Christmas Day Desserts

I made two desserts this year for Christmas Day. The first one is my Apple Pie that I have made a million times. You can find the recipe in this post. I also tried out a Baklava recipe from Martha Stewarts' show. I was so afraid to make Baklava. I thought it would be extrmely hard with all the layers of phyllo dough..it was a little difficult but not bad. It was my first try and there are a few things I would change. For one I miss counted the layers and so the tol was thicker than the bottom. Also I think the recipe called for too many nuts. It was still delicious though. I enjoy it fresh...so when I served it the next day it wasn;t as gooey from the simple sugar. I am so hard on my self...oh and sorry if anyone found pieces from my pastry brush!!!! I guess I need some new ones...they were falling off and I didn't realize it until I cut it..oh well!!! Now I am off to clean up the mess. I think it may take all week!!!

Annual Baking Day!

My sister, my mom and I always get together and have a baking day before Christmas each year. This year we made a few different cookies each. My mom made Chocolate peanut clusters, Finger Frets, and Peanut Butter Blossoms..my fav! My sister made English Toffee and Thumbprints. I made Thin Mints and Soft Ginger Cookies...my other fav. It was really fun...we always enjoy ourselves and eat way to many cookies. Here are the recipes:

Big Soft Ginger Cookies-allrecipes.com

2 1/4 c Flour

2 tsp Ground Ginger
1 tsp Baking Soda
3/4 tsp ground Cinnamon
1/2 tsp Ground Cloves
1/4 tsp Salt
3/4 c Margarine, softened
1 c Sugar
1 Egg
1 TBS Water
1/4 c Molasses
2 TBS Sugar
Preheat 350
Sift flour, ginger, baking soda, cinnamon, cloves and salt. Set aside.
In a large bowl. cream margarine and 1 cup sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg. Then stir in the water and molasses. Add in the dry ingredients gradually. I like to refrigerate my dough for about 30 mins. If you don't have time it is not necessary. Then shape into balls, about the size of walnuts, and roll them in the remaining sugar. Place on cookie sheet and flatten down slightly with the bottom of a glass.
Bake for 8-10 minutes. Cool on cookie sheet for 5 minutes and they are ready to eat!

Chocolate Glazed Peppermint Cookies...aka Thin Mints

1 c. Butter, softened

1 c. Sugar

1/2 c. Unsweetened Cocoa Powder

1 1/2 tsp Baking Powder

1/2 tsp Salt

1 Egg

1 tsp Vanilla

2 1/2 c AP Flour

Chocolate Peppermint Coating

1. In a large bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, cocoa powder, baking powder, add salt. Beat until combined, scraping bowl occasionally. Beat in egg and vanilla until combined. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Using a wooden spoon, stir in any remaining flour.

2. Divide dough in half. Shape each half into a 10-inch roll. Wrap each roll in plastic. Chill about an hour or until firm enough to slice.

3.Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Cut rolls into 1/4 inch slices. Place slices one inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake in the preheated oven for 6-8 minutes or until edges are firm. Transfer cookies to a wire rack;cool.

5.Dip each cookie into the Chocolate-Peppermint Coating, turning to coat all sides. Scrape off excess on bottom with thin metal spatula. Place on cookie sheets lined with wax paper. Chill until coating is set. Makes about 40 cookies.

Chocolate-Peppermint Coating

In a medium saucepan, combine two 12-oz packages semi-sweet chocolate pieces, 1/4 cup shortening and 1/2 tsp peppermint extract. Cook and stir over medium-low heat until chocolate and shortening are melted.

Cookies can store in freezer p to 3 months!

Christmas Brunch

I was seriously considering bailing on the Christmas Brunch this year when I heard that my Aunt(who caters it) said she was not asked to make her wonderfully, delicious, smack yo mama stuffed french toast!!!! But I snapped out of my depression and knew that I had to set up my table and not disappoint my ladies. I love setting up my table each year. It is my most favorite thing to do and I started planning like 8 months in advanced. I actually already have next years theme!!!! We are asked to set up 6-8 place settings and do a centerpiece, napkins, name cards...etc. It is so fun to see all the different tables. This year I did a twist on the Three Wisemen. My dad made me the cutest manger and I got gold bulbs and filled an apothecary and stuck the lyrics to the We Three Kings in it. I also had a candle in a pretty holder and a perfume bottle..representing Gold, Frankincense and Myrrh.

