. Sometimes I can read the frustration in the writing of the note about  cooking project gone terribly wrong, or smile as I remember the success of an event that I cooked something for. (My mother's notes in her cookbooks' margins  generally referenced my picky-ness and general dislike of many recipes she tried...but more on that another day!) So I know I told you about my big Fall hospitality plans, but before I get going on my menu-planning ... I guess I need to find a place to stash all these books.



Party-planning fun!

Well, someone in the family (who isn't energized by planning parties like I am) didn't seem quite up for a Party Planning Party last night. He was pretty tired from days of house renovations and hauling boxes all over the place, and I just didn't have the heart to ask him to pull out the calendar and discuss the Fall Hospitality  Schedule. However, of course I had my own calendar out, looking at dates and coming up with general fun to have in the coming weeks and months!

I did have a temporary feeling of discouragement: my house, in all it's box-filled, half painted, un-curtained, partially carpeted, baseboard-lacking glory, isn't really what I want to be welcoming my friends into. Progress is slow in getting settled, and I want things to be just right before I have people over.  But that's a reason lots of people give for why they don't practice hospitality regularly, isn't it? We can always have  reasons to miss out on chances to be hospitable: my house is too small,  my house is too dirty, I am not a good cook, my kids are too loud,  my furniture is out-dated.  I always tell people that no one cares what your house looks like-- your friends will just be glad to be invited into your home. So now is my chance to practice what I preach, I guess!

So I came up with my preliminary plan: Dinner with Pregnant Friends, Gingerbread Cookie Decorating Party (for my daughter and her friends),  Annual Christmas Brunch (with work friends), Ornament Exchange (which may take a twist this year after several years of sameness!), Christmas Open House (?). The Open House was always our big party of the year, and although my hubby and I both saved the date on our calendars, we'll see if we're up for that big event this year. I can't fully  commit without his approval (although he did get called to work before the Open House one year so I hosted on my own-- with a toddler and a preschooler)!

My Dinner with Pregnant Friends will be my priority since one of them is having a baby the first week of December. We need to squeeze in a final dinner before she is consumed with caring for a newborn. We're all neighbors now, so hopefully we won't have as much trouble scheduling a date now that we live closer to each other. These friends don't really like to cook, and I keep that in mind when hosting them. I invite them to come and just bring themselves-- no food. That way they can relax and fully enjoy our time together without stressing about what to bring before-hand.

So, now that I have dates and events scheduled, I will start thinking about menus, guest lists, invitations, and decorations. I'll be sure and share my photos and ideas with you.  What's on your hospitality calendar for Fall and Winter? Now is  the time to plan. Have fun!