Whimsical Christmas Tree Ornaments

I've spent the last few weeks trying to decide just what's going on the tree this year. Initially, it was going going to be strictly an army of assorted gingerbread men and pine cones, but my ideas are always evolving.

While searching through old books, magazines, and online, I've come across some pretty clever ideas. So, it looks like my dining room will be turned into the ornament factory for the next few weeks.

I did a mini-teapot tree several years ago when we lived in Phoenix on a faux tree that stood about 2 feet high. It was ADORABLE, I used the mini porcelain tea sets found at dollar stores. I hot glued the saucers to the tiny teacups and tied ribbon to the handles of the cups, teapots, and even the creamers and sugar bowls. The lids were hot-glued on them, as well. Playing off that idea using regular cups, look what I'm doing!

This is where all of those mis-matched, 25-cent teacups at thriftstores come in handy! Bear in mind, the ornaments can be heavy, so if you ever tackles these use the small, pretty, fragile, lightweight cups. If you happen across some green or red melmac cups, it's your lucky day!

Materials needed:

Teacups (various sizes)

Floral foam

Tacky glue/epoxy glass glue

Your choice of florals

1. Wash and dry your teacups.

2. Cut a piece of floral foam to fit in the base of your cup. This foam should have some height to it-but not as tall as the cup itself. Approximately 1 inch below the rim of the cup works well.

3. Glue one end of the floral foam to the inside base of the cup. You could also glue the saucer onto the cup as well, depending on the size cup.

4. After glue has dried (look to manufacturing directions for time) begin to place your floral choices into the foam, filling your cup with whatever decorations you choose. You want to fill the cup so you no longer see the floral foam.

5. Tie a beautiful color coordinating ribbon on the handle of your teacup. You may attach a hanger to hook your cup to the tree or place the ribbon right on one of my branches!

Watch for floral arrangements that can be disassembled and use just portions of them.

Options are limitless! You can take floral wire and wire pine cones, jingle bells even candy canes to put into your cup.

These are the shimmery pine cones that will also be hanging from the tree this year... simple to make, all you need is a little gold spray paint, glitter, and a warm day outside for painting them! I'm using gold, green, and red ribbons.

Look for updates in future posts!

Recipe of the Week; CHEESE-STUFFED JALAPENO POPPERS

You may recall a few weeks back I posted a recipe for Mozzarella sticks. This recipe is similar, in method and it falls into the the appetizer category. (Maybe I should add a category for "bar food" instead!)

I really enjoy a good popper, but I stand on neutral ground in the cream cheese vs. cheddar cheese debate. What, you didn't know there was a debate? One reason I love this recipe is because whoever came up with it was inventive enough to MIX the cheeses together. Can't we all just get along?

Well, I thank my Mom's neighbor Angie for this recipe, and her garden as that's where my jalapenos came from. Like the Mozzarella sticks, they are so simple, but have a great restaurant quality. Way better than the frozen ones you pick up in the box!

Two warning before you get stared, however.

1. They are time consuming. Give yourself at least 30-40 minutes for prep. They'll be eaten in less time it takes to prepare them.

2. Wear plastic gloves when you're cutting up the jalapenos. I didn't, and man did I regret it that evening.

INGREDIENTS

12 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature

8 oz. grated cheddar cheese

approximately 20-25 jalapenos, sliced in half lengthwise and "gutted"

1 cup milk

3/4 cup flour

1 to 2 cups Italian seasoned breadcrumbs (or just season plain with a little dried herbs and garlic powder)

extra-virgin olive oil for frying

Mix the cream cheese and cheddar cheese together thoroughly.

Blanche the jalapeno halves in boiling water for 3-5 minutes. The longer you let them boil, the more heat is cooked out of the peppers. Immediately shock them in ice water to stop the cooking process. Allow to drain on paper towels.

Spoon the cheese mixture into the halves.

Dip the cheese-stuffed jalapenos in milk, then roll in the flour. Place on wire rack, and allow them to sit for about ten minutes.

