Maybe Painted Pink

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2008-03-17T06:30:00.003-05:00

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Here's a link, here's a list of St. Paddy's Day recipe ideas.

And this, to me, sounds sort of weird and awful, yet sort of awesome.

Guinness and Chocolate Cheesecake

1 cup crushed chocolate cookies
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 tablespoons white sugar
1/4 teaspoon unsweetened cocoa powder
3 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened
1 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1/2 pound semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 cup sour cream
1 pinch salt
3/4 cup Irish stout beer (e.g. Guinness®)
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 (1 ounce) square semisweet chocolate

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Prepare a 9 inch springform pan with butter.
Combine the crushed cookies, butter, 2 tablespoons sugar, and cocoa in a small bowl; mix; press into the bottom of the prepared springform pan.
Place the cream cheese in a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer set to low speed until smooth. While beating, slowly add 1 cup sugar and then the eggs, one at a time. Continue beating until smooth.
Combine the chocolate chips and heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in the microwave until the chocolate is completely melted, stirring every 30 seconds. Beat the chocolate into the cream cheese mixture. Add the sour cream, salt, beer, and vanilla; blend until smooth. Pour the mixture over the crust. Place the pan into a large, deep baking dish. Fill the dish with water to cover the bottom half of the springform pan.
Bake the cheesecake in the water bath in the preheated oven for 45 minutes; turn oven off; leave the cheesecake in the oven with oven door slightly ajar another 45 minutes; remove from oven. Run a knife along the edge of the cheesecake to loosen from pan. Chill in refrigerator at least 4 hours.
Melt the semisweet chocolate in a small bowl using the microwave. Make chocolate clovers by dropping 3 small drops of melted chocolate close to one another on waxed paper. Drag a toothpick from between two dots outward to make the stem; chill until hardened. Arrange the chocolate clovers on top of the chilled cheesecake for decoration.

Are you wearing green today?

Happy Valentine's Day

2008-02-14T07:22:00.002-06:00

Because she is wonderful, JMC sent this to share. Adorable, and easy, and also delicious. I noticed there wasn't a step for "eating several rice krispy treats yourself" or "make yourself sick from eating spoonful after spoonful of icing," so use your best judgement on that.

Thanks, JMC!

And for fun, here's a link about one of my favorite candies. (Which I am always ashamed to admit. I like the orange ones best.)

Which color is your favorite?

Happy Valentine's Day!

One More Try

2008-02-12T07:40:00.000-06:00

I tried again. I have no idea if these are good or not, but at 111 calories per brownie, they might be worth a shot. Surely if you dollop some fresh strawberries and reduced fat/calorie whipped topping, they can't be too bad. Right?

Edit: Plus, this!

Smurfy Goodness

2008-02-11T07:21:00.000-06:00

Have you guys been going here lately?

More holiday awesomeness, including this post, which has "My Smurfy Valentine."

Slighty Better for You, Still Chocolate

2008-02-07T19:21:00.000-06:00

I Googled "healthy Valentine's Day recipes" and found some things that were mildly less sugar-coma-inducing than, say, bags upon bags of Hershey's Kisses.

I'll share!

This recipe is from here:

Chocolate Mousse

1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin
2 tablespoons coffee liqueur, rum or strong brewed coffee
3/4 cup low-fat milk
1 large egg
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch-process
2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, chopped
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 large egg whites
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
3 tablespoons water

1. Sprinkle gelatin over liqueur (or rum or coffee) in a small bowl; let stand until softened, about 1 minute.

2. Whisk together milk, whole egg, 1/4 cup of the brown sugar and cocoa in a medium saucepan until smooth. Cook over low heat, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and add the softened gelatin mixture, stirring until the gelatin has dissolved. Add chocolate and vanilla; stir until the chocolate has melted. Let cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

3. Bring 1-inch of water in a wide saucepan to a bare simmer. Combine egg whites, cream of tartar, water and the remaining 3/4 cup brown sugar in a heatproof bowl large enough to fit over the saucepan. Set the bowl over the barely simmering water and beat with an electric mixer at low speed, moving the beaters around constantly, until an instant-read thermometer registers 140°F. (This will take 3 to 5 minutes.)

4. Increase the mixer speed to high and continue beating over the heat for a full 3 1/2 minutes. Remove the bowl from the heat and beat the meringue until cool, 4 to 5 minutes longer.

5. Whisk one-fourth of the meringue into the chocolate mixture until smooth. Fold the chocolate mixture back into the remaining meringue with a rubber spatula until completely incorporated. Spoon the mousse into 6 dessert glasses, and chill until set, about 3 hours.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 248 calories; 6 g fat (3 g sat, 1 g mono); 38 mg cholesterol; 47 g carbohydrate; 7 g protein; 4 g fiber; 68 mg sodium; 238 mg potassium.

3 Carbohydrate Servings

These involve FRUIT and therefore are super-healthy:

Chocolate-Dipped Apricots

1/3 cup sugar
2 strips lemon zest
1 cinnamon stick
1 cup water
24 dried apricots (about 1/4 pound)
2 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) chocolate, coarsely chopped
1 tablespoon chopped peeled pistachios

1. Line a baking sheet with wax paper and place a wire rack on top.

2. Combine sugar, lemon zest, cinnamon stick and water in a small saucepan; bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve the sugar. Reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 3 minutes. Add apricots and gently simmer just until tender, 6 to 8 minutes. Transfer the apricots with a slotted spoon to the rack. Let cool completely.

3. Melt chocolate in a small metal bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water. Dip half of a poached apricot in the chocolate, letting excess drip off. Sprinkle some chopped pistachios over the chocolate half and return the apricot to the rack. Repeat with the remaining apricots. (You will have some melted chocolate left over.) Refrigerate until the chocolate has set, about 20 minutes.

NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per candy: 43 calories; 1 g fat (0 g sat, 0 g mono); 0 mg cholesterol; 9 g carbohydrate; 0 g protein; 1 g fiber; 0 mg sodium; 107 mg potassium.

1/2 Carbohydrate Serving

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Store in an airtight container, with wax paper between each layer, in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

This one claims to take hours, but it might be worth it, especially if you're a big sucker for chai spices. (Like me.) It sounds goooood:

Chai Chocolate Pots de Creme

Makes 8 servings
ACTIVE TIME: 40 minutes
TOTAL TIME: 5 hours (including 3 hours chilling time)
EASE OF PREPARATION: Easy

2/3 cup whipping cream
2 1/2 teaspoons crushed cardamom pods or 1 teaspoon bruised cardamom seeds (see Tip)
7 whole cloves
4 slices peeled fresh ginger
4 1/2 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate (see Tip), finely chopped
1 1/4 cups reduced-fat milk
3 tablespoons sugar
1 large egg
3 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Whipped cream for garnish (optional)
Crystallized ginger for garnish (optional)

1. Position a rack in lower third of oven; preheat to 325°F. Lay a double thickness of paper towels in a baking pan large enough to comfortably hold eight 4- to 6-ounce heatproof custard cups or ramekins. Set the cups in the pan (the paper towels will keep them in place).

2. Heat cream, cardamom, cloves and ginger in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until the mixture just comes to a full boil. Remove from the heat and let stand for 15 minutes. Place chocolate in a 4-cup glass measure. Return the cream to medium-high heat and reheat to boiling. Immediately pour through a very fine sieve set over the chocolate, pressing down on the spices to extract as much flavor as possible; don't stir the chocolate. Let stand for 3 minutes, then gently stir until the chocolate completely melts and the mixture is well blended and smooth. (If the chocolate is not completely melted, microwave it for 20 to 30 seconds on High, then stir.)

3. Wipe out the saucepan, add milk and sugar, and heat just to boiling, stirring until the sugar dissolves. In a slow, thin stream, gradually stir about two-thirds of the boiling milk into the chocolate. If the mixture looks separated at any point, stop adding milk and stir the chocolate until it is smooth again before continuing.

4. Whisk egg, egg yolks and vanilla in a small bowl until well blended. While constantly whisking the egg mixture, add the remaining milk in a slow, thin stream. Strain the egg-milk mixture through a fine sieve into the chocolate mixture; stir well to combine. Evenly divide among the custard cups, about 1/4 cup each.

5. Place the pan on the low oven rack. Add enough very hot tap water to come 3/4 inch up the sides of the cups. Bake until the tops appear barely set when the cups are jiggled, 16 to 20 minutes; don't tap the tops as this will mar the surface.

6. Transfer the cups to a wire rack. Let cool thoroughly, about 1 hour. Cover with plastic and refrigerate until chilled, at least 3 hours and up to 3 days. Let warm up just slightly before serving. Garnish with a dollop of whipped cream and a small piece of crystallized ginger (if desired). NUTRITION INFORMATION: Per serving: 204 calories; 15 g fat (8 g sat, 3 g mono); 132 mg cholesterol; 18 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 1 g fiber; 36 mg sodium; 87 mg potassium.

1 Carbohydrate Serving

Exchanges: 1 other carbohydrate, 3 fat TIP: Tips: You can use either whole cardamom pods or the peppercorn-size seeds for this recipe. Crush or bruise the seeds with the side of a chef's knife or a heavy-bottomed pan to help release the flavor. If necessary, substitute 1/2 teaspoon ground cardamom; the flavor will be fine, but the texture will be a little less silky.

Almost any semisweet or bittersweet chocolate will work in this recipe, although if you choose an extra-bittersweet one with more than a 65% cacao content, reduce the chocolate to 4 ounces and increase the sugar to 1/4 cup. MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days.

Brownie Torte

2008-02-05T06:53:00.000-06:00

I've been going through Christmas candy withdrawal (plus I didn't bother to make a New Year's resolution involving weight--opting, instead, for one involving art). Winter stretches out long before me. Gone, gone, are the days of cookies and fudge.

Thank goodness for Valentine's Day, right? Because what is it, other than an excuse to curb that itching for sugar left over from Christmas and Halloween? How about we look at some chocolate? If you're still resolving, look away. Or send me some low-fat Valentine's Day recipe ideas. While you're at it, send me some Valentine's Day idea love, in general.

I pulled this from AllRecipes.com. It has to be good, because the first ingredient is butter.

Brownie Torte

INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup white sugar
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnut
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons butter
1 tablespoon light corn syrup
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sliced fresh strawberries (optional)

DIRECTIONS

Butter and flour a 9 inch round cake pan. In a pan over low heat, melt 1/2 cup butter and 1/2 cup light corn syrup. Stir in 1 cup chocolate chips until melted. Remove from heat and add sugar and eggs, and stir until blended. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla, flour, and nuts. Pour into pan. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes, or until center springs back when touched. Cool in pan 10 minutes, then place on a cooling rack.

To Make Glaze: Combine chocolate chips, 2 tablespoons butter or margarine and corn syrup in pan. Stir over low heat till chocolate chips are melted. Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla. Frost tops and sides of torte. Chill until set. Garnish with sliced strawberries.

Groundhogs Speak--Take the Tree Down

2008-02-02T07:59:00.000-06:00

Uh oh, six more weeks of winter!

This is the official, well, proclamation:

"Here Ye! Here Ye! Here Ye!

On Gobbler's Knob on this fabolous Groundhog Day, February 2nd, 2008
Punxsutawney Phil, the Seer of Seers, Prognosticator of all Prognosticators,
Rose to the call of President Bill Cooper and greeted his handlers, Ben Hughes and John Griffiths.

After casting a weathered eye toward thousands of his faithful followers,
Phil consulted with President Cooper and directed him to the appropriate scroll, which proclaimed:

'As I look around me, a bright sky I see, and a shadow beside me.
Six more weeks of winter it will be!'"

The official site is amusing, and has some history here. And, of course, there's always here, which tells us that the National Climatic Data Center gave the overall accuracy rate of groundhog predictions a whopping 39 percent.

Here's a rendition of the poem that started it all, pulled from Wikipedia:

"As the light grows longer
The cold grows stronger
If Candlemas be fair and bright
Winter will have another flight
If Candlemas be cloud and snow
Winter will be gone and not come again
A farmer should on Candlemas day
Have half his corn and half his hay
On Candlemas day if thorns hang a drop
You can be sure of a good pea crop"

And this is what Candlemas is. Last night my husband asked what the official cut off for Christmas decorations is, as we drove to the grocery store and saw several people had lights still up. I think this, pulled from the Wikipedia Candlemas article, is good:

"Down with the rosemary, and so

Down with the bays and mistletoe;

Down with the holly, ivy, all,

Wherewith ye dress'd the Christmas Hall"

— Robert Herrick (1591–1674), "Ceremony upon Candlemas Eve"

The article states, "the eve of Candlemas was the day on which Christmas decorations of greenery were removed from people's homes; for traces of berries, holly and so forth will bring death among the congregation before another year is out."

Scary!

What did the groundhog see in your neck of the woods? He definitely saw his shadow here, but I, for one, am welcoming the sunshine.

Etsy Valentines

2008-01-24T07:17:00.001-06:00

Oh, Etsy, how I love you.

Bag of hearts:

Skelly Heart:

Valentine Mailbox:

Love Record Gocco Card Set:

Return

2008-01-20T20:19:00.000-06:00

Um. Hi-what-us?

Hi! I took an unplanned break, because so far 2008 has been very busy. And I was feeling a bit run down after the holidays. I've not been super bloggy, but there are more holidays, holidays to come! How are you guys feeling about this blog? Good? Bad? I thought maybe we should continue for, just because I have a thing for Groundhog Day and Valentine's Day, and also I gleefully anticipate Cadbury eggs every year.

So! More to come.

How are those New Year's resolutions coming?

New Year's Eve was sneaky this year.

2007-12-31T06:53:00.000-06:00

New Year's Eve, New Year's Eve!

Quick meta nonsense/lame excuse disclaimer: After Christmas, I had a very busy work week (through Saturday afternoon) and then a second Christmas out of town Saturday night/Sunday, and now I need to get out the door to go back to work, so I apologize for the lack of New Year's posts.

I wanted to share this article, which is a list of 2007 buzzwords that made me smile.

