Holiday Crafting, Cooking, Planning, and Decorating

 

Greens and reds are certainly the most commonly used Christmas colors, with many people using  traditional holly berries and pine boughs to capture the holiday spirit.  Here’s a different craft idea...a stunning wreath ablaze with red roses that would make an ideal Yule adornment or a tasteful year-round decoration.  Begin by wrapping a straw base with green velvet ribbon, leaving about 3 inches uncovered at the bottom.  Insert the stems of a dozen or so silk roses and a few sprays of artificial greenery into the straw to cover the exposed area.  Use pearl-head pins to fasten a ruffle of red velvet ribbon around the front surface and hot glue a silk rose blossom under each loop.

 

     Here is a sweet desert you can prepare at Thanksgiving, something different from pumpkin pie.

Frosted Pumpkin Bars        

   4 large eggs                                            

   1 2/3 cups granulated sugar

   1 cup vegetable oil

   One 15-ounce can pumpkin

   2 cups all-purpose flour

   2 teaspoons baking powder

   1 teaspoon cinnamon

   1 teaspoon salt

   1 teaspoon baking soda

    Frosting:  one 3-ounce package cream cheese, softened

                       ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened

                       1 teaspoon vanilla extract

                        2 cups sifted confectioners’ sugar

 

        Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Using an electric mixer at medium speed, beat the eggs, granulated sugar, oil, and pumpkin until light and fluffy.  Sift together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, and baking soda in another bowl.  Gradually add the dry ingredients to the pumpkin mixture with the mixer at low speed. Mix until thoroughly combined and the batter is smooth. Spread the batter in an ungreased nonstick 13 by 9-inch baking pan. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool completely before frosting. To make the frosting: mix the cream cheese and butter in a medium bowl with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the vanilla. Slowly beat in the confectioners sugar until smooth. Spread  on the cooled pumpkin base and cut into bars. These freeze well.

 

     Holiday planning- Have a holiday planner that offers planning calendars, decorating tips, handy cooking references, and lots of space for making lists, to make organizing easier.

Always keep in mind the reason for the season. May God bless you and have a wonderful holiday.

 

You can find a host of books from decorating to holiday planning in section. 745.594.

Cooking: Christmas with Paula Deen—641/DEE

The Holiday Wreath Book—745.926/CAR

Christmas with Southern Living-745.594/CHR

 

Debbie Williams