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

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

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

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!

White Christmas Trees

Last year, at Kohl's 90% off Christmas Clearance time, I bought a WHITE ARTIFICIAL CHRISTMAS TREE.

Partly because I always wanted one, partly because it was an outrageous deal (I think it was 23.00 for this 6.5 foot tree), and partly 'cause I'm nuts.

I bought this damask ribbon at Costco...and I am envisioning a black and white Christmas tree all aglow in my living room. I hope it won't be tacky, and I know I have to be careful here, because "glam" can quickly turn a corner into "ghetto". I am thinking: Chandelier cristals, white lights, silver balls, that ribbon, silver star up top.

I will have to get a real tree to calm down hubs...who I am sure will have a mini-cow when he finds out about this....The "real" tree will go all traditional, in the den.

Here are some images I have been collecting for ideas...

OOO, the turquoise is so pretty here...

I love how this one is traditional, yet white...all aglow.....I love that word

This one looks flocked...isn't it shabby-chic perfection?

Look how FUN this is! I LOVE the theme of the entire room... the pillows!

Another tree AGLOW..... ooo I love this one too.... (this one and one above courtesy of nattymichelle)

This one is so sleek and modern. Love this look, wish I were that disciplined, then I get my Ballard's Catalog and its over for me...

The ONE I found and love the most is ... Kasey'sKorner tree : she takes gorgeous pics and this her December 2009 tree.. check it out. (Kasey, I tried to find a way to contact you to ask if I can use this...but no email on your blog? Hope this credit and link is OK)

Make it a Great Day!

Ann