I wish you all a very happy and very safe evening. How are you celebrating?

Auld Lang Syne

2007-12-28T21:20:00.000-06:00

I've been wondering about this song. Mostly because I can never understand the lyrics when I've heard them slurringly sung at midnight on past New Year's Eve. It's a nice tradition, and the history/uses of the song are interesting.

English translation:

Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should old acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely you’ll buy your pint cup !
And surely I’ll buy mine !
And we'll take a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have run about the slopes,
and picked the daisies fine ;
But we’ve wandered many a weary foot,
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We two have paddled in the stream,
from morning sun till dine^† ;
But seas between us broad have roared
since auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand my trusty friend !
And give us a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll take a right good-will draught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

The original:

Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and never brought to mind ?
Should auld acquaintance be forgot,
and auld lang syne ?

CHORUS:

For auld lang syne, my dear,

for auld lang syne,

we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,

for auld lang syne.

And surely ye’ll be your pint-stoup !
And surely I’ll be mine !
And we’ll tak a cup o’ kindness yet,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae run about the braes,
and pou’d the gowans fine ;
But we’ve wander’d mony a weary fit,
sin’ auld lang syne.

CHORUS

We twa hae paidl’d in the burn,
frae morning sun till dine ;
But seas between us braid hae roar’d
sin’ auld lang syne.

CHORUS

And there’s a hand, my trusty fiere !
And gies a hand o’ thine !
And we’ll tak a right gude-willie-waught,
for auld lang syne.

CHORUS

Holiday Blues

2007-12-27T05:29:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but the whirlwind/pressure of the holidays combined with trudging back to work yesterday left me in a teensy bit of post-holiday funk. I thought I'd share some links, just in case I'm not the alone one feeling a bit run down/blah:

http://www.selfcounseling.com/help/depression/holidaydepression.html

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/stress/MH00030

http://www.nmha.org/index.cfm?objectid=C7DF954D-1372-4D20-C80ED0A7AB69D250

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/103377/how_to_beat_post_holiday_depression.html

How do you deal with the post-holiday blues? For me, getting some fresh air helps a bit, as well as doing something I don't normally take the time to do (give myself a facial, go to bed at 8:00, etc). What do you guys do to feel better after Christmas?

Merry Christmas

2007-12-24T17:45:00.001-06:00

Just stopping in to wish everyone a very happy Christmas!

More Cookies!

2007-12-22T15:50:00.000-06:00

The ever lovely Heather wrote the following (and sent in these photos) (photos that made my stomach grumble):

"I have two staples when it comes to Christmas Cookies...Well, three if you count Sugar Cookies, which really everyone should. I hope everyone has good memories of baking and decorating sugar cookies when they were little. I've always loved sugar cookies... in theory. In reality, as an adult, I've never really enjoyed them. They're sticky and messy to make, and I've never found just the right cookie... most are either too crispy or too chewy. I have to say that PW herself has turned the whole sugar cookie experience around for me. If you don't know who I'm talking about, you should meet her here.

And then try her sugar cookies here. Awe. Some. Seriously one of the best cookies I've ever tasted. Hurry, make some before Christmas is over!!

Another really fun thing to do with sugar cookies... my kids had a blast making these for our neighbors last year: cut out different sized star cookies, frost with green frosting and stack them to make a tree.

I made ours last year with the Pillsbury Funfetti Holiday Cake Mix, using the directions on the box for the cookies. Talk about simple cookies!! I had many people ask for that recipe saying they were the yummiest they'd ever tasted!! They couldn't believe it when I had to tell them it was from a cake mix!

Alright. On to my never-fail-to-put-me-in-the

-Christmas-mood-must-haves...

Chocolate Crinkles
INGREDIENTS

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 cups white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

DIRECTIONS

1. In a medium bowl, mix together cocoa, white sugar, and vegetable oil. Beat in eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt; stir into the cocoa mixture. Cover dough, and chill for at least 4 hours.

2. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into one inch balls. I like to use a number 50 size scoop. Coat each ball in confectioners' sugar before placing onto prepared cookie sheets.

3. Bake in preheated oven for 10 to 12 minutes. Let stand on the cookie sheet for a minute before transferring to wire racks to cool.

These are so yummy... like soft little brownies with just the tiniest bit of crunch on the outside with the delightful "snowy" sugar sweetness around them.

Tips: The dough is sticky. Be sure you refrigerate or freeze long enough to firm it up. I use a little scooper to drop the balls of dough right into the bowl of powdered sugar. Then in the sugar, you can roll it easily and not ever have to deal with the stickiness. Also, be sure and use parchment or a silpat as the powdered sugar will stick and burn to the bare pan.

Peppermint Bark
INGREDIENTS
white baking chocolate or almond bark
crushed candy canes or starlight mints

Simply melt the chocolate in a double boiler, then stir in crushed peppermint. Spread thinly the chocolate and peppermint on a cookie sheet lined with foil.

Refrigerate for an hour and then remove from cookie sheet and break or cut into pieces. Store in airtight container at room temp.

You can also swirl white and dark/milk chocolate, or layer them by refrigerating just to set first layer and then adding a second layer."

Thank you so much, Heather! These look awesome!

Winter Solstice Links

2007-12-20T21:44:00.000-06:00

I had a request to talk a bit about the winter solstice, so here we go! I've found lots of links.

First things first: good old Wikipedia's article about it. It seems the winter solstice can refer to "when the Sun's position in the sky is at its greatest angular distance on the other side of the equatorial plane as the observer," the day of or night before the solstice, or the beginning or middle of a hemisphere's winter. The article outlines several cultures' winter solstice celebrations, including Christmas. Historically these festivals feature food and companionship, welcome breaks from the inactivity and hardship of winter.

This site has quizzes, activities, and fact lists.

Some more sciency stuff.

National Geographic article.

Instructions for making a solstice wish candle.

Solstice crafts, including a Yule log.

A link with recipes and more history.

I hope this is a decent introduction--I didn't know much about the solstice other than knowing it was the basis for winter holidays, and it was fun to read about where so many traditions originate.

Anything you want to add?

Song Article

2007-12-19T19:50:00.000-06:00

Just a little article tonight about the top 25 most performed holiday Christmas songs. Also, Wikipedia's article on Christmas songs; the Wikipedia article on Christmas carols; and a list of Christmas hit singles.

Buckeyes + Reindeer Cookies

2007-12-18T19:29:00.000-06:00

Kelsey sent the following, and I am happy, because this candy? This candy is gooood:

"Here is our family recipe for buckeyes, which are a huge holiday treat here in Ohio. I'm sure people make them in other parts of the country as well, but might use a different name. (Teams from Ohio State University are The Buckeyes, and the buckeye is the state tree of Ohio.)

We miss these terribly in our house since discovering my daughter's peanut allergy. But they are too good not to share.

Buckeyes with a Twist

2 sticks melted butter
2 cups peanut butter (we used creamy, you'll see why)
1 box powdered sugar
3 cups rice krispies (That's the twist!)
12 oz. chocolate chips semi sweet chocolate chips, plus 1/3 bag milk chocolate chips
1/4 bar paraffin

Mix top ingredients with hands. Form into balls. Refrigerate 30 minutes. Melt 12 oz. chocolate chips and 1/4 bar paraffin fully in a double boiler. ( I have also used a small crock pot for this part.) Use a toothpick to dunk the buckeyes in the chocolate. Refrigerate or freeze.

Some tips:

Mix the peanut butter and butter first, then add powdered sugar, and finally the cereal.

Try not to overwork the mixture once the cereal is in, you want the pieces to stay crispy.

Don't skimp on refrigerating the buckeyes before you dunk them!

You can melt the paraffin in the microwave and then put it into a warm crock pot, then add the chocolate chips and mix well.

Working in the crock pot lets you take your time without worrying about burning the chocolate!

Wash the pots/bowls (whatever held the chocolate and paraffin) right away because it will get yucky as it cools and be more difficult to clean.

You can put nine or a dozen of these in a little gift box for neighbors, friends, etc. We used to eat them right from the fridge. The rice krispies make them nicely crunchy and cut down on the richness a bit, so you can eat more!!!"

And then, here's a post about making reindeer cookies with three-year-olds.

Thanks, Kelsey!

Adult Holiday Beverages

2007-12-17T20:52:00.000-06:00

I thought maybe some *adult* holiday beverage recipes might be in order, just in case we need a little help feeling toasty/merry. Of course, on most of these it's pretty easy to substitute something or skip on the alcohol all together, and the drinks will still be yummy and merry, while being alcohol free.

Here's a basic recipe for wassail, alcohol-free. When I make mine, I omit the orange juice and lemon juice, dump in a bottle of red wine, add slices of oranges, and probably add more cinnamon, because I like cinnamon. I also usually get too excited to wait ALL DAY. My version is more like mulled wine. I've heard it called wassail, however.

Wassail Punch

2 quarts apple cider
2 cups orange juice
1/2 cup lemon juice
12 whole cloves
4 cinnamon sticks
1 pinch ground ginger1 pinch ground nutmeg

In a slow-cooker or a large pot over low heat, combine apple cider, orange juice and lemon juice. Season with cloves, ginger and nutmeg. Bring to a simmer. If using a slow cooker, allow to simmer all day. Serve hot.

Basic alcohol-free eggnog recipe:

2 eggs, beaten well
3 tbs sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1/8 tsp nutmeg, ground
2 1/3 cups milk

Blend all ingredients together and serve chilled.

(Or, you know, buy the stuff they've been selling since Halloween at grocery stores everywhere.)

Version with alcohol:

6 eggs
1 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
3/4 cup brandy
1/3 cup dark rum (Captain Morgan for best flavor, but Myers is fine)
2 cups whipping cream
2 cups milk

All liquids should be very cold. Refrigerate in advance.

Beat the eggs for 2 or 3 minutes with an electric mixer at medium speed until very frothy. Gradually beat in the sugar, vanilla and nutmeg. Turn the mixer off and stir in the cold brandy, rum, whipping cream and milk Chill before serving. Sprinkle individual servings with more nutmeg.

Makes about 2-1/2 quarts.

I'm not really sure how you can make hot buttered rum non-alcoholic, so forgive me for this one (also, hot buttered rum is rich, rich, rich):

Colonial Hot Buttered Rum

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1 pinch salt
3 sticks cinnamon
6 whole cloves
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
2 cups rum
heavy cream -- whipped
ground nutmeg -- for topping

Put all ingredients, except rum and cream, and nutmeg into crockpot. Add 2 quarts hot water. Stir well. Cover pot and cook on LOW for 5 hours. Add rum; stir to blend. Serve from pot in warm mugs with a scoop of whipped cream and a dusting of nutmeg.

The infamous hot toddy:

1 oz (2 tablespoons) bourbon
1 tablespoon mild honey
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup boiling-hot water

Put bourbon, honey, and lemon juice in a 6-ounce mug. Top off with hot water and stir until honey is dissolved.

(You can also use Scotch or brandy. Some people also use hot tea, lemonade, coffee, cocoa, cinnamon, cloves, or butter. A non-alcoholic version would be more like a hot cider or hot lemony cup of tea, but would still be warming and cozy!)

Peppermint Hot Chocolate

Add peppermint schnapps to a cup of hot cocoa; garnish with a candy cane. You can also rim the mug with crushed peppermints/candy canes. This is also delicious without the schnapps, of course!

Any holiday drinks you like to cozy up with?

Gift Idea Mish Mash

2007-12-16T15:55:00.000-06:00

I've noticed about a billion gift idea posts when I've buzzed quickly through my Google reader, so I don't feel toooooo guilty about not doing more gift idea posts. Surely we are all feeding off of each other, right? I thought I'd collect some of the gift idea comments that were left here (I agree with those of you who suggested we shouldn't let good ideas 'die' in the comment box), however, along with some sites and ideas I thought were neat. PLUS a few ideas I've had, and some other posts I've seen that I liked about gift ideas. Maybe if you're still struggling to find a gift for someone, we can fill in the gaps.

Gift Idea Mish Mash!

On the photo gift idea post, we had these comments:

"Another idea we're doing (that we started on my daughter's first birthday but have now migrated it to Christmas gifts) is a photo montage on a DVD for all of our family members. We do it so that each year of each of the kids is broken into a "chapter" on the DVD, and it's just a bunch of photos set in motion to a bunch of songs we've picked out. You can download free photo montage software online and you just plug in the pictures you want to use and wha-la! Everybody loves getting these...especially now that we live long distance. And our kids of course, love to watch themselves on TV as we look back over the years!" --Heather

"We're burning DVDs of our home movies from the year, for the grandparents and great-aunts. Easy as pie. Good idea, Heather, to make it all fancy with music (and free software)!"-- el-e-e

"Thanks to MO Mommy's posting about this, on her site as well as here, I have been inspired to create a book for my (year old) nephew for Christmas. I got my brother to secretly burn me a copy of their photos on DVD and I've sorted through them to find pictures of his grandparents and aunts, uncles and cousins on both sides (we have a small family). On one page is a picture of the relative (either with him or alone) with a caption like "Here's Auntie Chraycee" then on the next page a pic of him doing something (like sitting with a book, or in his highchair with food all over his face) and a positive caption like "Auntie Chraycee loves reading books with Max" or "Auntie Chraycee know that Max will grow up big and strong because he eats his vegetables."

You know, I'm trying to reinforce good behaviors. Only trouble is that I don't have a one year old myself, so am a little short for positive messages........I went with what they have pictures for...

1. helps do chores around the house
2. is kind to animals
3. eats all his dinner/eat veggies
4. enjoys taking his bath
5. knows the value of a good nap
6. is an excellent snuggler
7. loves reading books
8. uses his imagination to invent fun games
9. is brave and ready for adventure
10. plays well with others
11. is always making new friends
12. is a good friend"--Chraycee

Reader Jennifer sent in this fun idea for themed stockings/gifts: "Every year I try to fill my son’s Christmas stockings using some sort of a theme, for example last year was school/office supplies (tape, markers, highlighters, post-it notes, pens, pencils, etc. – and dude, they loved the tape!). They are now seven and nine years old and I was having a hard time thinking of something this year. I’ve finally decided to do gift cards for them. One thing they love to do is shop so I’m collecting five and ten dollar gift cards from places they love to go (McDonald’s, Dairy Queen, Borders, Meijer, Gamestop, etc.) and that will be their stocking stuffers for this year. I may also throw a few dollar lottery scratch off cards in there for kicks.

