Pots and Pins

Nantucket Cranberry Pie...

I'm easy to please when it comes to pie, have never met one I didn't like.  And this one, well, not only did it please me but it's made it to the top of our T-Day Pie List!  It's refreshing, tart and sweet with a touch of cake-like texture, you're going to love it...oh, one more thing to love about this pie, there isn't any pie crust to make!

Somehow I managed to talk the mister into flying to SLC to see the family and attend our annual Whobilation/Grinchmas party.   He agreed it was time for him to make an appearance, lest the nieces and nephews go back to calling him Uncle Phantom.   He was not amused when I told him he had to not only attend the Whobilation but he had to dress up like the Grinch.  Perfect casting, no?   Then Covid reared it's ugly head again and we were been put back into lockdown, so our trip had to be postponed.  I was very sad; I moped around the house for a few days, feeling all those rocks in rock bottom.  Me being sad makes the mister crazy, he wants to "fix" things (so I'll be happy and make him his favorite foods) but he can't fix Covid.  As sad as I was/am, the mister seems to be euphoric!  Oh he's not happy about Covid, he's happy that he doesn't have to go see the fam!  When I told him we needed to get a new artificial Christmas tree he practically bolted out of his chair and said, "Let's go!"  I almost fell over backwards.  When I told him I needed to pick up a few Grinch things for the kids he replied, "Great idea, let's go!"  The mister being happy is not normal.  The mister being happy about going shopping is really not normal but the mister being happy about going shopping for anything related to Christmas is so far out of the normal category that I fear the Earth will fall out of orbit!  You might say I'm in shock even, me sad, him happy, the end must be near!  

This pie brought me back to my senses.  It calmed the last frazzled nerve the mister managed to find and gave me a reason to smile again.  It has curative properties for sure! Don't take my word for it, make this super easy pie for yourself and get ready to push Pumpkin Pie over to the corner!

With 5 minutes of baking time left, the pie is sprinkled with granulated sugar and then put back into the oven to finish baking.  The sugar gives the pie a nice crispy/crunchy top, something to write home about I should think!

Nantucket Cranberry Pie - Adapted From Pioneer Woman via Laurie Colwin

1 stick butter, melted, plus more for the pie tin

2 heaping cups cranberries, fresh or frozen

3/4 cup pecans, chopped, toasted or not

1 2/3 cups plus 1 tablespoon sugar

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon pure almond extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

Ice cream or freshly whipped cream for topping, optional

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Generously butter a 9-inch deep pie pan.  Add the cranberries to the bottom of the pan.  Sprinkle on the pecans, then sprinkle on 2/3 cup sugar.  Whisk the eggs in a medium bowl until lightly beaten.  Whisk in the melted butter and almond extract.  Gently stir in 1 cup sugar, the flour and salt until combined.  Pour batter slowly over the berries to evenly cover the surface, spreading to the edges with a spatula if necessary.  Bake until golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake part comes out clean, 45 to 50 minutes.  About 5 minutes before removing from the oven, sprinkle the surface with the remaining 1 tablespoon sugar for a little extra crunch.  Serves 8 to 10.  Serve with ice cream or whipped cream, if desired.

 You won't miss the pie crust.  In fact, you'll swear it's there, like my foodie friend did.  I like this pie-cake hybrid so very much, not because it's super easy but because it's super good.  It reminds me of the recipe for French Cran-Apple-Almond Tart that I adore, you can find that recipe by clicking here.  And if you need any Thanksgiving recipes, including how to make the best dang turkey this side of the Motherland, grab yourself a cuppa, look on the sidebar, scroll down to Thanksgiving, click on that and sit back and be prepared to have your taste buds tickled.

 

 

Sweet Beet Pie...

Every once in a while something wonderful happens.  Like this pie.  It's so different...the color is truly beautiful and that's what first caught my eye - I couldn't help but think how special it would be to have a beautiful red pie for Valentine's Day instead of the traditional molten lava cake or chocolate cream pie or any of the other standards. 

