Day 23- Christmas Traditons

I thought it might be fun to list some fun christmas traditions/memories that have been made over the years:-) Here are 10 of my favorites!


1- We always had stockings growing up:-) Sometimes we opened them on Christmas day, but mostly we opened them on Christmas Eve and occasionlly we saved them for New Year's Day. I forget how old we were when my sisters and I started one for my mom as well! It was always so much fun getting her little things to put in a stocking :-)

2-Growing up on a farm was different as far as holidays go.....there were still chores to be done. My oldest sister and I decided one year to give my parents a break on christmas morning and we got up early to milk the cows and do the chores. We did this several years in a row and once we locked ourselves out of the house! Of course everyone else was still sleeping and so we had to decide how we were going to get in.....of course I had the clever idea of sneaking in through the basement doors:-)

3- We always had a fire in the fireplace:-) I remember after opening our gifts, laying in front of the fireplace, either reading a new book, playing with some new toy or taking a snooze:-)

4- My dad always read the christmas story from the bible on christmas morning, before opening our presents! It was and still is a special time:-)

5- After getting married Christmas was of course different celebrating with two families.....but just as fun!! Jesse's family always gets together for Christmas Eve and we open presents, I thought it strange when we first started, that they never opened presents on Christmas...but now I look forward to that special time with family:-)

6-Us siblings in Jesse's family have started the tradion of watching a christmas movie together on Christmas Eve. We always watch Elf sometime during the Christmas season and then we try and agree on a movie to watch christmas eve :-)

7- Getting together with Jesse's family and mine over christmas makes it a little busy, so usually Jesse and I celebrate together Christmas eve eve(the 23rd) and christmas eve morning. I try to make a special dinner for us to eat on the 23rd, something I wouldn't normally make! Our first year we were married I made spinach artichoke dip, and chicken parmesan:-) THis year I made ribs, garlic mashed potatoes and roasted green beans:-)

8-Christmas Eve morning I make homemade cinnabuns for Jesse and I and we enjoy them and coffee as we open our christmas presents from each other :-)

9- We are both big game people and grew up playing games! Jesse's family plays card games all day long on holidays and my family plays mostly board games! It's a blast:-)

10-And of course there is food! Both our families are pretty traditional in ham, sweet potatoes, mashed potatoes, corn, green beans......ect. My mom always makes dried corn for Christmas and it's sooo yummy!!


I can't wait to start new traditons over the years and continue these:-) I am so blessed to have family that I love dearly!

Day 22- Cake and Oreo Balls

So I had to take something sweet for a christmas party and what's more fun than cake balls? THis was my first attempt and I think they turned out pretty well! They're easy, fun and you can even make them look christmasy:-) I actually wanted to use red velvet cake to make it more christmasy but the store I went to was all out:( So I did the next best thing......pink, strawberry cake! YUM!

Strawberry Cake Balls


First take a cake mix(I used strawberry) and bake it according to the directions on the box. When the cake is still warm, crumble it up in a lg. bowl and add 1 cont. of icing(I used cream cheese icing) Mix it well. *IMPORTANT-At this point chill cake mixture for about 30 min. or so, until it's moldable without sticking to your hands!

Form into small balls(or whatever size you want) and put on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Chill balls again.

Melt white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips or whatever chocolate you so desire:-) I melted in a double boiler over my stove. Stick a toothpick in the balls or use a fork or the new invention for dipping in chocolate tool my sister and I are going to invent! Dip the balls in chocolate until coated and then sprinkle on whatever kind of toppings you want. I used colored sugar. Chill until chocolate is hardened!

TaDa!! Don't they look pretty?

Now for something even easier than cakeballs......

Mint Oreo Truffle Balls

First take a pack of mint-stuffed oreo's and crush them to smithereens! Then add in 3/4 of a pack of softened cr.cheese. I used my hand mixer to mix it all together. Then take a small scoop and start forming balls, you don't even have to chill the stuff first! Put balls on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet.

CHILL the balls until they are no longer soft.

Melt your chocolate(same method as the cake balls) and get to dipping those oreo balls! Put back on cookie sheet and chill until chocolate is hardened!