I was trying to think of how to apply this to adults since we always have those difficult-to-buy-for folks. For my brother-in-law and his wife who recently closed on the purchase of their first home, I’m going to buy some sort of drawer organizer (which I highly recommend for all junk drawers across America) and fill some of those spaces with gift cards from homey type stores (Lowe’s, Bed Bath & Beyond, Target). Gift cards may not be that creative an idea, but I thought this was a creative way to present them."

I liked this list by Princess Nebraska.

SundryBuzz reviews products, and there are some great gift ideas there. Another of Sundry's blogs contains various posts of ideas, as well.

Swistle recently posted a list of reader shops, along with lists of ideas here.

I know I'm leaving about sixty trillion gift idea posts out, so if you have one you want to share, do it! Now!

Now I'm going to list some things that I've thought would be nice gifts for someone, as I've stumbled in and out of stores over the last few weeks. Some of these are things I would love to get myself, but am always too embarrassed to ask for. Or I forget that I would like them until it is too late.

--Magazine subscriptions (I always love getting magazine subscriptions, because I am too cheap/forgetful to buy them for myself--especially the nice arty ones.)

--Tea (I drink a lot of tea. I love good tea. I imagine providing any caffeine addict with a basket of their favorite coffees/teas is NEVER a gifting failure.)

--Digital photo frames

--A gift card to a pet supply store (but only for the way-too-pet-obsessed, like me)

--Art, if you know what sort of art the recipient likes. Including but not limited to: originals, prints, photos, vintage labels, antique postcards or photos, and so on.

--Gift subscription to Netflix

Okay! That was a mish mash, wasn't it? What am I leaving out? What do you have to share with us?

Teacher Gifts

2007-12-15T23:50:00.000-06:00

Thanks to el-e-e, who put together this post!

An Apple-Free Teacher Appreciation Season

Are you like me, and cheerfully (ahem) check family members and friends off your holiday shopping list… then remember the "incidentals" and "peripherals" very late in December? Like stocking stuffers…great-aunt Susie who's finally coming to dinner this year… and the teacher gifts? OH, the teacher gifts.

I think we can all agree that kids/parents should give whatever they want to a teacher, or shouldn't *have* to give anything if money is tight, or they just don't want to. But it can be a nice gesture -- everyone likes to feel appreciated, right? We've collected a few ideas from around the helpful Internet.

Did you know there's a National PTA? Yikes. Who wants to serve on a committee for that? NOT ME, that's who. But! They have written a handy little article about this very topic.

Reader Kelsey taught elementary school for four years (bless her!) and shared a great list of gifts that will be appreciated and loved (and some that might not). Read carefully -- some good, practical advice here.

Family Fun magazine -- one that we probably all should be reading if we love the High Arts and Crafts -- has a huge collection of ideas, sorted by category. For the Book Lover, For the Desk, etc. There's a funny anecdote about a male teacher who received… well, just go read it. My favorite idea from all of these was a classroom recipe booklet -- each kid contributed a recipe from his/her family, and someone, the willing PTA volunteer no doubt, bound them up neatly. The recipient says she still uses the book -- sounds to me like the perfect gift that really does keep on giving!

A few more helpful links.

Fudge

2007-12-13T20:24:00.000-06:00

A quickie tonight: I just made my favorite fudge, and nearly made myself sick licking the beaters. I never really liked fudge until I had this fudge, because the texture/not-chocolatey-enough-ness of all the fudges I'd ever had displeased me. I'm weird with textures.

And chocolate.

I always liked the idea of fudge, and wanted to like it, but always was disappointed when I bit into a piece. A few years ago my lovely mother started making fudge (or maybe longer, I can't remember) and for some reason I think she got the recipe from a cream cheese box or something. I could be wrong. But it seems like that is where it came from.

It doesn't matter!

What matters is, my mom makes fudge that is SO GOOD and a bit cream cheesey and not at all hard or weirdly flaky. It's sort of firm, sort of gooey, sort of amazing and I'm going to share the really easy, really simple recipe with you now:

Chocolate Philadelphia Fudge

1 pkg. (8 oz.) Philadelphia Cream Cheese, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

4 squares Baker's unsweetened baking chocolate, melted

1 tsp. vanilla

Beat cream cheese in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until blended. Add remaining ingredients, mix well. Spread into buttered 8-inch square pan. Refrigerate several hours or until firm. Cut into 1-inch squares to serve.

Note: if you are melting the chocolate, do not briefly forget that the chocolate is unsweetened, and lick the spoon. You will want to rip your tongue out, or possibly stand there with your mouth open going, "EEEHHN. EEEEHHHN!!!!! BLLLLLLRGGGGH." And then possibly you will spit unsweetened chocolate into a paper towel and grab the closest diet Dr. Pepper and you will wish you were not such an idiot. Because: UNSWEETENED, even if it looks like the most luscious chocolate pudding in the world.

Now forget that mental image/mental taste, and go make some fudge that has just a teensy hint of chocolate cheesecake flavor.

Oranges!

2007-12-10T19:35:00.001-06:00

Okay! I'm back from our little no-power-for-thirty-six-or-so-hours break, due to an ice storm. I feel very lucky that our power was restored tonight, because some people are going to have to wait a week. Other people didn't lose power at all. Funny thing, ice.

Moving on!

Trena has sent me her first awesome crafty post, all about oranges. Here we go!

"Usually when you think of oranges and Christmas, it brings to mind something you might find in your stocking on Christmas Morning. I’d like to share two easy projects (both are great to do with your kids too) that use oranges as more than a stocking filler.

For the first project, we’re going to make a wonderful smelling pomander ball. I can remember making these with my mom when I was younger and the smell still reminds me of Christmas from when I was a little girl.

You will need:

*fairly large-ish firm oranges (or any other citrus fruit—you can even use apples if you would like)

*whole cloves (I highly recommend buying store brand because you can usually get a better price for more cloves than the name brand)

*ribbon (I used 5/8” on my example)

*permanent marker (optional)

*sharp pointy implement (like a small paring knife or ice pick, also totally optional)

Here is how to make your pomander:

1) Measure out some ribbon (enough to go around your fruit, top to bottom, with enough extra to make a loop to hang it with)

2) Knot ribbon (leaving ends long so you can make that hanging loop) close to orange, preferably at the top of the orange.

Now tie ends of ribbon together to make a loop.

3) (This step is optional, but it might be helpful if you want your design to be really exact or you’re doing this with small children.) Take your permanent marker and make dots on the orange in the pattern you want. These dots will give you a visual on where you will put your cloves. (Also optional—you can use your sharp pointy implement to just barely-DO NOT POKE ALL THE WAY THROUGH THE ORANGE-poke through the skin of the orange everywhere you put a dot to make it easier to push your cloves into the orange peel.)

4) Poke cloves, using the long pointy end, into your orange in the pattern you want.

5) You can keep it really simple or go a little more ornate—whatever you like!

When you’re finished poking cloves in, you can then hang your pretty (and oh-so-good-smelling) pomander ball somewhere. Some people like to hang them in their tree, others in various places around the house. Regardless of where you put it, as the orange dries out, it will smell amazing (in a good way).

**Disclaimer: I would not put this somewhere moist as there is the possibility that it could grow fungus if not completely dried out—a dry place is best.**

The other idea I have for oranges is something I picked up from a swim team Christmas party from when I was much younger.

You’ll need:

*Ripe firm oranges

*Small paring knife

* Peppermint candy canes that have a hole in the middle of the candy cane (I can’t tell you a precise brand—I am pretty sure that most candy canes are made this way)

First, take your paring knife, barely inserting it into the orange (we just want to cut the peel, not the actual orange flesh) and carefully cut a small circle out of the peel.

Unwrap your candy cane from the tip of the hook part of the candy cane until just where it starts to straighten out:

Break off the hook part, leaving as much straight candy cane as possible.

Bite or snap off the other ‘sealed’ end (bottom) of the candy cane and then insert the candy cane into the hole you made in the orange.

Proceed to suck out the orange juice through the candy cane ‘straw’. I know it sounds like it probably wouldn’t taste good, but really it does taste good and is a different and fun way to enjoy oranges!"

Card Signing

2007-12-10T07:28:00.000-06:00

Cute and fun Christmas card idea from MoMommy:

"This year for our family Christmas cards, I traced both boys' hands on cardboard (I used the top of a shoe box). Then I cut out the hand prints and traced them on the Christmas cards as "signatures" from the boys. I used color gel pens; they look festive. That way I can add something personal from the kids, but they don't have to sit through me tracing their hands 70 times. They just get one handprint on cardboard, and I'm set!"

And now, if you'll all send me photos of your tree/decoration/lights/pets dressed as Santa/whatever you want, we'll have another photo extravaganza close to Christmas. Just like here, only more holly jolly and less spooky. Share whatever you want!

I've got lots more fun ideas/posts coming; thanks again for participating!

Photo Gift Ideas

2007-12-07T07:35:00.000-06:00

Okay, here are some AWESOME gift ideas, sent in by MoMommy!

Perfect for grandparents!

This is an easy and cheap (maybe too cheap) gift for grandparents: a "year in retrospect" photo album. You can buy a small album and include photos of your year's major events -- the trip to the zoo, the birthday parties, the Easter bonnets, the day you went sledding at Old Man's Hill... This is also good for out-of-town relatives who can't make it home for the holidays. Or, here's a twist: put together a small "Christmas Day 2007" photo album, with pictures just from that day. If you're really ambitious, you can include little quotes (famous quotes or quotes from the day) along with the photos. Write them out in calligraphy, or just print them up in a pretty font. This is good for any damn day! Like "A Day At The Park," or "A Day Making Cookies," or whatever. Grandparents *love* this stuff.

Perfect for grubby hands!

This is a clever, very cheap idea for toddler-age nieces & nephews -- or even for school-age kids and pre-teens who are into "decorating" their own rooms/walls/bulletin boards. We print extra photos of everyone in the family, cut them out and make collages on construction paper. Then we laminate the sheets and give them to the kiddos. They can carry them around, bend them, drool on them, crumble graham crackers all over them, and the pictures remain unharmed. The kids in our family have always loved looking at photos of people they know. They cherish these sheets (at least for a few months)!

Not necessarily a Christmas gift, but perfect all the same

This is a good gift for a wedding or a housewarming, as well as a unique and inexpensive Christmas idea. Take the recipient's last name (e.g., "Shank"). Go around their/your hometown, preferably to famous sites, and take photos of each letter (e.g., the "S" in the Busch Stadium sign; the "A" in the Gateway Arch in St. Louis). Print them out and put them in a frame with the appropriate number of spots.

And let's all be grateful to el-e-e, who is pretty and helpful and prepped this for posting. I love all of the bloggy help!

Advent Calendars

2007-12-06T07:04:00.000-06:00

Heather sent in a link to her thoughtful blog post about her very fun advent calendar, which can be found here. I've liked advent calendars since I was a kid--there is something so magical about counting down the days, finding out what waits in each compartment, learning little things about Christmas, fighting with your twin brother over who gets to eat each day's candy (if you were in my family, anyway).

(And of course, I'm pleasantly reminded of the crass-but-heart-warming Bad Santa, when in a drunken fit the bad Santa, played by Billy Bob Thornton, rips apart a kid's cherished advent calendar to eat all the chocolates in one sitting, but then feels bad and does a pathetic job of taping it back together, filling the compartments with candy corn and aspirin.)

Here's a link to an article of advent calendar history on Wikipedia.

Here's a link to advent calendars you can make at home.

And some advent calendars you can buy:

Quilted cat advent calendar on Etsy
Stocking advent calendar on Etsy
A ton of advent calendars on Amazon, including this one, or this one, and this one
Calendar on Pottery Barn Kids website
Online advent calendars of all kinds
Even good old Target gets in on the advent calendar love

Do you guys use this tradition?

Santa

2007-12-05T07:38:00.001-06:00

So, yesterday I was reminded that we have three weeks until Christmas. Three!

If there are more gift ideas floating around out there, send them in! Because some of us (including me) have not started shopping yet, and need some help. Gift idea post soon!

Meanwhile, to quell the panic, I'm just going to think about Santa Claus.

(My laptop cord fell apart, my laptop battery is now dead, and I've ordered a new one. Just wanted to let you know I might be a bit slow responding to emails in the next couple of days.)

Hanukkah

2007-12-04T07:27:00.000-06:00

(First of all, you guys are all awesome. Thank you soooooo much for all the kind and generous responses to my request for help--I'm getting through your emails/offers and will be in touch soon, if I haven't responded already. I appreciate each and every one of you! A ton!)

I had a request to explore other winter celebrations, such as Hanukkah, which starts tonight at sundown. I want to learn more, too, and was happy to comply. I found more information here, along with a handy little list of traditions and activities. Guides, texts, prayers, a video about lighting the menorah, answers to FAQ's can be found here.

Recipes? Okay! I pulled some from AllRecipes.com.

Latkes!

2 cups peeled and shredded potatoes
1 tablespoon grated onion
3 eggs, beaten
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 cup peanut oil

Place the potatoes in a cheesecloth and wring, extracting as much moisture as possible. In a medium bowl stir the potatoes, onion, eggs, flour and salt together. In a large heavy-bottomed skillet over medium-high heat, heat the oil until hot. Place large spoonfuls of the potato mixture into the hot oil, pressing down on them to form 1/4 to 1/2 inch thick patties. Brown on one side, turn and brown on the other. Let drain on paper towels. Serve hot!

