I am SO excited for Christmas!!  Maybe not the actual Christmas day, because (surprisingly) I don’t have many plans that day.  My mom and my brother both work on Christmas day, so we won’t be doing anything as a family until the evening.  That includes opening presents!  Oh well.

I’m mostly just so excited for this whole upcoming week of Christmas celebrations.  Tomorrow I get to go to my first Blogger’s Party.  I’m STOKED!  Then, on Thursday I’m taking the day of to bake lots of different treats to give away to the neighbors.  I can’t wait for that day!  In my “Utopia”, I would be able to bake all day long, test my creations without counting the calories, and have all of the dishes magically done for me.  Well, I at least get to do the first part on Thursday, right!?

That’s only part of the baking I’m planning on doing.  I have family get-togethers on both Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  You can guarantee that I’ll be taking my traditional cake balls and a few other treats to those gatherings  I just can’t wait!!  Bring on this upcoming week!!

One of the very first things that I wanted to bake this month were these cookies.  They’re a mouth-watering sandwich cookie filled with chocolate!

I finally own a cookie jar (wohoo!) and I wanted to be able to put some cookies in it, so I made these.

They never made it to the cookie jar.

They’re THAT good.

My husband gobbled them up like I have never seen him gobble up something sweet before!  At this point, it was a couple weeks ago that I made these, and he is STILL asking me to make them again.  Perhaps I will add them to the list of goodies to make on Thursday.

Do you have any fun plans for the holidays?  Do you have any fun traditions?  I’ve only been married a year and a half, and I’m still trying to establish lots of fun traditions for my family – I would love to hear about yours!

Happy Holidays!

Florentine Cookies
Ingredients:
2/3 cup butter, melted
2 cups quick oats
1 cup sugar
2/3 cup flour
1/4 cup corn syrup
1/4 cup milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. salt
1-3/4 cup milk chocolate chips, melted

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, mix together all ingredients except chocolate.  Dough will be very sticky!
2. Line baking sheets with foil (do NOT skip this step!)
3. Drop dough by level teaspoon onto foil-lined baking sheets.  Flatten slightly.
4. Bake for 6 to 8 minutes or until golden brown.
5. Leave on baking sheet to cool completely.
6. Once cool, peel foil from cookies.
7. Spread thin layer of chocolate on backs of cookies and sandwich together.  Enjoy!

BEHIND THE SCENES AT A PINCH OF GLITTER

**Disclaimer: I received product from Meyer Imports in order to write this post.  This post is written by me.  All opinions are 100% mine.**

I had some guests over to my home today – the first ones that have come over since I have set up my Christmas decorations.  I have to say that I’m pretty proud of how my decorations turned out this year.

Last year my decor consisted mostly of hand-me-down items from my parents of things they were willing to give me (aka, the stuff they didn’t want anymore…).  It was nice, but was definitely not my style at all.  So the day after Christmas I went out and I got lots of decorations that I was happy with (at a great price!) and stored them for 11 months until I was ready to pull them out this year.

It wasn’t until I had guests over that I realized that easily 95% of my decor has glitter on it.  I mean, it’s not like I was unaware of the fact that everything had glitter (that’s what makes it me!) but I was unaware of how many things didn’t have any glitter on them.  Like, two.

Do you remember back when I posted my Glittered Pumpkins n’ Leaves and I said that plain pumpkins were just “boring”?

Well, I feel the exact same way about pinecones!  I love walking past the crates of the cinnamon pinecones at the store around Christmas time – and I love having that smell in my home even more!  But I wasn’t so sure about laying a pile of plain brown pinecones among the rest of my decor that…isn’t so plain

My answer?  GLITTER of course!!

I bought two bags of pinecones, and glittered one – I wanted a nice mix of glittered/plain pinecones with just enough glitter to sparkle the basket, but not to overwhelm. It took me less than 15 minutes to glitter a bag of cones.  So. Simple!

I also wanted to keep the glitter a natural color.  I’ve seen pinecones before that have been glittered lots of bright colors, but I feel as if that takes away a bit too much from their natural beauty.  I just wanted to emphasize the beauty the pinecones already had.

These pinecones add just the right touch to my Christmas decor – a little natural beauty, sparkle, and yummy cinnamon smell.

The glitter for this project was provided by Meyer Imports.  Like I mentioned in my previous post, Meyer Imports has everything you could ever need (want? ) when it comes to glitter.  At my local craft stores, I wasn’t able to find any dark brown glitter like this project required, but when I asked Meyer Imports, they knew just what I needed and of course had the correct color available.

All of the glitter from Meyer Imports is made of glass and is imported from Germany.  That’s right.  German glass glitter.  It is super fancy and is the best quality for any of your crafting needs.  It sparkles and shines like no other glitter because it is made of glass.  And, as I have found out over time, it’s a lot easier to clean up too! (huge bonus in my book)

Please check out Meyer Imports and tell them hello from me!

Glittered Cinnamon Pinecones
Materials:
Cinnamon Pinecones (can be purchased at any craft store (or Wal-Mart) during the holidays)
Dark Brown German Glass Glitter (I used 90 grit)
Mod Podge
1″ foam brush

Directions:
1. Brush pinecone edges with a layer of Mod Podge (I found it easiest to start at the base of the cone and brush up).
2. Either sprinkle glitter on your pinecone, or roll your pinecone in glitter
3. Allow to dry, then place in a basket to display.