No Christmas this year

It is not beginning to look a lot like Christmas at my home. There has been no Decking the Halls...until....last night!!! Yeah I know there are only 10 days until Christmas and I have no tree up. I am the type to have a "devil tree" as The Hubs calls it...yep straight from satan he says. There is no Jesus in a tree that has matching bulbs. No Jesus in a tree that does not have tinsle or colored lights!!! Oh geez..he has so much to learn. I do have matching bulbs and huge amounts of ribbon cascading down my tree each year...but I also have my ormanets that I received each year growing up. I also have some of Scott's...(however, his Snowboarding Polar Bear is always placed safely in the back of the tree)shhhh:).

I have been so overwhelmed lately. I finally just had enough and told The Hubs to just start taking boxes out and hopefully that would get me in the Holiday Spirit. It worked...I feel much better... still need my tree but it does feel more like Christmas. I am trying to not get too bogged down and keep the true meaning of Christmas in my heart. After all Jesus is the Reason for the Season and this year he has blessed my family so much..the least I could do is put up a few decorations in his honor.

As you can see in the pics Shane is loving the decorations. This year is going to be so fun. Whenever he sees lights he says " wooooow"!!! I hope you all have a very Merry Christmas and take sometime to enjoy this holiday season with your loved ones!

New Blog Design!!!!!

I have to say this is a little premature...but I just can't wait to share my new blog header. My talented Graphic Designing sister made it for me..thanks Leah!!!! I decided to move all of my posts from my blog SummerShares over to this one. I never liked the name of my other blog and soon I will be deleting it. Leah still has a little more tweaking to do but it is coming along great!

Flour power started in my little brain when I was in High School. That is when I decided to go to Culinary School. I wanted to open up a bakery once I was done with school and call it Flour Power! It was going to be retro and just so fantastic...but after two years as an Event Planner I decided that I prefer to bake as a hobby and the food service industry was tough!!! The Hubs has however reignited my fire for owning my own bakery or restuarant of some sort..who knows maybe once our lil' guy isn't so lil' anymore I can start to think about it again. For now I will try and bring you great tried and true recipes here on my blog. I am a first time, full time mom with another full time job as a Criminal Researcher, so no promises on how often you will get these tasty lil' nuggets!!!!

Thanksgiving Day Delights

Happy Thanksgiving!
I have about 10 minutes before I need to finish up my work day so I thought I would share a few recipes that I am making this year. The first one is a recipe from one of my favorite Chefs...Tyler Florence. It is sooooo good! It is a Brussel Sprout Hash. I never knew my love for Brussel Sprouts until I saw him make this on his show and they looked so good I had to try it. Now I make it about once a month. Since we are already making mashed potatoes I will omit the potatoes.

Bacon and Brussel Sprout Hash

Ingredients:
Extra-virgin olive oil...2 Counts
4 slices of thick-cut bacon
4 sprigs fresh thyme
1 lb of fingerling potatoes, split down the middle
2 cups Brussel sprouts, cut into thick slices
1/2 lb red pearl onions, peeled
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
1/4 bunch flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Set a large saute pan over medium heat and add a 2 count of olive oil. Cut bacon into long strips and add to pan together with thyme. Cook for 5 to 7 minutes to render the fat then strain and set aside. Discard half the fat in the pan then add brussel sprouts, potatoes and pearl onions. Season with salt and pepper and cook until slightly browned. Add chicken stock and steam for 3 to 5 minutes until liquid has evaporated and vegetables are tender. Add balsamic vinegar and toss to coat. Cook until balsamic has reduced then fold in fresh parsley and bacon.