I don't think you have to like beets to be a fan of this pie, but it would help.  One friend said she absolutely hates beets but she willingly put her taste-buds aside and tried a slice...at first she said she liked it - said it was like pumpkin pie in texture, which it is.  Then she said she got the "after-taste" and could taste the beets...so that was the end of her love letter on sweet beet pie.  I personally love the after-taste because I love beets.

Another friend said she loved it...smooth, rich, pretty...and that it was much better with whipped cream.  I had to agree...I would never eat pumpkin pie without whipped cream and one should not eat beet pie without it either!  

You don't have to cook fresh beets to make this pie, you can use bottled/canned beets, just make sure they aren't the pickled variety (and then you won't have red fingers, but if they match the pie isn't that a good thing?)   Since Valentine's Day is almost here, you can also use store-bought pastry, saving some time for yourself to get all dolled-up for a romantic evening...does anyone still do that?!?   One more thing, this recipe calls for muscovado sugar, which is sugar with molasses, more than brown sugar has.  If you don't happen to have any on hand you can make your own by putting a cup of sugar in the food processor and adding two heaping tablespoons of molasses -  give it a good whirl and you're in business.  

I liked this pie a lot.  If I saw it on the menu in a fancy-schmancy restaurant I would order it and I would probably think I had arrived...like I was in the know...like I was part of the in crowd.  Because you know the in crowd would eat this.  

Sweet Beet Pie - Inspired by Merissa Davis and Adapted From Paul Hollywood, BBC Food

(About the measurements - it's important to weigh the beets and the sugar.)  This recipe makes one deep-dish 9-inch pie, serves 8.

One package store-bought pastry

1 jar (12 oz.) beets, not pickled or fresh beets (12 oz.) cooked and peeled

1/2 cup heavy cream

2 large eggs

6 oz. muscovado sugar, packed

1 teaspoons ground cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon ground ginger

1 large lemon, finely zested

Whipped cream for serving

Preheat the oven according to pastry package, usually 450 degrees.  Bake pastry according to package directions.  Set aside to cool slightly.  

For the filling:  Turn the oven down to 350 degrees.  If you're using bottled beets, drain away excess liquid.  Roughly chop the beets and put into a food processor with the cream.  Blend to a thick puree.  Set aside.  In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and sugar together thoroughly.  Add the beet puree, spices and lemon zest and mix well.  Pour the mixture into the baked pie shell (if the edges of your pie crust are already browned, cover them with some foil to keep from burning) and bake for 30 to 40 minutes, or until the filling is set with a slight wobble in the middle.  Leave to cool completely.  To serve, slice and top with whipped cream.

This is not your average-run-of-the-mill Valentine dessert...it's better than that...think of it as Valentine's 2.0.  And then think of adding this pie to your Thanksgiving/Christmas pie list because it is definitely holiday worthy.  

Christmas Quilt Redux...

When I was putting Christmas things away, trying to coax my many Christmas pillows back into the closet, the thought occurred to me that I might just have one too many pillows.  How many Christmas pillows does one actually need?  Is there a legal limit?  Had I crossed it?   I didn't remember having so many pillows - it was as if they had been breeding when I wasn't looking.  

These are just a few of the Christmas pillows that refused to cooperate and go back into the closet.  So I started thinking...I couldn't get rid of them, getting rid of anything Christmas is blasphemous...but I could re-invent them!  And that's just how this latest Christmas quilt came to be...I took the pillows apart and made myself a new Christmas quilt.

Some of the pillows were made by my friends and given to me as Christmas gifts - and I LOVE them - so it was with a bit of trepidation that I cut into them.  I certainly didn't want to ruin what they made so I did my best to preserve as much of their work as I could.  

Michelle made me the red-work Snowmen and she gave it to me in a beautiful frame...after looking at the pillows I could use I realized I might need a few more pieces so I took apart some of the framed pictures I'd been given...I was on a mission!!!  Dawn made the beautiful cross-stitch Santa and Jan made the embroidered Snowman...I made the top right pillow years ago, the one with the snowman face button.