Applesauce Noodle Kugel

1 (16 ounce) package wide egg noodles
1 cup reduced fat margarine
1/2 cup fat free sour cream
1 1/2 cups egg substitute
2 cups white sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 (16 ounce) jar applesauce
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs (optional)
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, or to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Coat a 9x13 inch baking dish with cooking spray. Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Cook noodles in boiling water for 8 to 10 minutes, or until al dente. Drain. In a large bowl, mix together margarine, sour cream, egg substitute, sugar, lemon juice, vanilla extract, and applesauce. Stir in noodles and raisins. Spread graham cracker crumbs on the bottom of the prepared dish. Pour the noodle mixture over the crumbs. Sprinkle top with cinnamon. Bake 45 to 60 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. Cover with foil if it browns too quickly.

Raisin Rice Stuffed Chicken

2 tablespoons olive oil
2 (2 to 3 pound) whole chickens
3 cups cooked white rice
1 cup raisins
1 onion, chopped
1 tablespoon ground turmeric
salt to taste
ground black pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). In a small skillet, heat two tablespoons of olive oil. When oil is hot, saute the chopped onion. Add turmeric and raisins. Saute. Add cooked rice and salt. Mix well. Butter the outside of both chickens and sprinkle a little pepper on both. Stuff the rice mixture into both chickens. Place in a greased 9x13 inch baking dish and bake in preheated oven for about 1 hour (or until chickens are nice and brown and the juices run clear).

Hopefully these links give some insight into this celebration. I've learned a lot reading through the articles, but know there is so much I'm not touching on...does anyone have more to share?

Edit: Also, hey, I have to admit that I'm a little, um, deficient in some areas, and perhaps (perhaps) I am a bit mystified by "feeds" and "RSS" and people have been asking for my feed, and...what am I doing wrong?

Regional Foods

2007-12-03T06:59:00.000-06:00

I saw this article on AllRecipes.com, and enjoyed reading about favorite regional holiday foods. It has a smattering of links to regional recipes, and lists some favorite festive foods by region. Some survey results are here.

Do you have any regional fare that's a tradition during the holidays?

Salt Dough Ornaments

2007-11-30T06:50:00.001-06:00

I've always wanted to make salt dough ornaments, but never have, which is lame because a) it is really easy and b) it really only takes salt, water, flour, string, and then whatever you want to use to decorate them.

The other night I decided to whip some up (let's remember that handy term "mock-up") (this means, don't expect anything skilled or fabulous from this experiment). I looked up some online instructions first.

Here are your main ingredients:

Because this was just an experiment, I only used a cup of flour and about a half a cup of salt (I was a tad bit short because I need to buy salt). I added a little hot water, and stirred.

EASY.

It's supposed to look like cookie dough. I recommend you don't taste it.

I saw a lot of stuff about rolling out the dough and cutting out shapes, which would have been tidy and cute. However, I don't have a rolling pin or cookie cutters, because I am domestically deficient. I tried to smoosh the dough flat to see if I could cut out shapes with a knife:

But I think your results would be tidier if you used a rolling pin and cutters. At least, mine would have been. So I decided to just form the dough into little shapes instead. I made a couple of birds (here is a bird, mid-formation):

And, because I am weird and nothing says "Christmas" like "pet obsession," I made a couple of fat little cat-type shapes:

Then you take a toothpick or something else thin and pointy:

Make a hole (this is a circular shape, fancy). Later you will regret it if a) you do not make the hole wide enough or b) you do not put the hole at least 1/8 of an inch down. So make the hole wide enough to easily thread ribbon or string through.

And then pop them in the oven for a few hours at 100-200 degrees. Until they are hard. I think you can also just microwave them for a few minutes.

Someone needs to clean her oven:

So, the next night, I gathered up my random craft paint and a crappy craft brush. And the little hard dough creatures.

And painted away.

I'm dorky and tried to paint the cats similarly to their real-life, cranky and fat counterparts.

I think if I had spent more time, or played more with getting the texture of the dough just right, I could have made these look less lumpy and cruddy. I also read using a bit of oil on your hands will help keep the dough workable and smooth. However, this was just an experiment, so let's pretend these little guys don't look all...bumpy:

Then take your string or ribbon, and loop it, line up the two ends, and string them through the hole:

I didn't really wait until the paint was dry, so my string is all painty. Also, I didn't make the bottom part of the holes big enough, so I had to dig the string out with a needle.

That's okay. So I knotted the thread at the bottom, and trimmed off the excess:

And that was it! Home-made ornaments.

Like I said, if I spent more time, or used the cookie cutter method, my results would have been "better" and "less weird." But it was fun, and I can imagine decorating these with someone would be super fun.

Meta stuff:

If anyone else is interested in helping with this blog, let me know.

ALSO: EMAIL ME GIFT IDEAS OF ALL KINDS, because a big gift idea extravaganza should be blogged.

Tons of Cookies

2007-11-28T07:14:00.000-06:00

Notthemoty sent me an email she received to share. It contains a ridiculously awesome amount of links to cookie recipes. I haven't tried any of them yet, but look at how many there are! All clumped together!

1-2-3 Cookies 7 Layer Cookies Allie Nelson's Famous Snickerdoodle Cookies Almond Crescent Shortbread Amish Sugar Cookies Andies Candies Cookies Angel Crisps Angenets Applesauce Cookies Apricot Fold-Overs Aunt Edy's Molasses Crinkles Auntie Linda's Ginger Gems Bakeless Dream Cookies Banana Drop Cookies Best Chocolate Chip Cookies in the World Biscotti Biscotti Blueberry Cookies Boiled Chocolate Oatmeal Drop Cookies Bronwnies Brown Sugar Shortbread Brownie Cookies Brownie Delight Brownies Buccaneer Snowballs Buried Cherry Cookies Butter Cookies Butter Nut Balls Butterballs Butterscotch Haystacks C.O.P. Cookies Candy Cane Cookies Candy Cookies Caramel Shortbread Cheesecake Brownies Cherry Buns Cherry Crowns Cherry Winks Chewies Chewy Noels Chinese Chews/Haystacks Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars Chocolate Chip Cookies Chocolate Chip Meltaways Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter Cookies Chocolate Christmas Trees Chocolate Cream Cheese Squares Chocolate Crinkles Chocolate Mint Snow-Top Cookies Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies (no bake) Chocolate Snowball Cookies Chocolate Streusel Bars Chocolate Sundae Cookies Chocolate Walnut Crumb Bars Choco-Scotch Crunchies Choose A Cookie Dough Recipe Christmas Crackers Christmas Crunch Bars Christmas Ginger Snaps Christmas Macaroons Christmas Mice Cookies Christmas Shaped Cookies Church Window Cookies Coconut Cookies Congo Squares Cookie in a Jar Corn Flakes Cookies Cornflake Christmas Wreaths Cowboy Cookies (oatmeal) Cream Cheese Cookies with Apricot Filling CrÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¨me De Menthe Chocolate Squares CrÃƒÆ’Ã‚Â¨me Wafers Crescent Cookies Crispy Crunchies Date Nut Balls Date-nut Pinwheel Cookies Diabetic Peanut Butter Cookies Disgustingly Rich Brownies Doodles Double chocolate chip cookies Double-Chocolate Crinkles Eatmore Cookies Eggnog Cookies Elizabeth's Sugar Cookies Elves Quick Fudge Brownies Emily Dickinson's Gingerbread Cookie Recipe Emily's Best Brownies Famous Oatmeal Cookies Firemen Cookies Fluffy Shortbread Cookies Forgotten Cookies Frosted Peanut Butter Brownies Fruit Cake Cookies Fruitcake Squares Fry Pan Cookies Gems Ginger Cookies Ginger Crinkles Gingerbread Baby Gingerbread Cookies with Butter Cream Icing Gingerbread Men Gingerbread Men Ginny's Gluten Free Chocolate Chip Cookies Glory's Golden Graham Squares Glory's Sugar Cookies Gramma Chapman's chocolate coconut drops Grandma Elsie's Zimt (cinnamon) Cookies Grandma J's Butter Cookies Grandma Olson's Parkay Cookies Great Grandmothers Sugar Cookies Gum Drop Cookies Gumdrop Gems Haystack Cookies Ho-Ho Bars Holiday Cereal Snaps Holiday Chocolate Butter Cookies Holiday Raisin Walnut Bars Holly Cookies Hungarian Cookies (Little Nut Rolls) Ice Box Cookies Irresistible Peanut Butter Cookies Italian Cookies Jacob's Peppermint Snowballs Jam Bars Jessica's Famous Brownies Jessie's Chocolate Chip Cookies Jubilee Jumbles Juliet's Peanut Butter Blossoms Jumbo Chocolate Chip Cookies Kentucky Colonels Kiefle (cream cheese cookies with jam filling) Kifflings Kiss Cookies Lacy Swedish Almond Wafers Lemon Angel Bar Cookies Lemon Bars Lemon Cake Cookies Lemon Cream Cheese Cookies Lemon Squares Linzer Tarts Log Cabin Cookies Luscious Lemon Squares M&M Cookies Magic Cookie Bars Melt in Your Mouth Cutout Sugar Cookies Melting Shortbread Meme's Cream Cheese Cookies Milk Chocolate Florentine Cookies Mincemeat Cookies Mincemeat Goodies Molasses Cookies Molasses Forest Cookies Molasses Sugar Cookies Mom Mom's Crescent Cookies Mom-Mom's Ginger Cookies Mom's Nutmeg Sugar Cookies Mom's Old Fashion 'Puffy' Sugar Cookies Monster Cookies Moravian Christmas Cookies Nana's Famous Soft Southern Cookies Nitey Nite Cookies No Bake Chocolate Cookies No Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Cookies No Bake Peanut Butter Cookies No-Bake Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies No-Bake Cookies Norwegian Sugar Cookies Nut Balls Oatmeal Bars Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Nut Cookies Oatmeal Coconut Crisps Oatmeal Cookies Oatmeal Scotchies Old Fashioned Sugar Cookies Ooey Gooey Caramel Chocolate Dunk Ooey Gooey Squares Orange Slice Cookies Parking Lot Cookies Peanut Blossoms Peanut Butter Bars Peanut Butter Blossoms Peanut Butter Cereal Cookies Peanut Butter Chewies Peanut Butter Chocolate Bars Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut Butter Cookies Peanut butter fingers Peanut Butter Reindeer Peanut Butter Surprises Peanut Marshmallow Cookies Pecan Puff Cookies Peppermint Snowballs Peppernuts Persimmon Cookies Persimmon Cookies Petey's Yummy Spicy Almond Thins Pfeffernuesse Pffefferneuse Cookies Pineapple Filled Cookies Pizzelles Potato Chip Cookies Potato Flake Cookies Praline Cookies Praline Strips Pterodactyl Nests Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Bars Pumpkin Chip Cookies Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies Pumpkin Cookies Queen Biscuits Quick Cookies Raised Sugar Cookies Raisin Filled Oatmeal Bars Raspberry Meringue Bars Really Peanutty Butter Cookies Reese`s Brownies Reese's Peanut Butter Bars Rich Flavor Christmas Cookies Rich Lemon Bars Ricotta Cheese Cookies Royal Almond Christmas Bars Rudolph Cinnamon Cookies Russian Tea Cookies Russian Teacakes Samantha & Kelsey's Chocolate Chip Cookies Sand Art Brownies Santa Claus Cookie Pops Santa Claus Cookies Santa's Butterscotch Melts Santa's Shorts Santa's Special Squares Scotch Cakes Scotch Shortbread Scotcharoos Scotcheroos Seven Layer Cookies Short Bread Cookies Shortbread Skor Squares Snicker Doodle Cookies Snickerdoodles Snickerdoodles Snow Balls Sour Cream Apple Squares Sour Cream Christmas Cookies Special K Cookies Spice Cookies Spicy Oatmeal Raisin Cookie Spritz Cookies Stained Glass Window Cookies Stir & Drop Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Sugar Cookies Swedish Pepparkakor (Pepper Cake) Cookies Swedish Sugar Cookies Sweet Marie's Swiss Treats Taralle (Italian Cookies) Tea Time Tassies Texas Brownies The Best Shortbread in The World Thumbprint Cookies Thumbprint Cookies Toffee Squares Traditional Christmas Sugar Cook

Christmas Card Recycling, Meta Stuff

2007-11-26T07:18:00.000-06:00

I've done some research on ways to display/reuse your old Christmas cards, unless you have a holiday tradition of losing them/feeling guilty about losing them/finding them and putting them in a box you'll never, ever be able to locate again. (Or maybe that's just me.)

First up: Wreath Made of Cards!

I didn't have twenty cards lying around (see above tradition), so I cut up some construction paper and folded it and we'll all have to pretend these are cute holiday cards with snow and trees and kittens. Also, I did this in my studio, and my work bench is old and beat up, so forgive the surroundings.

The "cards":

Use the power of imagination! Can't you just see the sparkly reindeer?

For this you'll need roughly twenty cards, and it might be fun to use contrasting colors, or use all cards of a similar color, or use a theme such as all snowman cards, etc. You're only limited by the cards you've been hoarding (or losing).

First you'll need to draw a two inch by four inch rectangle on the back of a card and cut it out (my fake cards are small so my rectangle is also small).

Also, you may notice my work in these photos is a bit "relaxed" or "sloppy." Don't judge me; I'm still recovering from an obscene amount of mashed potato consumption. In the art world, this is what we call a mock-up, which is handy little term to say "this one is just a quick practice, please ignore all the crappy mistakes."

Anyway, cut out the rectangle with scissors or an Exacto knife, whatever you have that lets you cut out rectangles.

Then trace the rectangle on the fronts of the rest of the cards and cut them out. Use that first rectangle as a template so you don't have to remeasure.

Now arrange them into a round shape, by putting the corner of each card into the rectangle of the previous card. Like so (bonus--awkward hand!):

Take this time to check out the circle, and rearrange the cards how you want them. If you want to move the reindeer card away from the snowman card because they don't look as if they are getting along, do it now.

Then, glue the edges of the cards together. I used my disgusting old hot glue gun because it was closest, but I recommend other (safer) methods as well. Any old glue should work.

Keep on gluing:

When you're done, and the glue is dry, flip over your wreath and glue down any parts that seem flimsy or floppy.