Dip the dried peppers in milk again, then breadcrumbs. Allow once again to sit on wire rack for about 10 minutes.

Dip in milk, then breadcrumbs again for the final time. Allow to sit 10 minutes. Meantime, pour enough oil into pan (about 1 inch) for shallow frying. You do not need a large pan for this, a medium sized pan works well. Allow the oil to heat up to about 365 degrees. Be careful not to overheat the oil.

Working about six at a time, drop into the poppers into the oil, pepper side down first. Allow to brown slightly, then turn to brown cheese side. If you see cheese starting to peek out from the bread crumb coating, they are ready to remove from pan. I used tongs and a long handled spoon for ease in maneuvering the poppers in the hot oil. They take roughly 1 to 2 minutes to cook through. Drain on wire rack.

You'll notice that the last few batches will appear darker than the first few, it doesn't mean that they are overdone, but rather just browning a deeper color due to the excess bread crumbs that have collected in the grease.

Serve with Ranch or blue cheese, or my preference of a Ranch mixed with a splash of Tabasco sauce.

A-Thrifting We Did Go

Saturday was one of those rare days I got to spend all day thrifting and treasure seeking. The best part, while I adore my son, was that I got to do it with people who know how to act in the stores. (Sometimes, anyway!)

My Mom and her mother-in-law, Grandma Lois, came out for the day and we literally shopped from morning until night! It was a good day, I came home with some nifty Christmas ornaments and a tree-shaped cake pan. I also found a great little gingerbread man lamp for a whopping $5 at the UFO in Greensburg- these are their $1 shelves... fun treasures are hidden there!

Unfortunately I didn't have any "OH MY GOSH!!!" moments, but I was thrilled to find a cup and bowl to match a set I have. Todd gave me the set for Christmas a long time ago, so these particular dishes have a sentimental attachement, and I use them practically every day. I broke a cup doing dishes shortly after I got the set, and TJ once ran through the house with the bowl on his head pretending it was a crown. You can guess just how that ended!

Mom scored a great votive candle holder at the Christian Layman Store in Greensburg, then found the approprate votives at the Junk for Joy in Jeannette, enough for her holder plus more, "just in case".

My purchases ended up being primarily Christamas-related, with the exception of the adorable witches' hat tea-light candle holders, and as always I found some books for TJ. But it was a great day, in the company of silly ladies.

We did happen upon a whimsical little store in Mt. Pleasant called The General Store. It literally was- a store with penny candy and old fashioned ointments and salves. They also offered a wonderful selection of pricey, but quality kitchen items, which went unpurchased by us as we were thrifting! (The penny candy was an exception.) The hightlight of our whole day, while being a little shopping wary and stuffed from our dinner at Applebee's, was finding the novelty item counter, which offered things such as Fanny Floss and Cat Bum Gum. (Who sits around and thinks of these things?) I did get my dear husband some chocolate covered sunflower seeds, and TJ a pack of candy cigarettes. I know it's awful, he pretends he actually is smoking, but didn't we all when we had them at five years old??

Link to store website http://www.oldgeneralstore.com/newstore.html

All in all, it was a wonderful day... one we totally intend on reliving again soon.

Recipe of the Week; BAKED ACORN SQUASH WITH APPLES

A few weeks ago I shared two of my favorite zucchini/squash recipes. You may remember I pondered what to do with acorn squash as well.

Thanks to the McCalls's Cooking School, by way of Mom's old cookbook, I found a great and yummy solution. This was my first time ever making something with acorn squash, so McCall's most certainly succeeded at "schooling" me. This is a perfect recipe for fall, and possibly a future addition to Thanksgiving dinner, as it just seems so appropriate to be served with turkey.

Give it a whirl!

INGREDIENTS

4 medium acorn squash (about 3 1/2 lbs. total)

salt

1 can (1 lb., 4 oz) sliced apples, packed water (I couldn't find these, so I used apple pie filling!)

3/4 cup light brown sugar

dash ground nutmeg

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly grease an oblong baking pan, 15x10x1 inches. Wash squash and cut in half lengthwise. Using a small sturdy spoon, scoop seeds and stringy membrane from squash halves and discard.

