Holiday Decorating/Uncategorized

Pretty Papers and Ribbons To Keep You From Singing The Gift Wrapping Blues

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The holiday gift wrapping is now in full swing in my house, but as I looked through old Christmas pictures to find some photos of some pretty package ideas to share with you my thoughts wandered back to my first Christmas as a newlywed. I don’t think I have shared this story with anyone, but you should know that the first major fight of my married life, eleven years ago was over something completely silly, gift wrap. My husband and I made it nearly a year into our marriage without a major issue, but somehow on Christmas eve I managed to say something I shouldn’t about my husband’s department store shopping bag gift wrap. Maybe it was just the stress of the holidays, but somehow in my mind I thought I should say something or I might never see a gift wrapped Christmas present ever again. Faulty logic I know, but I have to laugh at my younger self. I will spare you the details, because hopefully the statute of limitations has run on such craziness. However, I am grateful that my husband is a kind man who forgave my temporary lapse in sanity.

I made a last minute run for gift wrap at Target this week and I was glad to learn that my procrastination had an upside because all the gift wrap was 30% off as of Monday. I got a roll of Joanna Gaines’ Hearth and Home black and white hearing bone paper which looked cute with red and green accents. I also found these fun embroidered fabric gift bags.

So now as I write and share a few ideas about some last minute gift wrapping ideas I am reminded that perspective is everything. While I truly love the artistic fun of wrapping packages and all the details that make Christmas special, I try not to let the little things get in the way of celebrating the true meaning of the season. So if you are feeling frazzled then I have a few gift wrapping ideas to make any gift feel special.

These packages have an elegant look with some silver paper I found at Target. Then to add an artistic touch to my first package I added a small sugar plumb like piece that I found in some decorative picks at Michaels. Don’t be afraid to take those picks apart and just use smaller pieces to fit the size of your package. The second package has a similar look but instead of using a plumb I cut a small faux cedar leaf and I added a plastic ornament.

First, if you running low on time or you’re worried about traveling with wrapped paper packages in your suitcase then you can get some pretty paper boxes and just tie a bow with some wired ribbon that will hold its shape. Marshall’s Home Goods has my favorite selection of patterned paper boxes that make gift wrapping easy.

This is some wired ribbon I found at Michaels. I tied the base ribbon around my package in a simple knot and then I left the ends of that ribbon a little long. Next with a new piece of ribbon, I made four even loops which I tied in the center with the  ends of base package ribbon I had just tied. Finally with my bow tied, I trimmed the ribbon ends to the same length as my bow loops.

Want a package to instantly feel a bit more fancy? Then do what the department stores do and add something special to your bow. Craft stores like Michaels and Hobby Lobby usually have a wall of bins filled with small bits of seasonal greenery and decorations for garlands, wreaths and packages. Adding just a small touch like   greenery leaves, some berries or even a plaid scottie dog can make a simple bow look gorgeous.

These gifts were easy to wrap because they don’t have your looped traditional bow.  Instead, I tied three different ribbons in a knot or around some glittery Christmas greenery. The varied colors and textures in the ribbons create a gorgeous topper for your package without having to worry about making bow loops. All you need to do is tie some simple knots.

The packages above are something  I wrapped a few years ago so the photo is a little grainy. However you can see that the same style can also work on a larger package. I had fun mixing the patterns and colors of theses ribbons together.

Finally, Are you looking for a last minute hostess gift? Do you have a bottle of wine, a jar of jam or homemade gift from your kitchen? Then think about using a decorative tea towel that can double as a part of the gift.

Last year I made cake truffles as gifts and I placed them in mason jars. I wanted to give them a more personal touch, so I wrapped them up in brightly colored tea towels and tied them with a ribbon. 

Here you can see I folded my towel over to fit the size of my jar and create a pocket, so the bottom of your jar is covered. You can adjust your fold to fit a taller bottle.

Next I put my jar inside the folded over pocket. Then I rolled it tightly and secured it with a small safety pin on the bottom and I tied the top with a large grosgrain ribbon. 

This towel was fun because it had a different pattern on the edge of towel, but you could use a plaid Christmas towel or something with a smaller scaled pattern.  These towels came from Anthropology, but I have also seen some pretty ones at Target, Sur La Table and Home Goods. This is a quick and easy way to wrap a gift. It’s unique and the fabric holds up better than paper in transport.

Just a few ideas to help you finish wrapping those special gifts, but if you find yourself up way too late and it gets crazy then gift bags are definitely the way to go. When I told my husband that I was going to share the shopping bag story it took a bit to get him to remember it. I think it’s a good sign if your husband loves you enough to forgive you and forget about the zaniness of it all. I am going to take a short break from the blog to spend some time celebrating the holidays with my family, but I will be back in the new year with more recipes, inspiration and fun.

