Warm and Cozy Scent for the Holidays right on your stovetop!

Have you ever walked in to a Hallmark or Holiday gift store and wanted to jar up that "holiday scent" that smells up the store?  It's a combination of cinnamon and spices, pine tree scents, and a fresh aroma that makes you all warm and cozy inside. 

I have a great recipe below for your stovetop that will make your entire house smell like the holidays and give you that warm scent that celebrates the season with you.  It's super easy, and making 1 pot will last you the entire holiday season (around 4 weeks).

Ingredients needed:
-Bag of fresh cranberries (fresh are found in the Produce dept at your local grocer)
-1 Oranges
-Cinnamon sticks (these can be found in the spice section at your local grocer)
-Cloves (jar of cloves can be found in the spice section at your local grocery store)
-Cast iron pot (if you don't have one, you can use any pot.  Cast iron pots hold heat longer so I prefer to use that). You can also use one of those baby crock pots.
-Water

Tip:  Did you know that almost always, the spices are in alphabetical order in the spice section at your local grocery store??  Knowing this will make it easier when looking for specific spices.

Tip:  You can also buy one of those netted bags full of broken pieces of cinnamon sticks and use a palm full each time as well. They smell amazing! 



Ingredient conversion:
1 small jar of cloves will last you for 5 pots approximately
1 tin of cinnamon sticks will last you 3 pots approximately
1 Orange per pot
1 bag of Cranberries will last you 2-3pots

To begin, slice your orange into thin slices.  Place the slices into your pot.

Next, open your bag of fresh cranberries and pour half the bag into the pot.  Store the rest of the cranberries in your fridge.

Take a few cinnamon sticks (3-5) and pour them into your pot.

Take 1/5 of your cloves and pour them into your pot (a small palm full is fine).

Add 2 cups of water.

Put your stove on simmer.  If you are using a cast iron pot, once your pot heats up, you can turn off the stove because the pot will hold the heat for awhile, and this will continue to give off the aroma.  Once your pot cools off, just turn it back on, heat it up, and the smell will carry throughout your home.

If you are using a baby crock pot, if yours has settings, put it on the low setting.

Always remember to make sure there is water in your pot!  The water will evaporate with heat, and if there is no water left in the pot, your ingredients will burn and you will ruin your entire pot.

Never leave a pot unattended or leave your stove on when you are not home.

Once the water level is low, just add more water.

I use this pot the entire holiday season and in to the winter months.  I start in November and keep it on the stove through February.

I usually change out my ingredients after 3-4 weeks or so.  You will find the oranges will turn a brownish color due to the cloves and spices in the cinnamon sticks.

Tip:  I also cover my pot in between uses to avoid dust and other things getting in to the pot.

xoxo
Happy Holidays!
Brenda

Holiday Chex Mix

Chex Mix is the perfect holiday snack and a great holiday gift!!!  There are so many different recipes for Chex Mix that you can use, too!

I love the combination of sweet & salty so I came up with this Chex Mix version that my husband and I just love!  Below is a simple step-by-step tutorial on how to make this treat for your family this holiday season!

Ingredients needed:

2 - Bugles 7.5oz.

2 - Honey Roasted Peanuts 12oz.

10 cups Chex Mix (I used 5 corn chex and 5 rice chex)

2 - Melting Chocolate 10oz. bag (I used Wilton's Light Cocoa)

3 - M&Ms (the large holiday bags)

Tip:  I made a HUGE batch because I am giving these away as gifts.  You can certainly back down the recipe to fill your needs.

Tip:  You can make this Chex Mix version for ANY holiday!  Just change out the color of the M&Ms for each holiday (pink/red for Valentines Day, Orange/Yellow/Brown for Halloween, Green and White for St. Patrick's Day, etc).

To begin.....

Spread out your ingredients onto a parchment lined baking sheet (corn & rice chex, bugles, and peanuts).

(In the picture you won't see any peanuts.  My husband ate the peanuts I bought that I was going to use so he was at the grocery store while I was making this buying more for me  :) .  I just added in my peanuts at a later point after I had my picture taken).  