Finally, take a piece of ribbon or yarn or string and use it to make a hanger. You could punch a hole, or just glue it on, depending on the glue you use.

And there it is! A Christmas card wreath! Or, in my case, a sort of messy construction paper wreath! This is why I love the term "mock-up." To fancy it up, you could add a bow to the front, but it's not necessary. Just imagine these are cute Christmas cards, okay?

Okay, the next one I found was how to make neat little gift boxes out of cards. Good for jewelry, gift cards, etc.

I dug around and found a little note card, so the mock-up wouldn't be quite as lame as construction paper. First you cut the card's front off:

The back half of the card you will use for the bottom of the box. So take it and cut 1/8 of an inch off one short and one long side. (So it will fit easily when you close the box.) Just use a ruler and draw two little marks at the 1/8 inch mark on each side, draw a line between them, and cut.

See? Connect the dots, then slice away.

After that, put aside the back half. Take the front half of the card, flip it over to the blank side, and mark off 1 inch and 1/2 inch from each side.

Connect the dots!

Okay, now take the BACK of the blade of your exacto, or a pizza cutter, or something else thin and sort of sharp/sort of dull. Trace the lines (against a ruler) with it, so that you sort of score the lines to make folding more easy. You could also use a ball point pen and press down hard.

I didn't take a picture of that step, because I am one of those people who can just look at a butter knife and get a cut, so I tried to be careful and not multitask. You understand.

After you score, cut to the one inch mark, from the short side, on each edge, so you have little flaps.

Then fold the long sides on each of the lines.

Press the sides down:

Push in the flaps:

Fold in the flaps toward each other, then fold the short sides down over them. I had to use a bit of glue to keep it in place properly, but I hadn't been super careful with my measuring/drawing/folding. It might be easier if you are more precise--otherwise, the glue helps hold it all in place.

And then, you have a lid!

Just repeat on your slightly smaller piece to make the bottom. And you have a cute little gift box! This was just the right size for a gift card or jewelry or maybe a tidy little wad of cash.

If you're ambitious, or have even more cards stashed away, you can try one of these. I didn't try one today, but they look really neat and it says you can also use wrapping paper. I think several hanging in a window or doorway would be really, really pretty, and the site has handy print-out templates.

Blog business alert: if anyone out there is interested in helping with this site, shoot me an email. I'm trying to figure out how to keep up two blogs, work full time, be an artist, keep up an online store, take care of four pets, be a newly wed, and not suffocate under mountains of laundry and dog hair. If anyone would like to help with the recipes category, or the craft category, or has lots of ideas, or gets some sort of enjoyment out of editing/proofreading posts, or has tons of fun decoration knowledge, or knows how to find good deals on stuff, or is a Googling master, ANYTHING, let me know if you'd like to be a part of Maybe Painted Pink. I want this blog to be as fun and helpful as possible, and the reader emails/posts are AWESOME. I'd love to have some regular helpers. karamarie at gmail dot com.

Penned Tree

2007-11-23T07:23:00.000-06:00

Erin sent in a genius-yet-simple idea to keep your Christmas tree safe. She says:

"This brilliant idea comes from my own parents, who had 6 kids in the house, all within 7 years of each other. No wonder they’re completely insane now. When we were young, instead of trying to keep us away from the Christmas tree, since someone (children, cats, dogs) was always trying to climb it, they put the tree inside a playpen. Genius! The tree was safe. The presents remained wrapped. The kids were not climbing the branches."

I've waged the tree battle against mountain goat-esque cats, and my brother was a notorious gift snooper. I can't believe I've never thought of something as simple as penning off the tree! Thanks, Erin!

Thanksgiving Eve

2007-11-21T07:12:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving Eve!

Healthy side dish ideas!

Last minute centerpieces!

Thawing turkeys!

Leave a comment and share what you are thankful for this year. I'm feeling particularly thankful for my wonderful husband, our four terrible pets, cinnamon tea, all the lovely people in my life (online and off), a challenging job, and a busy life where every day interesting.

Thanksgiving Pop Culture

2007-11-20T07:10:00.000-06:00

Hey, remember when Snoopy made ice cream sundaes and Woodstock helped make buttered toast for Charlie Brown and the gang? For no reason that actually makes any sense? New cartoon specials, along with other Thanksgiving goodies, are up here. They might get you in the Thanksgiving mood.

Thanksgiving Veggie-Style

2007-11-19T07:31:00.000-06:00

Because we don't all partake in the turkey part of turkey day, I've found some tips on vegetarian Thanksgivings. If you're hosting dinner with some vegetarian guests, these might be helpful--it doesn't have to be tricky. Especially if you follow the first tip:

1) ASK ABOUT DIETARY RESTRICTIONS FIRST. This is crucial, especially if you're expecting guests you don't know well. Vegetarians might eat cheese or eggs, while vegans will eat nothing animal at all. (No dairy, no eggs, no cheese.) There are pescetarians, lactovegetarians, ovovegetarians, and so on. Ask lots of questions before you cook. This is also helpful even when all your guests are carnivorous--it's nice to find out ahead of time if guests have allergies, intolerances, etc. Open communication ahead of time is key.

2) If you like to cook your stuffing inside the turkey, consider cooking a small amount outside the turkey. Vegetarians may or may not eat something that has touched meat. (The same goes for utensils, plates, etc.) Setting aside portions of foods so they don't get mixed in with meat product is usually easily done.

3) Watch your prepackaged foods--some vegetarians don't eat gelatin, whey, or sodium caseinate because they are derived from animals. (Yes, gelatin is made from animals. Yet another weird reason for me to justify my hatred of all food jiggly. You know, other than my real reason for hating it, which is that it's too jiggly.)

4) Make sure you have plenty of vegetarian-friendly side items (this shouldn't be hard, since most cranberry sauces, sweet potato dishes, breads, green beans, and potato dishes are veggie-friendly--just be aware that if there are marshmallows on your yams, a vegetarian might not eat it because of the gelatin, or if there is chicken broth instead of vegetable broth in your stuffing, it will be declined) (same goes for bacon in your green beans, etc). This might be a good opportunity to try something new and seasonal, like a pumpkin soup or squash dish. Maybe something with portobello mushrooms or eggplant. You can easily find a yummy vegetarian entree that non-vegetarians will love as a side dish--just make sure the vegetarians get enough!

5) Some vegetarians like things like tofurkey, others don't. Don't feel obligated to make a ton of a special meat substitute if you aren't sure they will eat (or even like) it.

6) Invite all your dinner guests to bring a dish. This will help cut back on your stress (and theirs) if they bring something that will definitely meet their dietary needs. And you won't have to cook as much, which means you can spend more time taste-testing things and getting in on all the family holiday gossip.

These tips and more can be found here, along with instructions on making tofurkey.

Any vegetarians out there with more insight? What am I leaving out? Any favorite Thanksgiving dishes you like?

History Lesson, Wikipedia Style

2007-11-18T16:53:00.000-06:00

Thanksgiving history!

Push Pins and Caramel Cranberry Bars

2007-11-16T07:01:00.000-06:00

Follow up from the last post:

Courtney sent this:

"I just read you post from earlier and I wanted to mention that I've done something similar to make thumb tacks/push pins before. You just get a bunch of push pins and some of those round glass rocks (like the ones that are used in the bottom of flower arrangements and aquariums, etc). Make sure they are flat on one side. On the flat side you glue the picture (either photographs or magazine cutouts will work) PICTURE SIDE DOWN. This will make it so that the picture shows through when you glue the thumb tack to the rock. Obviously you have to use small pictures in order for them to fit on the rock, but they do kind of magnify the picture so it looks really neat on your bulletin board. It's a cool twist to the magnet gift idea. Maybe people could make a set of magnets and push pins to match...?"

And because it's the last weekend before Thanksgiving, perhaps we all need to treat ourselves to another cranberry-licious treat, sent in by Devan.

Caramel Cranberry Bars

Ingredients:
1 package fresh or frozen cranberries, thawed (I used fresh, 14 oz)
1 pkg (8 oz) chopped dates
3/4 cup pecans (I skipped these)
2 TBSP + 1/2 cup sugar divided
2 1/3 cup all purpose flour, divided
2 cups oats
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup butter, melted
3/4 cup caramel ice cream topping (I used sugar free, about 75% of the
small jar)

In a small bowl, mix together cranberries, dates, 2 TBSP sugar and pecans. Set aside.

In a large bowl, combine 2 c flour, oats, brown sugar, baking soda and remaining sugar. Stir in butter. Set aside 1 c of mixture for topping. Press remaining mixture into greased 9x13 pan. Bake at 350 for 15 minutes.

Meanwhile, place the remaining flour in a small bowl. Mix with caramel topping. Set aside. When crust is done, sprinkle cranberry mixture evenly over crust. Drizzle caramel topping over that. Sprinkle with reserved crumb mixture.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until golden brown and bubbly.

She says, "YUM! It's tart! It's sweet! It's crispy and chewy and pretty!" Which sounds quite promising.

What are you guys doing for Thanksgiving this year?

Magnet Gift Idea

2007-11-14T07:17:00.000-06:00

Jen sent in a super fun sounding idea for a gift that kids can help make, specifically one that, as she puts it so well, does not "suck for the recipient". She says, " Suzy Homemaker I am not. I am also not crafty. If Martha Stewart saw me or my house or any of my kitchenware she would need to be rushed immediately by air-ambulance to the nearest hospital to recover from the shock and disgust. HOWEVER... my oldest daughter came home from school one day with the coolest idea ever. She came home with a refrigerator magnet she had made of, be still my heart, Johnny Depp as Jack Sparrow. LOVE HIM!

Now this idea SO DIDN'T SUCK enough that I went right out to Michael's and bought the supplies (Mod Podge, mosaic tiles, magnets and foam brushes). My kids made them one afternoon for fun over the summer, and I'm thinking they can each make a set of 4 or 6 (probably 4, I'm lazy like that) for their godmothers for Christmas.

All you do is cut out pictures from magazines, brush a tile with Mod Podge, smooth a picture down, let it dry and then put a coat or two of Mod Podge on top. The you glue a magnet to the back. EASY! The only drawback is the tiles are VERY small, but they had other things at
Michael's that could be used as well, like irregular shaped pieces of "washed glass." Anyway, it's a fun and easy project for the kids AND the end result is pretty cool too. The magnets are good and strong, so they're GREAT for refrigerator magnets."

Okay, more fun ideas like this, anyone?

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

2007-11-12T07:21:00.000-06:00

Reader Martha sent us a recipe for some yummy White Chocolate Cranberry Bars, which, I think, sound both Thanksgiving-y and Christmasy. And also, tasty.

White Chocolate Cranberry Bars

2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
2/3 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup cranberries, coarsely chopped
1 cup chopped walnuts
12 oz. bag white chocolate chips, divided
1 tablespoon shortening

Grease 13x9 inch baking pan. Combine first four ingredients in large bowl, mix well and set aside. Combine sugars and butter in another bowl, blend until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla, blend well. Gradually add flour mixture; stir just until combined. Stir in berries, nuts, and 1 1/2 cup chips. Spread into pan and bake at 350 degrees until golden, 30 to 40 minutes. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt remaining chips and shortening, stirring until smooth. Drizzle over top. Cool completely, cut into bars. Makes 3 dozen.

Plus! Cranberries are good for you.

Snickers Surprises

2007-11-09T07:10:00.000-06:00

Heather sent in an AWESOME sounding recipe, perfect for using leftover Halloween candy. (If you have leftover Halloween candy. If you do, I applaud your self control. Or think you're CRAZY.) She says:

"Snickers Surprises
2 sticks softened butter
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1 cup light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 package Snickers brand Miniatures (the bite sized ones!)

1.Combine the butter, peanut butter and sugars using a mixer on a medium to low speed until light and fluffy.
2. Slowly add eggs and vanilla until thoroughly combined. Then mix in flour, salt and baking soda.
3. Cover and chill dough for 2-3 hours.
4. Unwrap all the Snickers.
5. Remove dough from refrigerator. Divide into 1 tablespoon pieces and flatten.
6. Place a Snickers in the center of each piece of dough.
7. Form the dough into a ball around each Snicker.
8. Place on a greased cookie sheet and bake at 300* for 10-12 minutes.
9. Let cookies cool on baking rack or wax paper.
*10.( I like to drizzle a bit of melted chocolate over the tops of the cookies as well. Makes for a sweeter presentation!)"

Let's all tell Heather she is pretty and we love her.

Handy Guide to Thanksgiving

2007-11-08T07:10:00.000-06:00

I don't know about you, but I've been feeling pretty shocked/horrified that Thanksgiving is so soon. Two weeks away! Fourteen days! I haven't glanced at turkeys, I haven't been worrying about gravy, I haven't even thought about Christmas shopping (unless you count an occasional panicked "OH NO OH NO OH NO!" followed by mental suppression). Yesterday I noticed my town is already putting up Christmas wreaths and lights, and I realized Thanksgiving is two! weeks! away!

Have you guys been checking out Real Simple's website? Here they have posted a handy dandy Thanksgiving cheat sheet, complete with what you can do to prepare in advance. I've missed the three week before assignment (whoooops) but can follow the rest. Turkey roasting guides, 60 second centerpieces, a carving guide, even reviews on the best boxed stuffings (what? did I say that?), even fun little tips on dealing with annoying guests. (Who can't use a bit of advice on dealing with family?) I suggest we all mosey on over to get ourselves in the Thanksgiving mindset. And in my case, to get some serious Thanksgiving help.

In the meantime, any favorite Thanksgiving recipes to share? Any fun traditions? Anything wacky or interesting to tell me about? Email away!

Thanksgiving Spirit Activate

2007-11-06T07:16:00.000-06:00

Get thee to Pioneer Woman Cooks! now! Go! Her beautiful step by step photos and the general sassiness/yumminess will put you into the Thanksgivingy spirit. I promise. She's doing an entire Thanksgiving series (and I've tried her recipes, and they are goooooood), and it is fun and makes me hungry.

