Tasty Tuesday – Peppermint Crunch Blondies

- Posted by to Tasty Tuesday

I am thankful for….going home on Thursday!

That means homemade sugar cookies, kitties in my bed, Christmas Eve dinner, baking with my mom, a dishwasher, my old pajamas from ninth grade, northern accents, walks with my mom, game nights with my sister, tea every morning, pumpkin bread, our christmas tree, and much needed quality time with my family.

Christmas is my favorite time of year, for all these reasons and more. But one of my favorite holiday activities has always been baking goodies with my mom and my sister. We always make our traditional favorites, but every year we throw in a few suprises. Here’s a recipe I’ve been drooling over for the past month – it sure looks delicious!

Peppermint Crunch Blondies
Servings: 8-12

Ingredients:
1 Cup flour
1 Cup brown sugar
3/4 Cup walnuts, toasted
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/2 Cup coconut
1/2 Cup chocolate chunks
3/4 Cup crushed candy cane
1/2 Cup earth balance or butter, melted
3 eggs
2 tsp pure peppermint extract
2 Tbsp almond milk

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F. Line a square pan (or round) with parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix eggs and set aside. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large bowl beat together the brown sugar and melted butter for about 3 mins. Add in the eggs, peppermint extract, and almond milk. Beat for 60 seconds.

Stir in the flour mixture until fully incorporated. Now stir in the walnuts, chocolate, coconut, and 1/4 cup of candycane chunks. Pour batter into prepared pan and spread with spatula. Sprinkle on 1/2 cup of crushed candy cane and bake for 30-35 minutes at 350F. Allow to cool for 30 mins. before removing from pan.

Special K Bars – Tasty Tuesday

- Posted by to General Tasty Tuesday

This classic Special K Bars Recipe is one of my Dad’s favorites – a sweet indulgence for those special holidays & family get-togethers. In my family the holidays have always been about spending time with friends and family, and sharing our favorite holiday traditions. My mom starts baking the week before Christmas, wearing her favorite fair trade apron and oven mitts, to make sure we have everyone’s favorite treats. It’s definitely my favorite time of year, and I know it’s not so much about the treats or the special holiday menus – but the memories we’ve created around them, so I wanted to share this recipe with you for Special K Bars. It’s one that we make whenever my Dad’s family gets together for Christmas, birthdays, or other special occassions.

Special K Bars

Special K Bars

Ingredients:
1 cup Sugar
1 cup Light Corn Syrup
1 pinch Salt
1 tsp. Vanilla
1 1/3 cups Peanut Butter
6 cups Special K cereal
1 pkg chocolate chips
1 pkg butterscotch chips

Directions:
In medium sauce pan – bring syrup, sugar, salt, and vanilla to a boil. Remove from heat. In a large bowl, pour the syrup mixture over the Special K cereal – stir to combine. Pat into 13×9 pan.

For the frosting, melt chocolate and butterscotch over low heat – stir constantly. Spread over top of the Special K mixture in the pan. Let it cool completely (you can cheat a little and put it in the fridge or freezer for a while.) Cut into small pieces and garnish with festive sprinkles of your choice.

Talavera Ceramic Serving Plate

Talavera Ceramic Serving Plate

Serve on a colorful and festive platter like this talavera serving plate & enjoy!

Yuletide One-Day Only Deals

- Posted by to General

Shop from Dec. 1st – 12th to receive 25-30% off our Yuletide One-Day Only Deals!