Place squash halves, cut sides down, in greased pan. Add 1/2 cup water to pan; cover pan tightly with aluminum foil. Bake for 45 minutes or until tender. Squash is done when skin and flesh can be easily pierced with tines of fork.

Increase oven temperature to 425. Using a slotted spoon and a large fork, remove squash from pan and discard accumulated liquid. Return squash to pan, cut sides up. Lightly sprinkle cavity of each with salt.

Drain apples well and place in medium sized bowl. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup of the brown sugar and toss until apples are well coated and sugar is moistened. Spoon apple mixture into squash cavities. Sprinkle with remaining brown sugar and nutmeg. (If you use pie filling, reduce the brown sugar, as the canned filling typically is already sweet.)

Return stuffed squash to oven and bake until apples are hot and glazed- about 10 to 15 minutes. Spoon any run-off brown sugar glaze back over the apples.

If desired, prepare stuffed squash the day before serving. Just reheat in microwave or conventional oven.

**McCall's didn't suggest it, but because I'm such a nut, I sprinkled my acorns with chopped pecans, then drizzled just a bit of melted butter over my squash before baking.

Cutesy Halloween Songs for Kids

I'm gradually starting to get in the mood for Halloween. It could be the falling leaves and the cooler weather. It could be the fun decorations I'm seeing in stores. It could also just be the candy corn I've been eating.

Christmas hasn't taken a backseat, however. I'm still ho ho ho-ing around. Uh, maybe that was a poor choice in words...

Ahem. Anyway, I came across these fun little songs in a really old children's song book that I thought I'd share, they'd be great for a children's party or just to sing while you're out trick or treating!

OH MY MONSTER, FRANKENSTEIN

(sung to "Oh, My Darling Clementine")

In a castle, by the mountains

Near the dark and murky Rhine

Dwelt a doctor, the conconctor

Of the monster, Frankenstein

Chorus: Oh my monster, oh my monster

Oh my monster, Frankenstein

You were built to last forever,

Dreadful scary Frankenstein

In a graveyard, near the castle

Where the moon refused to shine

He dug for noses and for toeses

For his monster, Frankenstein

Repeat Chorus

The Pumpkin on the Vine

(sung to "The Farmer in the Dell")

The pumpkin on the vine

The pumpkin on the vine

I picked the one that weighed a ton

And that's the one that's mine

I made two funny eyes

A mouth that's over sized

The other gook my Mother took

For baking pumpkin pies

The pumpkin on the vine

The pumpkin on the vine

He's now a jack-o'-lantern

And you ought to see him shine.

That jack-o'-lantern of mine!

Too cute, eh? Hmmm... need to make one up using "Row Row Row Your Boat!" Any suggestions?

Recipe of the Week; HOMEMADE MOZZARELLA STICKS

Don't you just love fried mozzarella sticks? I mean, really- who doesn't? But don't you HATE having to pay upwards of $5.00 in a restaurant for, like, 3 or 4 of them?

I'm offering this recipe for a reason other than to share it's cheesy goodness- it's so budget friendly, when you consider the amount of sticks you can fry up!

Okay, so great on the pocketbook, but not so much so on the waistline... but my homemade sticks are definitely a better choice than those at restaurants. They're shallow fried in light olive oil as opposed to deep-fried in grease!




INGREDIENTS

1 package string cheese, mozzarella or cheddar-mozzarella twists, at room temperature; leave on counter top for about 30-40 minutes before preparation
3/4 cup flour
2 eggs, slightly beaten
2 cups bread Italian bread crumbs, or plain- adding a little dried herbs and garlic powder
light olive oil, enough to cover the bottom of a heavy skillet for shallow frying

Set out two plates and one bowl. Place flour on one plate, eggs in a bowl, and bread crumbs on the other plate.

Unwrap string cheese. Cut each piece into thirds. (If they're cut any longer than this, they don't fry correctly.) Roll in flour, tapping to remove excess. Dip and roll in egg, then in bread crumbs.