Aren't they so pretty? I like mint for christmas time, but you could use any stuffed oreo. I can just imagine what the peanut butter ones taste like :-)

Day 20&21- Peppermint bark

Doesn't peppermint just remind you of christmas? Now I have to say that I really don't enjoy eating peppermint, I've never really liked candy canes or peppermint patties.....however, this season of christmas I seem to be enjoying all things peppermint! My sister-in-law gave me a peppermint stick candle, I actually found out that I really like peppermint mocha creamer in my coffee...when I used to despise it, I made chocolate peppermint cookies and now this!

Peppermint Bark

Ingredients:
17 ounces white chocolate, finely chopped (don't use the chips)

6 ounces peppermint candy canes, crushed

7 ounces bittersweet chocolate

5 1/2 Tablespoons whipping cream

3/4 teaspoon peppermint extract

Directions:
1. Turn large baking sheet bottom side up. Cover securely with foil. Mark 12x9-inch rectangle on foil. Stir white chocolate in metal bowl set over saucepan of barely simmering water (do not allow bottom of bowl to touch water) until chocolate is melted and smooth,chocolate will feel warm to the touch. Remove from over water. Pour 2/3 cup melted white chocolate onto rectangle on foil. Using icing spatula, spread chocolate to fill rectangle. Sprinkle with 1/4 cup crushed peppermints. Chill until set, about 15 minutes.

2. Stir bittersweet chocolate, cream and peppermint extract in heavy medium saucepan over medium-low heat until just melted and smooth. Cool to barely lukewarm, about 5 minutes. Pour bittersweet chocolate mixture in long lines over white chocolate rectangle. Using icing spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate in even layer. Refrigerate until very cold and firm, about 25 minutes.

3. Rewarm remaining white chocolate in bowl set over barely simmering water. Working quickly, pour white chocolate over firm bittersweet chocolate layer; spread to cover. Immediately sprinkle with remaining crushed peppermints. Chill just until firm, about 20 minutes. If you let the bark go much longer than this- it will be very hard to cut neatly.

4. Lift foil with bark onto work surface; trim edges. Cut bark crosswise into 2-inch wide strips. Using metal spatula, slide bark off foil and onto work surface. Cut each strip crosswise into 3 sections and each section diagonally into 2 triangles. You can also just break into large chunks and enjoy.

THis stuff is yummy!!! Make sure to use real white chocolate though, the white chips or vanilla chips just don't work as well.

Day 19-White chocolate and raspberry cookies

White chocolate and raspberry cookies

8 ounces white baking bar

½ cup butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp baking soda

¼ tsp salt

2 large eggs

2¾ cups flour

½ cup seedless raspberry jam

3 ounces white baking bar

½ tsp shortening

1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Grease a cookie sheet; set aside.
2. Chop 4 ounces of the baking bar; set aside. In a saucepan melt remaining 4 ounces of baking bar over low heat, stir constantly. Let cool.
3. Beat butter about 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, and salt. Beat until combined. Beat in eggs and melted baking bar until combined. Beat in as much flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour. Stir in the 4 ounces of chopped white baking bar.
4. Drop dough from rounded teaspoons 2 inches apart onto the prepared cookie sheet. Make a shallow hole in the cookies(Iused the end of a rolling pin) using a small spoon, drop raspberry jam into each center of the cookie. Bake in preheated oven 7-9 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned around edges. Cool on cookie sheet for 1 minute. Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool.
5. In a heavy saucepan melt 3 ounces white baking bar and shortening over low heat; stir constantly. Drizzle cookies with melted mixture. If necessary, chill cookies for 15 minutes or until baking bar mixture is firm.
Yield: About 48 cookies

Day 18- It's candy time!

SO I decided to make some candy(in addition to the dozen of cookies that I already baked!) this year for christmas time. One of my favorites is chocolate almond saltine toffee candy :-) Doesn't that just sound amazing? Well it is and it's really easy to make! I decided to make it even easier with step by step instructions by picture. If you're like me, recipes are more attractive when they have pictures to go with them.

I'll stop rambling now......


So you'll need: Saltine crackers, the saltier the better! 3 sticks unsalted butter(yes I did just say 3 sticks! THis is not for the fainthearted!!) 1 1/2 cups sugar, 2 T. light corn syrup, sliced almonds(a cup or so), bittersweet chocolate chips(1/2-3/4 of a bag or just throw the whole thing in there, why not? More chocolate is better!)

