Grinch Fruit Kabobs

Grinch fruit kabobs - how cute is this idea? My sis sent me a picture, I don't know where she found it but it's adorable and easy... and I'm totally copying :)

So simple - thread a mini marshmallow, strawberry, banana slice, and a green grape onto a toothpick; line up on a platter or heap in a bowl - perfect for a Christmas party, in a lunchbox, for a fun breakfast treat, or just make because they are so stinkin' cute and everyone's gonna love them! I'm going to make a bunch for Dave to take to a ukulele party on Saturday night, they have a big chili cook-off and I usually send cornbread or cookies - but these will be easy for him to transport in his Vespa (always number 1 requirement for what I can make him), will hold well, and add something fresh and different to the potluck.

I made some with and without the mini marshmallow on top, it's cuter with - but I think if I 

had those frilly curly topped toothpicks it would look good even without the marshmallow. 

12.19.18: curled paper wreath 

12.19.17: making a holiday newsletter and printing labels

12.19.16: snowman shadowbox

12.19.15: melting snowman cocktail

DIY: make your own gift bows

This is a repeat post, but it's been a long time since it originally posted so I thought I'd give you a refresher and reminder since everyone is most likely in wrapping frenzy right about now! You can easily make bows out of strips of magazines (or newspaper, flyers, catalogs, wrapping paper) - reuse, recycle, repurpose! Plus they are cute, easy, quick, and cheap - and you can match them to your gift :)

From 11/15:

Discovered a new favorite thing to do for decorating a present - making bows out of magazine pages...love!  Once I got the hang of it they are super easy and quick to make.

I know this idea has been around a long time, but it's new to me... my mom always wrapped our presents in newspaper and comics, I'm wondering why she never made these bows - it would have been perfect (and inexpensive!) and she could have got us to make them for her haha. I'm bummed to find out I was deprived of this awesome project as a child :)

Start by cutting a magazine page into 3/4" strips, you'll need 9 total. Leave 3 of them the full size (mine are 10 1/2" long), cut 3 of them to 9 1/2" long, 2 of them 8 1/2" long, and one 3 1/2" long.

You should have:

3 - 10 1/2" x 3/4"

3 -   9 1/2" x 3/4"

2 -   8 1/2" x 3/4"

1 -   3 1/2" x 3/4"

Twist each strip (except the 3 1/2" shortest one) so it has a loop on each end. This step is what took me a minute to figure out - it's almost like making a figure 8. Play with it looking at my picture and you'll get the hang of it. Staple it in the center.

Shape the shortest strip into a circle and hold with a glue dot or double sided tape. This is what you'll have when they are all formed into the loops and circle:

Stack the largest 3 on top of each other like flower petals and staple to hold. Repeat with the next 3, and the remaining 2. This gives you 3 bundles. I used glue dots to then stick the 3 layers together but you could also staple or use double sided tape. Add the circle to the center of the "petals". There you go - magazine bow!

12.18.18: melting snowman chocolate bark

12.18.17: stabilized whipped cream
12.18.16: cocoa snowballs
12.18.15: gift paper wrapping bag

Tip-sy Tuesday: powdered sugar

Oh. My. Gosh. This is an earth-stopping, world-changing, genius baking tip that I wish I'd known years ago. Like my whole life I could have been using this simple tip. Why did I not know about this? Does everyone else know, and if so, where have I been? Now granted, there will be people who could not care less about this tip and to those people (hi sister) I say 'look away, this is not for you, and I will not have my enthusiasm dampened by your not giving a rat's you-know-what about this amazing thing I just discovered'. Ready for it?

Did you know that if you put regular granulated sugar in the blender for a minute or so it TURNS INTO POWDERED SUGAR?????

before...

Are you as excited as I am? Am I overreacting to this magical feat of sugary goodness? The ability to make my own powdered sugar when I'm whipping up my favorite buttercream frosting and don't have enough powdered sugar on hand and normally have to either run to the store or put everything away to make frosting another day is a truly awesome tip that I will use for the rest of my baking life and am so happy to know!!!

Sigh, it might be a bit sad that it takes so little for me to lose my mind over...

after!

