Remembering Swiss Colony Christmas Cookies

I just opened a Swiss Colony catalog that came to my office and there under customer favorites was a tin of Holiday Cookies. It instantly took me back to my grandma and how much I loved those fancy little cookies growing up. Every year, she would not only send me a tin of these special cookies, she'd also send me a box of oranges. Old school I know, but when things were often rough at home, things like this would make my Christmas extra special and sparkle just a tad more. She passed away when I was 16 and Christmas was always different after that. I think I'm  going to order a tin of those cookies this year...and share the delight.

My favorites by the way, are the green leaves with the chocolate in the middle and the double stack cookie with the red filling and jelly on top.

A Few Thanksgiving Videos Worth a Giggle

First, another great video from The Holderness Family. This one is a parody of the Meghan Trainor video "All About the Bass" and is called "All About the Baste". They do some great stuff and I always wonder what the kids will think 5-10 years from now when they are teens and look back. Will they rebel during their tween years? Will they want to be seen in these videos? Will they look back when they reach young "adulthood" and think..WOW I had some really cool parents? Not sure, but for right now, they sure do make me smile. 





Now, we all love animal videos and what's cuter then a hamster dressed up? Well a hamster eating a slice of Pumpkin Pie. 

Lastly, some good laughs from Jimmy Fallon. #ThanksgivingFail

Moist & Tender Turkey Breast

 Photo By: Marg-CaymanDesigns

I have to admit, I've never been a huge fan of turkey, let alone white meat. At Thanksgiving I'll normally go for the dark meat and maybe once a year I'll cook up a turkey breast for a mini "Thanksgiving" type dinner. I decided on a turkey breast for our CIJ dinner because I found a new recipe on Pinterest that claimed to keep the breast meat "MOIST and TENDER". It was a 5 star recipe, with lots of raving from others who had enjoyed it. Now, let me tell you...This recipe did NOT DISAPPOINT. I was absolutely gawking over how moist it was. I added a touch of gravy for the yum factor and even went back for seconds. On a shopping note, I was a very happy with the Market Pantry brand turkey breast I purchased at Target. It came with a gravy packet inside, to add to the drippings and I thought that even tasted great. So, if you hesitate to eat turkey, because cooking an entire bird is overwhelming, give this recipe a try. You will not be disappointed.

Ingredients:

• 1 (5 -20 lb) fresh or frozen turkey breast (thawed) or 1 (5 -20 lb) turkey
• 1/4 cup butter, melted
• 12 ounces chicken broth or 12 ounces beer or 12 ounces white wine
• 1 -2 tablespoon mayonnaise    

Directions:

1. Place turkey or turkey breast in a roasting pan.
    
2. (I use a foil-lined 13x9-inch pan) Combine melted butter and chicken broth.
   Note: I skipped the foil and just used a heavy duty, non stick broiler pan 
    
3. Pour over turkey.
    
4. Rub mayonnaise all over turkey's exterior.
   Note: I didn't measure this necessarily. Just took out a few spoonfuls, put them aside and made sure I had enough to cover the entire turkey. 
    
5. Salt lightly if desired.
    
6. Roast at 300°-325°F until internal temperature reaches 170°F on an instant read thermometer. (I raise the temperature to 350° for the last approximate 30-45 minutes to crisp skin).
    
7. Remove from oven and let sit for about 30 minutes before slicing.
   Note: Do Not Skip This Step. It's VERY, VERY important to let your bird sit. 
    
8. Note: because the butter and broth are for making gravy, if you need to make a lot of gravy, double the amount of both.
    
9. To make gravy: pour pan drippings into a saucepan and bring to a simmer over medium heat. Add 1 Tbls. cornstarch per cup of broth/drippings to 1/4 cup cold water. (You'll usually need 2-3 Tbls) Mix well to dissolve. Stir cornstarch mixture into broth and stir until thickened. Add salt and pepper to taste. If too thin, dissolve more cornstarch in water and add until desired thickness. If too thick, add water or more broth to thin.
    
   Note: I used the gravy packet that came with the Market Pantry turkey and just added the juices from the pan to that mix and then followed the instructions by adding water. 