SO dump your sugar, butter and corn syrup in a medium pan and turn on low heat. Cook until sugar is melted and brush down the sides with a moistened pastry brush to get the good sugar crystals off the sides of the pan. Cook syrup over moderate heat without stirring, until it starts to get brown around the edges and bubbly( about 5-6 min.)

See all that melty goodness? It's not ready yet though.....

So while you're waiting on your buttery goo to get bubbly, you can toast your almonds! Turn on the oven to 350 degrees and stick you're sliced,orwholepoundedwithahammertogetslicedalmonds, on a baking sheet and toast in the oven for 6-8 min. until nice and golden.
Then if your goo still isn't bubbly, you can line a 17in.by12in baking pan with buttered waxed paper. Arrange the saltine crackers like so, in a single layer, filling in any gaps.

By now your goo should be way beyond the 5-6 min.(unless you're really fast) so you can insert a candy thermometer into the syrup and simmer, stirring with a wooden spoon until a honey-colored caramel forms and temp. is 300. Or you can just go by the color if you're too cheap like me and don't have a candy thermometer! The stirring process+waitingforcolortochange process takes around 16 min. Enough time to make dinner, do the laundry, read a book and wash the floors.........well you are supposed to stir the whole time, so if you get too bored, sing several christmas songs :-)

If you survived the long stirring process, your toffee should begin to look like this! So give yourself a pat on the back(if your hand isn't too tired) and reward yourself with eating some of the yummy caramel/toffee stuff, just don't burn your tongue!
Once your toffee is done, you can slowly pour over the crackers, covering them. Use a spatula to cover the gaps. Let cool 3 min.

Then sprinkle your chocolate chips over the toffee. Let stand until chocolate is melted(3min.) and spread over toffee like so! You may steal a couple choc. chips to eat along the way :-)
Spread your almonds over the chocolate and freeze until chocolate is set. Peel off the paper and break toffee into chunks! You can refrigerate for up to 2 weeks, if it lasts that long!

Yum, Yum and Yum!!!

And that concludes my very lengthy candy tutorial!

Day 17- Cinnabun or cookie?

Cinnabun Cookies

Ingredients:
VANILLA COOKIE DOUGH

1/2 cup powdered sugar

3/4 cup unsalted butter

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
MIDDLE:

1 large egg white

1 Tablespoon water

1/4 cup granulated white sugar

1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
ICING:

1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 Tablespoons heavy whipping cream

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Directions:
1. Prepare dough: In a medium-sized mixing bowl, cream together the sugar, butter, salt and vanilla. Add the flour, stirring until the dough comes together. Flatten the dough into a disk, wrap it in plastic wrap, and refrigerate until you're ready to use it.
2. Roll the dough: Transfer chilled dough to a lightly floured piece of parchment or waxed paper. Roll it into a 9x12-inch rectangle. In a small bowl, whisk together egg white and water until foamy. Brush onto rolled out dough. In another small bowl, whisk together sugar and cinnamon. Sprinkle it evenly over the dough. Starting with a long edge, carefully roll the dough into a log, sealing the edge (if dough sticks to parchment, gently use a metal spatula to guide it off of the paper). Wrap in plastic wrap or parchment, and freeze until firm.
3. Bake the cookies: Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two cookie sheets. Remove the dough from the freezer and unwrap it. Using a sharp knife, gently cut it into 1/2-inch slices. Transfer them to the prepared baking sheets. Bake the cookies for 12 to 15 minutes, until they're a light golden brown. Remove them from the oven and transfer to a rack to cool.
4. Ice the cookies: Sift or strain the powdered sugar into a medium-sized bowl to remove any lumps. Whisk the cream into the sugar to make a smooth icing. Drizzle or spread icing onto cookies (or serve alongside in a bowl for dipping).

Makes about 2 dz.

These cookies were actually not that easy to make......because the dough ended up being really dry and flaky :( it was very hard to roll into a log and then was falling apart when I was cutting it, even though I did chill it! Oh well.....they were super yummy and tasted like cinnabuns, I probably would try something different next time though.

