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Archive for the ‘Entertaining at Home’ Category

Do you have a man in your life who is hard to shop for?

Wow, look at all those hands raised out there! I’m not alone!

Captain Cavedweller, my beloved Hubby, He… is absolutely impossible to shop for. Seriously. Categories of gifts he refuses to accept include clothes, anything that remotely resembles a household item, or anything that has a useful purpose and might require future exertion on his part. He only likes to read sports and outdoors related books. His main hobby is tormenting me.

Do you see what a challenge this is?

So I recently began some in-depth research into the realm of what guys would really like for Christmas.

Several gift ideas had me chuckling out loud. I hate to tell the people who came up with these suggestions, but no guy – especially an extra picky outdoorsy kind of guy – is going to be excited about a set of matching pajamas for the entire family, a funky shower curtain or a diary to collect all the ticket stubs from their most special movie moments that they will treasure always and forever.

Are you kidding me?

So let’s look at some other options.

How about a ghillie suit? Not only will he blend into the landscape while hunting, you will never again have to purchase a Christmas tree. Just dress him up in this, let the kinds hang lights and ornaments on him and tell him he can practice standing still and quietly (just like in the woods while he waits for that trophy buck to wander by) from Christmas Eve right on through Christmas Day. Wouldn’t that be fun?

If your guy has had some bad hair days, or is heading into no-hair days, get him Flair Hair, complete with a visor. He’ll be out the door with what appears to be a small deceased rodent or shag carpeting on his head in record time!

Every guy needs a union suit. Right? I mean, who wouldn’t want to be zipped into a one-piece garment that goes from ankle to neck with a zipper heading both north and south. It’s not like the zipper would ever malfunction and you’d be trapped in said suit. Nah, that would never happen.

How about a pair of flaming steel-toed shoes. Because these would be just the thing to wear out to a construction site full of other men who would bring your guy to his knees in embarrassment within five minutes. Everyone needs a pair of flaming shoes don’t they?

Ok, enough with the silliness.

Here are some real gift ideas for those guys who are truly difficult to shop for and, like mine, tend to like the outdoorsy things best.

If your guy spends any time outside in wet weather, a boot dryer is a fabulous thing to have. You pop the boots on, plug it in and his boots will be dry and toasty in no-time. Hubby uses his daily when it is wet outside.

Hat lights might look dorky at first glance, but let me tell you – they are a handy thing to have. Especially when your guy is trying to work on something in the dark that requires both of his hands and he can’t find any willing help to come hold a light. (I’m going to have to talk to that Heinous Cat again about shirking his responsibilities!).

Designed from a military pack, these sling bags are a rugged outdoorsy version of a backpack. If your guy likes to hunt, hike or hang out in the great outdoors, these bags are a great choice.

If your guy likes to cook at all, this slow cooker is a great option. There is nothing girlie about it and maybe, just maybe, it will result in you arriving home to a wonderfully warm dinner that you had no involvement in preparing.

A lot of guys are really overgrown children. They love toys! Think about getting him something cool like the Nerf Blaster. But be warned! Any toys you buy that involve moving parts, particularly moving parts that can be aimed and shot, will most likely be aimed and shot at you at least a dozen times Christmas Day alone. Just saying…

When thinking of gifts for your guy, think about his hobbies, his likes, his interests and go from there. Choose something you know he would enjoy, not something you would like for him to enjoy and you can’t go wrong!

Happy Shopping!

The Desperate Guy Gift-Buyer

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Baby, it’s cold outside… and one of the tastiest ways to warm up is with hot chocolate. If you are hosting a gathering, think about setting up a self-serve hot chocolate station. This allows your guests to get a cup of hot chocolate created the way they want it and adds a bit of fun to your party.

Start by setting up an area dedicated to your hot chocolate station. Make sure you have plenty of mugs available and within easy reach.

A beverage server like this one keeps drinks hot (and cold) for a good hour or two.

 

You can either mix up chocolate and put in carafes or beverage servers to keep warm or simply have hot water and let your guests mix their own chocolate.

If you are mixing the chocolate, it is easy to do with a can of chocolate mix. If you plan to let them make their own, hot chocolate packets keep things neat and simple.

Have a tray full of goodies they can add into their drinks like marshmallows, whipping cream, peppermint and cinnamon sticks, mini chocolate chips, and sprinkles.  You can also have flavorful extracts or liqueurs to add in. Let your imagination run wild!

Make sure you have plenty of spoons and napkins handy.

One really fun thing to do is to put marshmallows on peppermint sticks, dip in yummy chocolate and top with sprinkles to stir into warm mugs of liquid deliciousness.

Here's what you need to make Marshmallow Peppermint stirrers.

 

 

Mount the marshmallows on the peppermint sticks. I like the soft sticks rather than candy canes.

 

Dip Marshmallows into melted chocolate. Just follow directions on the dipping chocolate. So simple!

 

Put sprinkles into a shallow bowl.