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas my friends!

Baking

Mini Orange Cranberry Fruit Cakes

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The holidays are the perfect time to make a quick cake or breakfast bread like these orange cranberry cakes. They are easy to make and the chewy cinnamon flavored bread reminds me of a sweet British fruit cake. The tartness of the fresh cranberries is balanced by the sweet orange and cinnamon. This recipe was something I clipped years ago from the Houston Chronicle, but with my love of The Great British Baking Show I was inspired to make these orange cranberry cakes again. The original recipe called for making cake loaves, but I prefer to make mini sized cakes because they take less time to cook and I like decorating these smaller sized bites.

Mini Orange Cranberry Fruit Cakes (makes approximately 12 cakes or 2 nine inch loaf pans)

  • 2 cups sugar
  • 3 cups flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 2 tablespoons cinnamon
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 2 tablespoons vanilla
  • 3 eggs, beaten
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 1/2 teaspoon orange zest
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons fresh orange juice (I used mandarin oranges)
  • 3 cups of fresh cranberries

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees

Then grease and flour two standard sized muffin or cupcake pans or spray them with Baker’s Joy cooking spray that has flour in it.

Next in a large mixing bowl or in the bowl of your stand mixer mix together your sugar, flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt then mix in your eggs, oil, orange juice and orange zest. Then fold in your cranberries and make sure they are evenly distributed. The batter will be stiff almost like you are making a streusel. Fill your muffin tins about 3/4 of the way full.

Then bake your muffins for 35 to 40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean. If you are making them in loaves they will need to bake for 1 hour and 30 minutes. These cakes take a bit longer than your average cupcake because of the fruit and the denser batter. When they have cooled a bit remove them from the muffin or cupcake tin and drizzle them with the orange glaze recipe below.

Orange Glaze

  • 1 cup powdered sugar
  • 3 tablespoons of fresh orange juice
  • Zest from two small mandarin oranges or I like to use my barware channel knife to make some decorative orange zest curls

In a small bowl mix together your orange juice and powdered sugar till you have a thick but still drizzly glaze. Then I like to put my glaze in a plastic pastry bag and cut of the tip to make a small hole. You could also use the tip of a large ziplock bag to make your own pastry bag or just drizzle it with a spoon.

I like to make a set of stripes going on way and then turn my muffin slightly and make a second set of drizzle stripes on the diagonal, but the icing tastes good any way you drizzle it on.

So if you too have gotten into a bit of the British baking fun then try this fresh take on a classic holiday fruit cake.

Holiday Decorating/Home

Happy Houses Dressed Up In Holiday Style

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Have you ever driven by a house and just smiled? Sometimes it’s the painted door, a  garden, a wreath. The details that catch your eye and make you stop a moment. This time of year I love checking out all the beautiful houses decked out in holiday style.

This little white house is on one of my routes through the neighborhood and it always catches my eye. That green front door with the black shutters and the boxwood window boxes. It’s the small details that make it charming. The classic wreathes with red bows just make me think of Christmas.

This red door caught my eye the other day. I was driving down a street I had not been down before and there was this small little house. That bright red door with the black trim details, the carefully manicured boxwoods and garden arch made me stop. I wonder what that arch looks like in the summer, but I love all those cottage details that make a little house like that stand proud.

It was the planters that and the crisp gray and black paint that made me stop. The black craftsman door is well framed with a classic garland and the black pots are filled with winters best: evergreens, red berries and pinecones. It may be a small house but it’s the painted details and shutters that draw you in.

This black and white classic is in the historic district of our town. It is on one of the preserved cobblestone streets from when the town was founded in the late 1800s. The iron gates with there wreathes, the black urns bursting with red berries and christmas greens and the garlands swags beg you to stop and look. It’s classic Christmas at it’s best.

This colonial style home’s red berry wreath just makes it’s Christmas curb appeal. Sometimes it is just one small detail that makes the difference.

These more modern blue grey doors look stunning draped in this simple but elegant garland with tiny touches of gold. The simple moss wreaths are just perfection.

This spanish styled door has beautiful stone surround that is accented with it’s fresh green garlands. The sparkly tinsel and red and gold wreath is just the right touch for this old world door styled door.

The classic red brick with the deep green door, and the window details make this home feel like that all American Christmas house, like the kind you would see all decked out in a Pottery Barn catalogue. It’s the wreath with it’s shiny red and silver Christmas ornaments that caught my eye and made me notice this striking door.

