Laney's Toy Basket

It's not secret that our family {all of Chris's family and all of my family} treat our pets like actual children.  With the holidays, our pets get completely spoiled.  Yes, some may think it's a little overboard, but we have fun with it.  

Right before the holidays, Laney's old toy basket was overflowing with toys and it just wasn't big enough.  I wanted to find a basket that was a little larger and that would look decent being out in the family room.  I came across this little beauty - the chalkboard tag already attached.  I just colored her name onto the tag & filled the basket with her toys.  She loves it {of course because it is able to fit more toys and tennis balls in it!}. 

Christmas Eve Quiche & Maple Bacon

A couple weeks ago, my sister & I went to a cooking class together.  It was our second time taking a cooking class with this instructor.  The first class we went to was Thanksgiving themed.  The second class we went to was a brunch theme.  We both really enjoyed the classes and are looking forward to trying out some more!  What I really love about the classes and the recipes that we have used to cook with, is that the recipes are very simple and do not require tons of ingredients or time to prep.  However, they turn out delicious and very impressive!  

I decided to make a couple of the recipes from the brunch class for Christmas Eve dinner.  Chris & I don't really have any Christmas Eve traditions (sad, I know).  It has been hard with my job because some years I have to work on Christmas Eve.  But, maybe now we can start a tradition of brunch/breakfast food for Christmas Eve! 

Christmas Eve Quiche

1 pastry crust

4 eggs

1 1/4 c. Half & Half (you can use milk, but it won't be as creamy)

Salt & Pepper

1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

1 c. white cheddar cheese, shredded (Tilamook is delicious)

2 Tbsp. chives, minced

Preheat oven to 325ºF. 

In a mixing bowl, whisk together eggs, half & half, salt & pepper, cayenne pepper.  Set to side. 

Roll out pie dough and place in pie dish, crimping the edge for the pie-like appearance. 

Sprinkle the shredded cheese and chives around the bottom of the pie shell.  Then, pour in the egg mixture.  

Bake for 45 minutes. 

Mapled Bacon

1 pkg bacon (I like to use turkey bacon or center cut)

2 Tsbp. real maple syrup

Preheat oven to 400ºF.

Line a glass baking dish with foil, make sure completely covered (I used my 13x9 glass Pyrex dishes). 

Place layer of bacon on top of foil.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Brush bacon slices with maple syrup and bake for another 5 minutes. 

*Lining dishes with foil and baking bacon in the oven is a much easier way to cook bacon.  It makes for easy clean up and you don't have the splatter of bacon grease all on top of your stove.

Enjoy!!!

Christmas Cookies & Candy {2012}

Christmas Cookies & Candy {2012}

I'm so excited to write this post!  Last year, I made a whole bunch of cookies and candy and when I tried to remember everything I baked, I had a hard time.  Now I will have all of it documented and can look back next year on what I made!  It will help me to decide which ones I should make again and which ones I should omit -- which will allow me to try new recipes! 

I will share each recipe with you - so beware, this is a long post.  In the following picture I have numbered all the candy and cookies so you can correlate the number to the recipe (in case there was any confusion). 

{1}

Chocolate Crinkle Cookies

These are made from cake batter, surprise! They are perfect for Christmas Cookie making because of the convenience.

1 box Devil's Food Cake mix

1/4 c. canola oil

2 eggs

Powdered sugar to roll 

Preheat oven to 350ºF and line cookie sheet with parchment paper.

Combine cake mix, canola oil, and eggs in a large mixing bowl.  Mix together with spoon (batter will get a bit thick and greasy). 

Pour powdered sugar in small bowl.  Roll dough to form balls, then roll into powdered sugar.  Place on cookie sheet.

Bake for approx 12 minutes. 

These are good to keep in the freezer! 

{2}

Cake Batter Fudge

2 c. + 2 Tbsp yellow or white cake mix

2 c. powdered sugar

1/2 c (1 stick) salted butter, cut into 4 pieces

1/4 c milk

2/3 c white chocolate chips

1/2 c rainbow sprinkles

Spray 8x8 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.

Mix together cake mix and powdered sugar in a large bowl.  Add mix and butter (do not stir them in) and microwave for 2 minutes.  Once done, immediately begin mixing everything together - the batter will be very thick.  

Fold in white chocolate chips and sprinkles, stir gently (you do not wan the sprinkles to leak their color into the fudge).  Spoon the mixture into baking pan, level out the top.  Chill in the refrigerator for at least 2 hours.  Cut into squares.  Store in fridge.
{3}

Sweet & Salty Chocolate Cups

1.5 c. peanuts

1.5 c. chocolate chips

1.5 c. butterscotch chips

1 bag of Lays potato chips, crushed

Melt the chocolate chips and butterscotch chips in a large bowl in the microwave, about 2 minutes.

Mix in the chips and peanuts to the melted mixture.  Keep mixing until all combined.  

Scoop by large spoonful into cupcake liners (place liners on a large baking sheet, it will be easier to transfer to refrigerator or freezer to cool)- you can use either small or large, it doesn't matter.  I used a mixture of both.  Place in fridge, or freezer, until cooled.  Store in refrigerator until ready to eat. 

