Happy 2011!!

 We cooked up a yummy feast of good luck foods and I made these champagne cupcakes for dessert *heavenly*.  The original recipe was for pink champagne cupcakes but since I was making them for  our New Year celebration, I stuck with the gold and silver theme on white.  I even found this cute edible glitter in the shape of stars!

I was lucky enough to celebrate the New Year with both of my brothers, one of my sisters-in-law and my cute niece, Zoe.  I'm thankful to have such a great family! I hope 2011 is all that you hope for and brings much peace and happiness to you all.

Happy New Year!

Mulled Wine Gift

Here is a quick gift idea for you.  I made 18 of these for a swap.  They make great gifts for neighbors, co-workers, teachers, etc.  The wine doesn't haven't to be expensive since you'll be cooking it.


I'm sure you can find a much more exact recipe.  I just sort of put the ingredients together until they looked pretty.  Here's what I included:


whole cloves
whole allspice
dried orange peel
crushed & whole cinnamon sticks
dried cranberries

I put 3 whole cinnamon sticks along with 1/4 - 1/3 cup of the mix into glassine bags and tied them shut with bakers twine and another whole cinnamon stick.  I included the recipe for mulled wine on a pull out card but you could also use apple cider or a mixture of the two (but the presentation works better with a bottle of wine so that's why I did it this way). The large snowflake is a die from Sizzix and the smaller is the large Himilayan Snowlflake from Martha Stewart.  The 1-1/4 inch circle punch is a perfect fit for the neck of the wine bottle and the punched out circles made backers for the A Muse wine glass stamp.

I could use some hot mulled wine or cider right now.  Kayla and I are in Toronto, ON, Canada and it's COLD here!

Spring is in the air!

We have had some beautiful sunny weather here in the the Pacific NW and I'm getting Spring fever. It's still cold outside but the sunshine sure feels good! I'm feeling the urge to get out in the yard. It's too soon to plant anything but there's plenty of weeding and pruning to be done. I've been having sinus trouble all week though so I didn't do anything too strenuous but I did manage to get some stamping in. This cute bunny gardener, cloud and spring sentiment are from the newest A Muse release, aren't they cute? I'm teaching a Stamping 101 class next week at the A Muse shop, please call them or click the link on my sidebar to sign up.


My friend, Cathy Lynne, orders cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes. Unfortunately, there isn't one near me but I was really inspired by their presentation. I haven't made a bundt cake in years, in fact I couldn't even find my bundt pan so I ran out and bought one just so I could make one and put a pretty flower on top. These Gerber daisies were on sale at Michael's and they definitely make me think of Springtime. My family are not big cake eaters but the kids love anything lemon flavored so I doctored up a vanilla cake mix with some lemon pudding (and a few other things) and added a simple lemon glaze. Now I want to find some pretty boxes and make cakes to give away! I am also on the lookout for smaller bundts (Nothing Bundt Cakes calls them "bundlets", LOL!) and some fun recipes to try. I think some fresh blossoms would be awesome on top too. Wouldn't these be fabulous for a cakewalk or bake sale?

Happy New Year!

I can't believe it's 2009!! We had a pretty mellow New Year's Eve, just our family watching the Space Needle display on TV and doing some noisemakers outside at midnight.

Today I am serving up a good luck meal. Many countries have traditions about foods that you should eat on New Year's Day to bring you luck in the coming year. In the USA, it's usually a southern meal of pork, greens, black eyed peas and cornbread with each food symbolizing something. You can find information about this on many websites but this site has some good, basic information So, I put a ham in the crock pot the morning, made Hoppin' John, chard and cornbread to bring in 2009 because we can all use a little good luck! (Please note that this is NOT the "New Year's resolution to getting back on your diet" meal but what's one more day?)

Are you making resolutions this year? I usually don't but I do use the transition to a new year as a time for reflection. This year I REALLY want to get more organized which will mean some serious cleaning and purging. I started by taking a load of stuff to charity on New Year's Eve (tax deadline for donations, you know). I cleaned my small appliance cabinet and Kayla's fish tank (yuck). My craft room is what needs a serious over haul and I'm determined to get it done this year. I know it will make my crafting time so much more enjoyable (and I might find some things that I forgot I had).

What traditions do you have to bring in the New Year? Are you making resolutions and if so, what are they?

Got leftovers?

I hope you all had a nice Thanksgiving filled with family and good food, I know I did! I cooked 2 turkeys this year, one in the roaster and one in the deep fryer. Both turned out very moist and tender but I have lots of leftovers even though we had 15 for dinner. I thought I'd share with you my favorite turkey leftover recipe. It's yummy and easy, who could ask for more?

Turkey Tetrazzini
1/4 cup butter
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 -10 3/4 oz can chicken broth
1 - 8 oz pkg cream cheese, cut into cubes
7 ozs spaghetti, cooked and drained
1 cup cooked turkey, chopped
1 - 4 oz can mushrooms, drained
2 Tbs Pimiento, chopped
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese, grated

Saute onion and celery in butter. Add chicken broth and cream cheese, stirring until cream cheese is melted. Add the remaining ingredients except Parmesan cheese and toss lightly. Pour into a casserole dish and sprinkle with Parmesan cheese. Bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

**note: I can never follow a recipe "exactly" so I usually add more turkey and Parmesan cheese than this calls for

I'd love to hear your favorite recipes for leftover turkey. Please comment and/or leave a link to share.

You won't find me out shopping today. I am a bargain hunter but I can't stand the crowds and rudeness of the shoppers that are out today so I'm content to stay home and clean up the rest of yesterday's mess and browse the ads. I finished the first book in Twilight series so I can pass it on to my daughter, Kayla (I wanted to preview it before letting her read it) . We are looking forward to seeing the Wizard of Oz tonight at the Children's Theater and making our Christmas shopping and wish lists.