Finally, this house is right around the corner from me and the owner always has it decked out for the season. The large scaled wreath with it’s plaid bow and red berries really make the details of it’s rounded door stand out. The garland and the small Christmas trees make you stop and look. This little porch just draws you in and makes you feel like Christmas.

So hopefully you enjoyed this small tour of some of my favorite happy houses all trimmed out in holiday style.

Holiday Decorating/Home

It’s Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas Garlands in Every Room

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Ok, the classic holiday song might not go exactly like that, but the holiday season is officially in full swing at our house. I started this holiday season trying to feel organized. I knew we were going to be out of town for Thanksgiving so I decided to tackle the outdoor lights before we left town and take out a few decorations. However, the last two weeks feel like they just whizzed by. This Friday I officially started worrying about all the Christmas and birthday shopping I had left to do. In our house I call the month of December “the season of giving” because my husband’s birthday is two weeks before Christmas and my daughters birthday is right after Christmas, so I seriously had to get started. All I can say is thank goodness for online shopping and Amazon. 

However, it snowed today and things slowed down a bit. So I am grateful to take a little time to take in all the lights and pretty decorations and spend some time with my family. My girls were excited to wake up to the snow. Even a small snowfall is cause for celebration in our house. So we got out all decked out in our puffy coats and spent some time outside throwing tiny snowballs and just having fun. So with our first snow this week, I must say it really is beginning to feel like Christmas.

This year my girls helped me decorate our tree and I decided to remix some of our decorations up a bit. I love how our house feels at Christmas. There is just something about all those twinkling lights, ribbons and decorations. I love Christmas trees but I have to say that my favorite decoration around our house are the garlands. So this year I added some new touches of greenery and ornaments to give our house a festive feel.

A few new branches with some blue juniper berries and some ornaments I had really went a long way to add something special to our mantle. The hand stitched stockings were inspired by my grandmother who was so talented at needlework. She started quite a tradition with her beautiful stockings, so when I had my own home I decided to make my own stockings. Mine are not quite as fancy as hers but they are always one of those things I so look forward to hanging each year.

I found room for some garland in the dining room too. I just love having a red dining room at Christmas. All the sparkly silver touches make this room feel festive. This was a basic garland I got at target years ago that I used to use in my office, but here in our new home I added some small silver ornaments from Hobby Lobby and some glittery red leaves. When I am thinking about adding in some extra pieces to my garlands I always try to mix up the scale of the things I am adding.

As you can see no room in the house is complete without a garland. Even the kitchen got its own unique blue christmas garland with touches of robin’s egg ribbon and black and white stars.

The black and white paper stars were something I made several years ago for a larger Christmas tree that we had in the past. I think one of the reasons  I like garlands so much is that you can use them to feature a small collection of ornaments. I happen to have a thing for stars, but you could use any collection of ornaments that you love.
I made these stars out of some cardboard cut outs I found at party city. I bought a set of large and small stars and then I covered them in black and white scrapbook paper and I trimmed the edges with black glitter. I punched a single hole in the top so I could hang them with ribbon. Those stars were a fun project so I was glad to be able to use them in my kitchen.
Just for fun I found a picture of one of my trees from Christmas past where I used my stars. If you look closely you can also see the red stars I used on my mantle too. It’s fun to be able take the older decorations you love and mix them up to deck the halls with some beautiful garlands.

Baking

Holiday Penguin Cookies

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There is something magical about sugar and all the amazing things you can bake. Holiday baking is especially fun because whimsical cookies and cakes get to play a special role in celebrations with family and friends. So with the holiday season here I wanted to create a new holiday themed cookie that’s a twist on a classic: penguin black and white cookies. I must admit a have a certain weakness for black and white cookies. They are definitely one of my all time favorite desserts. I recently read a cookbook called The Weekend Baker by Abigail Johnson Dodge. It’s been out there for a while now, but it was new to me and I loved it. One of the recipes that caught my eye that I wanted to try was her chocolate black and white cookies, but I wanted to give my cookies a holiday look so instead of the traditional half black and half white chocolate dipped cookies I decided to turn my cookies into festive holiday penguins.

Although they are traditionally called black and white cookies they are actually more like tiny cupcake tops frosted in chocolate ganache. They are definitely decadent and sure to satisfy any chocolate lover. My girls absolutely adored the little penguin decorations. So if you are looking for something fun to share with your family or as a gift for others then I have cookie for you. There is a little basic chocolate work involved but as always I have step by step pictures that will guide you through it all. You can even bake the cookies a day or two ahead and frost them when you are ready.

Chocolate Black and White Cookies (Makes 16 Large Cookies)

  • 2 cups flour
  • 2/3 cup natural unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 12 tablespoons of butter at room temp
  • 1  1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1/2 cup sour cream
  • 2/3 cup hot (but not boiling) water

Preheat your oven to 375 degrees.