Line coated cheese on cookie sheet, allowing to set for 30 minutes. It's important that the cheese remains at room temperature and the bread crumbs set to ensure even frying. Frying the cheese cold will not permit them to "melt" properly- you'll have a hard center. Not allowing them to set in the bread crumbs for a half an hour will result in the coating coming off during frying.

Once you are ready to begin frying, pour about a 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch of oil into a heavy skillet. Once it is heated, slowly drop the cheese sticks into the oil, only about 5 or 6 at a time. Using tongs, keep the cheese sticks turned in the oil, allowing them to brown on all sides. If you notice the cheese starting to ooze, you've left them in too long. It's important to keep them moving, and not keep them in the oil too long. Make sure you don't crowd the pan, it's easier to work with about 5 or 6 at a time.

Remove from skillet, and allow them to drain on a wire rack, not paper towels as this can make them soggy.

Serve while still warm, with some jarred marinara that's been heated through.

HO HO HO... Merry, uh, WHAT?

Let me start by apologizing for my brief hiatus last week.

Okay- this what's been going on in my mind these past few days. CHRISTMAS. I don't know why! Usually right about now I'm getting antsy for Halloween, but for some reason I'm wanting to rush right into my holiday planning!

I've never done this before, but I thought I would make my to-do list, or rather my "aspire to-do list" and share it with you all. Lately I've been wishing I didn't work a full time schedule, but I've got it stuck in my head that if I start preparing a little each week now, by December 20th, all I'll have to do is sit back with my eggnog and breathe a sigh of contentment. Humph. We'll see.

O Christmas tree, O Christmas tree! For starters, I'm going to do my tree this year with homemade gingerbread man ornaments, pine cones bejeweled with shiny red ribbons, and these cute little cinnamon stick ornaments I saw in an old Wilton holiday craft book. I also saw an adorable bauble idea using paper twist and faux holly. I'm going "cutesy-rustic". (That's an industry term!) I want to stay away from anything to commercial or shiny with the tree this year. I will certainly post pictures of the completed ornaments and "how-to" directions as I work.

Cookies, cookies, cookies. I'm only planning on NO MORE than eight different recipes this year. I've come across some new ones I'd like to try, but there are a few staples, like Mom's Lady Locks that are an absolute must. I'm tackling gobs this year too... I've made up my mind!

SHOPPING! I've started! Can you believe it! I really am getting a head start! I've got some stuff for TJ already purchased and secretly tucked away. I intend to be completely done with gift shopping by December 13th. No last-minute rush this year!

Deck the halls! Being that relatively all of my Christmas decorations are still packed away in boxes in NM, I have to pick up a little something new every year. I'm doing that now- scouring the isles at thrift stores and carting home pre-holiday sale items now. Yes, it's hard to believe these stores are already selling wrapping paper and whatnot, but I'm getting stocked up, to avoid needing to do so on December 24th, when all that's left is one slightly torn roll of really ugly paper.
The other holidays. I really enjoy reading about the other holidays that fall in with the Christmas season, so for fun and educational purposes, I'd like to do some research and make a traditional Kwanzaa dinner, as traditional as I can, anyway! I've got a great children's book on hand to help. Also, I've got to set some time aside during Hanukkah to light the Menorah, and share it's importance and relevance with TJ.

Traditions. Along with celebrating the other winter holidays, I really want to incorporate some cultural traditions into our holiday this year, like perhaps leaving out wooden shoes Christmas Eve as was a Dutch custom. I plan on setting one Saturday evening aside to have a traditional Dickens-inspired Christmas dinner... goose, plum pudding and all!

Whew, I realize this is all quite an ambitious list, but that's why I've got to get the ball rolling now! I'm so excited and eager to begin!

By having all of the big stuff out of the way, I hope I can focus more on the little moments, like Santa letter-writing with TJ, or having quiet moments for reflection on the true meaning of the holiday.

Updates on my progress will begin soon, I may even have an additional "Christmas Planning" post to share each week. Gotta go... see you Thursday, with a more September-appropriate recipe!