Monday, December 27, 2010

the Aftermath

Hope your Christmas was everything you wished for!

We had 22 for dinner-- it was beautiful to have everyone at the table together. I pushed together 3 tables so everyone could fit.

We had a wonderful Christmas. family, friends, wine, food, presents--what more could you ask for?

Happy New Year!

Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Effective Ceramic Stovetop Cleaner

You know, the mess thats left after cooking Christmas dinner? Clean it 1-2-3 with this great method! Using all natural houshold ingredients!

Have about 1 cup boiling water, a few tablespoons of white vinegar, and baking soda.

Sprinkle the baking soda on the mess, now add the vinegar right on top: let this sit a few minutes. It will bubble up.

Now top with the boiling water (be careful not to let it drip down the sides)

Let this sit up to 20 minutes. Wipe off with a regular scrubby sponge or a magic Eraser.  Baked on sugar mess can be scraped off with a razor blade, but most of it will be removed with some elbow grease and the sponge.

After!


Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Monday, December 20, 2010

Homemade Christmas: Chocolate Pretzels


Here's a fun gift to make, kids can help too. My neighbor showed me how to do it. They are so delicious, sweet and salty.

This year at Sam's I found this:

Its a meltable chocolate bar and it was sooo easy.  I just laid out the pretzels (also found at Sam's, about 6.00 for a HUGE 6.5 lb bag)


then melted the chocolate, first regular, then white....


and just went to town drizzling. Even though its raining cats and dogs, it dried hard in like 30 minutes or less.

I bagged them up,


and they are ready to give! tastes great too.

Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Cookie Factory!


Have been holed up now for almost 48 hours, baking, baking and more baking! I love it. It is raining, which makes it even better (although sometimes harder for baking, in terms of rising in the oven and moisture content, this year it seems ok)

I have made:
Italian Tri Color cookies (recipe here)
Biscotti: Chocolate-Almond, Chocolate-Chocolate Chip, Lemon Sugar. Lemon-Ginger (a new variety this year, as I had some candied ginger--it is soooo good!), White-Chocolate-Pecan, and Vanilla Bean

My biscotti recipe is very simple, you can vary the flavor any way you like. Use pistachios instead of almonds...leave out the chocolate...use butterscotch chips, dried fruit, whatever. They all come out great. I use margarine because it yields a longer-lasting product which tastes fresher longer. You can use butter, but the flavor is only good for a day or two after baking.

Biscotti

1/3 cup margarine, softened
2 cups flour
2/3 cup sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp baking powder
2 tsps vanilla
1 tsp almond extract
1 1 /2 cups almonds
1 cup chocolate chips

Beat first 7 ingredients. Mix in then nuts and chips after the dough forms. It will be sticky. Wrap in wax paper sprayed lightly with Pam and chill for 2 hours. Preheat oven to 375. Form dough into logs (this recipe should yield 2 logs). Make them long and skinny..no bigger than 3 inches across, and 1 inch thick. Bake for 20 mins on lightly greased pans. Dough should look browned around the edges. take out and cool slightly in the pan. Now slice each loaf on the diagonal, about 1 inch thick. Now lay them back down on the pan, and bake another 10 minutes, until dry-looking and slightly browned around the edges. Cook on racks and top with your choice of powdered sugar icing, melted chocolate, whatever. These keep about 1 week in an airtight container in a dry place. Great for gifting. Great for dunking in morning coffee too! Save the end pieces for yourself (I do!)
Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Handmade Christmas Cards (For Procrastinators)

Oops, I did it again. Every year, around October,  I say: "This year we are taking a family photo at the beach. We will all wear jeans and white shirts and be barefoot, frolicking in the surf. It will be our Christmas Card!" I usually give up after Thanksgiving, when I realize it ain't gonna happen.

This year, we got close. Real close. I brought the camera to the beach. The sun was shining. It was the perfect spot. The teenager was even willing! Ok, we didn't all have white shirts on, but we were ready for our close-up. Even had an extra, my nephew David, and he was all ready to take the picture. Note to self: When taking the camera somewhere, check the SD card. It wasn't there. We persevered, camera-less, by trying to take the photo with a cell phone. Lets just say, the image was so blurry, it could have been anyone. No faces were recognizable. Un-Usable.

So, I resorted to looking through the computer photo files, frantically searching for a picture of the 5 of us togther, looking fairly decent. Not only was there NONE of all five of us, I couldn't even find one of the kids together!

So, I spent half a day filing through fave photos we took through out the year. Went on Picnik.com (great--we signed up for premium, its only like 24.00 /year, its great. My daughter Adri discovered it. You could also do a collage on Picasa for free) I chose a saying I found on quotes.com: " It is Christmas is in the heart that puts Christmas in the Air" , then my favorite Christmastime sentiment (always in my card, every year) "May every joy of Christmas be yours." Here's what I came up with:
the card measures 6 x 6 I had it printed by a local digital printer on heavy stock






My materials: envelopes, scrapbook paper, ruler, bone folder, glue stick
I was happy how the card turned out. But it needed a little bling... so I decided to line the envelopes. I took some scrapbook paper I had laying around, measured the envelope width, and cut the paper about 1/2 inch or so smaller. I made sure it the length of the paper strip cleared the bottom opening of the envelope. Then I folded it down, using a bone folder to get a really straight, tight seam, about 1 inch in.