PS: powdered sugar is also called confectioners' sugar or icing sugar - store-bought versions have an anti-caking agent like corn starch added, if you aren't going to use your homemade powdered sugar right away you can add a bit of cornstarch (a tablespoon or two per 2 cups) to keep it from clumping.

12.17.18: wine cork angel ornament

12.17.17: cream of mushroom soup

12.17.16: chocolate dipped pretzel rods

12.17.15: homemade dog cookies

Felt Poinsettia Napkin Rings

As many of you know, I've volunteered in our local elementary school for years and years - my niece P was in the second grade when I started and she is now 23. I loved 2nd grade, and her teacher Mrs. Whitmore, so much that I just kept repeating 2nd grade over and over! I kind of borrowed (ok, ok, I stole it - whatever) this Christmas craft from Mrs. Whitmore - this is a simple project she had the kids make for parent and grandparent gifts (I can't tell you how many poinsettia outlines I drew on felt squares for the kids to cut out and assemble). They are fun, kid-friendly, simple and quick - all things you need with a roomful of 2nd graders haha, but also perfect for bigger crafters too (like me!).

I was 'savvy' enough (is that the right word? hmmm) to keep a template of these poinsettia napkin rings so I could share them with you like 15 years later - I did google them and there are lots of free templates online if you don't want to just look at mine and freehand them yourself. There is 2 different sizes of the same 4 petal shape - you need red and green felt to make 1 large green, 1 large red, 1 small red, and one red middle post piece that holds it all together. We didn't add sequins on the petal tips back in 2nd grade, but as a grown-up who doesn't know when to quit I attached some with a bit of elmers glue after assembling the napkin rings.  The photos are pretty self-explanatory I think:

trace the template onto red and green felt

cut out the shapes - one large red and green, one small red, and one middle red piece

layer the 3 petal shapes on top of each other, smallest red piece on top

cut a small slit thru the middle of all 3 pieces 

feed the 2 ends of the middle post piece thru the slit to create the napkin ring

add sequins if ya want! and of course you want - cuz...sequins! 

feed a napkin thru the circle created by the middle post piece. 

12.16.18: 🔥week 50
12.16.17: reindeer cupcakes
12.16.16: candy cane mice
12.16.15: sea salt body scrub

Around the Campfire 🔥 (week 50)

Dear Campers ~

Here's a quick recap of what happened at MMDC this week (week 50!) in case you missed anything:

Posts ~
12/8: 🔥week 49
12/9:  felt mitten gift clips
12/10: tip-sy Tuesday: how to make a gift bag
12/11: cucumber ranch salad dressing
12/12: santa gift card holder
12/13: candy cane reindeer
12/14: caprese chicken

What's Cooking ~

what's cooking? Nothing! Goodness it's been a fast week and I haven't really made much so no help here with menu ideas this week...I'll try harder next week ;)

Miscellaneous stuff keeping me busy ~

• Read Lee Childs' latest Jack Reacher book "Blue Moon", I love the Reacher series but this one was just ok and the death count is very high if you don't like that sort of thing! It's about a couple rival gangs that Reacher inserts himself into for a reason that I didn't totally buy. ⭐️⭐️⭐️ I'll give it 3 stars mostly because it's Reacher and I'll always read a book about him. Also, finished listening to "The Big Kahuna" by Janet Evanovich (I got 3/4ths done while in the car), sorry Janet but this one is boring. ⭐️⭐️
• put up a little tree that I'm lazily calling my "Scandinavian" look - plopped it into a basket lined with a fake sheepskin rug, it only has lights on it (no ornaments). It actually looks really pretty and went up in like 10 minutes - is it still lazy if it turned out great? haha!

Ok, I'm going back to unpacking and settling in after a week on the road - hope you had a great week, and that you aren't freaking out about being so far behind in your Christmas planning like me! Stop by next week to see more recipes, crafts, and whatever else I think of to make...

