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Christmas Savings

December 19, 2007 Leave a Comment

Between now and New Year’s is a great time to get good deals on Christmas decorations and other items. A lot of holiday items will not go on sale until the day after Christmas, but some stores are starting to discount items now. If you look in the right place, you can get a bunch of great items for 25, 50, and even 75% off the retail price. Here are a few examples:

Ornaments – I collect ornaments. I use some ornaments for my tree, and I display others in a cabinet throughout the year. If you collect ornaments or are planning to get new ornaments for your tree next year, now is the perfect time to do it. Every year I see new ornaments that I like, but it can get expensive after a while. Waiting till after Christmas to buy the ornaments I want has saved me a lot. Ornaments also make great gifts. My mom collects Hallmark ornaments, and her birthday is in January, so I usually try to pick up a couple of ornaments for her.

Cards – There’s a huge markup on Christmas cards. The day after Christmas, stores will have an entire bin full of discounted Christmas cards. It’s the perfect opportunity to buy ahead for next year.

Wrapping paper, gift bags, and supplies – Why not go ahead and buy extra gift wrapping supplies for next year?

Calendars – I love picking out my new calendar for the year. Usually I buy from the calendar stand that is set up in the middle of the mall. Several years ago I bought my calendars early. I’d see the one I wanted and I’d want to get it before they sold out. But a few years ago, I saw that had a 75% off sale after New Year’s, so I decided I would wait till then from now until. But then last year I was walking through the mall a couple of days after Christmas, and I found that they had already put the calendars on sale. Anyway, if you haven’t bought your calendar for the New Year, wait till after Christmas and check the stand at your local mall for a good deal. If they’re not on sale yet, then check back after New Years’s. Stores like Wal-mart and Target will discount their calendars as well, but they usually wait a little longer.

Christmas decor, trees, clothes, ect. – You can find great deals on all other decor and clothing for yourself or for next year’s Christmas presents. I bought my new Christmas tree the day after Christmas last year. It’s a lovely 6.5 foot tree, and I got it for about $10, and I absolutely love it! As long as you have a place to store it, stock up! (especially if it is something that you’d like to have regardless of the price and if it is something that you would have to buy in the future anyway!)

Filed Under: Christmas, saving money, shopping

Chocolate Bon Bons

December 19, 2007 2 Comments

Bon Bon Ingredients:
2 lbs. confectioners’ sugar
2 sticks butter, softened
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 qt. chopped pecans
1 c. coconut (optional)

Coating Ingredients:
9 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips (approx. 1 1/2 bags)
1 bar paraffin wax

Directions:
Sift sugar into a bowl; cream in butter. Add milk and vanilla; stir until smooth and creamy. Fold in nuts and coconut. Refrigerate until firm. Roll into balls. stick toothpicks in each ball (for dipping) and refrigerate again until firm (about an hour or so). Melt chocolate and wax in double boiler. Dip bon bons in chocolate mixture, and set out on wax paper. Let dry completely.

*Tips*

– Sticking the toothpicks into the balls before they are refrigerated (rather than sticking the toothpicks in just before dipping) will help the balls to stay on the toothpick during the dipping process. If you stick the balls with the toothpick just before dip them, they will be more likely to fall into the chocolate, and you’ll have to fish them out with a spoon, which can be very frustrating.

-Upon removing the toothpicks, you’ll probably be able to see very noticeable holes from the toothpick and any chocolate that was attached to the toothpick. For this, I recommend using any left over chocolate (or make more if needed), and spoon it over all the holes.

-Be sure to use semi-sweet chocolate chips and not milk chocolate, or else the mixture will not turn out right.

Filed Under: cookies and candy, desserts, recipes

Holiday Poke Cupcakes

December 17, 2007 2 Comments

Here’s a cute and simple, easy to decorate, cupcake recipe from kraft.com. I make a similar recipe to this in a sheetcake, and now that I’ve seen this recipe, I’m ready to make the cupcakes. The recipe calls for red jello, but I think green would be good as well. This would also be a good recipe for Valentine’s Day, or any holiday really….just change up the colors.