Here are the circles I traced on my parchment paper.

Next get you baking pans ready by creating parchment paper liners which will make it easy to remove your cookies from the baking sheet. I also traced some 2 1/2 inch circles on my baking sheet using the bottom of a standard baking powder tin as a guide. You don’t have to trace circles but I found it helpful so all my cookies were the same size. Then flip the side with your markings towards the baking sheet so the writing doesn’t touch the cookies.

Now you are ready to make your cookie batter. In medium bowl mix together your dry ingredients including your flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Then in the bowl of your mixer fitted with a paddle attachment mix together your butter on medium speed until smooth. Then scrape down the sides of your bowl and add in your granulated sugar and beat on medium speed until it is light and fluffy.Then add in your eggs one at a time beating after each addition. Then add in your vanilla and sour cream. Then add half of your flour mixture and mix it until it is just incorporated and then mix in the rest of the flour. Finally add in your hot water and mix until just blended.

As you can see the batter will be like a thick cake batter.

Then make your cookies by dropping the batter onto each circle. I used an ice cream or cookie scoop that is 2 inches across or you could also measure two tablespoons of batter. Once your batter in on the parchment paper lined baking sheet use a separated spatula or table knife to spread you batter to evenly fill the 2 1/2 inch circle you drew.

Here are my cookies as I was spreading out the batter a just a bit. As you can see you want to leave a little room between your cookies because these will spread some.

Then you are ready to bake your cookies. I like to bake one sheet at a time on the middle rack to make sure the heat is evenly distributed in my oven. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes. I found that my metal baking sheet baked in exactly 10 minutes but the batch I had on my baking stone took closer to 13 minutes. You can test your cookies by putting a toothpick in the center to make sure it comes out clean. Your cookies will puff of like little cupcake tops but the bottoms will be smooth.

Here you can see the cookies out of the oven. The parchment paper is great because the cookies won’t stick to it. You can see the bottom of this cookie I turned over is smooth.

Let your cookies cool before you frost them.

Meanwhile make your chocolate decorations. To make your penguin decorations you will need:

Penguin Decorations

  • 1  1/2bars (6oz) of white chocolate, divided
  • Yellow gel food coloring
  • 2 oz of semi-sweet chocolate
  • 3 plastic pastry bags
  • parchment paper

To make your penguin faces you are going to want to melt 1 bar(4 oz) of white chocolate in a small microwave safe bowl. Heat for 1 minute then stir and heat for an additional 30 seconds and stir again. If it is not quite melted then heat for an addition 15 seconds.

Now pour your white chocolate into your pastry bag and snip a small opening in the tip. Then I drew 16 two inch and a half inch hearts on my parchment paper and I took my melted chocolate and piped the outside borders of my heart and then I spread some chocolate in the center using a table or butter knife.

Here you can see some finished hearts and ones that I need to spread with my knife. Its just like coloring in a coloring book.

Then put your hearts in the fridge to firm up for 7 to 10 minutes. Meanwhile get your yellow colored chocolate ready to make a beak and feet. Melt the remaining 2 oz of chocolate in your microwave bowl for a minute then stir and if needed heat for an addition 30 seconds. Then add in a few drops of your yellow food coloring and stir until it is evenly colored. Then pour that chocolate in another pastry bag. This time I used a round writing tip but if you don’t have one you could still cut a small hole in the tip.

Melted chocolate is easy to draw with so all of these steps will go quickly.

Now pour your yellow chocolate into your pastry bag and snip a small opening in the tip. Then take your hearts out of the fridge and flip your white chocolate hearts over to the smooth backside. Then take your yellow chocolate and pipe a small heart shaped beak and two feet for each cookie.

Then to make eyes melt 2 oz of semi-sweet chocolate following the same technique and pour it in a pastry bag and draw two little eyes which look like an upside-down rainbow or U shape.

Then put your chocolate faces in the fridge until you are ready to frost your cookies.

Chocolate Ganache

  • 5 oz of semi sweet chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon of butter
  • 1/4 cup whipping cream

In a small microwave safe bowl mix together your chocolate and butter and melt for one minute and stir and then for an addition 30 seconds and then a additional 15 seconds until it is melted. Then stir in your room temperature cream and you will have a thick and glossy chocolate ganache to spread on the tops of each of your cookies.

Use a separated spatula or table knife to spread you chocolate ganache on each cookie. Then while the ganache is still soft place on your white chocolate face and feet.

Place your cookies on a tray in your fridge and let the chocolate firm up a bit. There you have it Penguin black and white cookies. They are every bit as delicious as they are cute. Just like penguins these cookies are best kept stored in the cold of your fridge. Happy holiday baking!