Mari made the top left Santa - it was a beautiful quilted pillow and I left the quilting on so it's a bit thicker than the other blocks but I love it.  Michelle, I think, made the little cross-stitch Santa in the bottom left corner and Denise made those miniature flying-geese borders...all paper pieced and the paper was still on because those borders were part of a framed picture that broke as I was trying to stuff everything into the closet...that's what really started this project...a broken picture, a few tears, a pile of things I loved that just needed a new way to be.  I made the two blocks on the right, top and bottom.  The bottom green Santa was from a Christmas stocking that had my name on it; it was part of the family set but then I decided we needed new stockings so I stuffed my stocking and used it as a pillow on the guest room bed for many years.

The top right block was paper-pieced by Denise, it was part of the framed picture that broke.  Below that, the red Santa, I made for a Christmas gift but decided it was too stupid so I made it into a pillow and kept it.  The bottom block, Winter, I also made and it has a date of 2001.  I gave it to the girl that year for Christmas...she gave it back!  The girl barely puts up any Christmas stuff, it's probably because she grew up in a house where Christmas was regurgitated on every surface!  

I could not love this quilt more - I see my friends when I look at it - friends that I love.  Now my goal is to get this hand-quilted before Christmas rolls around, because if there is anything I need, it's another Christmas quilt! 

The Yule Log 2019...

Be careful what you start with your kids/grandkids.  Seriously, if someone had told me that years ago my holidays would be so much more peaceful and laid back!  But nooooooo, no one said a word!  Not once did anyone tell me that going on an innocent Sasquatch hunt at night with my 3 year old grandson for fun would lead to countless night-time jaunts through the "woods" when they came to visit, year after year.  I would be dead tired and little Max would say, "Grandma is it time for the hunt?"  His eyes would be bright and shining with such hope...so I would drag my sorry arse up and out we would go...thereby cementing the sasquatch hunt into family tradition.  I suppose the day will come when I will have to tell the grandkids I can't hunt squatch with them any more...sasquatch trails are really not handicap accessible...but until that time, the hunt goes on, along with the annual yule log and all of the other nonsense I started so my grandkids would have fun and a bit of magic when they came to grandma's house!

The yule log is something that the kids look forward to and I can't remember how many years we've been doing it, seems like at least 500!  We started this tradition by going outside in the dark of night to pick the perfect log from the stack under the deck...then we wised up and made sure the perfect log was placed strategically just outside the door to the deck so we wouldn't have to brave the elements.  This year, however, someone not only forgot to put the log on the deck, she forgot the colored papers, the magic pens, the whole dang thing!  We had just finished our Christmas Eve feast and I was headed to a soft spot in front of the fire when Elsa sweetly asked,  "Grandma, when are we going to do the yule log?" 

Max and Elsa take the yule log very seriously and I couldn't believe I had dropped the ball!  Quickly a couple of fire-starter logs were grabbed and declared perfect...paper and pens were located, and the kids set about writing down their wishes for Christmas and the new year...even the mister and the boy, girl and SIL were involved - I always try to peek at what they write down but it's usually some smart-aleck comment that makes me regret snooping!  This can take some time, like I said, the kids take this part very seriously and they don't like being rushed - they want to make sure they get everything down in writing! Then the strips of paper were taped to the logs and with great fanfare and flourish, they were carried to the fireplace where the mister was waiting, fire poker in hand!

And then we waited...waited for the fire to light the log...waited to see the strips of paper actually burn...waited to see the smoke go up the chimney...and then we rushed outside to the deck and waited to see the smoke come out of the chimney!  This is the most important part!!!  The smoke goes out of the chimney and the wind grabs it and carries it straight to the North Pole!!  Santa's Elves snag the smoke with their Smoke Grabber and send it to the Smoke-Deciphering-Machine where the words the kids wrote down on the paper reappear!!!  It's magic!  Christmas magic!  The Elves read the wishes, make the appropriate notes and alert Santa!  So you can see just how very important this tradition is...without the last minute smoke-fax to the North Pole, Santa might miss a few things!