This is also a great recipe because you can do anything you want with it, making it as simple or as elaborate as you like. Personally I’m thinking of leaving the marshmallows off, but I think I will try the sprinkles. But either way, I’m sure you’ll like it!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) white cake mix
1 cup boiling water
1 pkg. (4-serving size) JELL-O Brand Gelatin, any red flavor
1 tub (8 oz.) COOL WHIP Whipped Topping, thawed
Red or green food coloring
suggested decorations: colored sugar, colored sprinkles, crushed candy canes and/or JET-PUFFED HOLIDAY MALLOWS Marshmallows

PREPARE batter and bake as directed for cupcakes. Cool in pans 10 min. Pierce tops with fork.
STIR boiling water into dry gelatin mix until dissolved; spoon over cupcakes. Refrigerate 30 min. Remove from pans.
TINT whipped topping with food coloring; spread over cupcakes. Decorate as desired. Store in refrigerator.

Filed Under: Christmas, cupcakes, desserts, recipes

Recipe of the Week: Coconut Macaroons

December 15, 2007 Leave a Comment

This week’s recipe of the week is for coconut macaroons. I found this recipe a couple of weeks ago in BHG and decided to make it for my husband. (he loves coconut!) All the macaroons were gone within a couple of days, and he immediately asked when I’d be making some more! Give it a try:

Ingredients:
4 egg whites
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
1/8 tsp. salt
1-1/3 cups sugar
1 14-oz. pkg. flaked coconut
Directions
1. Preheat oven to 325F. Line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Inlarge mixing bowl beat egg whites, vanilla, cream of tartar, and salt with electricmixer on high speed until soft peaks form (tips curl). Add sugar, 1 tablespoon at atime, beating until stiff peaks form (tips stand straight). Fold in coconut.
2. Using an icecream scoop with 2-inch bowl (or scant 1/4-cup measure), dropcoconut mixture in mounds on prepared cookie sheets. Place on separate racks in oven. Bake 20 minutes. Turn off oven; let cookies dry in oven 30 minutes. Transfer to wire rack to cool. Makes 28.
3. For small cookies drop dough by teaspoons. Bake 20 to 25 minutes. Let stand and cool as above. Makes 60.
4. Store in airtight container in single layer at room temperature up to 3 days. Freeze up to 3 months.

Filed Under: cookies and candy, desserts, Recipe of the Week, recipes

Christmas Cookbook Giveaway

December 13, 2007 Leave a Comment

I’m happy to announce that Marye at Bakingdelights.com is giving away a lovely cookbook filled with chocolate recipes for the Christmas season. The book is I’m Dreaming of a Chocolate Christmas by Marcel Desaulniers and Ron Manville and was just published in October of 2007.

It sounds like a wonderful prize for one and all. The contest ends at midnight on December 18, so hurry on over to her page to check out all the details.

Filed Under: Uncategorized

Christmas Cupcake Designs

December 12, 2007 3 Comments
I’m new at cupcake decorating myself, and I am absolutely amazed at some of the cupcake designs that I find on the internet. Here are a few Christmas cupcakes for you. Even if you’re no cupcake artist, you may be able to make something similar to these, or at least ge an idea, and if nothing else, they’re very pretty to look at.

Flickr member – kagekonen

Flickr member – bakerella

Flickr member – paulahennig

Flickr member – momskitchen

Flickr member – who ate all the cupcakes

Flickr member – NZ Cupcake Queen

Flickr member – ambjer

Filed Under: Christmas, cupcakes, desserts

Peppermint Brittle

December 12, 2007 Leave a Comment
peppermint brittle
Here’s a recipe that’s sure to please this holiday season: Peppermint Brittle!  And did I mention it is super easy and quick to make?
Recipe for Peppermint Brittle 
Ingredients:
2 pounds white chocolate
30 small peppermint candy canes

Directions:
Line a large jellyroll pan with heavy-duty foil.

