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Making Memories & Lemon Bars
As Christmas Day inches closer and closer, it’s easy to get a little stressed out – trying not to forget gifts for neighbors and friends, making sure all the cards get in the mail, wrapping gifts like a ninja while the kids are in bed, or tracking down those gifts you hid so well earlier in the season that you can’t find them again. But what really matters at Christmas is the time we spend with loved ones, sharing traditions and making memories. When all the hustle and bustle is done, what you will remember are the meals eaten together and the laughter and the love we share with those…
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Chocolate Cherry Granola
We have had an unusual snow event this week in North Carolina with the first major snow fall in early December in many years. That means we found ourselves trapped inside with too much time on our hands. This is always the perfect time to get some baking done and work on some handmade food gifts. Sometimes, over the holiday season, you need a break from the overly-sweet treats and you might want to make an edible gift that is slightly healthier. This granola is just the thing. Don’t worry, it still involves chocolate. A few years ago, I decided to try to make granola at home. It’s easier then…
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Magic Christmas Chocolate Bark
As a little girl, I remember my Mom spending hours making delicious Christmas cookies and candy. She made chocolate covered peanut butter balls, chocolate nut clusters and fruit and nut clusters. A lot of love went into each piece – and a lot of time. I still love lots of chocolate during Christmas but I also love short cuts. I use my microwave to make my chocolate treats, the popcorn I shared with you last week, easy fudge, and the bark I am sharing today. Last year, our microwave stopped working during the Christmas season and it was a major crisis. I know it’s a first world problem for sure,…
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Spreading Christmas Cheer
Thanks to help from my teenagers and my husband, Christmas is in full swing on our home. It takes awhile, but it sure is nice to have the tree up and decorated and wreaths on the doors, etc. While decorating, my dear friend and husband surprised me with a new addition to my Christmas fun. Isn’t this Advent gnome the cutest thing you ever did see?? There are still some odds and ends left to be done, like the outside lights and the Christmas village, but these will be projects for the upcoming weekend. In the meantime, I am rapidly filling the kitchen counters with Christmas treats. These treats must…
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The Secret Ingredient is Love…
After our bellies have been filled to the brim with Thanksgiving turkey, and all that goes with it, we move on to turkey sandwiches. But often, along with the turkey sandwiches, we like to watch the movie Elf, which smoothly moves us from one season to the next. We like to decorate the tree and the house as soon after Thanksgiving as possible, and the Christmas music goes into full rotation. Along with the music and decorations, Christmas baking kicks into full gear. I begin to make treats to eat at home, but also to share with friends and family. Over the years, I have discovered a variety of homemade…
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The Wonders of World Market
I don’t know about you, but I really enjoy giving Christmas gifts. I love finding that elusive thing that suits the receiver perfectly. I love to find gifts that are heartfelt, that show the receiver I GET them. Admittedly, this is not always easy. It’s even getting harder in my own immediate family. Once upon a time, I could buy clothes and shoes months in advance for my girls and they would love them Christmas morning. But now they are teenagers and their tastes change overnight. I used to be able to get toys that went with whatever collection was currently their thing. Now their “things” are either not easy…