First Meta Post!

2007-10-31T19:34:00.000-05:00

So! This blog made it through it's very first holiday (it's been shaky at times, especially since I started a new job the same time I started this blog). I'm going to take a few days off, to regroup for Thanksgiving and Christmas (yikes) and get all my bloggy ducks in a row. Now would be an excellent time for some feedback from you, readers!

How are you feeling about this little holiday blog experiment? What do you like or dislike? What would you like to see more of, or less of? Are you enjoying it or finding it helpful? Have you tried anything I've posted here? Any ideas, tips, complaints? Hate mail? Want to tell me I'm pretty? I'm trying to decide what'll be the easiest/most fun/most helpful/most informative/most awesome way to go through the upcoming season here, while keeping up with my job and other blog and various pets and relationships and responsibilities, blah blah blah. And, you know, those holidays. So if you have anything to share or whine about or suggest, do it now. Feel free to comment or drop me a line at karamarie at gmail dot com. I think things are going okay, but I want this to be as helpful and fun as possible.

Here's what I see: recipes (I'd love to see some for varying dietary needs, such as lactose intolerance, allergies to wheat, diabetes, etc), stress relief ideas, gift ideas, fun decorations, easy/efficient ways to do things, and tons more reader sharing. Especially of traditions and stories. I'm also thinking of a sidebar thing where I can post questions/ideas for posts. As in, "What do you do to make your house smell nice in about two seconds?" and then people can let me know and we can have a fun post about it. And people can submit their OWN questions and concerns, that way. What do you think?

And if you have fun Thanksgiving/Christmas stuff to send me, do it!

I'll see you soon, after my blogging regrouping break!

Reader Photos--Fall '07

2007-10-30T18:20:00.001-05:00

These beautiful photos are from Marie's blog. The hilariously cute sixth one made me feel particularly nostalgic.

This is Swistle's pumpkin pi, which is well-executed and quite awesome:

This was sent in by reader Martha, of her very adorable son checking out a pumpkin patch:

El-e-e sent in this pretty door decoration photo. Check out the cute scarecrows!

Last night was our town's trick or treating, and we took some photos of our decorations:

This is not technically a reader photo, but I felt it was necessary to share it with you:

Thanks so much to everyone who participated, and if you still want to send something in I'll try to get it up by the end of the day. Or you can link us up in the comments section. It's great seeing your pictures! I hope your day is filled with spooooooky trick or treaters, way too much candy, and lots of fun...Happy Halloween!

Halloween Cartoon Madness

2007-10-30T07:37:00.000-05:00

Have you guys been going here? You can watch tons of Halloween goodies there, including the Great Pumpkin classic. Go, enjoy, and then send me photos of your Halloween stuff! If you have posted Halloween/fall photos on your own blog, and want to use any of those photos in my post for tomorrow, I can make that happen. Have fun!

Carving Pumpkins

2007-10-28T23:01:00.001-05:00

This weekend I made a ridiculous attempt to carve a pumpkin to look like Godzilla:

I also enjoyed the general pumpkin silliness here.

What about you? Did you carve a jack o'lantern this weekend?

Also, if you haven't sent me fall photos yet (and you probably haven't) you've only got today and tomorrow left to do so. I'm not above posting just mine and the one photo a lovely heroic reader sent in, but wouldn't you like to participate, too? Email them to karamarie at gmail dot com.

Butternut Squash Soup

2007-10-25T07:05:00.000-05:00

Martha sent in this recipe for a butternut squash soup. And it sounds very, very good. She says, "I thought I would send in a recipe that has gotten great reviews from everyone I have served it to… even my 2 year old eats it up!" She got the recipe from a friend in Australia.

Butternut Squash (or Pumpkin, if you're Australian) Soup

3.5 lbs butternut squash; peeled, deseeded and cubed
2 tomatoes, halved (a can of tomatoes will also work)
1 large onion, quartered
5 cups water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
Pinch of salt
Cayenne pepper to taste
2/3 cup cream or half and half

In a large pot, place squash, tomatoes, onion, water, bouillon and salt. Bring to boil, and reduce to simmer for 20 minutes or until squash is soft. Puree the mixture (a little at a time in the blender if you don’t have a stick blender). Add cayenne to taste (it doesn’t take much). Right before serving, add the cream. Heat gently if needed.

I think this makes an excellent addition to the cozy recipe post. Thanks, Martha!

Also, again: be sure to send in photos of your jack o'lanterns, your pumpkins, your seasonal porch displays or table decorations. Or changing trees, or anything. Anything that makes you feel fallish/Halloweeny for a Halloween Reader Photo Post.

Have a great weekend!

Decoration Links

2007-10-24T19:01:00.000-05:00

Okay! Fun link alert! I enjoy Design Mom's blog very much, and lately she's been posting some very fun Halloween stuff.

Like this.

And this.

And also, this.

And, let's not forget these pretty gourds!

Don't forget to take photos of all your fall/Halloween decorations, and email them to me for our Reader Halloween Photo Fest!

Jack o'Lantern History

2007-10-22T06:56:00.000-05:00

Flibberty sent me this email, and I'm glad she did--I love learning about where holiday traditions began. She did a little research on Jack o'lanterns for us.

She says, "The story of the Jack o'lantern comes from Irish folklore. Jack was a crafty farmer who tricked the Devil into climbing a tall tree. When the Devil reached the highest branch, Jack carved a large cross in the trunk, making it impossible for the Devil to climb down. In exchange for help getting out of the tree, the Devil promised never to tempt Jack with evil again. When Jack died, he was turned away from Heaven for his sins and turned away from Hell because of his trickery. Condemned to wander the Earth without rest, Jack carved out one of his turnips, took an ember from the devil, and used it for a lantern to light his way. He became known as 'Jack of the Lantern.'"

I also found some more stories here.

Speaking of Jack o'lanterns, if anyone has any tips for a) not cutting yourself or b) not making one that looks as if a hoofed mammal carved it, please send them to me, or share in the comments section. My history of awful pumpkin carving leads me to believe I have some room for improvement.

Want more Halloween history? Find it here!

Boo! Cake! Decorations!

2007-10-18T20:10:00.001-05:00

Okay! Catching up on a few different things this morning. Including a call for reader participation! Ready?

First, look at this cute way to spread the Halloween love around! Heather shared this, originally posted here.

She says, "I think this would also be a fun idea to do in an office or other group setting if you don't have a neighborhood that would welcome this little 'game'."

You've Been Boo'd

Now it's your turn to "Boo" two other people in the neighborhood:

Fill two bags with candy and treats. Copy this letter and ghost twice. Include a copy of this letter and the Boo ghost in your bag of treats and goodies for the neighbors that you choose.

After dark, and only with an adult, "Boo" two of your neighbors. Do not let the person that you are "Boo'ing" see you, for it adds to the fun of it all! Place the treat bag on the doorstep, ring the doorbell and run! You should "Boo" these people within 2 days of receiving your own treat.

Hang your own Boo ghost in your front window so that everyone can see that you have been "Boo'd" and will not Boo you again. It will be fun to see how many ghosts will appear in our neighborhood by Halloween! Please keep it safe and enjoy!

She wrote this about it:

"We had so much fun getting together our goodies to give! We went crazy with the dollar items at Michael's... I did fun Halloween rub-ons on the cheap-o paper gift bags and filled them with stickers and other stuff geared toward the neighbor kids. I got these adorable Halloween Chinese take-out boxes we filled with Halloween brownies and candy corn, and even found some magic orange Halloween hot chocolate. It all turned out super cute. Wrapped up the little note and the Boo ghost in a snip of orange and black ribbon, and we were off to be a part of (hopefully) a fun neighborhood tradition!

Savannah and Ryan were the ones to "make the drop", and after Savannah rang the doorbell Ryan would scoop her up and run. She was giggling like crazy the whole time! So fun.

We found our own "Boo" package on our doorstep this morning. The kids were super excited. Dumping out the pumpkin bucket we found was like opening their Christmas stockings, complete with oooh's and ahhh's and gasps of excitement. Who knew Goldfish, Pez, candy corn, candles and stickers would get such a fun reaction?!"

Has anyone else done this? It sounds awesome! Next up...cake!

Kelli sent us a link to an awesomely DISGUSTING cake, which would be super fun for a Halloween party. I have to tell you, my mother made this cake for my and my twin brother's 18th birthday. It looked absolutely real. And gross. It was delicious, but it looked so much like the real thing that we sort of faced a mental block.

At any rate, it's hilarious and here's the link.

Now! I was thinking, how fun would it be to see reader Halloween decorations? I'll probably want to do something similar for other holidays, and Halloween will be a fun way to start. So, up until Halloween, if you feel like participating (and you totally do), I want you to email me photos of your jack o'lanterns, decorations, trees with changing leaves, pumpkins on your front porch, bowls of gourds, etc. Anything in your surroundings that put you in the fall and/or Halloween mindset, you know? Take pictures, email them to karamarie at gmail dot com, and then right around Halloween we'll get to enjoy all the fun photos in our first reader-shared-photo-post.

So, get cracking with the cameras! (I'm so bossy!) And maybe put some candy on a porch (being sure to sample some first, of course, for quality control reasons) and if you're reeeeally brave, make a kitty litter cake. Have a great weekend!

Cozy Recipes

2007-10-17T07:12:00.000-05:00

How about some recipes? I have some here that have been sent in that are fitting for fall/winter, and they all sound like tasty things to feed house guests. And I love feeding house guests tasty things (I think that we can count ordering them pizza as feeding them tasty things, but let's say we need to cook).

First, Marie sent in a recipe for beer bread, which sounds pretty awesome (you can use something else if you don't want to use beer). She says,

"Marie Green's Super Easy Beer Bread

This recipe is really easy and quick (NO kneading), and the bread will be great with soups this fall.

2 Cups Self-Rising Flour (be sure to use Self-Rising)

1/2 C sugar

12 oz beer* (any kind, room temperature if possible)

2 Tblsp melted butter/margarine

(Preheat oven to 375). Grease a standard bread pan. Combine flour, sugar, and beer. Stir until well blended. Pour into bread pan. Let stand for about 20 minutes. Drizzle melted butter on top. Bake at 375 for 50 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes before slicing and eating.

If anyone has ever had the Tastefully Simple brand of beer bread , this recipe is VERY similar.

*Any carbonated beverage will work great. If you use Coke or Sprite, your bread will be slightly sweeter- very tasty."

Erin sent in this, which sounds yummy and cozy and easy:

"Shortcut Chicken & Dumplings

These are shortcut because (1) you use the crockpot, and (2) the dumplings are just Bisquick thrown in on top. I use a few thawed and trimmed chicken breasts (usually three, but two or four works fine too). Put one can (14 oz) of chicken gravy in the crockpot, with one can of hot water. Mix in 1/2 tsp each of oregano, marjoram, and basil (just stir it up with a fork). Put the chicken into the mix, then add about a half cup each of carrots, frozen corn, frozen green beans, and frozen peas (or whatever veggies you like to eat. I use frozen because they’re so easy). Let it cook all day (8 hrs or so). An hour before you want to eat, take a fork and break up the chicken. Mix up some Bisquick according to directions (it’s something like 2 cups Bisquick, 1 cup water). Spoon this on top; do not mix it in. Let it cook another 45 minutes, until the Bisquick is a little spongy on top. Let cool 15 minutes. EAT."

Here's a nice fall soup recipe from Melissa:

"Hungarian Mushroom Soup (from the Coffee House Cookbook)

3 cups nonfat milk (I use lowfat, it's what we have)
2 small onions, diced
1 tbsp plus 1/4 cup butter
1 tsp salt
2 pounds mushrooms, sliced (cremini are good, button are fine)
4 1/2 tsp dill
2 tbsp plus 1 tsp paprika (yes, that's a boatload of paprika)
2 3/4 cups water or vegetable stock (I use stock when I can)
1/2 cup flour
2 1/4 tbsp soy sauce
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 1/2 cups lowfat sour cream

1. Begin warming milk in a saucepan on low heat (I totally skip this step, too lazy to wash all those pots!). In a soup pot, saute onions in 1 tbsp of butter and the salt. When soft, add mushrooms, dill, paprika and 1 cup water/stock. Cover and simmer 15 minutes.
2 In a separate saucepan, melt remaining 1/4 cup butter. Whisk in flour forming a roux. Slowly add milk (warm or not) whisking out any lumps. Add roux and milk mixture to the soup pot. Add remaining stock/water and simmer for 10 minutes.
3. Just before serving, add soy sauce, lemon juice and sour cream, whisking thoroughly. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Yield: 10 cups

This is one of our favorite soups and perfect for fall."

Any additions?

Green Grog

2007-10-14T18:59:00.000-05:00

Here's a recipe for a delicious, delicious Halloween punch called Green Grog. I made it last year for our Halloween party, and it was sweet, foamy, green, and surprisingly potent. (Don't worry: I cropped myself out of this so you don't have to see my disturbing Bride of Frankenstein costume combined with my evil grin at the thought of drinking this.)

I think you could easily substitute some sort of lime soft drink or some juice for the rum to make this kid-friendly. I loved having a green, frothy beverage to serve for Halloween.

2 (12 fluid ounce) cans frozen limeade concentrate
2 (12 fluid ounce) cans frozen lemonade concentrate
2 (2 liter) bottles lemon-lime flavored carbonated beverage
1 (750 milliliter) bottle rum
2 quarts lime sherbet

In a large kettle or punch bowl, mix the limeade, lemonade and soda. Stir in rum (feel free to play with amount of rum you use). Mix in the sherbet and serve.

I got the recipe from here. It makes a lot, but the recipe is easily halved, and I made it in smaller batches to keep it cool over the course of the party. It also helps to refrigerate the rum and soda before you make it, so it's extra cool. I imagine this would also work for St. Patrick's Day, if you want something green other than green beer or green jello shots.

Cheers!

(Edit: Fine.)

Costume Mania Reader Ideas!

