Merry Christmas Rudolph Cupcakes

Here is a fun way to dress up your Christmas cupcakes. 

Gather the kids around and make
mini Rudolph cupcakes using M&Ms and pretzels!

What you need:
*Your favorite cupcake recipe.  I used Devil's Food Cake mix, but any cupcake mix will work.
*Eggs, water, and oil per your specific recipe
*Chocolate icing
*Mini cupcake liners
*Red M&Ms
*Tiny pretzel twists


















Instructions:
*Make your cupcakes as directed by your specific recipe. For mini cupcakes, baking time is about 10 mins at 325 degrees.
*Let your cupcakes cool.
*Frost your cupcakes with your favorite chocolate icing.
*Break the mini pretzel twists in half to make "antlers."
*Place antlers into the frosting.
*Add a red M&M as Rudolph's nose.


Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!  See you in 2013!

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Christmas Breakfast Squares

Every Christmas morning, we have my mother's Breakfast Squares - an amazing egg souffle with Swiss cheese, mushrooms, and ham.  The best part is that you make it the night before, and then just pop it in the oven on Christmas morning.

Here is my family recipe!

Ingredients:
* 1 Loaf of white bread - slice each piece into halves and cut off the crusts
* Lean sliced deli ham - Approximately 10 to 12 oz.
* Sliced Swiss cheese- about 2 Kraft packages
* 1 small jar of Green Giant sliced mushrooms -drained
* 1 tsp. fine ground dry mustard
* 7 large eggs
* 3 cups of Half and Half
* 3/4 to 1 stick of butter softened to room temperature- Do not melt
* Salt and pepper to taste
* A dash of hot sauce

Directions:
1. Spray a 9x13 pan or casserole dish with Pam Cooking spray.
2. Lightly butter both sides of about half of the de-crusted bread halves and place on the bottom of the dish - cover the bottom completely.
3. Distribute the diced ham, mushrooms, and sliced Swiss cheese over the bread evenly.
4. Lightly butter both sides of the remaining de-crusted bread and place them on top of the ham, cheese, and mushrooms.
5. In large bowl mix eggs, dry mustard, salt, pepper, and hot sauce.
6. Add Half and Half to this mixture and whisk.
7. Pour liquid into the dish over the layered bread, covering all areas. The bread will soak up the liquid.
8. Cover with aluminum foil and refrigerate over night.

In the morning:
9. Bake at 325 degrees for 45 minutes with foil still on top.

10. Remove foil and continue to bake approximately 15 minutes or until top is golden brown.

 To the left: Slices of bread covering the bottom of the dish with ham on top. Ready to add mushrooms and cheese.

 

Above: Top layer of sliced bread buttered and in place. The liquid has already been poured over the bread.  You can see the bread is slightly moist. 

This is ready to be covered and placed in the refrigerator!

Above: Final product

 

Enjoy!

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The Season of Giving

The Holidays are a time to give! When making your lists and checking them twice, don't forget those that are less fortunate. There are many ways to give whether you donate your time or contribute financially.  Here are a few ideas. 

Donate online:  Most charities have websites that make it very easy for you to donate online. My favorites are St. Jude, The Ronald McDonald House, The American Red Cross, and Minds Matter. Check them out or find a charity that means something special to you.
http://www.stjude.org/waystohelp
http://www.rmhc.com/
http://www.redcross.org/
http://www.mindsmatter.org

Donate through a local company:  For my California reader's, Sleep Train does a toy drive for foster children. http://www.sleeptrain.com/local-foster-kids.aspx.  Local fire houses/ police stations are also great places to check out.  http://www.sffirefighterstoys.org/.  Some of your local companies may also donate through Toys for Tots. http://www.toysfortots.org/

Donate your time:  Volunteer at a local food bank or Meals on Wheels which provides food to the homes of those in need. http://www.mowaa.org/  Another way to donate your time is to visit a local nursing home or hospital. Get a group of your friends to help you pass out carnation flowers to the residents/patients. A simple smile or a friendly conversation can brighten someone's holiday.

Donate at a local church:  Most churches have their own giving programs from food drives to giving tree gift initiatives. If you don't want to attend church, you can call their business office which is usually open Monday-Friday and ask to help.

Give the gift of Giving:  Looking for a gift with more meaning?  JustGive.org allows you to give giving gift cards where you purchase the amount and the recipient chooses their charity they want to donate to.  https://www.justgive.org/gift-cards/index.jsp. This is a new twist to giving!

Whether you just want to clean out your closet to make a run to Goodwill, give some change to the Salvation Army at the mall, or buy dinner for a homeless person you pass on your way home from work...every little bit helps.

