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Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category

Peppermint Pillows

Posted in Christmas, Cookies, Desserts, Entertaining at Home, Holiday Recipes, tagged , , , , on December 2, 2011| 2 Comments »

The other day I was wandering around the grocery store trying to find what I can’t at this moment remember, but I came across a beautiful bag of peppermint marshmallows.

I had to have them. No clue what I was going to do with them, but had to have them.

So I mulled over some ideas of what to make with the sweet little puffs of peppermint and came up with the following.

These are super easy and pretty yummy, if I say so myself!

Ingredients

If the cookie dough looks too thick, slice it into thinner pieces. I cut these into thirds.

While the cookies are baking, crush the dickens out of a candy cane or peppermint stick.

A great stress reliever...

When the cookies are almost done but still gooey in the middle, remove from oven and top with marshmallows.

While the marshmallows are turning into molten pools of bliss, warm the frosting in the microwave for 10-15 seconds, until thin and pourable.

Remove from oven when marshmallows start to melt.

Pour over frosting

Then sprinkle with crushed candy. I am hoping you aren't quite as messy as I am in the frosting stage of this production. If you are, line your pan with parchment to cut down on the mess and stress.

Peppermint Pillows

1 bag peppermint marshmallows

1 package chocolate cookie dough

1 can chocolate frosting

Candy cane or peppermint stick

Bake cookies according to package directions.(You could also make your own cookies from scratch. I cut the purchased cookie dough into thirds because I didn’t want the cookie to be too thick).

Just before they are done, while the insides are still gooey, place a marshmallow on top and return for oven until marshmallow starts to melt. While the marshmallows are turning molten, put frosting into a microwave safe pitcher and nuke for about 15 seconds or until thin. Do not over cook or it will taste scorched and believe me – that is a horridly nasty flavor.

It will only take a minute or two for the marshmallows to be ready to take out of the oven. When they are, pour on the frosting and sprinkle with crushed candy cane or peppermint. Let cool then roll your eyes in bliss as you take a bite. Enjoy!

She Who Loves Peppermint

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25 Days of Christmas

Posted in Christmas, Entertaining at Home, tagged , , , on December 1, 2011| Leave a Comment »

I’m sorry.

I feel like I owe you all an apology for my sad neglect of my blog the past few days.

I have excuses!

I had to finish writing at 50,000 word novel as part of the National Novel Writing Month Contest. I am happy to report I finished with 50,008 words at the eleventh hour yesterday. I’m feeling pretty good about reaching this goal!

I also had some stuff going on at work. Our local chamber has a banquet every fall and businesses decorate tables as part of the festivities. This has become a personal challenge for me to come up with something more fantastic and elaborate every year. Yesterday was the banquet and I spent a good amount of time getting our table ready. I have many people to thank for their help in pulling it all together. This is what the finished product looked like:

I’ve also been plotting and planning some fun for this blog.

As some of you may recall, I like to have fun with the 25 Days of Christmas here  as we count down to the big holiday.

Each day you’ll find posts with entertaining tips, decorating ideas, shortcuts, helpful hints and, of course, recipes!

Today’s helpful hint is about getting organized!

Here is an easy game plan designed to help keep you on track, cut down on stress and get you through the holidays with a little more order and a little less fly-by-the-seat-of-your-pants.
Start by looking at your calendar, organizer or day planner. Pull out all those post-it notes with dates and appointments scribbled on them and start entering them into your calendar. The idea is to get everything into one calendar so you can see at a glance what days you have appointments and commitments and what days you have open.
Think about everything coming up in the next month like church programs, rehearsals, the kids’ school concerts, any parties or gatherings you will be attending, any doctor appointments, hair appointments, manicures and pedicures (if you are so lucky!), and so on. Get all those dates entered into your calendar.
Now, make a list of all the things you want to accomplish before Christmas. Are you planning to send out holiday cards? Will you be doing holiday baking? Hosting a party? Making ornaments? Having the best outdoor light display on your block?
Write down everything you would like to do this holiday season.
Once your list is complete, compare it to your calendar. What dates are open? You will probably find that your want-to-do list is far longer than the dates you have available.
Be realistic.
This is a very important step to maintaining your sanity and some level of fun through the holidays. Set realistic expectations and stick to them. The holiday season, no matter how hard you wish for it, will not magically bestow you with super-hero powers that enable you to accomplish the impossible or miraculously stretch time so you can add an extra three hours of activities into each day.
What can you cut out or cut down? Instead of baking yourself silly for two days straight, why not invite over a few friends for an afternoon, bake together, share the spoils, and be happy with your accomplishments. Do you really need to make 14 different kinds of Christmas cookies?
What can you delegate? Your spouse and kids can certainly put up outdoor lights. The kids can make ornaments. Your spouse can handle a few extra responsibilities. Don’t be afraid to spread around the chores. You don’t have to do it all yourself. Really!
Take another look at that want-to-do list. Circle the top five things you absolutely want to happen and choose dates to enter them on your calendar. Look at the rest of your list and decide what other things could be delegated or could be optional. And when I say optional, I mean that if they happen, that is great, but if they don’t you will not allow yourself to stress or fuss because they didn’t. That is why they are optional. Get it? Great!
And please remember, at the center of all the holiday hub-bub, no one cares if your house is perfectly decorated, if your cookies came from the store or your holiday greetings weren’t the first out this year. You’ll find what your family and friends really care about is the relationships, spending time enjoying one another and sharing from the heart.
If you focus on that, I guarantee you’ll have a very Happy Holiday season.
Quick Tip: Choose one day on your calendar between now and Christmas that is just for you. That’s right! A day just for you. Whether you spend it getting a massage, reading a good book by the fire, or at the spa with a friend (oh, sign me up for that one!), carve out one day for you to rest and recharge. You’ll be glad you did and so will your family. You’ll feel refreshed and ready to tackle all the jolly holiday fun you can handle.