It was a tense 30 second wait in bitter cold before we saw the smoke!  The kids were worried a bird had built a nest in the chimney...that thought had also crossed my mind...but finally, just as we were about to chastise the fire master, we saw smoke!

And not only did we see smoke, we saw the wind grab it, swirl it around and watched it head North...much joy and celebration followed, including a few high fives and some jumping up and down!    

 

The yule log tradition lives on...note to self:  Make sure you burn something in the fireplace ahead of time to make sure the chimney isn't blocked...and snooping or not, do try to get an actual picture of what is written on those papers before they are taped to the log because you don't have a smoke deciphering machine!

DIY Tufted Headboard...

Before Christmas I was thinking about the old days when the mister and I would run around shopping for the kids, buying toys that needed to be assembled at the 11th hour so Santa could take all the credit.  Back then we didn't think about how many pieces the toys contained or how long it would take to put together - we were caught up in the frenzy of Christmas.  The mister would stay up until the wee hours, reading and rereading directions, swearing, throwing things, one tantrum after another until finally the doll house was finished or the raceway was working.  Then Christmas morning the girl and boy would wake  up at the crack of dawn and the mister would grumble as he was dragged from bed, having had only a few hours of sleep.  Ah yes, the good ol' days. 

This year when I told the mister I would need his help making a king-size tufted headboard for the boy I gave him plenty of notice, I didn't wait until Christmas Eve.  Even so, the mister grumbled and said he was done assembling Christmas presents.  I told him I just needed his strong arms and his amazing man-power, and it would be so easy he wouldn't even have time for the teensiest of tantrums.  He was finally convinced and so I set about getting everything we needed, beginning with a sheet of compressed plywood from Home Depot which they cut for me, 76-inches x 36-inches, for free.  Oh, I was wrong about the tantrums.

 I also purchased two pieces of foam from Home Depot, which was much cheaper than buying from a fabric store like Joann's.  We cut the foam with a sharp knife to fit the plywood and used a spray glue to secure it in place.

A piece of batting, staple gun, drill, wood screws and washers were also needed.  Once the foam was glued into the place, a piece of batting was pulled tightly over the foam and stapled onto the back of the board.  The 2 1/2-yards of decorator-weight fabric was then pulled tightly around the board and stapled on the back - two people are really needed for this so the fabric stays tight. 

It's super important that the screws are placed evenly, they create the tufts.  One of the videos I watched had 45 screws!!!  I didn't have the patience for that so I opted for 14...that was a much more manageable number.  I measured and measured and measured, over and over again, making sure everything was marked correctly and spaced evenly.

The power drill helped so much!  First the washer is put on, then the screw...the washer keeps the screw from poking through the fabric - we tried to find larger washers to use, but the larger the washer the larger the whole in the center of the washer and then the larger the screw...anyway, we did the best we could with the brain power we were given and it seemed to work...until we hit a snag...

Twice the drill/screw caught the batting and the batting/fabric/foam was all snagged on the screw and it ripped the fabric!!!  Tantrums ensued.  I ended up stitching the holes together with carpet thread and then I applied some super glue...we held our breaths and tried again.   It ripped again - once there is a hole it just continues to grow...so I sewed them up again, worrying it would show beyond the buttons...and after sewing/gluing twice, it worked.  Crisis averted!!

I purchased a button covering kit from Joann Fabrics, it came with exactly 14 buttons.  It was really easy to cover the buttons and then they were glued on top of the screws with E-6000 craft glue.

Here it is all finished!!  We were high-fivin' ourselves all over the place!  Can't believe we actually did it...and it should be noted that even though the mister had himself a few tantrums, not one tool was thrown and we didn't have to make a trip to urgent care either!!  He might be mellowing in his old age!  We carried the thing upstairs and hid it in our closet.  One entire roll of wrapping paper and a big bow and it was ready for Christmas morning!

