Weekend Pursuits

Just a DIY Maven who enjoys a great weekend!

My Christmas Gift List

Which group are you…wrapped and ready for Christmas by November or hitting the mall on December 23rd to get all of your gifts? I am definitely more of a wrapped and ready early type of person, but for those of you still searching for the perfect gift remember that it truly is the thought that counts. If you give someone a thoughtful gift that ties in one of their passions, loves or favorite activities, you are sure to receive a big smile of thanks from the recipient! Here are a few of my favorite gift ideas for the people on your list that can be customized to accommodate your particular budget…

Girlfriends | A holiday wreath dropped off at their front door, a cheerful Christmas floral arrangement or a festive box of Christmas cookies. Two of my favorite cookies to bake and give are Gingerbread Men and White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies.

DIY Maven | A craft kit! Find a project on Pinterest that you love and know that your friend would love to make, print out the blog post with instructions and fill up a basket with everything she needs to make it! I promise you she will love it! 

  1. Crochet Stockings | I just purchased this pattern and I am waiting for my yarn and wood rings to arrive.
  2. Balloon Wreath | This has been on my list to make!
  3. Virtual Paint Party | This is one of the best things I decided to sign up for in 2018! I love it so much! It is a monthly subscription where a blank wood door decoration is shipped to you and you learn how to paint from watching a video. I honestly didn’t think I could learn how to paint this way, but it is amazing what you can create.

Parents | Technology! Anything tech related is a great gift for your parents combined with the commitment from you to set it up and show them, if needed, how to use it. These gifts are all great helpers that they would surely get a lot of use!

  1. Arlo Security System
  2. Kindle Fire or iPad
  3. Alexa Device

Families with Small Children | Give your friend with small children a memory! Yes, a memory! Christmas is hectic for everyone and often creating memories are secondary to the hustle and bustle of the season. So give your friend with small children a gift that the whole family can use and create a fun holiday memory while enjoying it.

  1. A basket of goodies (popcorn, hot cocoa fixings and a Christmas DVD) for the perfect Christmas movie night.
  2. A cookie decorating kit (undecorated sugar cookies, royal icing and sprinkles) on top of a Cookies for Santa Plate.
  3. Christmas pickle ornament and wrapped gift, so their family can start a new tradition.

Everyone Else | When in doubt, food gifts or other “disposable” gifts are always my preference over gift cards. By “disposable” I mean something that won’t clutter the recipients home and that will be used, like a craft kit for children or a hot cocoa/movie night basket for a family. Those items will be used and enjoyed, while not adding to the inevitable Christmas Clutter.

Mailman/UPS Delivery Person and Other Helpers | This is one category where the gift card rule does not apply. Since most of us only know our mailman, cleaning crew and groomer in passing and not personally, it is difficult to choose a thoughtful gift for them. So I always opt for a cash/gift card, baked good and small gift combo. This year I put together Holiday Cheer Buckets filled with homemade treats, most everything you need to make hot cocoa and a Starbucks gift card.

My Favorite Egg Nog

I am sure you have had horrible egg nog, everyone has, which is so unfortunate because egg nog is delicious, especially this one! It took me a bit to perfect it! I tried several recipes over the years, some were too complicated. Other  used so much booze, it was overpowering, plus for those who fancy a bit extra it is always easiest to add an extra splash. I found several recipes that wasted the egg whites. The recipe below is a family favorite, that my brother and I have been making every Christmas Eve for years!

Yields approximately 14-15 cups

2 quarts (8 cups) Whole Milk

2 2/3 cups Sugar

1 tablespoon Vanilla Extract, I use Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Vanilla Extract

16 Large Eggs, separated

4 cups Cold Heavy Cream

1/2 cup Bourbon, I use Bulleit Bourbon

1/2 cup Dark Rum, I use Gosling’s Rum

Nutmeg, for sprinkling

  1. Heat milk, sugar and vanilla in a large saucepan over medium-high heat, whisking constantly until sugar has dissolved.
  2. In a separate, large bowl, whisk egg yolks together.
  3. Pour hot milk mixture into the yolks in a slow, steady stream, whisking to ensure the yolks are not cooked by the hot milk mixture.
  4. Return the yolk and milk mixture to the saucepan and cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, until the mixture is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Approximately 2o+ minutes, be patient, it will thicken!
  5. Whisk in 2 cups of heavy cream and the bourbon and rum. Cool completely in a covered container.
  6. Before serving, beat egg whites until stiff. Fold into mixture. Whip remaining heavy cream until stiff and fold into mixture.
  7. Sprinkle with nutmeg, if desired.

Tip #1: Use a very large saucepan and a very large bowl, it will make your life so much easier.

Tip #2: This recipe makes enough servings to serve a large crowd, around 20 people, since egg nog is so rich, most people will only have a small glass. Halve or quarter the recipe if you are not planning on making it for a big crowd.

Tip #3: Omit the alcohol for a kid-friendly version and serve next to a bottle of your choice of alcohol for the adults who wish to add a splash or two!

White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies

How cute are these White Chocolate Dipped Ginger Cookies?! I was inspired to bake these by Baking with Blondie, I opted to use a favorite ginger cookie recipe of mine and was inspired by her recipe to dip the cookies in white chocolate and add some festive holly sprinkles. These were a crowd favorite, amazingly easy to gift, since they aren’t very fragile, and when decorated they froze well, so you can make them ahead of time!

3/4 cup Butter, softened

1 cup Sugar

1 large Egg

1/4 cup Molasses

2 1/4 cups Flour

2 teaspoons Ground Ginger

1 teaspoon Baking Soda

3/4 teaspoon Ground Cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon Ground Cloves

1/4 teaspoon Salt

Sugar, for rolling

White Candy Melts

Holly Sprinkles

  1. In a stand mixer, cream together butter and sugar for five minutes. Beat in eggs and molasses until combined.
  2. In a separate bowl, combine all of the dry ingredients.
  3. Gradually add the dry ingredients to the stand mixer, mix well.
  4. Using a large ice cream scoop, scoop the dough into balls, roll in sugar and place on a parchment lined cookie sheet about two inches apart.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes. Allow to cool for 2 minutes on the pan and then transfer to wire racks to finish cooling.
  6. After the cookies have cooled, you can decorate them! To decorate, melt white candy melts,  dip half of each cookie in the white chocolate and placed the dipped cookie on a parchment lined baking sheet. Before the chocolate sets add holly sprinkles to each cookie.

Tip #1: When measuring molasses it can get sticky, so spray the measuring cup with cooking spray and it will be easier to get the molasses out.

Tip #2:  I melted the candy melts in my Wilton Candy Melter, this thing is a game changer! It saves me so much time, I also waste a lot less chocolate because it always heats it to the right temperature and if you allow the chocolate to harden in silicone pot you can pop it out when it cools and save it for future use.

Tip #3: I use tweezers to place the holly sprinkles to get the perfect placement.

COOK

COOK

CELEBRATE

CELEBRATE

CREATE

CREATE

CHEERS

CHEERS

PARTY SUPPLIES FOR PARTY ANIMALS

PARTY SUPPLIES FOR PARTY ANIMALS

#everypartyneedsapiñata, but sometimes you don't have time to make one, feel free to visit my Etsy shop and request a custom piñata or anything else you have seen on my blog!