O' Christmas Tree

If you have a lot of left over hard candy from Halloween, or if you're like us, left over from last Valentine's Day, don't throw it away - make something! I found this idea in the December issue of Better Homes and Gardens. {I love that magazine}

"Crush hard candies like Jolly Ranchers to create shimmery ornaments that resemble stain glass. Just line a cookie cutter with foil, spritz it with cooking oil, and fill it halfway with candy pieces. Bake for approximately 7 minutes at 350 degrees to melt the candy, then cool for 10 minutes. Use a hot-glue gun to add a hanger." - BHG

Mine turned out pretty well, and I ended up making 2 or 3 other pieces but this one was by far the best. If you try it, send me a picture. I would love to see how it turned out.

Happy Holidays!

They look good, don't they?

They are...well, were {grin}. The kids thought they tasted like mint chocolate chip ice cream, but warm. They were originally just cocoa fudge cookies, but I added a bit of a seasonal kick to them. They look like teeth breakers but actually the candy canes soften after a bit.

Cocoa Fudge Cookies {w/Candy Canes}

Yield: 2 dozen

Cookies:

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/8 teaspoon salt

5 tablespoons butter

7 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa

2/3 cup granulated sugar

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Cooking spray

Topping:

1 cup powdered sugar

1 tablespoon milk

2 packages of 12 {or more} candy canes

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cup; level with knife. Combine flour, soda, and salt; set aside. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Remove from heat; stir in cocoa powder and sugars (mixture will resemble coarse sand). Add yogurt and vanilla, stirring to combine. Add flour mixture, stirring until moist. Drop by level tablespoons 2 inches apart onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. 

Bake at 350 degrees for 8-10 minutes or until almost set. Cool on pans 2-3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans and cool on a wire rack. This recipe is actually from a Cooking Light recipe, so in case I've made a mistake you can get it here.

For topping {this one's all me}, lightly crush candy canes with a rolling pin in a plastic bag. Pour crushed candy canes onto a shallow dish. Combine powdered sugar and milk to make icing and spread over top of cookie {you don't need very much}. This will act like a glue. So now, either sprinkle candy cane on top of cookie or turn cookie upside down onto plate to pick up the candy canes. Let sit until icing is solid.

Voila! Enjoy!

Hunting Season

When you think of hunting season, I bet you don't think of it as a family event. Well not an "everybody and your grandma" event, anyway. But that's just what it is when my family goes hunting. Hunting for our Christmas tree...parents, kids, cousins, uncles, grandmas and grandpas all head out to the great tree farm to honor the yearly tradition. Usually it's chili and hot dogs before, to keep us energized and warm for the trek ahead. And then hot chocolate after, when we haul our "prize" home. 

We have to have our traditions, even when its 20 degrees and the wind is biting cold. Kids run with excitement and anticipation of finding just the right tree. Cheeks red and noses running, they pick the perfect tree - but wait a minute, this one has a bird's nest in it! Or this one is nice and tall! I hear my husband's voice ring loud and clear to the scattered kids..."I've got one cornered!" Usually it ends up being the closest to the car {wink, wink}. 

Once home, the fun begins. Dan relinquishes all responsibility for decorating to myself and the kids. He killed it, we dress it. Sounds fair. In place and smelling wonderful, I notice this tree is tall, it is VERY tall. Now removed from the wide, open air, our perfect tree has magically grown to enormous proportions. "But it was the right size when we picked it!" they exclaim. "It must be magic!" they say. What we thought was only maybe 8 feet at best was 11 feet tall!!!

With "Jingle Bells" in the background, the kids and I set to work. Of course, we needed a little help getting ornaments to the top and to the kids excitement we received it by way of a very tall ladder. My husband's work was not quite done. Even with a ladder, the star still required an extra long arm.

 With night falling and the lights glowing, I think to myself that the traditions are well worth it.

Happy Holidays everyone!

Not so Bye-Bye Birdie

Winter is on it's way and while most birds have migrated I still seem to have an abundance of wild birds at my feeders. I'm especially enamored with this Tufted Titmouse, with his little crest that reminds me of a man's 1950's hairstyle.

I set up two bluebird boxes in late summer, knowing I was probably not going to see any inhabitants until early spring. I was pretty excited {and I would never have thought that I would get this way over birds} when I saw two bluebirds going in and out of the boxes like they were touring a home for sale.

Since then, a number of bluebirds have been checking out the neighborhood and I hope they buy. I would love to show you all Bluebird eggs next spring.

Have a wonderful week!

Scary Snare

Tiny droplets of water illuminating the delicate strands of a spiderweb. Harmless to us but deadly to unknowing insects who dare to cross.

Muwahahahaha...Happy Halloween

Addicted to Succulents

Time flies and wonderful things grow. These are the succulents I planted last May. They have really exceeded my expectations. Not only did I keep them alive, they've grown and had offspring! I've been able to split these into smaller plantings and now have a family of succulents living in my house. 

Honestly, I can't get enough. I've purchased a few more little souls that were on sale at the garden center. I want to save them all and wonder what will happen to them over the winter. The colors and textures are so different and enticing. I think I'll use these as subjects for my next watercolor attempt. What do you think?

Salsa!

In the Spring I bought a Jalapeno Pepper plant from our local farm market. I wanted to start a vegetable garden and I thought since I'm not a major gardener I'd start small to get my feet wet, so to speak. I found an unused pot and started my {small} container garden. I paired my hot peppers with basil in the same pot. I've used the basil almost immediately on everything from homemade spaghetti to bruschetta.

The jalapenos I've had to wait a while but the wait has been worth it. My mom gave me her salsa recipe and we made a mild and a HOT batch. I'm not one for hot foods but this was good. My husband has used it on his pizza, tacos, cheese and crackers...anything he can think of.

So here's the yummy recipe...Enjoy!

3 large tomatoes - coarsely chopped

3 canned or fresh jalapeno peppers - beware!!

3T chopped green onions with tops

1T fresh parsely - chopped (use more as you like)

1 clove garlic - crushed

1 1/2T cider vinegar (I used lemon/lime juice)

1/2tsp. salt

1/8tsp. ground cumin

1/2 small (8oz.) can tomato sauce

Mix all together and refrigerate for at least 4 hours before serving. Can be frozen, but becomes watery upon thawing. Just drain if that happens. Use all fresh ingredients for best results.