Saturday, December 31, 2011

Happy New Year! Words to Live by in 2012

Happy New Year!

Thank you everyone for a Great Year.

May all your dreams come true in 2012!
xoxo

Friday, December 30, 2011

Free Party Hats!


source and for more instructions go to Ellinee.com
Happy 2010!
xoxo


Thursday, December 29, 2011

NYE free Subway Art

Thank You eighteen 25 for this free printable!
This will make our NYE table special!

Wednesday, December 28, 2011

"Birthday Chocolate Bark" or "New Year's Party Bark"

I happened upon this recipe from How Sweet it Is and it’s my new favorite idea.   Just a spoonful of cake batter and a rainbow of sprinkles turns this holiday staple into a fantastic birthday treat.  Perfect to give away as a party favor or packaged in a tin as a cheerful gift...

Cake Batter Chocolate Bark

Ingredients
6 ounces high quality dark chocolate
12 ounces high quality white chocolate
3 teaspoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles of your choice (at least 3 tablespoons worth or more)

Directions
Melt dark chocolate either in the microwave or a double boiler. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pour chocolate on. You can smooth it with a spatula to the thickness you desire. Stick in the freeze for 20 minutes.
Melt while chocolate. Whisk in cake mix slowly, stirring well until no lumps remain. Let it set for 3 full minutes (or at least until it slightly thickens). Remove baking sheet with chocolate from the freezer and immediately pour white chocolate on top. Sprinkle on sprinkles. Freeze for 20 minutes.
Once set, break into chunks. Keep refrigerated. 


Party Hats for NYE (or to celebrate your birthday!)

Time to Celebrate New Year's Eve...
or "Happy Birthday to Me!"
Yes, today is my Birthday, and I always get to celebrate 3 days after Christmas and 3 days before New Years Eve.
To celebrate a birthday or New Years, a pretty Party Hat is important, at Oh Happy Day, there is a tutorial for Party Hats. click here for instructions.




Happy New Year's!


Tuesday, December 27, 2011

New Year's Eve Party Ideas

I love this idea from Real Simple Magazine, I will have everyone put thoughts, wishes ideas for 2012
last minute New Year's Card idea...

great decoration ideas with bubbles
from Fiskars.com numbers on corks, cut out use small star punch and voila!
also the party fans turned into clocks, so clever....
I must make these! how easy and cute...
Images via Pinterest!

Happy NYE planning


Monday, December 26, 2011

Christmas Pajama Party

Our own Family Pajama Party 2011
Hot Cocoa Bar

Veggie Christmas Tree!

Entertainment by an elf...

Christmas Tree Cup stacking Contest
 Can-you-stack-the-cups-with-one-hand-in-a-minute game.


Reindeer Antler Game:
Hand each team one pair of panythose -- 

Also hand out one balloon to each team player. If the teams are small give 5 balloons per person (each team should have about 10 balloons).

When you say "go" the teams race to make "reindeer antlers" by blowing up the balloons and stuffing them into the pantyhose.

Then one team member wears the "antlers" and sings the first verse of Jingle Bells.

The first one to do so wins for the team and even after one team wins, let everyone complete the task for a reindeer group picture.




Merry Christmas 2011!

Saturday, December 24, 2011

Christmas Morning Breakfast Casserole

This is what we always have on Christmas morning...super easy and has become a family tradition...
From our family to yours,
Happy Holidays!
Ingredients

1 pound ground pork sausage
1 teaspoon mustard powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 eggs, beaten
2 cups milk
6 slices white bread, toasted and cut into cubes
8 ounces mild Cheddar cheese, shredded
Directions

Crumble sausage into a medium skillet. Cook over medium heat until evenly brown; drain.
In a medium bowl, mix together mustard powder, salt, eggs and milk. Add the sausage, bread cubes, and cheese, and stir to coat evenly. Pour into a greased 9x13 inch baking dish. Cover, and chill in the refrigerator for 8 hours, or overnight.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
Cover, and bake 45 to 60 minutes. Uncover, and reduce temperature to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Bake for an additional 30 minutes, or until set.