Sincerely ~

Jill

camp counselor and lazy girl

12.15.18: rolled paper Christmas tree

12.15.17: Brooke's homemade ice cream/shake

12.15.16: sugar and spice mixed nuts

12.15.15: travel jewelry pouch

Caprese Chicken

I didn't follow a recipe for this Caprese Chicken, just winged it (well technically this is chicken breast not wings - but I don't think "breasted it" makes any sense bahaha) and it turned out SO good! Dave grilled boneless chicken breast then I put the cooked chicken on a sheet pan, topped each piece with pesto sauce, sliced tomatoes, and slices of mozzarella cheese, pop under the broiler until the cheese is melted. Mmmmmmm....

My plan was to put all the toppings on while the chicken was still on the hot grill but D didn't want the cheesy mess all over his grill so I moved it to the oven.

I just noticed this is red, green and white - Christmas colors!

12.14.18: Christmas pinecone wreath

12.14.17: bacon jam
12.14.16: Georgian cheese bread
12.14.15: Christmas bell door hanger

Candy Cane Reindeer

You cannot even imagine how many pictures, files, notes, instructions and directions, recipes, and ideas I have either on my computer, phone and iPad, in my brain, in stacks in my craft room and cookbook cabinet...it's crazy. I say all that to justify why it's taken me 3 years to post this adorable candy cane reindeer that someone gave me - it also might explain why I can't remember who gave it to me!! I love love love when you guys share ideas, recipes, crafts, etc. with me - but sometimes they get mixed in and I forget I have them! So if you give me something and then wonder why I haven't posted it - that's it in a nutshell. Please don't stop sharing, maybe just give me a little nudge reminding me I have some great post ideas floating around out there!! 

So, let's get on with today's craft - how adorable and simple is this candy cane reindeer? And how cute would it be to give these out at school or work, attach to a gift, sticking out of a gift bag, at place settings for dinner, grouped in a big vase - ideas are endless. And with how quick you can make these, you'll crank out a ton in no time at all!

Start with a full size hooked candy cane, fold and tape on a twisted brown pipe cleaner for antlers, attach googly eyes and a bead for the nose using a glue dot or elmers. 

Santa Gift Card Holder

I made this simple gift card holder in like 2 minutes - can't beat that! You just need a strip of red cardstock large enough to hold a gc when folded in half, a tab off the top of a pop can, a strip of black cardstock wide enough to fit thru the pop tab, a couple gems, 1 glue dot, and some elmers.

This would also be cute on a small box or as a gift tag.

Make a 'belly band' out of the black strip of paper (a belly band is a circle of paper that fits around the paper holder to keep it closed), feed one end thru the pop can tab and attach one end of the paper strip to the other with a glue dot. Slip the belly band over the folded red paper. Attach the gems with a bit of elmers glue. Once dry, insert the gc and you're good to go.

Cucumber Ranch Salad Dressing

This salad is from Janis, another one of those great recipes that I've been holding and forgetting to post - I came across the photo which led me to wonder why I didn't share before now (oh wait, I know - because I HAVE A TERRIBLE MEMORY!).

The colors of this salad are conveniently Christmasy so it's perfect to make this month (who am I fooling - it's a light fresh salad perfect for all year round - I just said Christmas to make it seem like I'm posting because of the colors and not to cover for my memory LOL). The addition of grated cucumbers and chopped herbs really adds a lot of flavor and texture - hope you'll try it!

BUTTER LETTUCE WITH CUCUMBER RANCH DRESSING

& CHERRY TOMATOES

2 heads butter or Boston Lettuce

1 box cherry or grape tomatoes

CUCUMBER RANCH DRESSING:

Makes 2 ¼ cups

1 medium cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise, seeded and grated on the large holes of a box grater

1 Tablespoon finely chopped shallot

¼ cup sour cream

¼ cup low-fat buttermilk

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 ½ Tablespoons fresh lemon juice (about 1 lemon)

Lemon zest (optional)

1 ¼ teaspoons sea salt

Pinch of cayenne pepper

3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat leaf parsley

3 Tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives (optional)

Stir together cucumber, shallot, sour cream, buttermilk, mayonnaise, lemon juice, salt, cayenne, parsley and chives in a medium bowl.  Season with additional salt and cayenne.  Dressing can be refrigerated in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Tear the leaves of the lettuce and add to a bowl with the tomatoes.  Add about ½ cup of the dressing until all of the leaves are lightly coated.

Serves 6