The grandkids were shocked when they walked in and saw the giant wrapped present and immediately asked who it was for...when we told them it was for the boy they quickly forgot about it and moved onto their gifts.  After everything was opened we sat around for a bit and let everyone guess what the giant package could be...and no one was even close!  Finally the boy unwrapped it...he loved it, we loved it, the kids loved it!!  It was SO fun to be able to surprise the boy!

We purchased a picture-hanging kit where one strip is mounted to the wall and another to the headboard - it was super easy for the boy to put them on and to hang the headboard.  The hard part, because there is always a hard part, was making sure it was level.  We decided the headboard needed to be about 10-inches below the top of the mattress, so it would look like it was part of the bed and not just stuck on the wall - measuring and using a level was the key!  The picture-hanging kit held up to 500 lbs., and I think the headboard weighed about 50 lbs., maybe less, actually I have no idea but I could lift it so it wasn't that much!  Anyway, the boy made sure the screws were put into the studs so he wouldn't have to worry about the thing falling and hitting him in the head.

 

It looks SO great!   We are so happy with how it turned out and so is the boy.  As we were making this the mister kept asking why we didn't just buy him a headboard...and really, we could have for about the same amount of money we spent making it...I found a similar king-size tufted headboard on Wayfair.com for $176.00 that included free shipping...it was tempting.

 

We definitely would have saved ourselves some trouble but it was SO FUN to make something for the boy - we haven't done that for years!  And we did have a good time working together...well almost...and that's saying a lot!  Here's our cost breakdown:

 

compressed wood:     8

2 pieces of foam:      46

spray glue:               15 (an unnecessary expense but the people on You Tube said we should use it)

washers & screws:    12

2 1/2 yds fabric:       30

button cover kit:      10

2 1/2 yds batting:     8

E-6000 craft glue:     5

staples:                    5

wrapping paper:       5

picture hanging kit:  15

 

Total cost:            $159.00

 

 

But really, how can you put a cost on the joy of making something special for someone you love?!?!  I think I was most excited about giving this to the boy than any of the other gifts we gave this year, including the things we gave to Max and Elsa.  

 

Merry Christmas to the boy!  

The Candy Cane Hunt...

A candy cane hunt is just like an Easter egg hunt, except it's done with candy canes, in the winter, in the forest, where little ones needs to be on the lookout for reindeer, elves and Sasquatch. In the Northwest it's best to hold the hunt on a day when it's not raining, but since candy canes come individually wrapped in plastic, the rain won't hurt them...but the hunters might not have as much fun.  We scheduled our hunt on what turned out to be the 5th rainiest day in Seattle, ever.  So we rescheduled, because rain is one thing, a monsoon is another. 

Elsa made our signs last year (we saved them by covering in plastic wrap so the rain didn't ruin them) and we had 350 candy canes, plus some large plastic ones to mark the trail.  All of the candy cane hunters were given a Santa hat to wear - so as not to be mistaken for a baby Squatch - and a bucket to hold their candy canes.

Max decided he was too old to do the actual hunting so he opted to help hide the candy canes.  It was great having a helper and just so you know, it takes a bit longer to hide candy canes than you would expect.  You can't just toss them into plants or on the ground like you do Easter eggs...oh I suppose you could...but it's much more interesting to hang them from branches and trees so the kids have to really look for them.  And if you happen to have a fence in your forest, candy canes look great on them!

Oh how I love this boy!  He took his job very seriously as we stapled signs and red and white striped bows on trees, so our hunters would know where to go - plus it made the forest look very festive!  Max may have a future in the candy cane hanging industry, he was that good!

Our group of hunters - the cutest I've ever seen!  They were excited even though I'm not sure they really knew what they were going to do.  But they were ready to go and came prepared to walk into the deep, dark woods...