The second is Williams-Sonoma's Cornbread Stuffing Recipe. My family always asks for it. I almost didn't make it this year because The Hubs calls it "Fancy Stuffing" and he doesn't like it..but sorry babe everyone else does so you can have unfancy stuffing..which is delicious too:).

Ingredients:
8 cups cubed day-old corn bread (1-inch cubes)
2 cups cubed day-old country-style white bread, crusts removed (1-inch cubes)
1 1/2 lb. mild Italian pork sausage, casings removed
1 to 2 Tbs. olive oil, if needed
1 yellow onion, finely chopped
1 celery stalk, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
1 cup roasted and peeled chestnuts, quartered (I do not add this to my stuffing)
1/4 cup chopped mixed fresh herbs, such as sage, rosemary and thyme
3 cups low-sodium chicken stock
Directions:
Preheat an oven to 375°F. Butter a shallow gratin pan.Spread the corn bread and white bread out on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until light golden brown and dry to the touch, about 20 minutes. Set aside. In a sauté pan over medium heat, brown the sausage, stirring and crumbling with a fork, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a large bowl. Return the pan to medium heat. Add the olive oil to the accumulated fat in the pan, if needed. Add the onion and celery and sauté, stirring occasionally, until soft and translucent, 5 to 7 minutes. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to the bowl with the sausage. Add the corn bread and white bread, the chestnuts, herbs and stock. Season with salt and pepper and stir gently to combine. Transfer the dressing to the prepared gratin pan, cover with aluminum foil and bake for 35 to 40 minutes. Remove the foil and continue baking until browned and crispy, 35 to 40 minutes more. Serves 10 to 12.

Craft Night and Master Bedroom Accessories

I hosted another craft night this past Friday. There were five of us that got together and made Christmas wreaths. They all turned out so cute.

However I forgot to take pictures of them all:(

I also went to a Holiday Limo Tour of about 5 gift/antique shops in Riverside with my mom and a few of her friends. It was really fun. The limo took us to a shop that was participating in the tour and we got out and shopped and then got back in the limo to take us to our next shopping destination. I did not find anything until the very end at an antique store called Old Glory. I have never been there and I can't believe that it is only a few minutes from my house!!! I found the white horse chess piece pictured below!!! It was only 22.46. It is going to go great in my new Master bedroom. I also picked up the votive candle holders below at Michaels for like 1.00! I had just seen them in a magazine for a lot more so I was so happy I ran across them. And finally, another accessory for my Hollywood Regency room that I am so excited about. I made my own Starburst Mirror from two items from the Dollar Tree. I knew I wanted to use bamboo skewers for the Starburst portion...I had the gold paint and when I went to the Dollar Tree to find items for my Christmas Wreath I was so excited to see a round mirror and then a little ways down I saw a Styrofoam round that the mirror would fit perfectly on. I just inserted the skewers into the Styrofoam round(after painting gold) and then glued on the mirror. For a finishing touch I added some gold banding to cover the ugly parts:). It of course is not super amazing but for 2.00 and some change I would same I am very pleased with it. I can not wait to put this room together.

Money vs Time

I have really been taking a look at areas in my life where I can shave off a little fat. That really just made me think of loosing weight and that is so not where I was going with this..but I guess I should think about that too. Another time. Back to the situation at hand-money$$$. It is no surprise that so many people are struggling right now and are taking a look at what they truly need rather than what they want. It really is a more simpler life. Less stress, but the finer things in life are missed. I am not one to wash my used Ziploc bags and hang them to dry..or use cloth diapers..or really even recycle...but I think that whatever works for your family is great.

I recently joined a coupon site online. CouponMom.com is a great site that lists grocery stores or Drug Stores that feature certain discounts, along with coupons. My goal is to get something for free! My first good deal was at Vons. Yes, I know most people think Vons is expensive (including The Hubs) but the people there are so nice and helpful and it is never busy and the checkers don't talk to the box people like a certain store that I HATE. I will give you a clue it rhymes with Cater Pros..sorry that was lame:(. Anyways, I hate grocery shopping so I need to prove to The Hubs that I can shop at a nice store and still get some great deals. I saw there was a sale on Glade products. If you bought three you got them each for .99cents each. Then I had a $1.50 off coupon if I bought two. So, originally they were 1.99 each..that is 5.97 and I got them for 2.97-1.50=1.47...a grand total of .49cents!!!!!