{4}

White Chocolate Peanut & Chip Bark

1 package of white chocolate almond bark

1 container of peanuts (cocktail)

1 bag of Baked! Ruffles, lightly crushed

Melt almond bark (either on stove top or in microwavable bowl).  Once melted, stir in peanuts and chips.  The amount is to your liking!

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pour onto parchment paper and place in refrigerator until cooled and hardened.  Then, break apart in pieces.  Store in fridge. 

{5}

White Chocolate Peanut & M&M Bark

1 package of white chocolate almond bark

1 container of cocktail peanuts

1 bag of M&Ms

Melt almond bark (either on stove top or in microwavable bowl).  Once melted, stir in peanuts and M&Ms.  The amount is to your liking!

Line baking sheet with parchment paper.  Pour onto parchment paper and place in refrigerator until cooled and hardened.  Then, break apart in pieces.  Store in fridge. 

{6}

Fudge

1 1/2 c. sugar

2/3 c. evaporated milk

2 Tbsp butter (or margarine)

1/4 tsp salt

2 c. mini marshmallows

1 1/2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla extract

Line 8x8 baking pan with foil. 

Combine: sugar, evaporated milk, butter, and salt in a medium-sized sauce pan.  Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.  Boil, stirring constantly (or else it will scorch), for 4-5 minutes.  Then, remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallows, chocolate chips, vanilla (and other add ins you may like, such as walnuts).  Stir vigorously for 1 minute, or until everything is smooth and well combined.  Pour into lined baking pan and refrigerate for 2 hours, or until firm.  Lift from pan (using the foil) and cut into desired pieces.  Remove foil.  Store in fridge. 

*I added some M&Ms that I had left over to the tops of half of the pan.

{7}

Minty M&M Pretzel Bites

1 bag of mini pretzels

1 bag of Wilton's peppermint candy (I find them at Wal Mart during the holiday season, I cannot find the peppermint kind anywhere else throughout the year)

1 bag of M&Ms

Preheat oven to 325ºF.

Line baking sheet with foil.  Arrange pretzels on baking sheet and top each pretzel with a candy.  Place in oven for 3-5 minutes, until the candy starts to melt (don't let it melt all the way, otherwise it will seep through the pretzel).  Take out of oven, press M&M into top.

Slide foil off of baking sheet and let cool for at least 1-2 hours.  Store in air-tight container in fridge. 

{8}

Snickerdoodles

Here is another cake mix cookie! Similar to the Chocolate Crinkles!

1 package white cake mix (or yellow works great, too!)

1/4 c. oil

2 eggs

1/2 tsp ground nutmeg

For rolling:

1/4 c. sugar

2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper. 

In a large bowl, mix together cake mix, oil, eggs, and nutmeg - with a wooden spoon.  (Once again, the mixture will be thick and may be a little greasy feeling.)

In a small bowl, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

Roll the dough into 1-inch balls and then roll in the sugar-cinnamon mixture to coat.  

Place on baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes.  Do not over bake. 

Remove from oven and cool. 

Again, I find these cookies are great to store in the freezer.  Once you are ready for one, grab one from the freezer and it will soften up in just a couple minutes!

{9}

Christmas Magic Bars

1/2 c. butter, melted

1 1/2 c. graham cracker crumbs

1 (14 oz) can sweetened condensed milk

2 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 1/3 c. flaked coconut

1 c. M&M, holiday version

Preheat oven to 350ºF.  Coat 9x13 baking pan with Pam (non-stick cooking spray)

Combine the graham cracker crumbs and butter - press into the bottom of pan.  Pour sweetened condensed milk evenly over the crumb mixture.  Then, layer evenly with chocolate chips, coconut, and M&Ms.  Press down firmly.  Bake 25 minutes, or until lightly browned.  Cut into bars.  Store in air-tight container (at room temp or in fridge).

Hope you enjoy all these recipes!!!

DIY: Lighted Christmas Package

DIY: Lighted Christmas Package

A couple days ago, I was at Hobby Lobby & Michael's shopping for Christmas decorations.  I stumbled upon a lighted glass box similar to the one I made - the price was something around $35.00, I believe.  I could tell that it was an "in-store" project and so I asked someone if they sold the glass box in store.  I bought the glass box for $11.99.  At home, I already had thick ribbon, a strand of lights, and the little decor accent that you see in the photo.  So, I made it a DIY project. It's super easy and I love lights during the holiday season, so this project was perfect for me!

The glass box is called a Krafty Blok.  Maybe I live in a hole, but I had never seen these before.  

{Source: Hobby Lobby} - click on link 

If you google Krafty Blok, it will show you tons of different projects you can do with these.  They are perfect for all sorts of holidays - you can get very creative!  These blocks have a cut out on the bottom of them that allows you to stuff things inside (i.e. ribbon, lights, little accent pieces):

After I stuffed the stand of lights inside, I left a little slack so that it could be plugged into the wall.  Then I wrapped it with ribbon and tied the accent piece on the in middle.  Easy as that!  After the holidays, I plan on gathering up some ideas on how to re-use for other holidays throughout the year!!