Dec. 1st – One Kantha Weekender Bag
Dec. 2nd – Two Silk Scarves
Dec. 3rd – Three Brazil Nut Candles
Dec. 4th – Four Oven Mitts
 Dec. 5th – Five pairs of Earrings
Dec. 6th – Six Aprons a-plenty
Dec. 7th – Seven Ornaments a-hanging
Dec. 8th – Eight Hammocks a-swaying
Dec. 9th – Nine Eles dancing
Dec. 10th – Ten Soaps yule love
Dec. 11th – Eleven Necklaces a-shining
Dec. 12th – Twelve tiny Long Johns

7 Hopes United’s 12 Days of Christmas Gifts

On the first day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
A Kantha Weekender Bag

On the second day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the third day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the fourth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the fifth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the sixth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the seventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the eighth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eight Hammocks a-swaying,
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the ninth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Nine Eles dancing,
Eight Hammocks a-swaying,
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the tenth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Ten Soaps yule love,
Nine Eles dancing,
Eight Hammocks a-swaying,
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the eleventh day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Eleven Necklaces a-shining,
Ten Soaps yule love,
Nine Eles dancing,
Eight Hammocks a-swaying,
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag

On the twelfth day of Christmas,
My true love sent to me
Twelve tiny Long Johns,
Eleven Necklaces a-shining,
Ten Soaps yule love,
Nine Eles dancing,
Eight Hammocks a-swaying,
Seven Ornaments a-hanging,
Six Aprons a-plenty,
Five pairs of Earrings,
Four Oven Mitts,
Three Brazil Nut Candles,
Two Silk Scarves,
And a Kantha Weekender Bag!

Tasty Tuesday – Homemade Pumpkin Butter

- Posted by to General Tasty Tuesday

With so many holiday parties coming up, I’ve been trying to think of something that would make a fun hostess gift. And since I know there will already be cookies, pie, and things of that nature, I came up with this delicious Homemade Pumpkin Butter.

This is super easy to make. I doubled the batch below so I could have some to enjoy myself. It will be fantastic spread onto pancakes, toast, or muffins! It could also be used to make an amazing Pumpkin Cheesecake. The possibilities are endless, and I plan to find them all. Note that I reduced the sugar by 1/3 of a cup as I didn’t want it super sweet. You can adjust the sugar and seasonings to your own taste of course.

Homemade Pumpkin Butter

Ingredients:
1 (29 ounce) can pumpkin puree, approx. 3 1/2 cups or fresh
3/4 cup apple juice
1.5 teaspoons ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/3 cup brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
Juice of half a lemon

Directions:
 Combine pumpkin, apple juice, spices, and sugar in a large saucepan and stir well. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer for 30 minutes or until thickened. Cover with lid and stir frequently. Remove from heat. Adjust spices to taste. Stir in lemon juice, or more to taste. Once cool, pumpkin butter can be kept in an airtight container in the fridge. Makes enough to fill one large mason jar or about 3.5 cups.

Tasty Tuesday – Cranberry Brie en Croute

- Posted by to General

One of my all-time favorite holiday appetizers is this flaky and creamy baked brie with cranberry sauce. It’s a simple, yet impressive appetizer that’s a huge party favorite! Your guests will ooh and ahh over this melted, cheesy goodness, and you can even make it festive with a few seasonal cutouts on top – like fall leaves for Thanksgiving, and snowflakes or holly for Winter/Holiday parties.

With very little preparation and about 30 minutes of baking time, this indulgent appetizer is ready to serve. I have often made it with raspberry jam but I was inspired by the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday to use a bit of cranberry sauce & it’s delicious!

Cranberry Brie en Croute

Ingredients
1 8 oz can refrigerated crescent rolls
1 8 oz round Brie cheese
3 tablespoons whole berry cranberry sauce
1 tablespoon apricot preserves
1/2 teaspoon dried rosemary leaves, crushed (optional)

Directions:
Heat oven to 350°F. Unroll dough and separate crosswise into 2 sections. Press dough into 2 (7-inch) squares, firmly pressing perforations to seal.

Place cheese round on center of 1 dough square. (Do not remove rind from cheese.) In small bowl, mix cranberry sauce and preserves. Spread over top of cheese. Sprinkle with rosemary (optional).

Place remaining dough on top of cheese round. Press dough evenly around cheese, folding top edges over bottom edges; press to seal completely. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

Bake 30 to 40 minutes until light golden brown. Remove from cookie sheet; place on serving plate. Let stand a few minutes before serving. Serve warm with pears, apples, crackers, or bread.