Check back often so you don’t miss out on anything exciting!

She Who is Almost Ready for the Holiday Season to Begin

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Thanksgiving Buffet Tips

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Thanksgiving, tagged , , , , on November 23, 2011| Leave a Comment »

One of my favorite things about entertaining at home is presentation– making things look pretty. There is something so fun about deciding what serving pieces to use, what looks good where and then having the whole thing come together just before the doorbell rings.
When you are planning to entertain, think about serving the food buffet style. This method of serving does two wonderful things:
• It keeps the host from being so tied to the food and the kitchen.
•It creates a casual atmosphere where guests feel more at ease and are much more likely to mingle.
Isn’t it awesome to watch your guests connect and have fun? Kind of the whole point of enteraining (well, that an excuse to eat too much good food!)
Another thing I love about buffet entertaining is that it allows the host to get the buffet set up in advance.
Whether you are doing a single or double-sided buffet, make sure all food is within easy reaching distance. You don’t want someone dragging their sleeve or shirt-tail through a bowl of cranberry sauce.
Most importantly, have fun with it! You are the artist and the buffet is your canvas. Get creative and let your personal style shine through.
Start by placing a cloth on your table, counter or whatever surface you are using for your buffet. It can be a neutral shade like white or cream, although my go-to standard is black (hides the spills and stains!). Use sheets for inexpensive and easy care table coverings.

Next, add height to your table. Strategically place boxes, books, whatever you have on hand that is sturdy to give you some height elements.

Now, add another cloth drape over your height elements. I like to use a cloth in the same color as the base cloth. The purpose of this covering is to hide the height elements. On top of this, I add a table covering in a contrasting color or pattern. For Thanksgiving, choose something in an earthy color. Or go wild and crazy and use burlap fabric or something rustic  (rustic… but clean!  You can purchase burlap by the yard at most craft or fabric stores.)

Add a centerpiece. You’ll want it to be off to one side and to the back, if it is a one-sided buffet or in the center for a double-sided buffet. It should be the highest point on your table.

Start layering in your serving pieces. You can get the table all set up today, put sticky notes on each piece labeling it so it will be easy to remember the mashed potatoes go in the big square bowl and green beans go in the medium round bowl, etc.

Finish off the look of the table with a few candles, pine cones or nuts. If you use candles, you might want to opt for the battery-operated variety. No open flame worries there.

Some other quick tips:

• If you want a cake stand and don’t have one, flip a sturdy bowl upside down and place a platter on top. To make sure the platter doesn’t slip, you could dab on a few drops of rubber cement, which is pretty easy to remove.

• To keep your hot foods hot, warm bricks in the oven then slip them under your table coverings (place them on thick pot holders so the heat doesn’t damage your table surface). Place casseroles or plates on top and the bricks will hold the heat.

• To keep cold foods cold, you can fill bowls with ice and nestle beneath your table coverings. Set your serving bowls in the bigger bowls or pans and food will stay chilled.

• Make sure you have plenty of plates, forks and napkins as well as glassware. When we entertain, it seems like it doesn’t take long until all the forks in the house are dirty!

However or wherever you spend Thanksgiving, I hope it is with people who make your heart smile and bring you joy.

Wishing you all a Blessed and very Happy Thanksgiving!

She Who is Grateful for So, So Much

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Helpful Tips for Entertaining Guests

Posted in Entertaining at Home, Entertaining Ideas, Holidays, Thanksgiving, tagged , , , , on November 22, 2011| Leave a Comment »

If you are the lucky one hosting Thanksgiving Dinner this week, here are some helpful hints for preparing for your guests. You can find these tips and more in my free Savvy Holiday Entertaining book!

Entry

Make sure the outside of your door is clutter and dirt free. Check the interior entry area and repeat the decluttering process. Have a candle and some flowers in your entry to create a welcoming atmosphere and scent as guests enter your home. Put down a mat both inside and outside the front door to help keep floors clean.

Kitchen

The kitchen truly is the heart of the home and where most people gather to chat. Clean the floors, clear off the counters and then wipe down. Give the fridge a quick wipe-down inside and out and polish the sink. Set out some decorations and have something for early arrivers to do while they wait for the party to get started.  Involved guests are more likely to mingle, which adds to the fun. You could have them roll silverware in napkins, chop up salad ingredients, arrange serving platters – anything they are comfortable doing.

Bathroom

Of all the rooms to clean fanatically, this is the one. Scrub everything, take out the garbage make sure faucets and mirrors are shiny. Add some flowers and a lit candle in this area. If the bathroom is clean and sparkling, it is likely no one will notice anything amiss in the rest of the house. Make absolutely sure there are extra hand towels, plenty of soap and toilet paper available. Although you hate to think of it, also have a plunger tucked away for a guest to find if necessary.

Gathering Room

In whatever room you are planning to set your buffet or eat the meal, spend a bit of time dusting, polishing, cleaning floors and creating a warm atmosphere with lighting, candles and music. It doesn’t have to be perfect and remember candlelight or dimmed lights hide a multitude of dust bunnies and smudges!

Coat Closet

If you have a coat closet, clean it out completely before the party. Make sure it is stocked with plenty of sturdy hangers. Enlist an older child or neighborhood teen to serve as a coat checker. Make sure they understand their duties before the guests arrive.

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