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Archive for the ‘Christmas’ Category

I was recently  introduced via an email to a fun website called foryourparty.com

You can order awesome customized  holiday cards there.

You simply choose a template, add your photo and text and choose how many cards you want to order.

How simple and easy is that?

And if you are like me and have yet to get your holiday greetings sent out, the timing is perfect to order some fun photo cards to send.

The website also offers a plethora of other fun party related items from personalized napkins, coasters and gift tags to votive candles and candy tins.

You can also pick up fun little party touches like stir sticks, straws and napkin rings.

Check out foryourparty.com and get your holiday party started!

She Who Really Needs to Get Rolling With Her Holiday Greetings

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The other day when Captain Cavedweller and I wandered through a World Market store, we found a case of Frostie pop, in glass bottles.

It had to come home with us. Had to!

There are four varieties of pop in the case, but the one that was giving me fits of nostalgia was the Blue Cream Soda.

One great holiday memory I have is of being about six and our family had gone on our annual jaunt to the woods to get Christmas trees. This was an all-day affair that involved much planning and generated enough excitement in my little 6-year-old person I probably could have fueled the pickup there and back again.

My parents, sister, two brothers and my brother’s wife and baby had loaded up in various pickups and trucks and headed for our destination more than an hour away on snow-packed, icy roads. A trailer full of snowmobiles was dragged along behind us and anticipation was high. After a few rounds of Jingle Bells, echoing off the inside of the pickup cab, my dad would no doubt begin regretting his participation in the venture and would launch into tales of farming incidents or highlights from his childhood to keep us distracted.

Once we made it to our destination, which was usually as close to one of the forest roads as we could stay and still find a place for our entourage to park, we would build a roaring campfire and toast weiners and marshmallows. My dad never met a marshmallow he couldn’t set aflame, although the insides were always cooked to perfection.

On this particular trip to the woods as we searched for trees and played on the snowmobiles, my brother hauled out a cooler of Frostie pop and scooped up snow into paper cups then poured the pop over the top.

I thought it was the best thing I’d ever tasted. The magical wonder of combining pop and snow was not lost on my little sugar-dazed head. I couldn’t tell you what the tree looked like that we choose that day. I don’t remember going home tired, wet, and cold.  But I do remember that being one of the most fun and wonderful tree-getting expeditions we took as a family.

So the other day when I saw the Frostie pop, I had to have it.

I brought it home and created a quick and festive little drink.

Just pour the pop in a glass, shoot in a dollop of whipped topping and sprinkle with snowflake candies and you are good to go.

You could also put a scoop of vanilla ice cream in a glass and pour the pop over the top.

Or if you really want to recreate the fun, pour the pop over a cup full of shaved ice and enjoy!

She Who Misses the Old Glass Bottles of Great Pop

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It has been a bit frosty in our neighborhood the past couple days.

As in bitingly frigid.

As in baby it’s way too cold outside.

As in Jack Frost has done nipped at our noses and chased us back inside.

And although it is miserable to be outside for very long at a stretch, it is certainly beautiful to behold the lacy white splendor left behind by the frost.

Everything is covered in miniature icy spikes that look like spun sugar. With no snow on the ground, the frost has truly created a winter wonderland for us.

Even the rosebuds, the ones (like me) that had not given up hope of warmer days returning, are under the frosty spell.

Despite the cold, it certainly makes it look and feel a bit more like Christmas with everything covered in white.

 

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I’ve been dying to make cake balls for a couple months. Don’t ask me why. It’s just one of those weird things that  infiltrate my brain at 3 a.m. and won’t let me rest.

I decided to make a batch for a holiday party and I will state the following about the process:

1. It was easy

2. It was tasty

3. It was messy

4. It took a little bit of time

Overall, a very fun project and one that would be great if you had an afternoon to spend with your kiddos, dipping the balls.

For the sake of easy handling, I decided to put the balls on sticks and now, I guess, I should really call them cake pops.

Ingredients

Once the cake is baked and cooled, you are ready to start the process. I forgot to include a can of frosting in the ingredient list!

Dump the entire cake into a large bowl and break apart.

Add in half a can of frosting and mix together until ball starts to form. It will feel moist and sticky.

Form cake balls. I made mine fairly big because I wanted to have fewer to dip. I'm a lazy slug that way. I'm also incapable of making perfectly round balls, so pardon my somewhat oddball shaped creation.

 

Cover a styrofoam block with foil.

 

Melt the candy coating then dip in ends of lollipop sticks.

 

Harpoon cake balls with sticks and let rest until candy has hardened.

 

Cover cake balls with candy coating. I used a spoon to drizzle over the balls. Gently tap stick on edge of bowl to get off excess coating.

 

While candy coating is still warm, decorate balls with your choice of sprinkles, crushed peppermint, chocolate shavings or whatever tickles your fancy. Poke sticks into foam and let set until coating has hardened.

 

Serve and enjoy!

 

Holiday Cake Balls

1 cake mix (baked according to package directions)

1 can frosting

1 package candy coating (I used Almond Bark)

Sprinkles or other decoration

Lollipop sticks

Bake the cake according to package directions. Cool completely.

In a large bowl, break up entire cake then mix in 1/2 of the can of frosting. I used chocolate just because I need chocolate like most people need air, but you could choose any flavor cake and frosting.

You may have to get your hands into the project to get it thoroughly mixed and you most definitely will get hands-on- involvement when you form the balls. The size is totally dependent on how big you want to make them. I’d stick in the ballpark of between one to two inches diameter.

Once the ball are formed, melt the candy coating. I did just a few bricks at a time so the whole bowl of coating wouldn’t get hard before I was done. You can just pop it into the microwave in 30-second intervals until it is melted. Do not reheat it as it gets gunky and icky quickly. Use it up then melt the next round.

When  the candy coating is ready, dip in the ends of the sticks then stab them into the balls. Let them sit until the coating is nice and firm. This is very important. If you don’t do this, your sticks may fall out and that would be tragic.

Once the balls are ready for dipping, use a spoon to swirl coating over the balls. Tap the edge of the stick lightly on the bowl to get off excess coating. Cover the ball in sprinkles, crushed candy canes, whatever sounds good and looks tasty. Then poke a hole with the stick into the foam black and let rest until the coating is good and firm.

Repeat until all balls are coated. You can put these in the freezer, wrap in individual cellophane bags or share them for devouring as soon as you are finished.

Enjoy!

She Who Liked These Way Too Much

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