I did not take a photo of my turkey, so the photo above is the photo posted with the recipe at Food.Com

Christmas Cakes Gone WRONG!

After looking at another fine batch of Cake Wrecks, I thought it was time to share some more Christmas Cakes Gone Wrong. 


Let's start with Santa. Let's just say, there are so many ways to go wrong with a man in a red suit. 

 

 

Snowmen: We might just be better off if they found a way to melt away! 

 

 This last group of photos, is a great mod podge of wonderful, delectable pieces of art!

 (I finally just realized what these remind me of. The little white soldier guys in the Star Wars movies)

Honorable Mention goes to this Grumpy Cat Christmas cake I found at Project-Nerd.  Some might find this utterly amazing and to any grumpy cat fans I apologize. However, I just find it CREEPY! Something about this, is just not appealing to me. 

Better Homes & Gardens 1959 Holiday Cookbook

On my Confessions of a Holiday Junkie Facebook Page, I shared the cover of this book I picked up at a vintage store. I think my love for these books, stems back to my love of hosting parties. I love to read about the formality of what was expected in years past. Some of it, still pertains to current day, but other topics are just worth a good laugh. 

First up....

What Makes A Party Click?

    To help you roll out the red carpet at your party, we give dozens of ideas on what to serve-everything from snacks to a big holiday dinner or special occasion smorgasbord. 
    We've tried to make things easy for you, the hostess. You'll find many recipes you can fix ahead, others that keep last-minute fuss to a minimum. This will leave you free to chat with guest, enjoy your own party.
     Unless you know your guest well, it's best not to serve anything that's too unusual. As a rule, men like simple food while women take to the "something different". 
     When planning a dinner party, pick foods that can wait. Guests might be late.
     You'll want to make the most of an upcoming holiday. Even just a special dessert-heart shaped cake, Easter Bonnet cookies, Goblin Frosties-makes the simplest meal an occasion. 

Tips for hostess to keep in mind for smooth-running parties 

Careful planning is the secret to successful entertaining

* Invitations-send out one week to 10 days ahead of time for most parties. But plan on two to three weeks during the holidays. 

* Here's how to organize your party if you're new at entertaining. List the major jobs that must be done ahead.  Examples are: What to serve; groceries to buy; how you want the table set; and when to cook the food. Plan a schedule and check off each item as you do it. 

* Serving something new? It's a good idea to try the recipe first-see if you like the flavor, if it suits the occasion. 

* You'll save dish washing if you count smart ovenware and electric skillets that can travel from kitchen to the table.

* Before the party, decide how to split duties between the host and hostess. 

* Budget your time-save a precious hour before guests arrive to relax.

Smash Fries Copy Cat Recipe

For those of you who haven't had smash fries, from Smash Burger, you are missing out on something delightful. Those shoe string fries, drizzled in Olive Oil and Rosemary are to die for.

Today while grocery shopping at Target, I was trying to think of something to have with BBQ pulled pork sandwiches. As I crossed the freezer end cap, they just happened to have shoe string fries, right there, next to the meat. Shoe string fries are not my normal choice when making fries at home, but immediately Smash Fries came to mind. I wasn't sure how I was going to make that happen, but I knew I was going to give it a shot. 

I did one quick Google search and boom, there it was...the easiest recipe ever! And the best part, was knowing I was using the rosemary from my own garden. So get out your recipe book and write this one down.

Rosemary Garlic Fries:

Prepare 1 package of shoe string fries as instructed on the package, making sure they are crisp, but not overly brown. My bag was 28 ounces and the perfect amount to use with the amount of dressing I mixed up. 

Dressing: 
1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 TBSP of fresh rosemary or 1 1/2 TBSP of dried rosemary , chopped
1 tsp Garlic Powder
1 tsp Sea Salt 

Mix dressing ingredients in large bowl and once the fries are done, put all of them into the large bowl and toss until they are all coated. If you are leery your first go around, put some of the dressing in a smaller bowl and mix with a small batch of the fries. You can control the amount of dressing easier that way. We did that tonight, just because we weren't sure how potent it was all going to end up, but after the fact, the recipe was perfect and we could of just mixed it all at once.