Place white chocolate in a microwave-safe bowl. Heat in microwave on medium setting for 5 to 6 minutes. Stir occasionally, until chocolate is melted and smooth.

Place candy canes in a plastic bag, or between two pieces of waxed paper. Using a mallet or rolling pin, break the candy canes into chunks. Stir peppermint into melted white chocolate. Spread evenly in pan, and chill until set, about 1 hour. Break into pieces by slamming pan on counter.

Filed Under: Christmas, cookies and candy, desserts, recipes

Fantasy Fudge

December 11, 2007 Leave a Comment

One of my favorite things to do during the holiday season is make (and eat) all the great candies, cookies, appetizers, pies…you get the picture. So for the next week or so, all of my posts will be devoted to pictures and recipes of holiday sweets and treats. I decided to start with a traditional favorite, fudge.

(from christmas-cookies.com)

Ingredients

3 cups sugar

3/4 cup margarine

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1 12-oz. (340 g) package semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 7-oz. (198 g) jar Kraft Marshmallow creme

1 cup chopped nuts

1 tablespoon vanilla

Traditional method:Combine sugar, margarine and milk in heavy 2-1/2 quart saucepan; bring to full rolling bail, stirring constantly. Continue boiling 5 minutes over medium heat, stirring. Remove from heat, stir in chocolate till melted. Add marshmallow creme, nuts & vanilla beat till blended. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Let cool and cut into 1-inch squares.

Microwave method:Microwave margarine in 4-quart microwave-safe bowl on HIGH (100%) 1 minute or until melted. Add sugar and milk; mix well. Microwave on HIGH 5 minutes or until mixture begins to boil, stirring after 3 minutes. Mix well; scrape bowl. Continue microwaving on HIGH 5-1/2 minutes; stir after 3 minutes. Stir in chips until melted. Add remaining ingredients; mix well. Pour into greased 13 x 9-inch baking pan. Cool at room temperature; cut into squares. Makes 3 pounds.


Filed Under: desserts, recipes

Recipe of the Week: Crunchy Cheese Crisps

December 8, 2007 2 Comments

This week’s featured recipe comes from Taste of Home. It’s another tasty yet simple appetizer recipe, and it’s also low in fat. Nobody will be able to eat just one.
INGREDIENTS
1/2 cup finely crushed potato chips
1/2 cup finely shredded cheddar cheese
4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter, softened
1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard
Pinch cayenne pepper

Directions
In a small bowl, combine all ingredients. Shape into 3/4-in. balls. Place on an ungreased baking sheet and flatten slightly. Bake at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until golden brown. Remove to a wire rack. Yield: 4 servings.


Filed Under: appetizers and snacks, Recipe of the Week, recipes

Tips to Avoid Spending Too Much This Holiday Season

December 6, 2007 Leave a Comment

The holiday season is upon us. Christmas is just three weeks away, and Hanukkah has already begun. Millions of shoppers will rush out to the local mall over the next few weeks and spend hundreds of dollars on presents for friends and loved ones. Unfortunately most everyone will spend more money than they orginally intended.

Don’t get me wrong. I love the holiday season, and I love to watch family members open the gifts that I carefully selected for them. After all this is a season for giving. I also cannot ignore the fact that our crazy spending sprees are great for the economy.

However, I don’t think it’s a good idea to spend beyond your means, even if it is Christmas. A little splurging is okay, but we should all be careful. Unless you have an organized shopping plan and a little time to think things out ahead of time, it is very easy to get carried away, and before you know it, you are either out of cash or you’ve racked up a huge credit card bill. For this reason, I chose to write the following article. It features some tips on how you can save money and lists some inexpensive gift selections. This is a must read for anyone who hasn’t done all their holiday shopping yet:

Tips to Avoid Spending Too Much This Holiday Season

Filed Under: Christmas, saving money, shopping
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