Friday, December 23, 2011

That's a Wrap

I love this idea...Photos or copies of photos on plain craft paper!

another great idea! Names on packages, could even use sticker letters!

That's a Wrap for today...
Happy Holidays to all...
xoxo

Thursday, December 22, 2011

Hot Cocoa Mugs made with Marshmallows!



Simply melt the chocolate as directed and dip the marshmallow into the melted chocolate. I made them in two ways. I added the candy canes and the mini marshmallow when the chocolate was still melted and  I also did it when the chocolate was hard. Even though it was harder when the chocolate was still melted, the results were a lot better! 
Great idea from Crissy's Crafts
xoxo





Tuesday, December 20, 2011

Time To Bake with Candy Cane Kisses and Mint Kisses


Time to Bake!
I love Hershey Kisses. There are so many different flavor Kisses...These recipes from Recipe Girl use both Hershey Kisses Candy Cane Kisses and Hershey Kisses Mint Kisses (yummy!)


Candy Cane Kisses Cookies

Yield: 2 1/2 dozen cookies
Prep Time: 30 min Cook Time: 12 min These are an incredibly delicious flavor delivered by the Hershey’s Kisses people. And they’re amazing tucked into a cookie too.

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 1/4 cups butter, at room temperature
1 teaspoon peppermint extract, optional
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup Candy Cane flavored Hershey's Kisses, finely chopped
granulated sugar
additional, unwrapped Candy Cane Kisses- about 30

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350°F. Make room in either refrigerator or freezer for your cookie sheet.

2. In large mixer bowl, combine powdered sugar, butter, extracts and egg. Beat at medium speed, scraping bowl often until creamy (2-3 minutes). In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder and salt. Add to wet mixture and beat, scraping bowl often until well blended (1-2 minutes). The mixture will be a bit crumbly. Stir in chopped Kisses.

3. Shape dough into 3/4-inch to 1-inch balls; roll in granulated sugar. Place 1-inch apart on cookie sheet. Bake for 10-12 minutes or until set. As soon as they come out of the oven, press a Candy Cane Kiss in the center of each cookie. They'll crack a little around the edges, so just use your fingers to kind of hold the cookie together while you set the kiss inside. Put cookie sheet (with cookies) immediately into the freezer (preferred) or refrigerator so that the Kisses will set quickly. As soon as you press them into the cookie, they will begin to soften... so if you can get them into the freezer then they will keep their Kiss shape.

4. Store in a covered container- at room temperature for up to a week. In the freezer they should be ok for a couple of weeks.

Tips:
*The addition of peppermint extract is completely optional. The cookie gets plenty of peppermint flavor from the addition of the chopped kisses, but if you’d like it really minty then go ahead and add the peppermint extract.



Chocolate Mint Kiss Crinkles

chocolate crinkles with mint truffle kisses
Yield: About 60 cookies
Prep Time: 25 min + chill timeCook Time: 12 min

Ingredients:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups granulated white sugar
1/2 cup vegetable oil
4 large eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon peppermint extract
1 cup powdered sugar
2 teaspoon green colored sugar (optional)
bag of mint truffle flavored Hershey's Kisses

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt; set aside.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, oil, and eggs until well mixed. Whisk in extracts.

3. Stir dry ingredients into wet ingredients just until combined. Cover bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 2 hours.

4. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Roll dough into 1/2 Tablespoon balls. Roll balls into mixture of powdered sugar/green sugar. Place on cookie sheets about 1 1/2 inches apart. Bake for 11 to 13 minutes, until cookies crackle and dough doesn't look raw. While cookies are baking, unwrap the kisses and make some room in your refrigerator or freezer for the cookie sheets. When the cookies come out of the oven, immediately place a kiss in the center of each cookie and press lightly. The kisses will start to get melty, so it's best if you are able to place the cookie sheet (with the kiss cookies still on it) directly into the freezer or refrigerator until the kisses can cool off and set up.