You can see how deep into the forest we went...the neighborhood trail was perfect for candy cane hunting.  Our hunt lasted a good 20 minutes or so - it was a long walk for the kids, stopping and grabbing canes along the way took time.  The older kids ran ahead, which is why I have no pictures of them, and bless their hearts, they actually left candy canes for the little ones to find!

After the hunt, we went back to the house for treats - the hunters had worked up an appetite!  Hot cocoa and cookies were waiting for them, thanks to the boy who stayed behind to get everything ready.

Those snowmen cupcakes kill me!  I did try, really hard, but they all kind of look creepy...oh well, the kids liked them!  (I also tried really hard to get each kid a melting snowman from Trader Joe's.  They were all the rage this year and Trader Joe's ended up rationing them, so each person could only buy 3 at a time!  Every time I went in they were sold out...so next year I'll be on the lookout for them the day after Halloween!!) 

 

Each candy cane hunter had a peppermint spoon, to stir their cocoa, and a small knife which was needed for them to spread their own frosting on their own cookies.  They also had sprinkles to go on top.  Of course, there were already decorated cookies for them to eat while they decorated their cookies!

Cookies and cocoa would have been just fine and dandy but the kids really liked decorating their own cookies - and eating them.  We had prizes for the kids, too.  I bought 3 packages of  "indoor snowballs" at Target (they are great fun and the kids loved them!) and we wrapped those up (pictured behind Elsa on the right, with the red ribbon) and gave them to the kid with the most candy canes, the least candy canes, and I can't remember what the other one was for.  (Max, Elsa and I had a snowball fight in their house a few weeks back and it was hilarious!  Being pelted with fluffy, soft balls was so fun, of course, doing the pelting was even more fun...and their dog Roxy got in on the act, too.  She grabbed every ball she could and proceeded to shred them!  Not one lamp, window, bric-a-brac was broken and not one tear was shed...indoor snowballs are a good thing.)

There is something wonderful about seeing little kids faces when they walk into a room filled with sweets...their eyes just light up and smiles go from ear to ear!  That's my reward for doing parties like this...that and seeing my own grandkids have fun.  If you have a candy cane hunt, and I hope you do, make it as simple or as extravagant you want.  Serving hot cocoa out of a thermos in the forest would have been a perfect ending, kids don't care really, they just love the fun of it and as long as there is a little bit of Christmas magic involved, everyone wins!  

Happy 11th day of Christmas!






 

Winter Wassail...

Baby it's cold outside...and snow is in the forecast!  That's something to be excited about around here, as long as we are toasty warm inside with a mug of winter wassail there will be no complaints about snow!  This is soooooo easy and you can't mess it up as long as you start with two key ingredients...

Trader's Joe's Winter Wassail and Martinelli's Sprakling Apple Cranberry Cider.  Joe's wassail is good on it's own but with the addition of the Martinelli's and fruit, it's even better!  Pour equal parts Trader Joe's Winter Wassail and Martinelli's Sparkling Apple Cranberry Cider into a large container.

Now the fun part...slice up a whole orange and apple and add them to the mix along with a cinnamon stick, about a teaspoon full of whole cloves and the arils from half of a pomegranate.

 

Let this all sit in the container on your counter for an hour or so and then give it all a good mash.  The longer it sits the better it tastes, but after 5 hours put it in the refrigerator.  It will keep for two days in the fridge.  You can drink it cold over ice or heat it up for a nice mug of delicious winter love.

We've been sipping on this since the wassail first appeared on the shelves at Trader Joe's back before Thanksgiving...hopefully they'll still have some for a while because it's quite addictive and apparently I'm a wassail addict!  (Mom and Elsa working on the crossword puzzle - I'm not sure who needed help from who!)

 

 

 

 

 

Hot Cocoa Stirs...

We are at the height of hot cocoa season, which officially began November 1st and ends March 20th - that being the first day of Spring when people have high hopes of filling glasses with ice cubes instead of mugs with hot milk.  In the Northwest I suppose it could be argued that hot cocoa season lasts until July 5th, the unofficial first day of summer, but I'm usually done with mugs and all cocoa biz long before then because who can allow themselves to sip hot cocoa (at 200 calories per mug) whilst looking at magazines taunting the arrival of swimsuit season?!?

