DIY Christmas Ornaments

This "First Christmas" is so much fun to celebrate as a married couple. I'm loving the excitement of it in sharing the spirited season together. However, due to economical times, this first Christmas is also a BUDGET Christmas :) We were graciously given our first Christmas tree by Austin's sister and brother-in-law. It looks fantastic! Ornaments were what were hard to come by. I can't wait until everything is 80% off after Christmas. I plan to go ape crazy buying the "Christmas essentials" ;) when they're super cheap!

The point to this blog post is to show Christmas can be done with style without spending a fortune on the little things. These ornaments were home made with a few supplies from your local Hobby Lobby and Michael's. It also helps to have a mom who owns a lifetime of craft supplies to borrow from!

The ornament below took me almost 2 hours to make! No kidding! All the time was taken up creating each of the rosettes that I glued onto the plain glass ornament. Not hard to make, just time consuming. The paper raffia can be found at any craft store.

This next ornament was also pretty easy but just a litttttttle messy :) Decoupage (modgepodge found at your local craft store) combined with old sheet music (Christmas Music if you so desire) cut into small pieces and smoothed onto a glass ornament. Decorate with a colorful ribbon and waalaahh! Oh I also glitter spray painted the ornaments after decoupaging. Make sure you give adequate time to dry after!

Easy!! My sister created this beautiful one. Fake pearls inside a large glass ball ornament.

Burlap string inside glass ornament

Another music sheet music decoupaged glass ornament "O Come All Ye Faithful"

DIY Christmas made easy! Happy Christmas Crafting!!

Gobble Gobble! Turkey Cupcakes :)

I love that the holidays are here! Tomorrow is Thanksgiving and a long break from reality. I found this Betty Crocker cupcake recipe online. I thought they were ADORABLE and had to try and make them. I celebrated an early Thanksgiving with some of my co-workers and clients at work today. I brought them in as dessert for our potluck, and the kids really liked them. They're almost too cute to eat! :)

All packed and ready to go!

Note: I used pink cherry frosting for half and chocolate frosting for the other half...girls and boys I guess :)


Recipe Includes:

1 box Betty Crocker® SuperMoist® devil's food cake mix (Water, vegetable oil and eggs called for on cake mix box)

2 containers Betty Crocker® Rich & Creamy milk chocolate frosting (or one chocolate and one color or flavor of choice)

1 tube (4.25 oz) Betty Crocker® white decorating icing

1 tube (0.68 oz) Betty Crocker® brown decorating gel

1 lb Candy corn

Chocolate candy sprinkles

http://www.bettycrocker.com/recipes/turkey-cupcakes/e0455083-540d-49a0-97ef-79b2948e1a68?WT.ac=Home_slide_5_111511_MAIN_TheKidsTable_TurkeyCupcakes

Mac N Cheese with Butternut Squash

I'm planning to make some Thanksgiving treats next week for Thanksgiving dinner at my in-law's. I thought it would be a good idea to "taste test" before I actually serve this food to people besides myself and Austin. ;) One of my dishes will be this special version of macaroni and cheese. I got the idea for butternut squash mac n' cheese from my sister in law a couple weeks ago and have been excited to try it. I have fallen in love with butternut squash this year, and I have always been a fan of mac and cheese. Therefore, how could combining two wonderful things not become more wonderful? Every recipe I looked up for this was a little different and varied slightly. There are low fat versions and some with less ingredients but I was happy with how mine turned out on my first try. Not too shabby! Austin even said it looked tasty!

You'll need the following:

1/2 of 1 cooked butternut squash or squash puree
3-4 cups of chicken broth
sage seasoning about a 3 teaspoons
salt 2 teaspoons
2 teaspoons mustard powder or Dijon mustard works as well (I used the Dijon)
1 cup heavy cream
1-2 teaspoons of paprika
1/4 teaspoon of cayenne pepper (I used extra traditional pepper and used about 1 teaspoon)
1/2 lb of extra sharp cheddar cheese - (I combined 16 ounces of Colby jack and sharp cheddar Kraft cheeses, and I wish I would have used a sharper cheddar for a more savory flavor but still good!)
1 lb Cavatappi noodles

Directions
Peel butternut squash with a vegetable peeler, then cut in half. Scoop out seeds and chop the remaining squash into 1" pieces. Combine in a medium saucepan with the chicken broth, making sure the broth covers the squash completely. Add the sage leaves and bring all to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 20 minutes or until squash is fork tender.