Then dip away!

 

Ready for a cup of delicious hot chocolate!

Happy Holiday Entertaining!

She Who Loves Chocolate

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Cookie Exchange Party

One of my friends hosted a Cookie Exchange Party during the weekend and she was kind enough to invite me. I mean, how can you go wrong with a room full of cookies all waiting to be admired and devoured and carted home for further sampling?

It was a fabulous afternoon and Edie, the host, and Jordan, her daughter, did a wonderful job of feeding us and making everyone feel welcome.

Our hostess with the mostess, Edie, on the far right in the apron.

She had a tasty spread out for us to munch on and then we adjourned to a cozy room by the fire to share stories about our cookies or holiday baking traditions.

Aimee and Chris

We also played a cute little game that involved digging through our purses and having the most junk. It could  be a statement to the fact that I pack around way too much stuff in my purse since yours truly won. But the prize was so awesome.

I’ll be enjoying this cookbook for years to come. I absolutely love it. It not only walks you through every step of how to host your own cookie exchange, there is page after page of mouth-watering cookie recipes. You can find it on Amazon here.

Finally, we gathered around the table, and started filling our containers with cookies to take home. Everyone did such a marvelous job of baking. These are top-notch cookies, I tell you.

Crescent shaped snow cookies made with anise.

Jolene's Chocolate Mint Cookies

Mary's Shortbread

Edie's Sweet Treats - two Ritz crackers with a layer of peanut butter, dipped in white chocolate. How easy is that? and Yummy!

And my Chocolate Peppermint Cake Mix Cookies

 

One of my favorites of the day came from my friend, Heidi.

Heidi

Here is her recipe. When you bite into this, please be sitting down. Otherwise when your knees turn to jelly and you start to melt in a puddle, you may need someone to keep you upright. Yep, they are that good!

Ho Ho Snowballs

Ho Ho Snowballs

2 6-ounce packages white chocolate chips
1/4 cup heavy cream
2 tablespoons bourbon or heavy cream
6-ounce package slivered almonds, very finely ground
1-1/2 cup sweetened flaked coconut

Place chocolate chips and cream in a medium bowl set over a pan of hot (not boiling) water; stir until melted and smooth. Stir in bourbon or cream and almonds. Spread in a lightly greased 8″x8″ baking pan. Chill for about one hour, until firm. Cut into one-inch squares; roll each square into a ball, then roll in coconut. Keep chilled. Makes about 3 dozen.

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One of my favorite treats to make (Ok, I will admit it – eat) during the holidays is Seven-Layer Bars.

These are so easy to make and taste so delicious. People will think you have slaved over them when it is really so simple. The first year I made these my youngest niece, the one who got stuck wreath making with me, nearly floundered on them. Yes, they really are that good.

Last year, I took my two grand-nieces for a day of shopping and fun. We ended up eating lunch at a restaurant that offered the most wonderful dessert – a warm Seven-Layer Bar topped by vanilla ice cream and caramel sauce. I thought I would melt in a puddle right there and the girls would have to find a ride home. I only half-melted because Katie, who shares my chocoholic genes, wanted a bite and then promptly inhaled the rest of my treat. Sweet little whippersnapper. Pulling out cute smiles and warm hugs while she steals my chocolate. My gracious goodness.

Anyway, here is the recipe! Enjoy!

 

Ingredients

 

 

Melt butter in the pan in the oven.

 

 

Top butter with graham cracker crumbs. Since I'm a lazy slug, I save the graham cracker packages from cheesecake mixes because they have just the right amount of pre-crushed graham crackers for this recipe (cheesecake filling goes in store-made graham cracker crusts, of course!).

 

 

Up next - sweetened coconut.

 

 

Chocolate chips followed by butterscotch chips make the next two layers.

 

 

Here come the pecans. If you have whole nuts and don't own fancy nut-crushing kitchen tools, a meat tenderizer and a ziploc bag do a bang-up job!

 

 

Finish it off with the sweetened condense milk. Remember, do not stir!

Seven-Layer Bars

 

Seven-Layer Bars

1/4 cup plus 1 tbsp. butter

1 1/4 cup graham cracker crumbs

1 cup coconut

1 cup chocolate chips

1 cup butterscotch chips

1 cup chopped pecans

15-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.

Put butter in a 9 x 9 or a 11 x 7 inch baking pan. Put into oven and let melt. When it is melted pull out and top with ingredients in the following order: graham crackers, coconut, chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, pecans, sweetened condensed milk.

DO NOT STIR! REPEAT – DO NOT STIR!

Just layer the ingredients and then place in the oven for about 30-40 minutes until bubbling and brown.

The smell will be heavenly when you pull them from the oven.

Cut into small squares because these babies are rich. Serve alone or with ice cream and caramel sauce. Just make sure no chocolate-thieving 7-year-olds are around!

Happy Holiday Entertaining,

The chocolate-less aunt

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