 

Arts and Crafts/Baking/Holiday Decorating

Gingerbread Houses With Kids

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So the tradition continues, after a four year break I am back baking gingerbread houses once more. This time I have a new pastry team which made it memorable and fun. Since preschoolers and patience don’t tend to go hand in hand, I decided to make a set of smaller houses so each of my daughters could work on their own little project. The smaller size also made it easier for them to decorate. We were able to finish the whole project in an afternoon and my girls enjoyed helping all along, from baking the gingerbread to decorating.
Until now I have been a bit of a gingerbread purist, who wanted everything about the house to be completely edible. However little ones have a hard time waiting for royal icing to set and I didn’t want to use a potentially dangerous hot sugar syrup, which is another quick way to assemble the structure of your house. So I opted for the less edible, but quick and stable technique of using whipping cream cartons and hot glue.

I was planning ahead and I saved up some cartons to use as the base of our houses.

The key to any gingerbread project is to spend a little time planing the architecture of your structure. I have learned through experience that making a paper or cardboard pattern is key. You want your walls to be straight and uniform in size especially when you have to balance a slanted roof on top of them. When I was planning this project I measured the sides of my carton and I cut my patterns out of parchment paper. I also marked on each template the number of times I needed to use it to cut out the appropriate number of pieces for my house. This method helps keep things organized when you are cutting the gingerbread. Gingerbread will shrink some when baking and that can cause even the most precisely cut edges to become uneven. As a result, I bake large sheets of gingerbread and then I make my cuts using my templates while it is still warm. This method results in the best structure, but you have to work quickly so it is important to have things organized ahead of time.

Once you plan your project it’s time to get baking. My favorite construction gingerbread started from a recipe that came from a Southern Living. Years ago they featured a gingerbread contest winner and she shared her recipe. The recipe made an enormous quantity that would not work in a standard mixer so I have adapted the recipe for use at home. One batch was enough for me to make five small houses.

Construction Gingerbread

  • 1 cup molasses
  • 1 cup honey
  • 1 cup canola oil
  • 3 eggs
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 7 and 1/2 teaspoons baking powder (which is also equivalent to 2 Tablespoons plus 1 and 1/2 teaspoons)
  • 4 and 1/2 teaspoons ground ginger
  • 1 tablespoon cinnamon
  • 2 teaspoons allspice
  • 1 teaspoon cloves
  • 1 (2.5 lb) bag of flour, plus one additional cup

First preheat your oven to 300 degrees. Then in the bowl of your stand mixer mix together the molasses, honey, oil, eggs and sugar.  Then mix those ingredients together on a low speed until they are fully mixed. Then add in you, ginger, cinnamon, allspice and cloves. Then mix in your baking powder and finally add your small bag of flour plus the two additional cups a little at a time till it is all mixed in and your dough comes together.

Here is my dough. Gingerbread dough can be a bit sticky so you are going to want to have the extra cup of flour to sprinkle on your silicone baking mat or piece of parchment paper. Divide your dough into four portions and roll each one out separately. If you like to bake I highly recommend that you get a silicone baking mat because it makes rolling out dough much easier. I also flour my rolling pin as well. You want to roll your dough out to an even 1/4 inch thickness. You don’t need to worry about having perfect edges, you just need to trim it to fit your pan.

Then take your dough and flip it over onto your parchment paper lined baking sheet or baking stone and carefully pull back you silicone mat or parchment paper.

Then bake your gingerbread for 35 to 40 minutes. I like to stager my batches by about 10 minutes so I have time to cut out one batch before the next gingerbread sheet is ready.

Here are my gingerbread walls and roof pieces. I like to cut an extra wall or roof piece to have just in case.

Once your gingerbread is out of the oven you need to work fairly quickly to get your pieces cut. I like to use a pizza roller to cut mine but you could also use a sharp knife. Here are my cut out pieces divided into groups for each house. You can see that I also cut out some doors and some chimney pieces.

Next I pulled out my glue gun and hot glued my pieces to my cartons. If you are a gingerbread purist or are not trying to complete this project with young children then you can use the royal icing recipe below to hold the sides of your house together.

Since I was making multiple houses using the same pattern I decided to play with where I put the chimneys and how I faced the houses so they would each look a little different.

Here are my assembled houses that are now ready for some royal icing.

Now if you have read the first part of the post and thought “This woman is nuts. I am never baking my own gingerbread!!!” Then I get it, I will admit this is my craziest hobby yet. However the royal icing recipe is easy to make and so much better than then the hard to use packets that come with the kits. So if creating a from scratch gingerbread house isn’t for you, then buy the kit and make the icing.