The checker had a hard time finding the coupon though. I was in line forever as she looked for it as it was an in-store deal. Finally, the manager just did an override of the system and gave me the discount. This discouraged me a bit. This is the reason I don't use coupons. I am always behind someone who does and there seems to be some sort of an issue. So, all this to say is your time more valuable than money.

We use products these days that are made to cut down on time for daily tasks. Such as those Swifter products. I use the dusters and the floor cleaning pads. It is great ...I don't have to take the duster outside and pounce out the dust as it gets all over me. I don't have to bring out the mop bucket and mop. But.....is that really worth the amount of money I am spending monthly to purchase the refills? Maybe I am going to the extreme. I feel though that we have become a society that needs instant gratification. Who has the time to get out that mop bucket, or prepare a meal instead of waiting a few minutes to get some fast food. I am guilty of even waiting for my fast food any longer than 5 minutes and getting irritated. When my computer is slow it is so frustrating. I started to think back to what I did 5 years ago, then 10 and finally 20. Then what my parents did that seems so ancient or prehistoric now...sorry they probably would not appreciate that reference.

Just think about the evolution of the phone. Just in the last 50 years there have been so many changes. From the rotary dial, to the push button dial, to voice prompted dial..I am always amazed at what they can do with technology. Is this all too much? Have we become lazy and dependent of technology to get us through the day. 100 years ago I wonder how my Great-Great Grandparents announced the news of my Great-Grandfather's birth. Today I could have someone videoing my son's birth with their Smart Phone and have it uploaded to Facebook in seconds or better yet YouTube for the whole world to see...not that I would appreciate that technology..but it could happen!

So, in conclusion, I am not going to turn into one of those super frugal mom's, who sews their children's' clothes and makes their own baby food. That just isn't me. I am however, going to not waste my money in areas that I could be saving a lot. I want to be a smart shopper. CA is so expensive and with this past election I do not see any change for the good. We would love to have another child and be able to allow me to not have to work anymore. That would be so wonderful!!!! So I figure unless I have no knowledge of currently being pregnant..I have at least about a year to save and learn to live on less and take more time to do things that will save me that hard earned cash$$$.

Mama Woes

Woe is me! I am soo tired. I think I may be dying. Ok not really I am a bit dramatic, but I seriously can't keep my eyes open. I feel like I did when I was pregnant..uh oh!!! No I am sure that is NOT it. Shane has been super cranky. Scott is gone in Vegas and I think Shane is upset.