The I lightly glued the back with a glue stick...
Inserted the paper carefully into the envelope opening, and pressed to secure, making sure the folded seams lined up:




There it is! It really added the character the whole thing needed.




So, if you procrastinated, there's still time! Gather up that decorative paper, start searching the photos you took this year and use them!

Make it a great day!
Ann

Friday, December 10, 2010

Italian Christmas Cookies



Growing up in New York, and on top of that Italian, there's no way it was Christmas without a huge platter of cookies from the Italian Bakery. These TriColors were always the favorite and went the fastest.
When we moved away from Brooklyn, sure we could find ones that looked like these, but never tasted as good as the Brooklyn ones.
When the family moved to out west, fuhgetabbowtit...no more cookies. Until my mom found this recipe. It's unbelievably close, and now I make them every year. People who never heard of them, try them, and then clamor for them.
Trust me, they are that good.

The recipe is not for the faint of heart; its not hard but its a lot of little steps.
Before starting, make sure you have room in your refrigerator; these need to be chilled and weighted overnight.

Italian TriColor Cookies

1 cup almond PASTE (NOT marzipan, there is a difference--check the label)
1 1/2 cups butter(3 sticks), softened not melted
1 cup sugar
4 eggs, seperated
4 teaspoons almond extract
2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon salt
10 drops green food coloring
8 drops red food coloring
1 8 oz jar apricot preserves
1 8 ox jar raspberry preserves (no seeds)
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3 13x9x2 pans with parchment;lightly spray the parchment with Pam
2.Break up almond paste, add butter, egg yolks, almond extract. Beat with electric mixer till fluffy and smooth.
3.Beat in the flour and salt.
4. Seperately, beat the egg whites till stiff. Fold into the batter mixture.
5. Divide batter into 3 bowls: leave one plain, add red coloring to one , and green to the third.
6.Pour each color into their own pan...it will be a VERY thin layer. VERY thin. Tap to level. Its OK.
6. Bake for about 15 minutes, or until just the edges look golden. Do not over bake.
7. Lift cakes off the hot pan by the edges of the paper; let cool slightly while:
8. Heat up the preserves in the microwave until warm and spreadable.
9. Layer the preserves between the cakes as follows, leaving the parchment under the bottom layer on one pan. Bottom to top:Green, then raspberry, White, then apricot, Red on top. Top with more parchment, then wrap the whole thing tightly in foil, and place in fridge with another pan on top flt side down on the cake with a couple of heavy cans to weight it down.
10. Refrigerate overnight.
11. Take out, remove top layers of foil and parchment.
12. Melt chips in the microwave and stir till smooth and melted.
13. Pour chocolate on top of cold cake and spread evenly over top.
14. When chocolate is set, measure your cakes and mark into 1 x 2 inch rectangles, cut carefully, wiping and dipping knife in warm water before each cut.

These can be frozen in tupperware and keep for about 3 months.
Italian Bakery Cookies...yours will taste even better!

Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Its beginning to look a lot like Christmas

I just couldn't wait one stinkin' second longer-- my WHITE Christmas tree, scored at Kohl's 80% off sale last year, was waiting all this time to be freed.





My idea was at first White with Blue...but that was before we bought a GREEN sofa--so I think we'll just stay white, silver, and a touch of black accents...."

"I keep trying to go Blue--but Green keeps pullin' me back IN"

I used my old fabric valances as a tree skirt.

This one, by Kasey,  is my Inspiration, I posted about white trees here.
Make it a Great Day!
Ann



p.s. Here's an update-- I added GREEN ornaments (just a few in a spring green) and this T-Riffic bow I made using Judy's Tutorial from DIY by Design . Check it out!

Monday, November 29, 2010

Fall in California

Fall is our most elusive season in my opinion in Southern California. It's still well over 100 degrees in October, and its not unusual for it to be in the 90's on Thanksgiving Day. Some years are wet, but mostly its dry and hot until--snap! there's a day where it suddenly feels crisp and clear, feels like fall,  and the few trees that change color here--birch, liquid ambar and ginkoes --are vibrant against blue skies. It can last one day or a month. A few cooler nights later it's Winter. By Christmastime, we are often feeling like Spring is just around the corner.

We've been lucky this November...its been "cold" (not reaching above 65 during the day) and we've had a few rainstorms (leaving snow up in the mountains ringing Los Angeles basin) so the sky is clear as a bell and you can see forever. Its been breezy too..sending the leaves blowing all around. Very Autumny---

This weekend we took a drive up north towards Santa Barbara and saw some beautiful autumnal views at Bridlewood Winery near Los Olivos... enjoy!








Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Thursday, November 25, 2010

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

Classic Thanksgiving Side: Corn Casserole

This is  between a spoon bread and a cornbread. A great take along dish for potlucks. It soooo easy to make. NO eggs, no mixer...no weird ingredients. I originally made Paula Deen's Corn casserole, just tweaked it the next time-- omitted the cheese for one, and made it with a touch of sweetness. I subbed Fresh or frozen corn kernels instead of canned creamed corn (never been a fan). If you like Acapulco Restaurant's corn side dish, you will love this. It's a big hit with the kids, trust me.  If you'd like Paula's recipe it's here.

But mine is better! (I'm just sayin')

Enjoy!

Thanksgiving Corn Casserole


1 16 oz package frozen corn (or 1 1/2 -2 cups freshed cut kernels)

2 (8-ounce) packages Jiffy corn muffin mix

2 cups sour cream

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted

2 tablespoons sugar


Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large bowl, stir together the corn, corn muffin mix, sour cream, sugar and melted butter. The batter will be very thick. Pour into a greased 9 by 13-inch casserole dish. Bake 30-45 minutes, or until top is golden brown. Remove from oven and let stand for at least 5 minutes and then serve warm.


Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Monday, November 22, 2010

Home Grown


Lazy Sunday today, thought I'd explore a little on my own. About 3 miles or so from my house in suburban L.A., I drove up to Glendora foothills, and found some homegrown persimmons, pomegranates, and avocados at old fashioned roadside stands.

The persimmon guy said he's been putting a sign out for the past 50 years! His tree was huge and so beuatiful! As I looked around, I got a glimpse of what life must have been like long ago. I am so thankful for places like this.

See even a suburbanite like me can find the country side of things, and not far away. Maybe look on the outskirts of your area for delightful places like this!

Linking up to Mosaic Monday at the little red house

Make it a Great Day!
Ann

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

Best Homemade Mac and Cheese


OK, This is the best home made Mac and Cheese. No, really. It is rich, creamy, has a crunchy topping, baked all warm and gooey. I have adapted it from a Martha Stewart recipe. She adds pecorino romano to the sauce, black pepper and cayenne, I do not, among other changes... . Have 45 minutes to do this. I get the water boiling and cook the pasta while I prepare the sauce. Speeds things up.

Serves 12
Panko breadcrumbs 1 cup
8 tablespoons (1 stick) unsalted butter, plus more for dish
1/2 small onion, minced
3 1/2 cups milk
2 cups half and half
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon freshly grated nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
4 1/2 cups grated sharp cheddar
2 cups grated Gruyere
1 pound elbow macaroni

Stir constantly--do not brown
1. Heat the oven to 375 degrees. Butter a 3-quart casserole dish; set aside.  In a small saucepan over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons butter. Pour butter into the bowl with the crumbs , and toss. Set aside. Melt remaining 6 tablespoons butter in a high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and stir over medium heat until translucent, do not brown. Then add flour. Cook, stirring, 1 minute.
2. Slowly milk by 1/2 cup increments into flour-butter mixture while whisking. Continue cooking, whisking constantly, until the mixture bubbles and becomes thick.
3. Remove the pan from the heat. Stir in nutmeg, 3 1/2 cups cheddar, and the Gruyere. Set cheese sauce aside.




stirring the cheese in the hot milk mixture

before the breadcrumbs
4. Meanwhile, cook macaroni 2 to 3 fewer minutes than manufacturer's directions until al-dente. Transfer the macaroni to a colander, rinse under cold running water, and drain well. Stir macaroni into the reserved cheese sauce.
5. Pour the mixture into the prepared casserole dish. Sprinkle cheese, then breadcrumbs and black pepper over the top. Bake until browned on top and bubbling, about 30 minutes. Transfer dish to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes; serve with a salad to mitigate the heart damage--haha!



Make it a Great Day!
Ann
 Linkin up to:



It's a Blog Party

Monday, November 15, 2010

Organizational Progress....

Here I posted about how out of control my clutter was getting.  

Here's a few before and afters---several more areas to go!
Ugh--office supplies Before:
 And After:


 I moved this entire set-up out--this is my Living Room--the computer went to the  kitchen desk, and here's what is in that Living Room space now:

(Un) Control Center Before:
 After, ahhhh:
Lazy susan cabinet Before:
 And After:
Area next to sink Before:
And, After:
 Each of these projects took no longer than 15 minutes to complete. I find staying organized is a commitment, you need to do a little something every day to keep it under control. 
My Rules for living (almost) clutter-free:
If you buy something, donate a like item you already have
Don't keep something if you don't LOVE it
ALWAYS have a "donation station"--an area in your home or garage accessible to all that corrals things to be donated--when full, call them for pickup.
Don't accept hand me downs unless you LOVE it and can USE it
Make it a Great (more organized) Day!
Ann