Royal Icing (makes 5 cups of icing)

  • 4 egg whites
  • 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
  • 2 teaspoons of water
  • 1 pound of powdered sugar

Mix all your ingredients in the bowl of your stand mixer at medium speed until your icing forms stiff peaks (about 5 minutes).  You want your icing to be thick so it can hold your structure together. If your icing is not thick enough you can add more powdered sugar and if you want it a bit less stiff then you can add a little water, but be careful because a little goes a long way.

Here is my little gingerbread artist hard at work. One tip when using a pastry bag with kids is to put a rubber-band at the back to keep little ones who grab it from the center from causing all the icing to come out the back end.

You are going to need to use a pastry bag and a larger star baking tip to ice the sides of your houses. I like to use a tall glass to hold my pastry bag while I fill it with the icing. Then for piping small details like windows I like to fill a second pastry bag with a small round writing tip. Then you are ready to start my favorite part the decorating, I helped my girls pipe the sides and I added the small window details but then I let them use the icing to add some decorations of their own.

My favorite decoration is gum drops because you can use cookie cutters or a pair of kitchen scissors to turn them into all sort of things. What I like to do is to sprinkle a little granulated sugar on my counter and then roll two or three gumdrops together using my rolling pin. The sugar keeps them from sticking to your counter and then you have a even sheet of candy that you can cut into a wreath, star or what ever you can imagine.

The house above is the one my oldest daughter made. I went with her cute pink and purple theme and helped her make a christmas tree using an upside down ice cream cone.

Here you can see how an upside down ice cream cone can become a Christmas tree in just minutes.

I made another small batch of royal icing that I colored green with gel food coloring and I used a star tip to cover it in “branches.” Then we added some heart shape sprinkles for extra fun. My youngest daughter helped design the house with the yellow star on top. She had a great time, but she wasn’t in the mood to stop for pictures. Once we finished our houses I used a metal strainer to sift powdered sugar as a snowy base on my cake stand then we placed the houses on them and added some gumdrop and dot candy bushes. I displayed our little gingerbread village in my kitchen bookshelf. I decided that our houses were fun to look at, but a bit safer on the higher shelves.

So after I few year hiatus it was fun to share something I love with my girls. I am already looking forward to more gingerbread adventures with my amazing little pastry team. My plans for a smaller scaled project made this something we could do together, but with their imaginations who knows what we will be building in the future.

Arts and Crafts/Holiday Decorating

Vintage Christmas Trees

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I have been working on decorating our home for Christmas and my girls who have been watching and helping me, decided they needed some decorations for their rooms. My preschoolers aren’t quite ready for lights in their rooms or big decorating projects, but this small project was just the right size. They really enjoyed making these little vintage styled trees. They loved picking out their favorite colors and trimmings to decorate their box. In the end, they were so pleased with their boxes that I thought it would be a great project to share. These trees are easy to make and you could even decorate a similar set of tiny trees to place on a desk, mantle, window sill or table.

I had made a set of Christmas tree gift boxes as gifts years ago. So you can see another style of tree I made using buttons, sequence and beads. 

I picked up some supplies from my local craft store. I found some vintage style silver trees and some small boxes. Then I got some trim and scrapbooking brads, plastic snowflakes and tiny presents. I found that scrapbooking brads make great ornaments for tiny trees because you can wrap the brads around larger branches or place glue on them to help better secure your ornaments to your tree.

Here are some of the supplies I selected, but you could personalize the type of tree and decorations you use. My girls painted their boxes with a metalic silver paint, but you could also spray paint it if you wanted.  Once your boxes are dry you are ready to decorate your tree.

You could add your own ribbon or rickrack trim on the edge of the box lid. Then if you want you could add ornaments made out of costume jewelry, beads, sequence or scrapbooking brads. You could even wrap your own tiny presents or add a porcelain figure like this little Scottie dog.

My youngest daughter loves the color pink so she helped me pick out all the trimmings for her tiny tree. I used a glue gun to help secure the beads and snowflakes. My girls decided they wanted to add some additional decorations to the sides of their boxes.

These boxes would make a great handmade gift that you could use as a decoration or fill with a small gift or holiday candy. They are a great small item that you could make for that person who has everything and you could even customize it to fit their style. So if you are looking for a holiday project or gift box idea then make your own vintage Christmas tree box. This project was such a hit in our house that I think we are definitely going to be decorating more little trees.