2007-10-11T05:52:00.000-05:00

Okay! After our little Christmas break (or maybe Bosses Day? October 16th!) I feel ready to move on to the reader costume ideas. I didn't feel absolutely swamped with ideas, but that's okay. I know coming up with costume ideas is hard, hard, hard. Thank goodness for those awesome websites, right? The good news is, the ideas I was sent were all pretty fun/hilarious. Enjoy!

(I copied and pasted from my email, but did a little editing for clarity. Just so you know.)

This one is from Misty. She says:

"When my oldest son was two I made him a pumpkin costume that was very cost-efficient that I thought I would like to share.

Materials:

Orange sweat suit

Orange baseball cap

Black and green felt

Hot glue gun!

Since it was hunting season in our neck of the woods, finding the bright orange sweat suit and baseball cap was not a problem. In fact, since the color is really so hideous for normal wear, I got the sweatsuit and the cap for less than $10.00. Also, I used one 8.5X11esque sheet of black felt. These go for about 20 cents in my neck of the woods. This is for the pumpkin/jack-o-lantern face. I did a really toothy grin with triangle eyes and nose, to keep it simple. For the grin, I sketched it out on a piece of paper first so that I could erase as needed, then cut it out to use for a pattern. After I cut out the face bits, I hot glued them to the front of the shirt.

Using three 8.5x11esque sheets of (dark) green felt for the the foliage, I made strips of attached triangles (they were all one piece and one edge looked like this: /\/\/\/\/\/\). The length you would need would depend on what size costume you are making. Then, once again with the glue gun, I glued these all the way around the wrists of the shirt and the ankles of the pants. I also did a ring around the collar. Also, note that the stretchability of the cuffs will cease to exist once you hot glue on these accents, so make sure you leave enough room for little hands and feet to slip through.

Then, for the pumpkin top cap, I did a circle with the jagged triangle edges and hot glued that to the top of the hat, not overly big, probably around six inches across. Then I took a strip of the green felt and cigar-rolled it up to make a little cylinder. I glued that on top of the jagged circle for the stem.

Voila! You have a comfortable and cute pumpkin costume that is HOMEMADE no less. He was adorable."

I like that this involved no sewing and that "hideous" bright orange color found in hunting gear.

Next we have some ideas sent in by the lovely Pixel. Again, edited slightly for clarity.

"Here are some costumes I've seen people actually wearing that were very cute.

A) The Blues Brothers Couple's costumes.

This husband/wife team I knew just shopped at Goodwill for the shoes, suits, white shirts, ties, and hats. He provided the white cotton socks. She put her hair up under her hat, and they both wore their sunglasses. It was priceless. And cheap. I think they used ballpoint pen for the tattoos on the fingers. They were the hit of the party!

B) Crayolas Group Costume. Also known as Crayons by some people. But we know they're Crayolas.

Buy solid-colored cheap pillowcases at Goodwill, Salvation, or WalMart, etc. If they're not in the color of your choice, dye them. Rit dye is still really cheap. Use black fabric marking pens (Michael's sells these) to draw the lines around the top and bottom of pillow case and label with appropriate icky Halloween color. For adults, things like Pea Green Puke or Puppy Poop Brown are good. Kids could have less "crude" color choices--perhaps I Hate Broccoli Green or Slug Gray. Cut out head and arm holes from pillowcase (no need to get fancy and hem anything. This is disposable). Wear matching tights. Make your "crayon point" from a construction paper cone glued or taped. Elastic can be used under the chin to hold them on for kids. Adults can usually get away with bobbie pins. Use face paint if you want to get fancy, but I've seen this one done (by a group of art therapists) without the face paint and they were adorable! Great idea for a family costumes, too.

C) Pregnant Costume - Eggplant or Pumpkin with Vine.

Mother: Use coat-hangers (or other light, bendable wire) to construct a vaguely rounded shaped of the appropriate veggie, in a size the mother can wear. Make sure pregnant mom fits through the bottom hole you leave for her to put it on! Cover the metal frame with fabric (orange or purple) using a hot glue gun. Cut out arm holes and neck holes. Mom wears matching tights and long-sleeved turtleneck (in green or veggie color). Use green felt to make a flat "cap" and collar of leaves for mom (perhaps like the pumpkin idea above!), and glue a fake stem and leaves to the cap. Use elastic on cap under chin to keep it on.

Father: Use green felt strips tied together and twisted (about 6-10 feet long) to connect to Dad, who gets the joy of wearing green tights and long green t-shirt. Pin or glue the vine to the cap or collar of Mother Eggplant so they stay "connected". If felt is too expensive, plain cotton from a fabric store should be fairly cheap.

To win first prize at a party, the expectant mother has to go into labor and they have to go to the hospital in their costumes. Their child will never forgive them for the weird birth pictures."

All very awesome. Especially tips about how to win first prize. Take notes!

Swistle sent us this:

"Since I am not creative (I have never made a robot costume out of boxes and tin foil, for example), and I am not crafty (sew? no), I am a fan of HANDMEDOWN COSTUMES. When Rob and William were 5 and 3, I bought two pumpkin costumes on a nice sale at The Children's Place. I bought them a little too big. The costumes fit that Halloween and also the next Halloween. The Halloween after that, Rob's costume fit William.

The costumes are close enough in size (and flexible enough in the fit) that the twins will be able to wear them next year--Edward will probably need a larger size than Elizabeth anyway. Eventually Henry can wear them.

In this way I pay for two costumes, and get many, many uses out of them. However: you have to have kids young enough that they don't care, or you have to use my Halloween Costume philosophy, which is that kids get to choose from what's available in the house, not from what's available in the universe. I bring out the bin of costumes and costume pieces, and they can choose what they want from there.

I do have ONE inexpensive, easy costume idea. I use it for younger kids who can be persuaded to dress as a bunny.

At Easter, I buy those headbands with bunny ears attached. So first go back in time to Easter and buy some.

Then I dress the child all in grey and/or white clothing the child already owns: grey sweatpants, white shirt, that kind of thing. White gloves are a nice touch if you happen to have them.

I make a bunny tail out of cotton balls and glue. Take a cotton ball, pull it so it's bigger and fluffier; then take another cotton ball and do the same until you have a big wad of cotton. Squirt glue into the inner workings of the fluff, and mess it around a little (more pulling and squishing). Then let dry. I do this the day before. You can pin the tail to the back of sweatpants with a big safety pin.

For the face, I use liquid eyeliner for whiskers, pink lipstick for the nose. If I don't have liquid eyeliner, I use undereye pencil. If my undereye pencil isn't dark enough, I use Crayola Washable Markers. Emphasis on WASHABLE, or you will be sorry."

Again, I love the philosophy. And also the instructions on going back in time.

Erin sent in this:

"Halloween Costumes in a Box

We used to do this a lot when we were kids. It probably works best with school-age kids. You just get a box from the local grocery store, something that the body can fit into. Then you cut out a hole for the head and the shoulders, so you wear the box like a dress. Then you can be anything box-shaped. Like a box of crayons (my most brilliant homemade costume when I was 8) or a box of candy or something like that. We used construction paper to cover the box with whatever pattern we chose."

This wasn't from a reader, but I saw it on ivillage and wanted to share it:

"What's a quick and easy costume for the toddler? How about a 'baby greaser'? Use hair gel to slick his hair back, a white T-shirt, jeans rolled up, a comb in his back pocket and a jacket. We used a black spray-painted raincoat from a thrift store but you can also use a jean jacket or similar.--cl-mon 7"

Okay! Comments section would looooove to have some more awesome ideas.

And then I promise I'll stop hounding you and move on to something else.

Go!

Money Tree

2007-10-10T07:25:00.000-05:00

Let's take a little one day hiatus from Halloween Costume Mania, shall we? I have something I'm itching to share:

Because it's never too early to start, here is a nifty gift idea from Leah. She received one of these as a housewarming gift, and loves it. I think it falls neatly under the category of Something to Give Someone Who Has Everything, right? Or under the category of I Have No Idea What to Give to My Boss This Year, or whatever tricky gift-giving category you have. If you're not into Money Trees, this site also has some fun bamboo, tea, and bonsai stuff.

Isn't that fun?

The more I thought about it, the more I loved this idea. Giving plants seems fresh and fun, especially since they are so cheerful and green, and winter is not. It makes me think about branching out from "normal" Christmas gifts. Summery things, which can be found online or on clearance now, would be happy gifts to remind the receiver of the return of spring, yes? (See? I wanted to post this while it still might be possible to find stuff on clearance in garden departments/stores near you. ) I thought about flower pots, wind chimes, gardening tools/gloves, bird feeders, planters.

What do you think? Thoughts about summery Christmas gifts? Ideas? Love it? Hate it? Share!

Costume Mania Day Two--Brainstorming

2007-10-07T15:07:00.000-05:00

Today's installment of Costume-Mania is about where and how to find costume ideas. Perhaps none of the premade costumes seem right, but the person you are costuming still has no idea what they want to be. All the possibilities! It's too overwhelming!

That's why we all love the Internet, so so much.

We can go here, for example, and see lots of ideas. Admittedly, some of them are really lame. Some of them might make you groan at the sheer corniness. But it might get the ball rolling, jump start some costume brain storming. If anything, I think the categories are really helpful--do you want to have an occupational (doctor, lumberjack, beekeeper, chef, lifeguard) costume? What about a movie character? What about a character from a book? Maybe someone from a fairy tale or a comic strip? There are the traditional Halloween costumes (witches, ghosts, monsters, mummies, Frankenstein, vampires, black cats, zombies, werewolves), animal costumes, and endless possibilities for inanimate object costumes. I think it would also be good to browse the various costumes and see what you have on hand, and pick a costume that way. I love that some of you keep costume bins, too.

This site has a large list of links to all sorts of costume goodness (including wheelchair-friendly costumes, frugal costumes, costume patterns), safety tips, and articles. This page has quite the list of ideas, complete with instructions. Seriously. Tons of ideas and instructions. Tons.

Tons!

Go browse. It'll be fun, I promise.

Later this week I'll post our very own readers' costume ideas. So, if you're STILL holding out, send your costume idea to me at k a r a m a r i e at gmail dot com. Feel free to talk about what costumes worked in the past, and what didn't.

How do you come up with costume ideas?

Costume Mania Part One--Retail Options

2007-10-07T13:57:00.000-05:00

I asked for Halloween costume ideas, and I was given Halloween costume ideas. I've been trying to think of a way to categorize all the costume madness, and I think will start with some links to costume stores, and then will move on to more home-cooked costumes. I'm gearing this toward kid costume ideas, but I have no kids to put in Halloween garb yet (I know last year's put-the-dog-in-a-chicken-costume idea does not count, at all, and never will). So if I am horribly mistaken about anything, please berate me thoroughly and then correct me. I deserve berating, anyway! I did, after all, put my dog in a chicken costume last year.

My husband and I had an interesting conversation about Halloween costumes this weekend. His parents were very supportive of his costume ideas, and he felt that that was an important part of enjoying Halloween--that he got to be what he wanted to be. One year he wanted to be a beatnik, and his parents helped him work that out. (Besides, there's not much else you can do, I suppose, when your child says, "Mom, I'd really like to be a beatnik this year.") One year he wanted to be the grim reaper, and they figured that out, too. He worked with them to make a wonky eye out of a ping pong ball the year he wanted to be Igor Manic. He thought it was awesome that he was so involved in the costume process. Of course, there is that whole needing to be reasonable factor. Swistle has what seems to be a solid Halloween Costume Philosophy: "...kids get to choose from what's available in the house, not from what's available in the universe."

Costume compromise!

And now, because it seems important, some safety stuff! I feel that we can't escape some sort of safety disclaimer. So here we go!

I pulled this costume safety list off of rhe Walgreens website. (What? Don't you go to the Walgreens website for your holiday safety tips?)

•	Look for costumes made of fire-retardant materials.
•	Add reflective tape to costumes, or have children carry glow sticks so they can be seen by motorists.
•	Keep costumes short enough to avoid trips and falls.
•	Make sure that children wearing masks can see clearly and breathe easily.
•	Read labels on novelty makeup to avoid allergic reactions. Test a small amount on skin a few days in advance.
•	Never use fluorescent makeup near eyes.
•	Remove all makeup before bed. Use the manufacturer-recommended removal method.
•	Do not use decorative contact lenses that have not been prescribed by a licensed eye-care professional.
•	Avoid masks, props and accessories with sharp points or edges. Make them out of soft, flexible material, instead.

Thank you, Walgreens!

Now that my lame random thoughts on costumes and the requisite saftey list are all out of the way, we can move on. To the costumes! Today, I'm just going to list some online places to pick up a costume. Of course, you'll spend more buying a premade costume than on one made with things lying about the house, but it's pretty darn easy to pick out a costume, hand over your e-dollars, and wait for it to arrive. If you're not feeling "creative" or, like me, "really can't live without that dog chicken costume listed on Amazon," this option may be an excellent one for you.

A Few Obvious Places to Buy Costumes (That I Am Not Endorsing, Just Sharing)

Buycostumes.com is, as it says, a costume retailer. They have a huge selection of costumes, props, accessories, make-up, party supplies, and even (ahem) pet costumes. I bought a wig from them last year and was pleased with it. There is a clearance section, and it looks as if, depending on what you want to do, you can spend anywhere from eight dollars to over eighty.

The Children's Place has a costume selection. Old Navy has baby costumes. Good old Target has a large online collection. Prices are varied, and can go over fifty bucks. Obviously other 'regular' stores have similar collections.

And, obviously, there are tons more at Amazon.

(You know. All the obvious stuff.)

If you want something more "unique and crafty", but still in the "easy in that I don't have to make it myself" category, there are also handmade retailers online. For instance, I did a search on Etsy, and came up with some pretty darn cute things. These are all handmade, and I'm a big fan of Etsy's huge base of artisans and amazing products. It might be worth poking around, for some awesome one-of-a-kind stuff. Like this. Or pretty much any of these. Or even this. It seems Etsy is having a costume contest, and the search for the costume contest tag pulled up these results.

