My family loves the smell and feel of a live (cut) Christmas Tree. While I love fresh trees too, I dread watering the darn things. Our tree stand never seems to hold enough liquid, so I have to crawl under the branches every day to add water - which always spills on the floor and makes a mess. This year I went on Christmas Tree strike and didn't put up a tree. Not even the small, 4-foot fake tree which lives in our attic. Bah humbug!
However, overcome by Christmas spirit and a super sale price of $1 each, I was inspired to bring additional live plants into the house, decorating the stairs with pots and pots of poinsettias - which also require regular watering....sigh! The first time they needed watering, I moved them to the garage, watered them, wiped them off and replaced them on the stairs. It was laborious. Two days later, they needed watering again. I stood at the foot of the stairs and thought, "Maybe I should just toss them out and get fake poinsettias." Double Bah humbug!
Truthfully, I wasn't ready give up and trash the live Christmas decor. I stared at the pots and contemplated the messy job of watering a staircase full of plants. Then I had an epiphany. The instructions on the orchids I bought recently said to "water once a week with 3 ice cubes." Why not use the same idea for the poinsettias?
Happily, I can report success with the ice cube watering method! Each plant gets 4-5 cubes (about 3 oz water) a couple times a week. No water on the floor. No spills to clean. My young children can even do it for me and I don't worry about them making a mess.
Three cheers for Christmas success: Water with Ice Cubes!
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
3 Favorite Christmas Cookies
Every family has certain sweets which appear only at Christmastime. During the rest of the year, we are too busy in the hustle and bustle of daily activities to make special treats. However, the holidays inspire us to find the time to bake and share beloved family cookie traditions.
The Top 3 Favorite Christmas Cookies in our house are: Cinnamon Shortbread, Bourbon Balls, and Brownie Drop Cookies. All 3 recipes are easy to prepare, have a short list of ingredients, and can be frozen for make-ahead convenience. If you don't have a Christmas cookie tradition, try one of these for a great tasting holiday treat!
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookie
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, room-temperature
1 tsp real vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
In a large bowl, cream butter and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Set aside. Stir together flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl until well mixed. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and blend together with mixer. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until it forms a soft dough. With your hands, knead dough into a ball. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Scoop dough by the spoonful onto parchment paper and press flat with your fingers, making a round cookie shape about 0.5 cm high and 5 cm wide (1/4 inch x 2 inches). Bake in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies. Can be frozen.
Bourbon Balls (no bake)
1 cup semi-sweet chocoate chips
3 tbs corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup Bourbon whiskey - aka. Jim Beam
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra for rolling
2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs or crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup chopped walnuts
Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 1 minute, stir. Continue to microwave in 20 second intervals until completely melted. Stir in corn syrup. Add vanilla and bourbon, stir and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, graham cracker crumbs and walnuts. Pour chocolate mixture over graham crackers and mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Cover and let stand on the counter for 30 minutes to allow mixture to set. Use cookie scoop or large soup spoon to scoop out 1 inch balls. Roll between your hands to form into ball shape. Toss in powdered sugar to coat. Store in airtight containers until ready to eat. Makes 3 dozen balls. Can be frozen.
Brownie Drop Cookies
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (mine is Ghirardelli with walnuts)
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup water
Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Instead of baking in a pan, drop mix by the heaping tablespoonful onto parchment paper. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. They will spread out while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes in a 350F oven. Remove while still slightly undercooked. Set parchment on wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the center. Makes 3 dozen 3-inch cookies. Store in airtight containers. Can be frozen.
Hope these recipes are helpful for the holidays!
The Top 3 Favorite Christmas Cookies in our house are: Cinnamon Shortbread, Bourbon Balls, and Brownie Drop Cookies. All 3 recipes are easy to prepare, have a short list of ingredients, and can be frozen for make-ahead convenience. If you don't have a Christmas cookie tradition, try one of these for a great tasting holiday treat!
Cinnamon Shortbread Cookie
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened, room-temperature
1 tsp real vanilla extract
2 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/2 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
In a large bowl, cream butter and vanilla extract with an electric mixer for 2 minutes. Set aside. Stir together flour, sugar, salt and cinnamon in a separate bowl until well mixed. Add half of the dry ingredients to the butter and blend together with mixer. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until it forms a soft dough. With your hands, knead dough into a ball. Cover and chill in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Scoop dough by the spoonful onto parchment paper and press flat with your fingers, making a round cookie shape about 0.5 cm high and 5 cm wide (1/4 inch x 2 inches). Bake in 350F oven for 10-12 minutes until edges are golden brown. Remove and cool on wire rack. Makes 2-3 dozen cookies. Can be frozen.
Bourbon Balls (no bake)
1 cup semi-sweet chocoate chips
3 tbs corn syrup or honey
1/2 cup Bourbon whiskey - aka. Jim Beam
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup powdered sugar + extra for rolling
2.5 cups graham cracker crumbs or crushed vanilla wafers
1 cup chopped walnuts
Melt chocolate chips in microwave for 1 minute, stir. Continue to microwave in 20 second intervals until completely melted. Stir in corn syrup. Add vanilla and bourbon, stir and set aside. In large mixing bowl, combine sugar, graham cracker crumbs and walnuts. Pour chocolate mixture over graham crackers and mix thoroughly with a large spoon. Cover and let stand on the counter for 30 minutes to allow mixture to set. Use cookie scoop or large soup spoon to scoop out 1 inch balls. Roll between your hands to form into ball shape. Toss in powdered sugar to coat. Store in airtight containers until ready to eat. Makes 3 dozen balls. Can be frozen.
Brownie Drop Cookies
1 box of your favorite brownie mix (mine is Ghirardelli with walnuts)
1 egg
1/3 cup oil
1/4 cup water
Prepare the brownie mix according to package directions. Instead of baking in a pan, drop mix by the heaping tablespoonful onto parchment paper. Leave 2 inches between each cookie. They will spread out while baking. Bake for 9-11 minutes in a 350F oven. Remove while still slightly undercooked. Set parchment on wire rack to cool completely. Cookies will be crisp on the outside and slightly chewy in the center. Makes 3 dozen 3-inch cookies. Store in airtight containers. Can be frozen.
Hope these recipes are helpful for the holidays!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)