Seasons & Holidays

Crafts for the holidays and the different seasons.

Winter Tablescape

~ lindy

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We like to decorate for the month of January in Snowmen/Winter. These are pictures from our New Year’s Day Party and the dishes that we served. The recipes will follow in my next week’s posts.

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See Chocolate Melted Snowmen Cookies

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These are Ring Pops we bought at the Dollar Tree and then added the paper tag “Ring in 2014”.

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Wintergreen Lifesavers

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This is Blue Hawaiian Punch in our drinking glasses. Glasses were dipped and drizzled with Corn Syrup and then dipped and sprinkled with Granulated Sugar. The Paper Blue Straws I bought from Hobby Lobby.

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See Decorated Wooden Spools

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See Strawberry & Mango Salsa

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See Cashew Chicken Lettuce Wraps

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See Baked Sweet & Sour Chicken with Fried Rice

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You can serve with White Rice or the below recipe link to our “Family Favorite Fried Rice” Recipe.

See Family Favorite Fried Rice

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See Baked Shrimp & Crab Egg Rolls

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See Toffee & Cream Chocolate Cake

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See Build a Snowman

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Happy Winter!

Lindy, Jamie and Jessica

Chocolate Cookies

~ lindy

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I like this chocolate cookie recipe because you can decorate it many ways. These are some examples of cookies you can make and the links are below homemade Rolo Cookies, Oreo Cookies and Melted Snowmen Cookies

Chocolate Cookies

Cream together the following:

*3/4 cup Butter, softened
*1/2 cup Sugar
*1/2 cup Brown Sugar, packed
*2 teaspoons Vanilla
*2 Eggs, lightly beaten

Whisk together the dry ingredients:

*2 1/4 cups All-purpose Flour
*1/2 cup Cocoa
*1 teaspoon Soda
*1/2 teaspoon salt

* 1-2 cups Chocolate chips of your choice or half baking Caramel Bits and other half Chocolate chips

Mix together the creamed and dry ingredients and then add chocolate chips. Scoop a rounded tablespoon of cookie dough onto a Silpat lined half baking sheet.

Bake the cookies at 375*F for 8 minutes, careful not to over bake.

You can do so many things with this chocolate cookie recipe

**Oreo type Cookies, 2 chocolate cookies filled with cream cheese frosting. (Omitting chocolate chips) Also, you can make Rolo Cookies, see Chocolate Oreo and Rolo Cookies.

**Caramel Turtle Cookies, with dipping Caramel, Pecans, make the chocolate cookie recipe as described above but indent with a teaspoon in each cookie before baking. This will hold dipping caramel after baking (make sure cookies are cool and warm caramel slightly if needed.) and then add four pecans making a turtle.

**2 squares Almond Bark, melted and drizzled onto Chocolate Cookies, then add chopped nuts or crushed Candy Cane pieces etc….

**2 squares Almond Bark, melted and make a puddle of melted almond bark on each cookie adding a mini Reese Peanut Butter Cup cut in half, using 2 mini chocolate chips for the eyes, buttons and orange candy slice or orange colored frosting.

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Chocolate Melted Snowman Cookies

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Supplies needed:

*Chocolate Cookies, using recipe above
*White Almond Bark, melted and frosted on cookie, I used a spoon to put on melted almond bark
*Reese’s Minis, cut in half
*Orange Starbursts, cut and formed into noses
*Black round Candy Sprinkles

Place on the snowman face parts while almond bark is still warm.

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You can see a picture of them here.

Enjoy!

Lindy