I went to Kohl's because I have been in desperate need of new jeans. I got paid and I headed straight there. I always seem to find a pair on the clearance rack, this time was no different..I was so happy. About five minutes into our Kohl's adventure, Shane started fussing. Ugghhh...really lil man??? "Momma needs this retail therapy", I cried out inside. He didn't get the vibe. I had to get a few other things. I was there less than an hour, which is good for me but not for Shane. I had planned on going grocery shopping too, but that did not happen. Accompanied to Shane's crankiness, is his clingingness(spell check did not recognize this word). So, I tried to take a nap on the couch when we got home, but my little monkey did not want that to happen.
Ok..I am still not done complaining (I mean telling my story). I also was asked to work OT. At about 9:15PM I put Shane to bed..hallelujah!!! Signed onto my computer and could not get up enough strength to move my mouse...forget this. I had worked one hour of OT earlier and decided to work a few extra hours today instead. Off to bed I go....well not quite..I suddenly had all this energy..figures!!! So I decided to go into bed, but just read. As I mentioned Scott was in Vegas and so I knew it would be hard for me to fall asleep. I turned off the light around 10:20 and so it began.
I swore that I heard someone breaking in at least 17 times. I was so upset with myself. I prayed and just said Lord, please give me a peace and let me fall asleep...it was now 11:00. I knew at 11:20 I could probably be close to falling asleep because that would be one hour since I laid down. I could feel myself falling into a deep sleep and then what is that I hear at 11:21??? Shane crying!!!! Are you serious? He has not done that in weeks... if not months. I had to start laughing. So this is what I signed up for being a mommy. I quickly jumped up, got the juices flowing again, and went to check on him. He was in the same position he was when I laid him down and I think his arm or something fell asleep..because he wouldn't move. He was in so much pain..poor guy. I found his binky and rocked him for a bit and he went back to sleep. So, now I had to start all over again! Dear Lord..please allow me to just pass out..AMEN.
12:33 I have probably been asleep for no more than 10 minutes. Dog jumps on bed. Bad idea for dog. I quickly snap at him and tell him very sternly to get in his bed. Daddy lets him sleep on his side..but that is a no no when it is just me. He never returned back to our bed...smart dog!!!!!
7:30 Shane wakes up. So much for getting in a few hours extra of sleep. Oh well it was a nice idea. I know God did not do this to be mean, or Shane, or the dog..but it is so weird. It seems as a Mom that it is impossible to sleep any more than 6-7 hours. I guess that is why everyone always tells you to sleep as much as you can before your child arrives. They were not kidding! You will never enjoy those Saturdays where you can sleep in as long as you want. I guess I will have to wait until Shane is a teenager to experience that again.

I told The Hubs that there are three things that I rarely get now that I have a child.
1. Sleep..obviously
2. Sex...sorry, but it is true..who has time or energy for that!
3. Showers..I am lucky if I get 2 a week...ewwwww!!!
And now I can add Shopping to the "S" list. I wouldn't trade any of it though. I am exhausted, clothes are dirty..hair needs to be washed...house is a mess..but even though I don't get a few of those "S's" on my list I gained the cutest, smartest, sweetest and most wonderful "S" of them all- SHANE!

Craigseasy!

I am sure The Hubs will be thrilled to find out it is even easier for me now to search through listings on Craigslist! Over at Three Men and a Lady she posted about this great new "easy button". I just recently really started to look through all of the antiques and furniture posts on Craigslist and it is a little difficult. With Craigseasy it posts large pics of all the listings at once so it is so much easier to browse. You have to check it out.

Mood Board

If you are like me..anything you can create on the computer you do. My handwriting is horrible so if I can type something up it always looks so much better. If the computer can touch up a photo... I let it. I have a bunch of cut outs from magazines that I pasted onto a board for particular rooms in my house. I love so many different designs..I found it best to always put together a mood board to keep me in one direction. I have found though, in my current home that I did not do that yet again and am not really in love with anything in my house.

We moved this year into a smaller home(1,000 sq ft smaller)!!! Most of our furniture fit except for a few pieces..but most of our bedroom furniture did not. We decided to sell it. So, now I have been in search for pieces that I really love. In one of my latest posts I told you about my Craigslist find! It is a Hollywood Regency style dresser. So that is my design direction. I wanted something modern for The Hubs and something Vintage for me. Your probably thinking Modern...Vintage...two total opposites. It really works though. I am taking vintage pieces and painting them with modern finishes to bring them up to date. Giving the furniture a face lift basically.

Anyways, back to the reason I mentioned using the computer to do your dirty work. I found a site that you can create a mood board using your own downloaded pictures or preset images that are from stores like Ikea and West Elm. It is sooooo awesome...however addicting. I already spend way too much time on the computer so I need to be careful. The site is http://www.olioboard.com/. Below is the Mood Board I did for my Master Bedroom. I was wavering on an accent color. At first, I was thinking red, then yellow...then even royal purple..but I really wanted the room to feel a bit brighter with all the gray that already existed. So yellow it is!

Craft Night

After a few friends had mentioned they wanted to get together for a Craft Night I decided to host a night of crafting:). It was so much fun. We made fabric pumpkins that I had seen on a blog I follow. They were a bit difficult but it was worth it. They all turned out so cute. It was fun to see each person's personality come out in their pumpkins. Next month we plan on starting our Christmas crafts and are going to do wreaths!!! So fun! Here are also a few recipes that I made for the night.