 These are the holiday M&Ms I used.

Melt your chocolate over low heat, stirring continuously.

 Once your chocolate is melted, drizzle it over your ingredients (make sure your ingredients are spread out evenly over your baking sheet to make sure you coat everything with chocolate drizzle).

 Once you are done, allow your chocolate to dry and set.  

Then, add your M&Ms to the mixture and carefully mix together all ingredients.  

I took a large spoon and used a cooking funnel (one that I use when I do canning) and I put my holiday chex mix into pint & quart sized jars, but you can use whatever container you would like.  Just make sure it's an air tight container.

Tip:  You can use holiday tins, holiday decorated zip lock bags or cellophane baggies, or jars!

You are done!

Taste and enjoy or give away as holiday gifts!  Either way, you are JUST AN IDEA away from making this awesome and EASY holiday treat!

Candied Almonds

Don't you just love those candied almonds you buy at the mall that smell so yummy?!!  They usually make them right in front of you and sell them in those paper cones or plastic bags shaped like a carrot.  They are roasted, smell of sugar and cinnamon, and are oh-so-delicious!

So, why not make them yourself and pass them out as holiday gifts!??  Below is a tutorial along with pictures that you can follow to make your own holiday treat this year!

Caution:  THESE ARE ADDICTING!

Ingredients needed:
2 egg whites
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 cups raw almonds
6 Tablespoons sugar
6 Tablespoons packed brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 Tablespoons cinnamon

Tip:  If you want Apple Candied Almonds you can add 2 Tablespoons of powdered apple cider. 

Side note:  I doubled the ingredients so I could make a double batch because I am giving jars away as holiday gifts this year.

Begin by beating the egg whites and the vanilla together until you get soft peaks.

 

Then, add in your almonds and coat the almonds with the egg white/vanilla mixture.

In a separate bowl, mix together your sugars, cinnamon, salt (and your powdered apple cider if you are using that).

Take your dry mixture and add it to your almond mixture and mix everything together, making sure all of the almonds are completely coated.  

Next, cover a baking sheet with parchment paper and cooking spray.

Then, dump your mixture onto your baking sheet and spread out to an even layer.

Don't these look AMAZING!!? 

You are almost done!

Next, in a 250 degree oven, bake your almonds until they are dry and crunchy.

Mine took 1 hour.  I stirred the almonds after 30 minutes.  Then again, after 15 minutes, and then again after another 15 minutes.  Mine were all dry after 1 hour (so in 1 hour, I stirred them 3 times).

When you stir, always make sure to spread them back out to an even layer.  They will dry faster this way.

Once they are dry, I allowed my nuts to cool off before packaging.  I chose jars to package mine but I have seen them in plastic bags, too.  Holiday decorated cellophane baggies would be cute, too!

You are finished!  Super easy and sooooooo good!  These are great gifts and stocking stuffers for your holiday season!  Remember, you are just THIS idea away from a great and tasty gift!!!

Merry Christmas!
xoxo,
Brenda

Cherry Cheesecake Parfait

Looking for a quick, easy and delicious dessert??  Look no more!  Below are all the ingredients you need for a great dessert that doesn't take a lot of time!

Ingredients:
1 can of cherry pie filling
1 package of graham crackers or a box of graham cracker crumbs
1 box of no-bake cheesecake or cheesecake filling found in your grocery dairy dept

Tip:  I used a package of whole graham crackers and just crushed them with my rolling pin

Tip:  The pre-made cheesecake filling can be found in your grocery store's dairy dept.  It should be located near the cream cheeses.  I use Philadelphia CheeseCake Filling.  It comes in a large tub (24 0z.).  Make sure to check the date on the bottom of the tub.  This product doesn't sell fast; usually only during the holidays.  I have purchased it before to only find out, once I got home, that it was outdated.  Save yourself a trip back to the store and check the date first. 