Day 16- A cookie with a surprise inside :-)

Who doesn't love chocolate and peanut butter? And together..........yummmmm!

Magic in the Middles

Ingredients:
DOUGH:

1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup granulated sugar (plus extra for dipping)

1/2 cup brown sugar, packed

1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick)

1/4 cup smooth peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg
FILLING:

3/4 cup smooth peanut butter

3/4 cup powdered sugar

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease (or line with parchment) two baking sheets.
2. Prepare dough: In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt. In another medium bowl, beat together sugars, butter, and peanut butter until light and fluffy. Add vanilla and egg, beating to combine, then stir in dry ingredients, blending well.
3. Prepare filling: In a small bowl, stir together peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth. With floured hands, roll the filling into 26 one-inch balls.
4. Shape cookies: Break off about 1 Tablespoon of the dough, make an indentation in the center with your finger, and press one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation. Bring the dough up and over the filling, pressing it closed; roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with remaining dough and filling.
5. Dip the top of each cookie in granulated sugar and place on prepared baking sheets about 2 inches apart. Grease the bottom of a drinking glass and use it to flatten each cookie to about 1/2-inch-thick.
6. Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes, until they're set. Remove them from the oven and cool on a rack.

And voila! It's like a peanut butter cup in cookie form!

Day 15- Peppermint Crinkles

Remember chocolate crinkles? Well these are just like them, except with mint in them and a hershey kiss on top! They are so minty, if you eat them after dinner, it's like having an after dinner mint :-) Here's the recipe!

Chocolate mint kiss crinkles

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 cups sugar

1/2 cup vegetable oil

4 lg. eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

1 cup powdered sugar

2 teaspoon green colored sugar (optional)

bag of mint truffle flavored Hershey's Kisses

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs until well mixed. Whisk in extracts.
3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Chill dough for at least 2 hours

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

5. Grease cookie sheets(or use stones like I do :-) Roll dough into 1/2 Tablespoon balls. Roll balls into mixture of powdered sugar/green sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies crackle and dough doesn't look raw.

6. While cookies are baking, unwrap the kisses and make some room in your refrigerator or freezer for the cookie sheets. When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately place a kiss in the center of each cookie and press lightly. The kisses will start to melt, so it's best if you are able to place the cookie sheet (with the kiss cookies still on it) directly into the freezer or refrigerator until the kisses can cool off and set up.

Makes about 5dz. yummy cookies!

Now get bakin' :-)

Day 14- Icing makes every cookie better :-)

Frosted Ginger Cookies

Ingredients
1-1/2 cups butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed brown sugar
2 eggs
1/2 cup molasses
2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
4-1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon ground ginger
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
FROSTING:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup milk
2 tablespoons butter
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Pinch salt

Directions
In a large bowl, cream butter and sugars. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Stir in molasses and vanilla; mix well. Combine dry ingredients; gradually add to creamed mixture.
Drop by tablespoonfuls 2 in. apart onto ungreased baking sheets. Bake at 325° for 12-15 minutes or until cookies spring back when touched lightly (do not overbake). Remove to wire racks.

For frosting, in a large saucepan, bring the brown sugar, milk and butter to a boil; cook and stir for 1 minute. Remove from the heat (mixture will look curdled at first). Cool for 3 minutes. Add confectioners' sugar, vanilla and salt; mix well. Frost warm cookies.

Makes about 6 dz.(although I don't think it made quite this many :-)

I think these are one of my favorite cookies this year and even better when you drink them with milk!! :-)

Day 7-13- Cookie baking

So I haven't been as faithful as promised, to my every day christmas posting! But I'm going to try my best the next several days and post some recipes from my cookie baking:-)

So the other day I had a free day off of work and I baked christmas cookies!!! I love baking and I was soo excited to do this:-) Usually my mom, sisters and I bake together, but this year we did not, so I took it upon myself to bake!

Now before you think I'm weird that I baked christmas cookies all by myself, let me assure you that I LOVE to bake and give cookies away this time of year, and to me it's relaxing! I put on my ipod, got everything ready and starting baking!! And YES I did make 19 DOZEN COOKIES!!!! And NO I don't plan on eating them all myself! I take a tray of cookies to every party I go to and give away to friends and family :-) This is one of my favorite things to do this time of year!!!

