Blessings on this Christmas

As I sit here thinking of this Christmas and of Christmas past, I am so very thankful for this time of reflection. Time to remember good times of the past and to anticipate future blessings. It has been a rough few months, but I know we will get through. And as I wish I had taken more time in the past few weeks to just sit an enjoy the season, I am reminded of the simple truth in this time of year.

I think Linus has it right, and all I want to do is enjoy this Christmas classic with those I hold dear and make memories that will bless me in years to come. I don’t want to forget to ponder the real reason for the season.

Blessings. . .

Cafe Thursday - Crescent Wreath

I can’t wait to try this adorable, yet quick and easy to make crescent wreath!  I just love the shortcuts from Pillsbury.

Ingredients

2 cans refrigerated crescent rolls

1 container pineapple cream cheese spread

1/3 cup chopped ham

1/4 cup yellow pepper, finely chopped

1/4 cup green pepper, finely chopped

1/2 cup broccoli, finely chopped

1 Tablespoon red onion, finely chopped

6 cherry tomatoes, quartered

Directions

Heat oven to 375°F. Turn 10-oz custard cup upside down on center of ungreased large cookie sheet.
Remove dough from 1 can, keeping dough in 1 piece; do not unroll.
(Keep remaining can of dough in refrigerator.) Roll dough in one direction to make 12-inch log.
Cut log into 20 slices. Arrange 16 slices, slightly overlapping and in clockwise direction,
around custard cup on cookie sheet.

Repeat with second can of dough, cutting log into 20 slices. Arrange remaining 4 slices and slices
from second can (total of 24 slices) slightly overlapping each other and in counterclockwise
direction, close to but not overlapping first ring. Remove custard cup.

Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until light golden brown. Gently loosen wreath from cookie sheet;
carefully slide onto cooling rack. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

Place wreath on serving tray or platter. Spread cream cheese spread over wreath. Sprinkle with
remaining ingredients. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate up to 4 hours before serving.

Merry Christmas

Dealing With Christmas Stress - Part 3

The last thing about Christmas that usually stresses me out is the thought of having to decorate the entire house.

Not this year.  I have listed a couple of tips below to make holiday decorating quick and easy.

1.  Add Christmas tree lights to mirrors and doorways.  I know, the sprigs of evergreen and lights looks so nice, but I find that a cheap set of multi-colored lights around a mirror or door frame can quickly decorate a small room (like the bathroom).

2.  Place baskets of ornaments on tables and countertops.  We all have baskets lying around, and most of us probably have old ornaments that we don’t  hang on the tree anymore.  Put them in a basket for an instant centerpiece.  Add some ribbon and you have a very nice new decoration.  If you want to do more, paint the basket to match the bulbs.

3.  Add handmade snowflakes to windows and mirrors.  My kids actually love to make snowflakes and tape them to the windows.  Here is a great site with some patterns to use.

4.  Another thing I do is decorate pillows with ribbon from past Christmas presents and wrap wall art and pictures like presents.

5.  All you need to complete this look is to decorate the tree with traditional ornaments, bows and lights.

Dealing With Christmas Stess - Part 2

 

As promised, today I will share one of my secrets for dealing with Christmas stress this year.  I am cheating.

That is right, the second thing I stress out about most years is all of the baking I have to do in order to take cookies everywhere I go.  I am not gonna slave in the kitchen for hours upon hours trying to make the perfect cookie this year!  I am going to start with some dough provided by good old Pillsbury, and go from there.

In fact, over at the Pillsbury site they have some pretty darn good looking recipes that I plan to use, as well as some of my own editing of their dough.  Why reinvent the wheel?  Most cookies consist of sugar, butter, flour, I think that is what is in the Pillsbury stuff . . . right?

And instead of making 30 different kinds of cookies, I am going to narrow in on a couple and do them really well.

What Have You Done For Your Teen?

I sit here this morning, typing in pain.

In order to bond with my daughter last night, I participated in an activity I really didn’t want to.  I got my nails done.  And do you think she would settle for mom getting a nice plain old manicure?  No!  I had to get these darn acrylic nails put on.  I got them as short as I could, but I am still having a tough time this morning.  It was all I could do to convince her that I just couldn’t possibly get a design too.

So, here I sit, a system administrator who can barely type, let alone be able to take a hard drive out of a computer.  They look great, but come on, they have no practical purpose at all.  I am just waiting for the ridicule from the guys here to start.

So, was it worth it?  Absolutely!  I am convinced that it is these small little memories and shared experiences that really matter.  We wont remember what color we got, or what salon we went to, but we perhaps now have a new Christmas tradition that we will share in years to come.

 What crazy things have you done to bond with your teen or parent?

How I Keep Stress Away at Christmas

I was thinking on my drive to work today that the folks on the radio are special. The woman on the morning talk show was going on and on about how stressed she was and her shopping is almost done, as is her baking and decorating. I was thinking how I had barely started those things and yet for the first year that I remember, I am not at all stressed.

Then, upon arriving to work and checking Christine Kane’s blog as I do each day, I saw that she was also blogging about how to destress, and I figured I may as well add my $.02.

There are three things that usually get me stressed out around Christams time; gifts, baking, and decorating. I will spend the next three days telling you why I am not worried about these things this year.

Gifts: All I had to do to not stress about this is two things. First, I asked myself to quickly list what I received last year. I couldn’t do it. I remember what my thoughtful husband got me, but for the most part, I couldn’t remember the gifts. I am guessing that many people are like me; they remember that they were thought of by friends and relatives, but can’t remember the actual gift. As long as you make the effort, there is absolutely no reason to stress over picking the perfect gift. It doesn’t exist.