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Holiday Apple Dip

Looking for an appetizer for a work potluck or holiday party? 

Try my carmel apple dip! 

An assortment of red and green apples quickly

turns this into a holiday platter.

 

 

Ingredients:
2 large Granny Smith apples
2 large Red Delicious apples
1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
(let it still out at room temperature to soften)
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon of lemon juice

(serves about 12 people)

Directions: Beat together sugars, cream cheese, and vanilla. Pour into serving bowl. Place in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Then right before serving, slice the apples, brush them with lemon juice to keep from browning, and place them decoratively around the serving bowl.  Enjoy!          
                                                                                   (pictures shown using 2 apples)

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Christmas Traditions

The holidays are a time to celebrate with family and friends.  In my family, we have many Christmas traditions that have been passed down over the years.  Family traditions are a wonderful way to remember the past and make new memories for the future.  Here a few ideas of "fun old-fashion" family traditions from my family to yours.  Start a new tradition this year!

Matching PJs -  Each Christmas Eve everyone opens one present, and it is the same present every year - new Christmas pajamas.  The best part is we all match! Whoever hosts Christmas purchases the matching outfits for everyone and keeps the theme a secret.  Then on Christmas Eve, we all get to wear them to bed and to celebrate Christmas the next morning.  These matching PJs make amazing Christmas photos! The best place to buy matching Christmas pajamas is at Old Navy.

Breakfast -  On Christmas morning, we always have sausage biscuits and my mother's Breakfast Squares, which is form of an egg souffle.  A Christmas morning breakfast is a simple tradition to start. Find something that is quick and easy for a group of people.  Stay tuned to my blog.  I will give out my mom's recipe closer to Christmas!

A Holiday Movie -  Every year as a family, we watch National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation. We all know every line! This is something so simple and inexpensive to do together as a family and always brings a good laugh.

Dinner -  On Christmas Eve, we have the family clam sauce. This is a tradition that I received from my husband's family.   It is a secret family recipe my father-in-law shared with me right before my husband and I got married.  Learning how to make this sauce meant a lot to me, and it brings me a tremendous amount of joy to make it every year.  Sorry guys, this recipe is a secret!

Find a tradition that works for your family.  I can promise you that even the smallest tradition will over the years bring more meaning to your holidays and family gatherings.

If you have a special family tradition, please share it in the comment section. 
If you like my blog become a follower!
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Shopping for your Mother-in-Law / Future Mother-in-Law

 

 

This can be a terrifying task.  I am very blessed in that I have a wonderful mother-in-law (Hi, Mom!) who I've known and loved now for 12 years.  However, I know that some women don't know their mother-in-laws or especially future mother-in-laws very well so buying presents for the holidays can be difficult. Here are a few ideas to save the season and make your man proud!

 

1. Every woman loves comfortable PJ's.  A nice set from Victoria's Secret might be a perfect gift. It doesn't have to be too "personal."  You just need to find something warm and cozy for the winter. Here are their most-loved PJ's with free matching slippers. http://www.victoriassecret.com/sleepwear/most-loved-pj

 

2. Find a local nail salon or spa and buy them a gift certificate. Just do a quick google/yelp search in their neighborhood.  Who doesn't love a manicure and a massage? Most places will mail you a gift certificate so that you can wrap it in a small box and place it under the tree.

 

3.  What about personalized stationary?  This is actually something I am asking Santa for this year.  I am always buying little "Thank you" cards, and I wanted something more personal.  A personalized stationary set is useful for every woman. Shutterfly is a great place to start. http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery/personal-stationery

 

4. Maybe your mother-in-law loves to cook or bake?  Sur la Table has wonderful bundled packages with a variety of themes.  http://www.surlatable.com/category/cat870432/Gift-Sets

 

5. You could also get something monogrammed for the kitchen.  I love monogrammed linens! Williams-Sonoma has great ideas from cutting boards to aprons.

http://www.williams-sonoma.com/shop/monogram-shop/?cm_type=gnav

 

6.  For a smaller gift, I suggest an ornament to represent celebrating Christmas together this year. You can buy something simple like an ornament representing the city where you will be celebrating or a formal Tiffany's ornament. 

 

7.  Finally, if you aren't exchanging gifts but are invited to dinner, you definitely can't go empty handed.  Yankee candles are perfect "host" gifts to thank her for having you. I love Yankee candles because they last forever, and they have amazing holiday scents. They even have gift sets! http://www.yankeecandle.com/home2


Happy Shopping!

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Feel free to leave comments- I have changed the setting after a few complaints, so it's open to everyone now!