You can use regular marshmallows for these stirs but the mini-marshmallows that come in a container are great.  I usually keep a couple of jars on hand because they also work great in cookies when you want just a bite of marshmallow and not the whole cloud!

This isn't really a recipe - there are no certain amounts - just spread some mini-marshmallows on a plate and set aside.  In the microwave, melt any kind of chocolate you want and stir until smooth.  It takes about a minute to heat the chocolate - when you remove it there will still be lumps but as you stir it will all melt.  Be careful not to over heat the chocolate because it can burn!  I used semi-sweet but dark chocolate is great!  Once the chocolate is smooth (and no need to worry about tempering chocolate here!) dip the candy cane in the chocolate or use a knife to spread chocolate over the candy cane - whatever works for you.

Roll the candy canes in the mini-marshmallows - this is a very kid-friendly activity so get them involved!  1 cup of chocolate chips was just the right amount for a dozen dipped candy canes.

These take about 20 minutes to fully set or you can put them into your refrigerator to speed things up.  Once set, they are ready to use!  Fill your mugs with hot cocoa, add a stir and sit back and watch the magic happen!  As the chocolate  melts those little mini-marshmallows break free and float on top of the cocoa - YUM!  The chocolate melts into the cocoa as you stir so every sip becomes just a bit richer...elastic waist-band pants might be needed!

We didn't bother with covering these with plastic wrap or keeping them in a Zip-lock style bag - which you should do if you want to keep them for a while - we were too busy stirring them into our cocoa so they didn't last long enough to cover!  If you don't cover them the marshmallows will get hard - but not to worry, they soften up just perfectly in the cocoa!  Happy sipping!

The Grinch Party...

I'm lucky to have a lot of nieces and nephews, none live close to me but I get to see most of them on a regular basis when I go to SLC.  Three of my nieces are Grinch fiends...they love the movie, The Grinch, (of course they love the book, too) and everything about Who-ville.  After years of talking about it, my nieces Gabby, Callie and Gracie decided it was time they had their own Whobilation...they asked if I wanted to help...duh!  

Callie truly is Martha May Whovia and Gabby is a lot like Betty Lou Who, so they played their parts brilliantly!  Of course, no Whobilation would be complete without the very precious Cindy Lou Who...and little 4 year old Rylee was cast perfectly.  Rylee was so excited for the party - kept asking all day if it was time and she could barely contain herself when we finally said it was! 

Baby Who-Rhett oversaw everything from the safety of his Who-seat and he was so good - not a peep out of him.  Can't say that about Mayor Augustus May Who - although he did kick the party into high hear when he showed up!    

Yours truly was crowned Cheermiester, awarded a goblet, lighted necklace, a tinsel-y-pointer-thingy and a beautiful Christmas sweater that I was forced thrilled to put on.  My sister Carolynn is trying to hide behind me in the picture - but we see you!  

If I look a little tired, and I do, it's because I was!  The morning of the party my sister Carolynn and I decided we would dip chocolates...probably not the best decision but time was short.  We spent about 5 hours dipping 350 chocolates and then packaging them for gifts.  By the time we were finished we were covered in chocolate, and so was every surface in the kitchen.  We spent a good bit of time cleaning up, with the clock ticking down to the Whobilation...a nap would have been nice but there wasn't any time for that!  

My sister Joni let us trash her kitchen, she does have the perfect space for dipping chocolates...huge counter that we could completely cover with chocolate.  Carolynn is a master at packaging and each box was beautifully wrapped with darling tags.  I made the apron for my sister Joni several years ago and I used it so I wouldn't be chocolated...when she came home and saw it she thought it was ruined forever...but it washed up beautifully.  It was probably the first time it's been used...

By now I'm sure you're wondering what does one do at a Whobilation besides dress up?  Well, for starters we dined on green food...