Second, I made a list of all the gifts I need to get. I have 22 purchases to make. Now, I don’t know about you, but there are many days, at the outlet malls usually, where I can easily make 22 purchases in a matter of hours. Why is it that we insist on spending several weeekends at the malls this month of the year? Come on ladies, we can do this in a day or less. Again, the key is to quit looking for the perfect gift and instead do the best you can.

Do not let others stress you out, and please realize that none of us have the perfect home, gift, kids, husband, family. Enjoy whatever you do have!

Ah yes, the weekend is coming, and I am preparing for it ahead of time. It has been a very long week both at work and at home, and I have been thinking all morning about some of the fun Christmas Cocktails I have seen and how I can’t wait to try them.

Before the mad cow kicks in (yes, I am a closet Boston Legal fan, and I know it is a terrible show but it is just so darned entertaining and impertinent that I LOVE it) I thought I better jot a couple of these down.

1. I first want to try a Candy Cane Martini. I found this yummy sounding recipe at my new favorite Christmas website; CandyCaneMartini.com. Combine the following: 3/4 oz Peppermint Schnapps, 3/4 oz Creme de Cacao, 1/4 oz Grenadine, 1/4 oz Half & Half, and a splash of 7-up.

2. How about a White Christmas? This recipe comes from the folks over at Fine Living: combine 4 oz of Eggnog, 1/2 oz of White Chocolate Liqueur, and 1 oz of Southern Comfort.

3. Next, I may have to try Emeril’s Candy Cane recipe. To make this, add the following ingredients to a large bowl filled with ice cubes: 3 candy canes, crushed , 1/2 bottle vodka, 1 1/2 cups cranberry vodka, 1/4 cup Grand Marnier, 2 cups macerated cherries, 2 quarts cranberry juice, and 2 tablespoons grenadine.

4. My Grandpa used to make Grasshopper parfaits for all the adults at Christmas when I was a kid, but I had to settle for the fudge parfait instead. This recipe for a Frozen Grasshopper will no doubt be good, and also bring back childhood memories. You blend the following ingredients: 3/4 oz green creme de menthe, 3/4 oz white creme de cacao, and 2 cups vanilla ice cream.

5. And just in case it is as cold by you as it is by me these days, I thought I should add at least one hot drink. How about a Hot Nuts: pour 1 oz of Amaretto almond liqueur and 1 oz of Frangelico hazelnut liqueur in a coffee mug, then fill with hot chocolate. Top with whipped cream and pour 1/8 oz of Cherry Brandy carefully over the whipped cream. Top with a cherry.

Finally Friday Fun

The weather forcast for here in Chicago this weekend is not so pretty. Lots of cold wet stuff, either snow or slush or slushy rain, so we are making plans at our house to do lots of baking.
One of my favorite Christmas cookie recipes has been handed down from generation to generation. It is an odd recipe, but a good one. My daughter and I will be making some of these up tomorrow. . .

CANDY LASSES (Christmas cookies)

Cream: 2/3 cup butter

¼ cup sugar
¼ cup brown sugarBlend: 1 egg
2 tbsp. MolassesAdd: ½ cup peppermint candy canes crushed

Sift: 2 cups flour
½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. salt
½ tsp. cinnamon
½ tsp. nutmeg
½ tsp. ginger

Beat well after blending in egg and molasses—then stir in peppermint candy and dry ingredients—drop by teaspoon onto greased cookie sheets—bake at 350 for 12-15 minutes.

Cool cookies for at least 5 minutes before removing from sheets.

Frost cookies with peppermint frosting.

To make peppermint frosting, add red food coloring, a few drops of peppermint flavoring, and some crushed peppermint candy canes to plain vanilla frosting.

5 Board Games Everyone Will Enjoy

I don’t want to do it, I don’t want to add another gift list, but I have to for two reasons. First, I want to record all my good ideas for myself, and second, everyone I talk to these days is looking for gift ideas. Let’s face it, it is the most important thing on all our minds right now. So, on to the board games.

My husband hates board games, but the kids and I love them. We also find that especially in the winter months, lots of couples like to come over for game night. . .and the food and fun is magical.

So, for those “gamers” on your holiday gift list, here are a few board games that I will be picking up for my friends this year (just so I can use them when I invite them over).

1. Eat It! Snacks & Sweets Trivia Game was feature in the December issue of Every Day with Rachael Ray. Not only does it get great reviews, and include questions about my favorite food group, chocolate, it comes with coupons also. Who wouldn’t enjoy this gift?! ($28)

2. I need to add the Jumbo Sequence game to a list for my family, as we play this all the time with friends. It is a team game, and so the competitiveness in us all comes out, but it usually provides hours of entertainment for anyone who likes card games. ($33)

3. We LOVE Cranium. This is the board game that we go back to time after time, and now there is a new version out. I may even put Cranium Wow on my own Christmas list this year. ($30)

4. Another food related game for the magazine above is one called Celebrity Chef the Game. I’ll admit it, there is nothing I like to do better on a Saturday morning than make a cup of coffee, have some eggs, and sit down to an hour or two of the Food Network. This game will at least validate some of my time spent! ($30)

5. And finally, another game we play over and over again at our get togethers is Scene It. If the person you are buying for has an XBox 360, another GREAT game that I can’t wait to try is the XBox 360 verion of Scene It. ($60)