We all know there are many more places to buy costumes online. I only wanted to list sites I was familiar with--Google pulls up tons of costume search results, but I don't want to recommend a site without knowing if it is trustworthy, etc. So, your turn! Feel free to share with everybody any good (or bad) experiences you've had with online costume shopping. Or costume shopping in general. Or tell us about your worst costume ever. Or about how that dog-chicken costume just didn't...work out.

Tomorrow, more costume love!

Pumpkin Muffins

2007-10-05T07:04:00.000-05:00

More pumpkin goodness, this time in muffin form, from Swistle! She sent two pumpkin muffin recipes. I like how these bring holiday/seasonal cheer to breakfast. We should all have some muffin goodness this weekend, yes? Sunday morning pumpkin, anyone? Sunday afternoon cheese eyeballs, anyone?

"Swistle's Chocolate-Chip Pumpkin Muffins

1 c. canned pumpkin
2 eggs
1 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. butter, melted
1 t. vanilla
1/2 t. salt
2 t. baking powder
1/2 t. cinnamon
2-1/4 c. flour
3/4 c. chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together pumpkin, eggs, brown sugar, butter, and vanilla. In a separate bowl, mix together salt, baking powder, cinnamon, flour, and chocolate chips. Combine contents of two bowls and mix. Spoon into 12 papered muffin tins. Bake 25-30 minutes.

Pumpkin Spice Muffins
1 and 2/3 c. flour
1 c. sugar
1 t. baking soda
1/4 t. baking powder
1/4 t. salt
2-3 t. pumpkin pie spice (or, see below)
2 eggs
1 c. canned pumpkin
1 T. grated lemon peel (or, see below)
1/2 c. butter, melted
1/2 c. chopped walnuts (optional)
you can also put in 1/4-1/2 c. golden raisins, but I never have

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt, and spice. In a medium bowl, combine eggs, pumpkin, lemon, butter, and walnuts. Add contents of medium bowl to large bowl and stir just until mixed. Spoon batter evenly into 12 greased or papered muffin cups, and bake 20-25 minutes until golden brown.

Pumpkin pie spice alternative: 1 and 1/2 t. cinnamon, and about 3/4 t. (I just do a well-rounded 1/2 t. so I don't have to screw around with a bunch of measuring spoons) each of ground ginger and ground cloves. The exact quantities don't seem to matter much.

Grated lemon peel alternative: I hate grating my own zest, so I put in a t. of lemon extract and maybe half a t. of dried lemon peel--but I think just the extract would be sufficient.

I always double the recipe because I love these muffins and they freeze so well."

Next week, we'll be exploring lots of costume ideas. (And other random goodness. But, also, tons of costumes.) So! If you're holding out on me, there's still time. I'm just saying.

Still time.

Cheese Eyeballs!

2007-10-04T07:13:00.000-05:00

Tessie sent me the following recipe. I told her I LOVE recipes with body parts in the title, but only for Halloween. I don't have a photo of this (there's no way I could convince anyone at my house to eat something with olives, not even the cats), but it promises to be eyeball-licious, and a super awesome treat for Halloween parties. Cheese and butter and olives = eyes. Brilliant!

(If anybody cares to whip these up, send me a photo and I'll add it to the post.)

HALLOWEEN CHEESE EYEBALLS

6 oz. jar stuffed green olives
1/4 cup butter
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese
1 cup flour
1/2 tsp. chili powder

In a mixer, beat 1/4 cup butter one minute. Beat in 2 cups cheese, flour, and chili powder. Wrap 1 tsp. dough around each olive, leaving one end with pimento exposed to make eyeball. Refrigerate until serving time. Sprinkle with chili powder. Bake 20 minutes in a preheated 400 degree oven. Serve warm.

I'm loving the costume ideas you guys are sending in. Keep them coming! I want to get them organized and post them earlier rather than later.

And for now, go forth and make eyeball snacks!

Pumpkin Potpourri Burner

2007-10-03T06:39:00.000-05:00

Pumpkins, pumpkins, everywhere. I'm pretty excited by the recent grocery store pumpkin explosion.

Heather sent this idea in. It's a really cute way to make your house smell yummy.

She says,

"I just made these this morning and thought I'd share...I just love little tiny mini things!

I think I saw this on Martha Stewart once upon a time. I carved a few of the little tiny baking pumpkins, put cute polka dots "vents" in them with an apple corer, and then rubbed cinnamon and other spices onto the lid. I made one for my kitchen window with cloves stuck under the lid instead of rubbing the spices. Light a tea light candle, and you've got a little homemade incense burner. It really does smell good!"

She also included these cute photos. I particularly like the idea of using an apple corer to make tidy circles. If I tried it by hand, the results would be more "frightening" and less "adorable." If you are handy with the pumpkin carving, though, I'm sure you could also make some fancy, intricate vents.

Cute! And easy! And nice-smelling!

Now, I need some help. I'm trying to put together a Halloween costume link/idea fest for an upcoming post. I'm feeling my ideas are pretty lame, so, it's your turn to dish. Email me at karamarie at gmail dot com to give me any ideas/links/instructions. I want to know anything and everything, got it? Think costumes.

Go!

Spider Cookies! Spoooooky!

2007-10-02T07:00:00.001-05:00

Kid-friendly Halloween cookies! (Or maybe, adult child friendly. Because I was super excited by these. Spiders!)

El-e-e says, "These are really cute cookies. The idea came from Highlights HighFive magazine (their publication for 2-5 year olds) but I can't find an online reference to save my life. So, oh well, it'll have to seem like I came up with them all by myself. ;) Not really -- seriously, the October issue, High Five.

SPIDER COOKIES

You'll need:

Nabisco chocolate wafer cookies (2 for each spider)
Peanut butter or cream cheese (or marshmallow creme!)
Pretzel sticks
Raisins, Red Hots, or mini marshmallows

Spread one side of each cookie with a thin layer of peanut butter or cream cheese. Place four pretzel sticks on each side of one cookie (stick them onto the peanut butter) for the legs, then top with the other cookie to make a sandwich. 'Glue' on 2 raisins (or red hots or marshmallows) for eyes, using another tiny bit of peanut butter. VOILA! My 3-yr-old LOVED these."

I love that they have the correct amount of legs. Anatomically correct AND fun! Thanks, El-e-e!

Hosting Ideas

2007-10-01T05:15:00.000-05:00

I received this from Donna, and found the entire email to be so helpful and thoughtful that I'm going to post the whole thing. Holiday entertaining is new to me, and so basic hosting guidance is always appreciated.

Donna says, "This is just what I have learned about hosting parties around the holidays.

1. Commit early. You need to decide well before Thanksgiving if you want
to throw a Holiday/New Year's party. People's holiday calendars book up
early, so if you can have your invitations out right after Thanksgiving,
you have a better shot at being first on your friends' calendar.

2. If you know that the majority of your friends have kids, really
consider making your event inclusive of kids. Like close parking at the
mall on Christmas Eve, babysitting during the holidays can be hard to
come by, so if you want your friends to be able to make it, try to
accommodate the kids. You don't have to have a Santa Claus and face
painting, but maybe a bedroom with pillows or bean bags and a TV with
kid friendly DVDs or even video games for the older kids. Maybe if you
have a good, reliable babysitter, consider hiring him or her for the
party so the parents can relax and enjoy some grown-up time while the
kids are being looked after and entertained. And serve some food that
kids will eat like cheese and crackers, fruit, and fresh veggies
alongside your fancy, rich and filling nibbles. There's no reason why
the adults and kids can't have fun at the same party.

3. Send a paper invitation of some sort. In these days of text message
invitations, (don't laugh, I actually got invited to a party that way
recently) it will really stand out in people's minds that they got an
actual invitation. Plus they can stick it on the fridge and it will be a
reminder to them that yes, they have plans that night, so they won't
double book.

4. Consider an open house. A come-and-go event does not require an RSVP
so you'll have to sort of plan around the idea that everyone will show
up at some point. But you'll also not have to worry about feeding
everyone a full meal - no one will expect it. This type of event allows
your guests to attend even if they have another obligation the same
night. Specify hours on the invitation and try to start early to
accommodate those who have a dinner party - maybe as early 6 p.m. But
make sure you have enough food and drinks to last the entire duration.
You don't want the folks who arrive toward the end of your window to
miss out on your homemade goodies that everyone else has been raving about.

5. Start a new tradition with a Day After event. Maybe you couldn't get
it together for a New Year's Eve party. Why not a New Year's Day brunch?
Casual attire and lots of comfort food (and maybe a bit of the hair of
the dog) will be welcome after formal and fancy events. You can make an
event out of watching the Rose Parade. What about a Boxing Day (December
26th) cocktail hour? There is nothing wrong at all with drawing out the
celebrations as long as possible."

Solid advice and awesome ideas. Thanks, Donna!

Pumpkin Cookies

2007-09-30T12:17:00.000-05:00

I've been on the lookout for a good pumpkin cookie recipe, because a) pumpkin is delicious and b) so are cookies. Last year I made some pumpkin cookies that were sketchy at best, but I knew the combination of pumpkin + cookie could be a magical thing. So! Heather sent this recipe in, and says, "These cookies are super yummy. We made them over and over and over again last fall. I searched high and low for egg free with my son's allergies and ended up finding the best pumpkin cookie recipe I've tasted:

Egg Free Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies
Yields: 48 servings

Ingredients:

2 cups white sugar
1 cup shortening, butter, or margarine
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
4 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
Cream the sugar, shortening, pumpkin and vanilla together. Mix until light and well combined.
Mix the flour, baking soda and ground cinnamon in separate bowl.
Stir the flour mixture into the creamed mixture. Mix until combined. Stir in the chocolate chips.
Drop by teaspoons onto an ungreased baking sheet. Bake at 375 degrees F (190 degrees C) for 12 to 15 minutes or until set. Let cookies cool on a rack.

Nutrition facts (per serving):Calories (kcal) 146 Protein 1.5g Cals from Protein 3% Total Fat 6.5g Cals from Fat 38% Carbohydrates 21.6g Cals from Carbohydrates 56% Fiber 1g Cholesterol 0mg Sodium 75mg."

Original recipe possibly from allrecipes.com.

So, in the name of science (and this blog), I made the cookies Saturday evening. And lo, they were good. Special bonus: the lack of egg meant I didn't have to feel anxious about eating copious amounts of cookie dough. Therefore, I did. These cookies are good, did I say that? They're incredibly moist. And yummy.

Mmmm.

For the record, if you guys send me something without a photo, and then I make the item and post a photo of it and it looks ALL WRONG, and you think, "OH GEEZ, WHAT DID SHE DO?" then, um. Just let me know if I wrecked it, and then we can all make fun of my cooking skills.

Edit: If you're into cookies and ice cream, perhaps consider this. OH MY GOSH. So good.

Autumnal Soup

2007-09-27T18:40:00.001-05:00

The emails, they have been coming in! I've got to keep things straight for everybody's collective sanity, and will be using a tag system for organization, unless it becomes Too Out of Control. Also! Before I forget! When you send me an email with an idea/recipe/whatever, could you please let me know if you want to be linked or have your name up or if you want to be mysteriously anonymous? I want to be all appropriate, you know?

Also, I'd love to have photos, so if you have photos go ahead and send them in!

And, if you have New Year's or Christmas things to share now, feel free to go ahead. You certainly don't have to wait until December. Always be prepared, right?

Okay, now that that is all over with, I think I'll start this blog off with a soup recipe. It's still technically September, but it's definitely starting to feel fall-ish and we're going to drag out Halloween decorations this weekend. This is Swistle's Autumnal Soup Recipe, and for me, one of the best things about the change to cool weather is a yummy, cozy, warm bowl of soup. It's the kick-off! Soup!

Swistle's Autumnal Soup

1 pound or so of ground beef or ground turkey (I use ground turkey, which at our store comes in 1.3 pound packages, and I use the whole package)
28 oz can crushed tomatoes (I like Contadina)
15 oz can tomato sauce (I like Contadina)
4 c. water
1 tsp. sugar
16 oz package frozen mixed vegetables (I like Birdseye classic blend: carrots, beans, peas, corn)
8 oz frozen broccoli (I like to thaw it a little and then snip it with kitchen scissors into smaller pieces)
1 envelope Lipton Onion Soup mix
2 t. salt (or to taste--I love love love salt so maybe start with less than I use)
1 t. crushed red pepper (optional, for spicier soup)

Swistle says, "Fry up the ground meat and drain off as much grease as you can. Put the meat into a big pan--at least 6 quart or you'll be a sorry, sorry cook later on. Add everything else and stir it. Heat to boiling, then reduce it to a simmer and cover it. Let it simmer for half an hour, stirring it occasionally if you feel like it. It's okay to eat right away, but I think it's better reheated the next day.

Delicious accompaniment: garlic toast.

One thing I like about this recipe is that it's flexible. You don't have to use broccoli and classic-blend vegetables, you can instead use up the little half packages of vegetables nobody liked as side dishes, or fresh vegetables that are in danger of going bad in the fridge, or a bag of Italian blend vegetables if you're feeling really wild and crazy. One summer William grew some green bean vines but didn't want to eat the green beans, so I snipped some up into my soup every time I made it. Oooh, and lima beans are good.

It freezes GREAT.

Incidentally, if you do Weight Watchers Core Plan, this soup is a freebie. Well, unless you get all tight about how many grains of that 1 tsp. of sugar are in each portion."

I hope you have a lovely, fallish, soup-licious weekend!

Edit: I made the soup tonight (with slightly different vegetables) and it was really good! Here's a photo:

Here We Go

2007-09-26T19:37:00.000-05:00

Hi!

This is the first post in our new, shiny, holiday tip-sharing blog. I'm super excited, and you guys need to send me lots of emails with tips and questions. And links! Exciting links! So we can steal good ideas from each other! Or "share the love," for those of us who don't want to technically take part in holiday idea theft.

I hope to update every few days, and I also hope this will be a fun, helpful resource to make your Christmas or Halloween or Arbor Day bright.

Send post ideas, advice, or general holiday nonsense to k a r a m a r i e at gmail dot com.