Baking/Food/Holiday Decorating

My Gingerbread Houses

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We had a big family gathering for Thanksgiving this year, so I had to take a small break to enjoy time with my family and to celebrate a baby shower for my sister and our soon to be newest family member. I love the holidays! So in our house the Christmas music is playing and all of the boxes of decorations are out and I am back writing about my favorite time of year. I thought I would start my series of holiday inspired posts with a project that is close to my heart, gingerbread houses.

Long before there was Pinterest, Food TV, online recipes or blogs I started the crazy tradition of making my own gingerbread houses. It all began when I was looking for a project one Christmas break in high school. I loved baking and I was looking for a challenge, so I decided I would make my own gingerbread house. I pulled out my mom’s Joy of Cooking, the old standby I would use when I wanted to tackle a new cooking technique. I looked up a recipe for gingerbread cookies because they didn’t have one specifically for houses. My first house had a few structural issues because my initial batch of cookies weren’t crisp enough, but I didn’t let that stop me. I made some recipe modifications and eventually I found an even better recipe. Then once I had those basics down I began to get creative and have fun.

One year I made a more traditional Colonial styled home complete with a red front door, gumdrop bushes and royal icing garlands and wreathes.

Looking back it was those early gingerbread houses that inspired me and made me fall in love with baking. I was self taught because I didn’t know anyone else who loved to bake as much as I did. Each house would teach me a new technique. When I was working on my early houses, cake decorating was not quite as popular. There wasn’t premixed fondant or sugar gum paste available, so I would use marzipan and if I wanted something special I would have to search for a cake supply store.

One year to celebrate my family heritage and a wonderful trip to Paris, I made a gingerbread Eiffel Tower.

Over the years, my favorite decoration for my houses is definately gum drops. You can roll them out with a little granulated sugar and them cut them out into any shape you want. One year I made a beach themed house with gummy apple slice palm trees and crumbled graham cracker sand. The pictures of that fun pink and turquoise colored house are somewhere in the depths of my mom’s photo boxes, so I don’t have that one pictured here.

The year my husband and I moved into our first home, I was inspired to make a replica ranch styled gingerbread house. If you look closely you can see the little gingerbread christmas tree though the front window and the sugar gum paste figures including our little dog Emmy.

Each year I would look forward to planing the next house. I would get inspired by my travels or by houses I lived in or loved. Many of my gingerbread houses were made before digital photography and long before I had a decent camera so I can’t show you all of them, but these photographs are just a few of my favorites.

Here is other side view of my Chrysler tower. I had to strengthen the walls of this tower inside by using stacks of iced graham cracker inside to support the weight.

The lead picture at the top of my post was inspired by our honeymoon in New York City. I went all out that year making the Chrysler building complete with a vintage taxi cab and a big apple sign.


This Star Diner was one of my favorites. I just love vintage styled diners so one year I decided to make my own. I got some edible food glitter in silver that I used to color my diner’s walls. My marzipan Santa chef is holding a burger and spatula.

My gingerbread house tradition had to take a little break for a few years when my girls were tiny, but now that they are a little bigger I am bringing the tradition back. I am planning a second post in the coming weeks with some smaller kid friendly gingerbread houses. I will have recipes, patterns, tips on how to plan and bake your own gingerbread houses. So come back for more holiday decorations, inspiration and fun.

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Happy Holidays

Lemon Cupcakes With Blackberry Buttercream Recipe admin_AM 0 comment

Today I celebrating with family, so I am taking the day off. My girls and I are having fun  decorating for Christmas. I will be back writing next week so come back, because I am sharing pictures of my craziest hobby yet. So until then happy holidays!

Food

A Toast to New Traditions: A Thanksgiving Turkey You Can Make in Minutes

Lemon Cupcakes With Blackberry Buttercream Recipe admin_AM 3 Comments

Have you ever gotten a piece of advice that at the time you knew was probably important but it was only later that you fully understood its significance? When I was newly married I went on a trip with my mom to visit her aunt. While we were there we were talking about the upcoming holidays and at one point she went out of her way to tell me that I needed to start some of my own traditions. At the time I thought it was a good idea, but we usually spent the holidays at our parents homes so we didn’t really have a need to add too many new things. As a young couple we were just busy attending our families’ celebrations.

It wasn’t until ten years later that the significance of her words hit me as I was grocery shopping for our first Thanksgiving in Chicago. We were not going to have the full table of family and friends that I had grown accustomed to. Instead it was just going to the four of us and if I am honest, my toddlers really didn’t care or know too much about Thanksgiving. I didn’t want to fix an entire turkey for two and somehow the idea of chicken just didn’t sound as good to me. As I was rounding the end cap in the poultry section trying to decide what to do, I saw packages of turkey cutlets. Then, right next to it was a display of dried bread crumbs meant for stuffing. The thought came to me, what if we just did something new? My mom serves an amazing Thanksgiving meal but the thought of making all those side dishes was just too much.  My husband’s family makes turkey fricassee, so why not make a breaded turkey. When my husband and I were dating we loved to cook together for friends and one of our favorite “fancy” recipes was from Chef Stephan Pyles for his Chili Crusted Wiener Schnitzel with this deliciously rich sauce.

