1-Popcorn!

On the Twelfth Day of Christmas we made three different flavors of popcorn, popcorn “snowballs,” and carmel corn! My mom actually won the popcorn maker, supplies, candy, and movies from her quilting group, Cotton Patch Quilters. Every year they have a Christmas dinner and party and there is also a raffle! This year she won this fun popcorn gift basket! Thank you Cotton Patch Quilters for a fun year! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year everyone!

Almost There!

3-Scones: these were given to my mom by a friend, as was the angel figurine. They are a packaged mix, but they are so good! The flavor is cranberry orange and to officially make it homemade, we candied some oranges from our very own backyard. We also got some orange juice out of it!

2-Peanut Brittle: this recipe is so good and it won’t break your teeth!

P.S. Speaking of oranges...this orange with a peace sticker was left on my spin bike at the gym! Speaking of the gym...I better hit the gym because I have been eating way too much!

Photo Challenge!

This is my first contest ever! The theme is fractals. According to Wikipedia (where I do all my research :) ), a fractal is “a rough or fragmented geometric shape that can be split into parts, each of which is (at least approximately) a reduced-size copy of the whole.” I’m not sure if a cootie catcher fits this definition one hundred percent, but I would say it’s definitely geometric. This picture is fun because I actually made the cootie catcher with the host of this competition. We were at Dagny’s Coffee Shop at a concert. One of the rules was that the photo needed to be edited. I am horrible at editing pictures. She knows how to put lettering and quotes on her photos and this is something I need to get better with in the new year. So, hopefully I will be inspired to practice and get better at capturing memories.

Here is the link to the contest! Try your photography skills out and enter!

You know you’re good when...

your mess is perfect! Kyle rocked the finishing touches on the Cafe Med wine bottles and I had to take a picture of his work station because we were admiring what was left behind when he was finished. My mom and I used to cross stitch a bunch and she would always say that the back needs to look as good as the front. Her back always looked neat and tidy and mine always had knots and extra strings and was a total mess, but the goal is to have both sides looking great! Kyle’s mess looks pretty perfect to me! He is such a creative person and wants to be an interior designer or baker in the future! He is already very successful at both and I can’t wait to see what he will do with all his talent!

P.S. Get your Chocolate Dipped Champaign bottles now for New Year's Eve!

Break Time!

Okay, time to take a break from the countdown. Here are some pictures from the Empty Space art show! We, along with other talented artists, had some pieces in this cash and carry event! Thank you for everyone who came out! We appreciate it!

Next!

5-Gingerbread Cookies: these are perfect for the season and were requested by a friend (hi Iris)!

4-Dried Persimmons: I needed something healthy on here and these actually came from our backyard!

Review!

Okay, so far we have:

12-Pumpkin Rolls

11-Toffee

10-Fudge

9-Rice Krispies

8-Chocolate Dipped Wine Bottles

and for 7 and 6-Buckeyes and Chocolate Oats

These are so simple to make! You don’t even need to measure!

Buckeyes: peanut butter and powdered sugar dipped in melted chocolate

Chocolate Oats: melted chocolate, oats, peanut butter, and powdered sugar combined

Just chill and serve!

Catch Up!

Sorry for the delay, but I have been away...dipping bottles of wine in chocolate! Don’t worry...I’ll get all caught up by Christmas. We have something fun planned for Christmas and we are actually right on track with the countdown. I just haven’t had time to get the pictures posted on here. But today’s feature is the most amazing thing...Chocolate Dipped Wine Bottles from Cafe Med! I helped make a few of these last year and they were pretty popular then, but they are going super fast this year! These were my go-to gifts last year and this year I’m actually going to ship a couple out to a friend. Basically, these cello covered wine bottles (red and white) are dipped in the most delicious chocolate multiple times to create a rich coating. Then, they are decorated with various editable embellishments (nuts, sprinkles, coconut, peppermint, etc.). They are gorgeously packaged and tagged with directions. It’s simple...just pull the ribbon tab at the neck of the bottle and some chocolate will break off. It doesn’t get any better than chocolate and wine. They are also dipping Champaign for New Years, so make sure your get in your order!

IOU...

three things right now, but since it’s only 2 am (well, at least it was when I started) I’m just going to give you two things. However, these two items only have three ingredients. The first is, macaroons. i opened our pantry the other day and we had like seven bags of coconut for some reason, so we decided it was about time we made something with it. My mom had a cookie exchange so these little guys were perfect for her to take. All you need to make this treat is: condensed milk, coconut, and chocolate chips. I know it doesn’t sound great, but honestly, they taste way better if they are burnt a little. The second treat is the traditional rice krispie treat. These are always a favorite and only need: rice krispies, marshmallows, and butter. Pretty simple!

P.S. It's raining!!! I LOVE the rain!

I didn’t forget...

I just fell asleep! And because of that, IOU two treats today. The first is always a staple...fudge. The second is toffee (not just any toffee, but prize winning toffee). My mom made this toffee a few years ago for our local fair and won first place! It is so good! My mom is actually quite the baker and has won top points in the fair many times, but I think our fair days are gone. We haven’t entered anything for the last two years...no time to get it all done. Making these two little treats took forever and it’s amazing to think that we used to crank these guys out along with twenty other things in one day! Now, I'm beat after making just one.

Second Annual Twelve Days of Christmas!

Last year we had to do the Twelve Days of Craftsmas after Christmas because I was late in thinking of the idea. When we decided to go for it, we did twelve awesome craft projects. This year we are going with the theme, Twelve Days of Confectionsmas or Sweetsmas! I love baking and making sweet treats, so why not do it for twelve days in a row!?! On the 12th day...Pumpkin Rolls! Making these guys always get me into the holiday spirit! We usually make some in November, but they are always fun during the Christmas season when you can share them with others. There are tons of great recipes online. My tip is to make sure you roll up the bread in a towel when it comes out of the oven. You have to do this first because it will make rolling it with the cream cheese filling way easier. Let some of the steam leave the bread and then roll it up. Leave it to cool, unroll it and spread out the filling, and the roll it up and wrap it up. These things are perfect for making ahead and freezing!

Feed Me!

The other day I went to Trader Joe’s to pick up spaghetti sauce for dinner and apples for an art lesson I was going to be teaching later in the week. Whenever I go shopping I usually never get a cart or basket and follow the rule that I can only buy what I can carry. This time I grabbed a cart and ended up with all this...

I got carried away! There was just too much good stuff. So, when I got home I turned on some music and got to work. A few hours later, I was ready to serve up this...

Just...kidding! The first picture has treats that a friend made. She bakes for The Empty Space all the time. The chocolates came from another friend who went to culinary school. It shows because these were so good! Anyway, here’s how the real deal turned out...