handmade-homemade (repurposing Christmas Cards & wrapping remnants)

 My front door wreath I literally threw together in 30 minutes before a holiday party

Teacher gifts of homemade marshmallows, hot chocolate mix & a mug.  Notice the mason jar covers match the mug.  I bought a coordinating napkin and cut the rounds to decorate the jars.

I've been stitching away the cutest felt ornaments for Eli's classmates.  Instructions found here

Baby's 1st Christmas.  Knitting needles clinked up this cute merino wool hat w/ felt flower applique.  I also made this cute woodland monogram.

I've been re-purposing last year's Christmas cards as well.  Using a 2" punch, I cut out scalloped circles of old cards.  I use them as gift tags and made a garland to hang in the kitchen.

To make the garland, attach punched out cards to bakers twine with color coded dot stickers (available at office supply stores).  Secure with craft glue.  String on a tree, hang in windows or drape them elsewhere for a festive look.

Don't throw your wrapping paper remnants away!  Glue paper onto clothespins and use the decorative pins to clip your Christmas cards onto ribbon or garland.  

How to:  Brush craft glue onto clothespins and lay clothespins, glue side down onto wrapping paper remnants (right side facing down).  Allow to dry.  Using an craft knife, cut paper to fit.  Repeat on other side.  Once both sides are dry, apply craft glue for a nice satin like finish.

The reindeer need to eat too! (Recipe: Magic Reindeer Food)

Then one foggy Christmas Eve....

I normally do not like my house dark and you will hardly ever find me sitting in a dimmed lit room.  Tonight, however is different.  I sit curled up on my couch as the soft glow of my netbook highlights my face.  Overhead a string of white pearl lights are twisted throughout a glowing strand of holly and draped over the loft balcony.  The silver beads hung on the Christmas tree act like little mirrors against the blue lights twirled up the tree.  That is what Christmas does to me.  For that small amount of time at the end of the year, you will find me in the darkness, enjoying the small, twinkling lights, sipping chamomile and feeling like a kid again.

Its a wonderful way to unwind, don't you think?  Today was an amazing day filled with Christmas songs, the unveiling of my girlie white feather tree, some holiday house cleaning, a Christmas pageant, and the making of Magic Reindeer Food. 

We woke up to heavy fog which didn't burn off well until eleven o'clock this morning.  As the verse "...then one foggy Christmas Eve..." from Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer kept repeating in my head,  I knew we had to make Reindeer Food.  We made a big batch to share with the Baking Tot's classmates. It is very easy to make, fun for the kids, and safe for the wildlife once it is scattered.  One SUPER plus for me was the exclusion of glitter and substitution of sanding sugar (you could easily use edible glitter-but sanding sugar is what I had on hand.)  We placed them in bags and included this little poem I found on the web:

Sprinkle on the lawn at night

The moon will make it sparkle bright

As Santa's reindeer fly and roam

This will guide them to your home.

Magic Reindeer Food

2 cups Sunflower Bird Seed
2 cups rolled oats
2 T. red sanding sugar
2 T. green sanding sugar

1. Mix all ingredients together in a bowl and bag them for gifts.
2. Sprinkle on the lawn Christmas Eve night!

The Taste of a Place-Tomato Salsa

Is it strange that I consider chips and salsa as one of my favorite comfort foods?  Not pot roast, not a roasted chicken but salsa...red salsa.  Tomatoey, flecked with garlic, onion and cilantro, spiced with jalapenos and scented with lime-I could eat chips and salsa for dinner alone and be quite content.

When my husband and I uprooted from Texas and moved to Idaho we found ourselves eating Mexican food at least once a week.  Our favorite and best Mexican food establishment in town did not serve chips and salsa and it killed me. We sometimes would settle for another restaurant (though not the best or our favorite) because they had chips and salsa.  And with one bite it sent me home.  In that moment I knew chips and salsa was one of my favorite foods of comfort.

A Sort of Philosophy and Creme Fraiche

Doing What I Do Best:  Baking For The Boys

A Sort of Philosophy
A few years ago my mom and I threw my sister a baby shower. We split the responsibilities and I happily took the post of menu planner/caterer (duh-that's my gig). So I sat down and worked up a menu, planned the table set up (my husband would divorce me if I used the term tablescape-he hates that term), beverages...you get the idea. Weeks before the shower my mom called and asked about the menu and I rattled off my ideas.

"What beverage?" she asked. "Oh, I was thinking of an easy punch called mock champagne, it was the most popular beverage we served at weddings when I catered." Silence. I could tell she wasn't buying it. Over the weeks she called a few more times with the same question, and I always had the same answer and she always had the same response.

Finally, the conversation changed and went a little something like this: "What beverage?" "Mock Champagne, take one bottle of Canada Dry and one bottle of any blend white grape juice and pour it a bowl. It is good. Very popular drink from that caterer I used to work for." "Oh, do you think people will like it?" I finally cracked, "Mom, do you really think I'd just put shit out on the table?" 

The point of this story is to share how I feel about this blog. I'm just not going to post mediocre recipes so I can fill my archive box to the max. If the food is good, I'll share, and if not...sorry it just won't make the cut.

I'm not here to make money either, not that there is anything wrong with that-I just don't want to worry over something that is essentially my hobby. I'm not here to become popular or to impress anyone either. Am I looking for a book deal?  No.  I'm just here to share good, quality, unpretentious, budget (most of the time) and family friendly food with folks...and maybe make a few new friends along the way.

DIY: Crème Fraiche
Now on to the recipe. Here is an easy and great recipe for crème fraiche. I have difficulty finding crème fraiche at my everyday grocery store. I knew exactly what aisle it was housed on when I worked for a specialty food store years back and I must admit, it was quite pricey. This recipe uses a bit of time and a few staple ingredients (I used left over ingredients from my son's birthday party)-that's it.

Crème Fraiche
I see creme fraiche caramel and creme fraiche based ice cream in the near future...

2 cups heavy cream
2 Tablespoons sour cream
• In a small bowl, combine the cream and sour cream, and mix well. Cover and let sit at room temperature overnight. Refrigerate until thickened.

Whey Cool! Making Ricotta Cheese

I can now officially check an item off of my bucket list. I am an artisan cheesemaker. Only in my own home, that is. Years ago I read an article on making yogurt cheese. I was quite intrigued yet never got around to making it. Earlier this year I came across an article in Bon Appetit featuring fresh ricotta. I urged myself to try it.

I felt like a mad scientist watching the curds separate from the whey. The process was surprisingly simple and yet so satisfying. You only need three ingredients and 15 minutes out of your day to create this creamy, sweet ricotta.

Fresh ricotta is moist, light and addictive. The texture and taste reminded me of farmers cheese. If you've never had fresh ricotta you're in for a real treat. Slather it on bruschetta, toss it in a pasta or add it into a dessert.


Fresh Ricotta
source: Bon Appetit January 2009

• 8 cups whole milk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice

1. Line colander with 4 layers of cheesecloth; set in sink.
   

2. Bring milk and salt to simmer in heavy large saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir in lemon juice. Let simmer until curds form, 1 to 2 minutes.

3. Using finely slotted spoon, scoop curds from pan and transfer to cheesecloth-lined colander. Let drain 1 minute (curds will still be a little wet). Transfer curds to a bowl. Cover and chill until cold, about 3 hours.

Make in advance! Can be made 2 days ahead. Keep chilled.