Don't sit on this one, I'm telling you, they are so good and received 2 thumbs up from the guys as well.

Merry Christmas in July

The good thing about CIJ is having fun blogging about it, the bad thing is...while having so much fun and planning for Christmas in July, I run out of time to blog about it. I have so many ideas running through my mind, but haven't sat down to blog about them. Tonight however, we celebrated with our annual Christmas in July dinner. Today is the 25th of July and in our house, that means family, friends, food and fun!  The tradition seems to be growing each year and we gather a few more guest. I love having friend over, but the bad thing is my house just doesn't accommodate everyone well. But we squeeze in and make the best of it. It really, doesn't leave us much room to spread apart, so when one of us laughs, we ALL laugh!

So my next topic...the new camera in our home. My daughters first big purchase after working this summer, was a fancy new SLR camera. She was offered a deal she couldn't refuse, by a fellow student from school. After using my camera for years and going through several of her own portable camera's, this new camera is her prized possession. Over the past year, she's been slowly taking over the photographer role in the house, so when we have family get together or go on trips, she's the one responsible for taking the pictures. That works great, until she's with her friends and forgets she's the "Photographer". Tonight my BFF surprised me with an awesome birthday cake he made and my daughter missed the whole thing, until I got her attention and by then she had missed them all singing happy birthday to me. You moms know how it is, you are always on the backside of the camera and getting you in the picture can be difficult. She finally joined in and here are a few photos of my cake. I'll have to come back and do another post on this cake alone. 

Just like Christmas, we exchange names and buy one gift for the person on our list. We all know each other pretty well obviously, so it can be a lot of fun and HYSTERICALLY funny. 

 The "Last" book Aunt Sandy will ever read....

But NOT because she's "Old"

We all decided that Lesley finally needed a planner. 

I mean, she only works 4 jobs! 

My nerdy husband got the Gumby and Pokey toy he wanted, along with some Gumby Gummies.

Ciara got some Monogrammed towels from Aunt Sandy for college and had another break down moments. Something about towels and totes, seem to set off those moments in our house right now. 

And when Mike gets a Nerf gun, watch out. All must take shelter!

We did it potluck style this year and that worked really well. It kept the cooking at a minimum for everyone and better yet, the house stayed cool. We also "enjoyed" of a new kind of meat tonight - Hamurkey
Let's just say, it was suppose to be a honey spiral cut Turkey, but tasted like Ham. Literally, it was the weirdest thing ever. Needless to say, I won't be buying that again at Costco.

When you tell people you are having a Christmas in July, the response is pretty black and white. You hear....wow..that's kinda weird, but sounds fun or you hear...ARE YOU CRAZY. It's 6 months early and I hate doing it in December, why would you do it twice? Well my answer to this is family. You know, I married into a pretty big family, however my immediate family is an adopted family of friends. Often, they have other places they have to be and this is just one more excuse to gather then together for a night of fun. We could do it in August, but since I love Christmas, CIJ just sounds like a good excuse as any. It gives us one extra day a year to pull out the wrapping paper, wear a pair of Christmas earring and start day dreaming about how we wean to accomplish so much for the upcoming holiday season.

On that note, I"ll end with one final photo... 

Did you know tomorrow is Flag Day?

Does your family stop and acknowledge it's Flag Day? If you do, that's awesome. If you don't, tomorrow may be the day to start a new tradition. What goes along with family fun and traditions??? FOOD!!! Why not take a few extra minutes and prepare something Red, White and Blue for dessert. Here are some fabulous ideas. 

Cupcakes Takes the Cake, used regular cupcakes and mini cupcakes to create this fun treat. 

 

 The Celebration Shoppe made these simple cupcakes, but added a lollipop stick to take it over the edge. Little details like that, always take it to another level.

Want a healthier option? No cake for you? Well, how about some Flag fruit kabobs? 

How about just using mini cupcakes. If you are one of the many (and I am not) who enjoy making 100 mini cupcakes for a project, then this is the project for you!!! This flag is made of entirely mini cupcakes with some small fondant stars.