 

We had everything from Grinch Juice, (it was actually really good - recipe can be found here) to roast-beast - sort of - and tons of sugary things...too many to mention - tons is the correct word as that's what I felt like I had gained by the time I flew home!    

We had SO much food!  (Only half of what we had is pictured above!)  I had to get a picture of my brother-in-law's homemade bread...he's now a breadmaker...Who knew???  The list of what we wanted to make shrunk considerably because of our time constraints - probably a good thing.  But our Whobilation wasn't just about dressing up and eating...oh no...we had an actual purpose!

 I love parties where there is something to do...standing around eating is boring, and besides, it's what I do all day long anyway...so when Gracie and Gabby were talking about this I asked them what the point was...I mean, besides fun, and I told them we needed to do something.  They didn't quite get it - standing around eating is not something they do all day so they were looking forward to that...but when I suggested we paint something, they were on board!  I prepped the canvasses before I flew to Salt Lake and took all of the paints, brushes and other supplies with me...my luggage was awarded the "overweight" sticker.  I'm just glad they didn't put it on me!  Everyone was given a canvas, paint, brush and a stencil of the Grinch's hand to use if they wanted - and we all painted the same picture.

  There were plenty of real Grinch's at our party who wanted nothing to do with painting...note to self:  don't have a party when everyone's favorite football team is playing on TV.  I was so proud of my little Who-Monets...they took their painting very seriously - as they should!  Painting the Grinch's hand, creating their own masterpiece...their own family heirloom, well, that's a very serious thing!

 

Can you tell which painting is little Rylee's?  Don't you just love it??  She was NOT going to be told what to paint or what colors to use but she does have the Grinch's hand in there!  I love them all so much - we had our very own Grinch Art Gallery.  We decided that next year - because this must be an annual event - these paintings need to be on display and hopefully they will all have been properly framed!

 

The best part of the entire thing was spending time with my family.  I SO wish we all lived closer to each other - I love it when I'm with them and miss them when I'm not.  We had such a good time and I hated it to end...but alas, all good things do have to end...if not we would have all grown three sizes that day!

 

Merry Grinchmas and Happy Who Year!

Candy Christmas Decorations...

The boy is always up for helping with my crazy ideas...this year I decided the naked tree in the front yard needed some sparkle so I made peppermint candy to hang in the tree.  These were easy to make, and cheap and at night when they are lit up (with green and red spot lights) they will look very festive!  Here's what you need:

One package of these dry insulation styrofoam panels (available from Home Depot for about $9), it comes with 6 pieces of foam which gave me 18 circles (3 circles per piece.)  Trace the circles, cut out using a sharp knife, saw or what works really great is an electric knife - slick as a whistle!

Don't worry about the edges being a bit wobbly - they won't show.  Along with the foam you will need a can of red spray paint, cellophane wrapping, red ribbon and wire.

Out of craft paper or cardboard - whatever you have handy - cut a template to put over the foam circles so you can spray and have a nice edge.  I used the template for about half of the circles I sprayed and then I got tired of it so I just used the spray and was able to get them to come out pretty good!  At first I thought these might look a bit like swastikas so I added another line of paint...

This pic is without the extra line of red paint - but they are all sprayed and ready to be wrapped with cellophane!  

Sorry, blurry pic but I wanted you to see the extra line of paint I added - made them much more candy-like I think.  Oh, just so you know...when I used the spray paint close to the foam the paint actually "ate away" at the foam!  So keep it a bit back!

I mentioned the boy is always up for helping - actually anything that makes the mister more of a Grinch he is all for...so this was right up his alley!  We do like torturing the mister at Christmas with as much Christmasing as we can!  We had a break in the clouds so it was the perfect time to hang the candy, which we did by wrapping wire around one end of the cellophane and wiring to the tree branch.  

These were the last of the Christmas decorations so now we are done and ready for Santa...who has already arrived and is looking out my living room window!  Time for the Whobilation to begin!