Instructions:

First, if you bought whole graham crackers, crush them into tiny pieces/crumbs.

Layer your ingredients in your glass/goblet.  I put down a layer of graham cracker crumbs first.  Then, cheesecake filling, then cherry pie filling.

Then, repeat.

Top off with the cherry pie filling!

It is a moist and sweet dessert with different textures that will delight your tastebuds!

Hurry!  You are 'just an idea' away from this being YOUR dessert for tonight!

Strawberry Jam Canning : 101

 My husband and I wanted to get into canning this year!  Neither of us have ever canned before, but we both have wonderful memories of our mothers canning jam when we were both little, so, we decided our first canning experience was going to be canning strawberry jam to keep the tradition going!  

Now, keep in mind, we had no clue what we were doing.  We bought a canning kit from Amazon and bought jars and lids from our local grocery.  We thought it would be fun to pick the strawberries ourselves, but again, we had NO CLUE what we were doing.  We have a great local produce farm near our home called Rowes Produce, so we grabbed some boxes and started picking! 

My advice:  DO NOT pick 16 lbs of strawberries for your first canning experience!  

This is what 16 lbs. of strawberries looks like!  It is A LOT for your first canning experience.  To give you more of an idea, these 16 lbs of strawberries took us 9 HOURS to can!  That is 9 hours, with 2 people!  Don't try it for your first time!  Especially if you are canning by yourself.   Make it more reasonable like maybe 4 or 5 lbs for your first time out.  We are idiots.

16 lbs of strawberries = 50 jars.  25- 4oz. jars (1/4 pint)  25- 8oz jars (1/2 pint)

Here are some facts about canning jars and measurements:
1/2 pint equals 1 cup or 8 fluid ounces. 
1 pint equals 2 cups or 16 fluid ounces.
1 quart equals 2 pints or 4 cups or 32 fluid ounces.
1/2 gallon equals 2 quarts or 4 pints or 8 cups or 64 fluid ounces.


Below are the step by step instructions for how to can strawberry jam:

5 Cups crushed strawberries
7 Cups (yes 7) Sugar
1 surejell packet
4 T. Lemon juice

Tip: 4 lbs of strawberries = 1 batch (1 dozen 8 oz jars (or 12- 1/2 pint jars).  This formula will help you decide how many berries you will need if you want to do a specific amount.

To begin, place your lids (the flat part of the lid, not the actual screw on piece) and place them in a pot of boiling water.  Allow these to boil and just leave them in the pot until you are ready to use them.

Take your jars and place them in a large pot of boiling water. 

Doing these 2 steps will sanitize your lids and jars, which is what you will need to create sterilized equipment to work with.

Just let both of these pots boil while you are making your jam.

First step.....  clean and hull your berries (make sure to dry your berries so you don't have all that extra water going into your pot).  Then, mash your berries.  I just put my hulled berries into a large bowl and mashed them with a potato masher.

Next, put 5 cups of mashed berries into your pot on your stove.  Add your lemon juice and pectin.  Whisk all ingredients together and bring mixture to a rolling boil.

Tip:  Add a pad of butter to the top of the mixture when boiling the berries to reduce the foam.

Once boiling, add in your 7 cups of sugar.  Whisk again and bring this mixture to a high boil.  Boil this way for 1 1/2 minutes.  Your pot should be at a high rapid boil.  Like a violent boil.

Turn off the heat.

Skim off the foam that has gathered on top (if there is any.  Adding the butter greatly reduces the foam).

Here is what ours looked like with only a little foam.

Here is my husband... defoaming the top of the pot. 

This is what it looked like after skimming the foam off (picture is below).

Notice my pot in the background of my lids.  The large green pot to the right has our empty jars in them, boiling.

Tip:  We made jars of regular strawberry jam and then we made a separate batch of strawberry/lime jam.  If you are going to add lime, omit the lemon juice and add 1/4 cup of fresh squeezed lime juice and then add 2 teaspoons of lime zest.  The strawberry/lime jam was a HUGE hit with family and friends! 