So right then and there in the poultry aisle of the Jewel Ossco grocery store a new tradition began. We were still going to have a great, but smaller celebration that was special to us. The added benefit of this new turkey schnitzel was that in a kitchen with just one oven I could make this turkey on the stove top. It also requires no advance thoughts about defrosting; it takes up a fraction of the space in my fridge and it takes just minutes to cook. So I don’t have to worry about making room for bread or side dishes in my oven. My great aunt was right, sometimes in the holiday frenzy even well intentioned holiday traditions need to give a bit. Sometimes it’s important to allow yourself the freedom to just do something different. So here’s to new traditions and the great moments and recipes that can come from them.  

Breadcrumb Crusted Turkey Schnitzel (Serves 4 to 6)

  • 1 (1 lb) package turkey cutlets (My package had 6 cutlets)
  • 1/2 cup flour
  • 2 teaspoons salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 tablespoons milk
  • 4 cups of plain stuffing breadcrumbs (I use Brownberry Brand)
  • canola oil for frying
  • 4 chives chopped as a garnish (optional)

The great thing about these cutlets is they come pre-pounded so you don’t have to do a thing to prepare your turkey. The first thing you should do is to pat your cutlets dry with a paper towel.

Then get your breading bowls ready. First take your unseasoned stuffing and grind it into a fine texture in your food processor. Then place them in a shallow bowl. Next in another bowl mix together your flour, salt and pepper. Then in a third bowl beat your eggs and combine them with two tablespoons of milk.

Here is my breading station with my seasoned flour, egg mixture and fresh breadcrumbs. I like to set up an assembly line so the breading process goes quickly.

Then get your breading bowls set up with flour, egg mixture, and bread crumbs. First dip your cutlets in the flour, then coat it in the eggs and then the breadcrumbs. Once you have your cutlets breaded get a large deep sided skillet and fill an 1/8 inch high with canola oil. Heat your oil over medium heat. You will know your oil is hot enough when the handle of a wooden spoon or spatula has tiny bubbles form around it when you place it in the oil. Keep the lid of your skillet near by for safety reasons.

Then, depending on the size of your skillet fry two to three pieces at a time for about three minutes a side. The key to flipping your turkey is to use a fork! Tongs or spatulas will potentially damage your breading. If you are making this for a larger crowd you can use two skillets or put your cooked turkey in the oven to keep it warm. If you place your turkey in the oven you want to make sure it stays crisp, so use a baking sheet with a raised rack so your breading doesn’t get soggy. Then right before you serve your turkey make your sauce.

Lemon Buerre Blanc

  • 1 cup dry white wine
  • 1/4 cup lemon juice
  • zest of 2 lemons
  • 2 small shallots finely chopped
  • 3 black peppercorns
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 2 sticks of butter cut into tablespoons
  • 1/4 cup capers

Although this sauce has a fancy French name, don’t let that scare you. It’s simple to make and delicious to serve with poultry or fish. This velvety smooth sauce will top plain old gravy any day. This whisked butter based sauce has just a hint of tanginess from the lemon and white wine. If you are fans of the movie Julie and Julia you will remember that this sauce inspires an entire monologue by Julia Child. Meryl Streep describes it in such a perfect way that I included the link. I promise this sauce will take the dish to another level.

To make your sauce in a medium sized skillet oven medium high heat add together your wine, lemon juice, lemon zest, shallots, bay leaf, and peppercorns. Cook this mixture until it reduces down to a quarter of it’s original volume. Then turn your heat down to low and remove your bay leaf and peppercorns.

Then to finish your sauce take your butter and slowly add 1 to 2 tablespoons of butter at a time while whisking your sauce so you fully incorporate the butter into your wine mixture. Keep whisking it until you add all of your butter.

Then to finish your sauce stir in your capers. Keep your sauce heating on your stove’s lowest setting until you are ready to serve it or place it in a thermos to keep it warm. If your sauce gets cold, the butter can break and it won’t be quite as lovely.

So even if you are going with a more traditional turkey recipe this Thanksgiving, these breaded turkey cutlets still make an excellent holiday-inspired dinner. They are simple to cook and the breading makes them a super hit with kids. After creating this new tradition, I don’t think our family is going back to traditional turkey again. Wishing you fun in the kitchen this week and a very happy Thanksgiving !

 

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