Now, if you are torn between cupcakes or fruit???? Good Housekeeping has the option for you. The combo of Blueberries, Strawberries and Coconut sounds super yummy. I don't know which one I'd pick first?

 

If one or two bites is all you need to satisfy your sweet tooth, check out this cake pop cake by My Juice Cup.  

If you don't have time, don't fret. Just head to your local grocery store and I'm sure you'll find plenty of Red, White and Blue items in the bakery. Just remember, a little treat, can go a long way when trying to peak the interest of your family.

Happy Christmas in July.... 2012

Wow...everytime I get on here, I say I've been MIA and will do better. I realize I need to stop those promises and just go with it. So here I am, celebrating Christmas in July with all of you. It's not the 1st or the 2nd or even the 4th, but today is July 6th and the 6th sounds just as good as any other day to start celebrating!

This perfect post came to mind, when my dear Aunt Sandy sent me a facebook message about a CIJ Ice Cream flavor she'd seen at the grocery store. We were all taking guesses, at what the flavor would be. Would it be Pepperment? No, that's to predictable. Would it be Devinity and Walnuts? Nooooooo

So I did a Google search and found that Blue Bell has done even better and combined SEVERAL of your favorite cookie flavors. Chocolate chip, snickerdoodle and sugar cookies combined with a tasty sugar cookie ice cream with festive red sprinkles and green icing swirls. Doesn't that sound like a heavenly on a hot summer night, after a swim in the pool?


Like many, Ice Cream is a weakness of mine. If I had to choose between cake and ice cream...Ice Cream would win hands down, every time. Sadly I don't own an ice cream maker. it's been on my wish list for some time, but always seems to be one of those items that just gets tossed aside when I'm looking for ideas or have a little extra money. But for the sake of this post, lets PRETEND I do have an ice cream maker. Here are some recipes for Christmas "Themed" flavors you might all enjoy.

Jean at Delightful Repast has posted a heavenly looking recipe for EGGNOG ICE CREAM. I love eggnog ice cream, but knowing this is "scoopable" and "custard like" puts it at the top of my must make list. Be sure to check out her site for detailed instructions and some tips on using raw eggs.

Epicurious has a recipe for Mincemeat Ice Cream that looks interesting. Mincemeat is one of those pies you either love or hate. So if you are a mincemeat fan, here is the recipe for you.

Vanilla Ice Cream
2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 cups whole milk
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
10 large egg yolks
1 1/2 cups sugar

Mincemeat
2 Golden Delicious apples (about 1 1/3 pounds), peeled, cored, cut into 3/4-inch cubes
1 1/2 cups raisins
1 cup pecans, toasted, chopped
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup apple cider
1/4 cup Calvados (apple brandy)
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) unsalted butter
2 1/2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1 cinnamon stick
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1/2 teaspoon finely grated lemon peel

For ice cream:
Mix cream and milk in heavy large saucepan. Scrape in seeds from vanilla bean; add bean. Bring to simmer; remove from heat. Whisk yolks and sugar in large bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot cream mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan. Stir over medium heat until mixture thickens and leaves path on back of spoon when finger is drawn across, about 5 minutes. Strain custard into bowl. Cover; chill until cold, about 4 hours.

For mincemeat:
Bring all ingredients to boil in heavy large saucepan. Reduce heat to medium and cook until almost all liquid is absorbed, stirring frequently, about 15 minutes. Discard cinnamon stick. Transfer mixture to bowl; refrigerate until cold, about 2 hours. Process custard in ice cream maker. Transfer ice cream to bowl. Fold in 3 cups cold mincemeat. Cover and freeze until firm, about 4 hours. (Can be made 3 days ahead. Keep frozen.)

I just asked my daughter if she could convert any special Christmas treat, into an ice cream, what would it be? Her choice...Date Balls.


After looking around, it seems that Brown Eyed Baker has a recipe that might be very similar in taste. Date, Rum & Pecan Ice Cream. Date balls don't have rum in them, but rum in any treat is yummy. If you don't cook with alcohol, don't hesitate to try the recipe with rum extracts.

I hope that is a great start to this months celebration. Trust me, on my next trip to the grocery store, I'll be scoping out the freezer section!