Pork Wontons
24 wontons
1 cup finely chopped Napa or Savoy cabbage
Coarse salt
6 ounces ground pork, not all lean
3 scallions, finely chopped
1 tablespoon finely chopped, peeled fresh ginger
1 teaspoon soy sauce
1 teaspoon toasted sesame oil ( I only had vegetable and it turned out fine).
Directions
In a medium bowl, toss cabbage with 1/2 teaspoon salt. Let stand 10 minutes. Wrap cabbage in a double layer of paper towels; firmly squeeze out excess liquid. Return cabbage to bowl. Add pork and oil to a pan and cook; add scallions, ginger, soy sauce and cabbage. Cook for 2 minutes. Meanwhile, lay out wonton wrappers and make an egg wash(1 egg with 1 TBS water). Apply egg wash with a pastry brush on two adjacent edges. Add about 1 tsp of pork filling to middle of each wrapper. then making a triangle press out any air around the filling. Heat a pan of oil and fry until crispy brown. Filling can be refrigerated up to two days. Martha Stewart recipe.

Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread-allrecipes.com

Ingredients:
1 (15 ounce) can pumpkin puree
4 eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
2/3 cup water
3 cups white sugar
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
Directions:
1.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour three 7x3 inch loaf pans.
2.
In a large bowl, mix together pumpkin puree, eggs, oil, water and sugar until well blended. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and ginger. Stir the dry ingredients into the pumpkin mixture until just blended. Pour into the prepared pans.
3.
Bake for about 50 minutes in the preheated oven. Loaves are done when toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.

Craigslist Find!

You know when you are looking for a particular item and you finally find it on Craigslist. When you see it your heart races and then you find it for a great deal..and you start to sweat. Your mind starts racing..hoping no one else already called on it..you dream about redoing it and can't sleep at night. What...no..no one else does that??? Call me crazy but I just happened to be searching for night stands on Craigslist and then I came across a listing for a "Sexy Headboard"lol. It was not the sexy headboard that caught my eye but the dresser that was also pictured.

It was a faux bamboo dresser that I have seen redone and it is amazing. It is from the 70's from the Bali Hai Collection from Henry Link. I tried to rack my brain about where I had seen it online before. I go to so many sites that I knew it might be difficult to find. So I just Googled "faux bamboo dressers" and there it was. I had first seen it on Design*Sponge. They did a feature on High Street Market, who had redone the dresser I just bought. Their dresser was missing some hardware and so they put new gold hardware that is so stunning. I really love the original hardware and it is still in good condition so I am going to leave it. I am however going to spray it a glossy white.

I am redoing my Master Bedroom slowly...but I will post pics as soon as I get this piece painted and then in the room..yay for Craigslist!!!!

STOOOOPPPPP......

Growing sooooo faaaasssttt!!!! That is what I want to yell at my son. On the 16th he turned 1 1/2 years old:(. His little personality is really coming through. He is quite the character. He makes me laugh out loud daily. He has begun this thing where he tries to tell me something that just happened. Like when I get home from the store and he was at home with daddy..he will begin to mummble and and then say "where did momma go"? He then starts yelling "momma" "mommma"as if he is showing me how he was calling for me while I was gone...too cute! Oh and did I mention he is the smartest 18 month old on the planet..yep...it's true! He knows probably around 80 words..no joke..he definitely gets that from his father(the talking a lot part).

Well I guess this was just a post to brag about my little guy. Which is totally fine...right??? Everyday gets better and better. I am so blessed to be his momma!

Ugly Pics No More!

I was so excited to see a post on making your photos better without Photoshop. I would love to have Photoshop but I do not. So, when I saw that I could download Picasa for free I was so all over that! I even put together a little collage and edited one photo and put text on it...amazing. So hopefully I will not have to apologize for all of my ugly photos no more! Here is the link to Little Miss Momma'a post. Oh and it is so easy to post to blogger as well since they are owned by Google. This is going to allow me to post more!!!!