So stay tuned for cookie recipes!!! I also plan on making some candy :-) That is if I can stand any more sugar!

Peppermint Bark

White Chocolate/ Raspberry cookies


Mint crinkles

Soft gingerbread cookies

Day 6- A christmas tree of yarn

1- You will need:
foam cones of different sizes
2 yarns, one fuzzy and one normal(christmas colors)
pins
embellishments



2-Take both yarns and pin both ends(one from each yarn) to the top of the cone, arrange and pin the top as needed. Start wrapping the yarn all the way down to the bottom of the cone and then if you want it to be more yarn-wrapped, wrap again up to the top(so that's its wrapped twice) Cut and pin in place.

3- Embellish as you want. I took fake berries and hot-glued in place and also put a cute little metal star on top that I borrowed from my mom :-) I used ribbon on the other one.

And then you're done! A very fun, easy project :-)

1st tree

2nd Tree

My christmas tree shelf!

so if you think all I ever get done is making crafts.........you're right.....haha! Well not really, my mom, sisters and I get together once a year and make christmas crafts, half of my collection has come from this! The advantages to having sisters :-) We had so much fun and we all made something different! I didn't get pictures of everything, but here are some...

My sister's twine-wrapped trees.


My mom's assortment of yarn and scrapbook paper trees.

Day 5- Making a fabric wreath

1- You will need:
a foam wreath
different christmas patterned fabric
a rotary cutter
a pencil with a sharpened point
a mat to cut on



2- using the rotary cutter, cut strips of fabric 2" wide. Then cut the strips into 2" (ish) squares. I just eyeballed it :-) I used 5 different, coordinating fabrics. I didn't really count them, but you'll need alot of each, you may just have to keep cutting as you go, until you are satisfied with how it looks!




3- Now the fun part, take the pencil through the middle of a fabric square and just poke it through into the foam until it sticks! It really does work, however if you want your wreath to last for years and years, it may be better to dot the end of each fabric square with hot glue to make it more durable. Did I feel like spending 10 hrs. doing that????? NO I DID NOT :-0 So far only a couple fell out and I promptly put them back in:-)



4- Just keep poking the squares in until all of the foam is covered(or until you like it). You can then embellish with ribbon if you desire :-)

......and tada!

a fun, shabby ruffled wreath you will get! Now go hang on a wall or something!

Day 4- "it's looking a lot like christmas"

It's looking a lot like christmas here at our house!

Day 3- A homemade wreath

So after we got our tree, I trimmed the bottom and used the extra branches to make a wreath! I had made wreaths a couple years ago with one of my friends and so I had the ring to make it on, I just needed the branches.


It's really very easy to make, you just need:
-Wreath ring
-some kind of craft wire to attach the branches onto the wreath
-wire cutters (or I just used an old scissors)
-pine branches(this was from a Douglas Fir)
-any decorations

Then you can just go to town and wrap and arrange the branches any way you like around the wreath ring! Mine was a little more delicate and thinner than other years, just because I ran out of branches, but I ended up really liking how it turned out! And then I just added a bow and some fake berries(that I stole off of my fake wreath :-)

And voila....

Day 2- O Christmas Tree

I should say that this year was our first "real tree" experience. We'e always gotten a real tree, but it was always already cut and all we had to do was pick it out and take it home, which took all of 5 min.
This year we decided to go to a tree farm and cut down our own tree!

So off we went in search of the perfect tree!


Finally after going back and forth between several different ones, we found one we both liked! A short fat christmas tree!

Time to cut it down!



You can see how short it really was! The perfect size for our small house:-)

Jesse is the master at stringing lights!

And here I am decorating the tree. (Sorry the picture is blurry, but I kind of liked how it made the lights look)



And.......the finished product!!



I should tell you that the farm we went to was like straight out of a story book! A farmer with a very rustic house and shop. There was a sleigh off in one corner of his work shop that had a cat that kept meowing at us. In the other corner was a random calf. Hanging above our heads were old, worn saddles. And following the farmer's side was his faithful beagle. It was quite the experience, we had fun and now we have a beautiful christmas tree that is filling our whole house with the fragrance of pine!