Tuesday, December 24, 2013

RE-Joicing: 2013 Christmas Projects

Christmas Project No. 1.  No cooking Xmas Appetizer - Spinach Tortilla Spirals stuffed with Turkey/Goat cheese/Cranberry, Turkey/Sundried Tomato/Cucumber spears or Spinach/Bacon stacked in a Christmas Tree form with cherry tomatoes as "ornaments" and a star cut from a plain tortilla and secured with a tooth pick.

I took this Xmas tree to my book club's fabulous Christmas party and I loved how it came out.  The toughest part was finding the spinach tortillas to make it. I looked at 6 different stores and emailed my friends for help finding them before I found them at a Whole Foods supermarket.  Then, I found out they sell them at Target as well so if you ever want to make these,  Target will likely be your best bet.


TURKEY GOAT CHEESE CRANBERRY SPIRAL STUFFING
2-8 oz pack whipped cream cheese
1 cup (8 oz) crumbled feta cheese
1 cup (8 oz) crumbled goat cheese - I like flavored goat cheese, but plain works as well
1/2cup chopped green onion
12 oz dried cranberries
sliced turkey breast

Mix up the ingredients except the turkey breast, spread it across a tortilla, place a couple thin slices of turkey meat in the middle, roll the tortillas up and slice them.   At first, I cut the pieces pretty thin, but found out thicker pieces about 1 inch wide, stay together better.

TURKEY GOAT CHEESE CUCUMBER SPIRAL STUFFING

Use the same ingredients as above, replace the cranberries with spears of cucumber thinly sliced.  I used sundried tomato goat cheese for this recipe and it worked great.

SPINACH BACON SPIRAL STUFFING
1 cup light mayo or Miracle Whip whichever you prefer
1/2 cup sour cream
1 package (3 ounces) softened cream cheese
4 green onions, chopped.
1 package crumbled cooked bacon
1 envelopes ranch dressing mix
2 packages (10 oz) frozen chopped spinach, drained

Mix together, spread on tortillas, roll and slice.

Christmas Project No. 2.  Xmas ornament garland.  Lots of "wow" for not a lot of $ or time.  I found this project on Pinterest.  Use a long piece of 1/2 inch ribbon and thread it thru the tops of ball ornaments to make a garland.  It takes about 45 minutes to thread them all.Most people used ornaments from the Dollar Store because you need between 80- 100 ornaments for a garland, but I wanted jewel tones so I had to use mostly regular ornaments I bought on sale.  Although I mixed it up with some glitter ornaments from the Dollar store and Target.   I've seen plastic ball ornaments at Home Goods and other stores and those would be perfect for this project.




The Original Project Source: http://www.mintlovesocialclub.com/2011/11/diy-christmas-ornament-garland.html

The Source I Used for Instructions: http://meant4amoment.blogspot.com/2011/11/christmas-ball-garland.html

Is that a black Christmas Tree?  Yes, it is.  It's a bad picture because I took it in a hurry.  There is dust everywhere in it because we are having work done in our kitchen.  I'll try to take a better picture later.

Being real.  This is what my living room looks like today. 

Christmas Project No. 3. My living room is in chaos because we started renovating our kitchen to host a family Christmas party.  A nephew volunteered to host to take the pressure off, but the work (and the dust) had already begun.  We're doing the kitchen in phases, but as soon as phase 1 is done, I'll post an update. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Written by Eldarose

Saturday, November 23, 2013

RE-ceiving Guests: Fall Table. Thanksgiving Mantel & 10 SUPER Easy Thanksgiving Dishes


Fall Table
Hey Guys! Yeah, I know. Long time, no blog.

I have several posts in draft mode, including another one on Mom Camp because yours truly was interviewed and quoted about Mom Camp in the December 2013 issue of Woman's Day Magazine (on stands now), updates on 80th bday parties for my mother & father-in-law & my daughter's bedroom makeover and a few more surprises.  Those posts all need work, but I didn't want Thanksgiving to pass without a blog entry. So this post is simple. Reba had a small birthday lunch for her mother-in-law, Sherry (of Marriage Saving Pound Cake & Tamale Fame) and I made a Thanksgiving mantel that we are sharing.   Plus 10 SUPER easy food presentation ideas for Thanksgiving that I love just in time to inspire you for the big day.  Happy Turkey Day!



Table View #2


Table View #3

Pilgrims, Native Americans, pumpkins, Fall Leaves & Turkeys combine on my mantel.


I really wanted Native Americans represented so I snatched up this figurine set on sale.


Varied size vanilla candles wrapped in twine with Fall leaves.

Got these turkeys made of natural products from Wisteria and World Market.


10 SUPER Easy Thanksgiving Food Presentation Ideas

Turkey Shaped Cheeseball. Even I can make this. Source: http://www.quirkycookery.com/2011/02/wattle-waddleser-wobbles-thanksgiving.html

Turkey Shape Veggie Tray 1. Source: http://www.livinglocurto.com/2012/10/turkey-vegetable-tray/


Turkey Shape Veggie Tray 2. Source: http://www.eatingwithfoodallergies.com/turkeyveggieplatter.html

Inexpensive & Simple. Cut open a pumpkin to serve dip.


No cooking involved! 16oz Cool Whip, small instant vanilla pudding package, 1 can pumpkin, 1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice. Can use Lite Cool Whip & Sugarfree pudding mix for lighter version.  Source: http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Pumpkin-Fluff-Dip/Detail.aspx


BIG HIT ALERT. I made these for a pumpkin carving party & the kids loved them. The Clementine Pumpkins would work for Thanksgiving.  Set them out for the picky eaters & health conscious guests. Source: http://decorating-by-day.com/2013/02/09/cute-banana-ghosts-and-clementine-pumpkins-fun-halloween-food/

Candy Corn Fruit Cups.  Attractive, no cooking involved dessert. Source: http://www.navywifecook.com/2012/10/halloween-week-candy-corn-fruit-cups.html

Store bought dough shaped as pumpkins and pecans used for stems.  Video directions on how to: http://studio5.ksl.com/index.php?nid=126&sid=27703489#CGEF5WYE4vBCUbww.32


Adults and Kids alike will enjoy these adorable Oreo Turkeys.  I made them last year and they were a big hit. They are easy to make, but fair warning they took quite a bit of time for me to assemble. Source: http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/11/oreo-turkeys-and-cookie-pilgrim-hats/
No cooking Pilgrim Hat cookie treats. Source: http://www.accenttheparty.com/party-blog/view/40754/