This is a picture of the strawberry lime jam once we added the lime juice and lime zest.

Once you remove the foam and remove the pot from heat, you are now going to begin the jarring process. 

Take a jar, using tongs, from the boiling water pot.  Dump out all of the water. 

Fill the jar with the jam mixture, leaving 1/4" at the top. 

Run a knife around the edges of the inside of the jar to remove any air bubbles.

Place a flat lid on top (remove them from your pot of boiling water with tongs or a magnet lifter), and screw on the round screw lid, but don't tighten it.  Just screw it on enough to keep it in place.

Once you are finished filling the jars, place them all back into the boiling water and boil (hard boil) for 10-13 minutes (completely submerge them in the water).

After boiling for 10-13 minutes......

Turn off the heat.

Let the jars sit for 5 minutes.

Jars will begin to pop when they seal.  It's the best and most gratifying sound in the whole world because you know you are done!

It's best to let the jars sit for 24 hours.  I just left mine on my countertop.

Tip:  People will say freezing your jam is much easier.... and it is!  However, when we can, we do it in bulk.  I don't know about you, but our freezer is bursting at the seams as it is, and we don't have room for freezer jam.  Plus, we like to give away our canning projects as gifts, and it's hard to mail out freezer jam or for it to travel well.  By canning with a water bath, your cans are all shelf stable and they travel well and the people on the receiving end of the gift doesn't need to find space in their freezer for their gift.

If you really want to dress up your jars as gifts, you can add fabric and ribbon.

By the way, this is what our dog was doing the entire time we were canning.

Hope this helped you and always remember to enjoy the process!  Canning can be very gratifying and a fun hobby!  So far we have done strawberry jam, strawberry/lime jam, raspberry jam, raspberry/mango jam, and salsa.  It's a fun project, they are great gifts and YOU are 'just an idea' away from making some great jam!!

Happy Birthday!!

I try to be really good about sending Birthday cards and gifts to my family and friends throughout the year but with the busyness of life, sometimes it is really hard to keep track!  I decided to make this Birthday reminder craft project and hang it on our message board in our kitchen.  I look at it each month to see who has a Birthday coming up so I don't forget!

Tip:  I made the last row for Anniversaries so I didn't forget special Anniversaries throughout the year!

Things you'll need:
Craft paper (any design you like)
Ribbon
Stickers to represent months (I used candle stickers I found at Michaels)
Scissors
Glue (I used glue dots to glue my ribbon to my paper)
Marker or Letter Stickers (for the "Birthdays")

Tip:  I used the square top of a shoe box lid and then added craft paper to that so I had a stronger foundation for my project.  It wasn't necessary though and you can just use card stock.


Tip:  I just cut out circles for the Birthdays and then just wrote the person's name and their Birthday on each circle (so each circle represents a Birthday).

Dog Treats your fur baby will love!

My dog loves dog treats!  What dog doesn't?  My husband and I are pretty picky about what we feed our fur baby, Max, who is a loveable French Brittany Spaniel.  We have a hard time finding pet treats and bones at the stores that are made in America and we feel better knowing exactly what is in his treats and where the ingredients came from, so, we decided to make our own treats!

Below is a great recipe that I got from a dog cookbook called "The Good Food Cookbook for Dogs" by Donna Twichell Roberts.

First, here are a few pictures of our loved dog, Max. 

 Peanut Butter Bones

4 Cups all purpose flour

2 Cups wheat germ

2 Cups peanut butter

1 1/2 Cups water

1/4 Cup honey

1/4 Cup ground peanuts

Tip:  I bet you could just use chunky peanut butter instead of buying the peanuts on the side to get a chunky texture.

To prepare:

Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and mix until combined.

Then, roll out the dough on a floured surface and roll out until 1/4" thick.  Use your bone cookie cutter and cut out the dough into bone shapes.

Next, place cookies onto an ungreased cookie sheet that has been lined with wax paper.  

Bake at 325 degrees for 30-35 minutes.