While the squash cooks, bring a large pot of water to a rapid boil. Add the pound of whole wheat macaroni and cook according to packaged directions until al dente (about 8 minutes). Drain and set aside.

Drain squash, while reserving the chicken broth. Add the cooked squash and sage to the blender or food processor and process in batches until smooth, adding about a cup of the reserved chicken broth. Return the pureed squash to a medium pot over low heat and add the heavy cream, spices, and grated cheddar, stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is completely smooth (you will see tiny bits of the pureed squash if you look closely, but that's OK). Tip: If this sauce looks too thin and watery, just simmer it a bit to evaporate some of the liquid. Mine actually looked to thick so I added about a half cup of milk and half cup of cream.

Pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until well combined. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve. This can be made up to two days in advance according to the recipe and can be saved in the refrigerator for up to one week.I also refridgerated mine overnight and baked it for about 40 minutes the next night. Really good. I recommend baking it for some amount of time to blend the flavors together.

The taste?! Really creamy and delicious! I would have used a sharper cheese and more spices but that's just me.

Served with Italian Herb Crusted Chicken - yum! & Seasoned Broccoli - Really...Really...Good! :)

Happy Thanksgiving Cooking!

DIY Wine Bottle Christmas Decor

Two things I have acquired a love for...DIY projects and wine :) The left over bottles, which are usually thrown away, can be converted with a little love to a beautiful center piece. Where did I find this fabulous idea? I wish I could say it was my own...however once again Pinterest pulls through with another winner. The blog site for this idea is
http://cleverlyinspired.blogspot.com/2010/12/wine-bottleschristmas-display_14.html

I took 3 wine bottles...removing all stickers and labels with Goo-Gone. Once dry I sprayed painted primer on them. The primer didn't completely cover the bottles so I used a white spray paint for the second coat. Once dry I sprayed the bottoms of the bottles with adhesive bond spray. Immediately after spraying, roll in epsom salt. I sprayed a sealer on top and some glitter spray. I added some pine cone and snow covered twigs from Michael's. It turned out pretty well and was relatively cheap to do! :)

More DIY Christmas posts to come!

Apple and Cheddar Stuffed Chicken

Sweet apples, savory cheese, Italian breadcrumbs, and delicious chicken with a white wine Chardonnay sauce? Oh yes! I happened to be day dreaming about food...and decided at work today the most perfect thing to eat tonight would be some stuffed chicken. I had left over sweet butternut squash from Sunday's dinner...add some rice and green beans and Whammy! = Dinner for two.

2 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1/2 cup chopped apple
2 tablespoons shredded Cheddar cheese
1 tablespoon Italian-style dried bread crumbs
1 tablespoon butter
1/4 cup dry white wine
1/4 cup water
1 tablespoon water
1 1/2 teaspoons cornstarch
1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

(My own variations to this recipe: I used a 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon of curry powder, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar added to the breadcrumb, apple and cheese stuffing. It creates a sweet and savory flavor :)

Directions
Combine apple, cheese, and bread crumbs. Set aside.
Flatten chicken breasts between sheets of waxed paper to 1/4 inch thickness. Divide apple mixture between chicken breasts, and roll up each breast. Secure with toothpicks.
Melt butter or margarine in a 7 inch skillet over medium heat. Brown stuffed chicken breasts. Add wine and 1/4 cup water. Cover. Simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, or until chicken is no longer pink.
Transfer chicken to a serving platter. Combine 1 tablespoon water and cornstarch; stir into juices in pan. Cook and stir until thickened. Pour gravy over chicken, and garnish with parsley. Serve.

(My variations to this part: Instead of using a skillet, I baked the chicken in a small baking dish covered with tinfoil. I put the butter and wine in the bottom. When the chicken was done...about 40 min later on 350 degrees...I combined the cornstarch and water to the wine and butter in the dish. I put the dish back uncovered for about 5-10 minutes until the sauce is thickened. After removing from the oven, spoon the sauce over the chicken. Its sooo yummy!)

Served with cheesy rice, turkey bacon sauteed green beans, and warm butternut squash...a perfect fall dish :)