**Disclaimer: I received product from Meyer Imports in order to write this post.  This post is written by me.  All opinions are 100% mine.**

Have you ever gone to the store and seen something you really love, and then you look at the price tag and then you don’t love it so much anymore?

That happens to me ALL the time.

But sometimes I fall so in love with something that I can’t help but think: “Hey.  I can make that myself for a lot less!”

That was exactly my inspiration for this project.

I was shopping at Tai Pan back in October and I saw some Poinsettias that looked very similar to these ones.  I about died because I wanted them in my house so badly!  But they cost almost TWENTY DOLLARS!  Say WHAT!?

I’m a college student living a basement apartment.  I don’t have $20 to spare.

I decided to make them myself, and I was able to do so for just 15% of the cost.  Yes.  You read that correctly.  15%.  That’s $3 folks.

I simply bought a cheap silk bouquet of Poinsettias.  I certainly didn’t go to the fancy area of the craft store where a stem of silk flowers cost $6.  At that rate, I would have been better off buying the finished product from Tai Pan.  Instead, I found a cheap $2 pot of Poinsettias.  You know.  The artificial kind stuck in a clump of styrofoam with shiny wrapping around it?  One of those.

I took that home and tore the flowers out of the styrofoam, and clipped them clean with some wire cutters.

And, technically an entire bottle of Mod Podge and a full shipment of glitter would cost more than the last dollar remaining, but you use so little that I figure it was about $1 worth

The vase I used with simply one that I had lying around (am I the only one who has stuff like that??), so that didn’t cost me a thing.  If you don’t have one: don’t buy one at full price.  Check out your local thrift store (think DI or Goodwill).  They are always overflowing with lots of good vases perfect for projects like these!

The end result looks so pretty.  It may be my favorite decoration in my home right now!  They are so elegant, beautiful, and sparkly!  Best $3 I have ever spent.

The glitter I used for this project was provided by Meyer Imports.

Here’s the awesome thing about Meyer Imports, you guys: they have EVERYTHING.  I had the idea for this project tucked up my sleeve a while ago, so I asked them if they had anything that looked like snow, and they certainly didn’t fail me!  They even have a few other products that look like snow as well, but I liked this one best for what I was making.

I even have another project that I will be posting later this week that I had another odd glitter request for (one that I would have had a hard time finding at my local craft store), and they were able to find something perfect for me without a sweat!

Meyer Imports is the glitter-go-to company you guys.  They are fabulous.  Please check them out and tell them hello from me!

Glittered Snow Poinsettias
Materials:
3 stems silk Poinsettias
Snow Fusion Glitter by Meyer Imports
Mod Podge
1″ foam brush
vase

Directions:
1. Prepare poinsettias (i.e. trim to desired length, remove from styrofoam block, etc.)
2. Brush Mod Podge onto poinsettia leaves.  In order to make it look as “natural” as possible, do quick movements, leaving some parts of the petals uncovered, while covering some petals more than others.
3. Sprinkle glitter onto the leaves and tap off excess.
4. Repeat steps 2-3 until all petals and leaves are covered.
5. Allow flowers to dry upside down (this prevents the flowers from looking droopy once they are dried)
6. Place the flowers in a vase.  Display.

Hello everyone!  I am so glad to be back!  Many of you regular followers *may* have noticed that I took a break for a while.

You see, blogging is what I do for ME.  It is something that I enjoy and something that I can truly express myself with – through all angles of the blogosphere.  Some people have reading, some watch TV…I blog.  It’s what I love.

I don’t necessarily enjoy the writing part (in all honestly I’m really bad at the writing part!).  If I did, I would probably have a blog where I simply write.  Ha!  That’ll be the day.

What I do love is the creation process.  The sketching out on paper, the planning, the baking and crafting, photography, editing.  All of it.

Then a few weeks ago I was getting really into blogging!  Which, is a good thing at first glance.  I was spending hours looking for and budgeting for a designer to help me create a better looking blog than I currently have.

I’ll admit it.  I gave up.  I just don’t have the money to pay for what I want right now, and it kills me that I can’t pay for something I love so much!  My blog is almost like my child

So I avoided the situation, and I didn’t want to look at my blog (because obviously I didn’t like it without the new design!).

However, I simply couldn’t get away from the cooking and crafting, so now I have about 6 or 7 things piled up…ready to post…I could no longer avoid my blog

Long story short: I’m here.  I have LOTS to share.  I’m dying for a new blog design.  Do you know any good (but cheap) wordpress designers?

As far as these brownies go, they’re some of my absolute favorite!!  My mom would make this recipe all the time growing up for fancy little parties or open houses.  They are SO delicious.

I think that the mint would be perfect for Christmas time!

Mint Brownies
Ingredients:
Brownies:
3/4 cup Butter or margarine
1/4 cup Cocoa Powder
1 cup water
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp. baking soda
2 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla

Frosting:
1/2 cup butter or margarine, melted
3 Tbs. canned milk
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 tsp. mint flavoring
food coloring
1/2 large (7 oz.) Hershey’s Chocolate Bar

Directions:
1. Boil butter, cocoa, and water together in a glass measuring cup.
2. Mix together flour and sugar.
3.  Mix boiled cocoa mixture into flour/sugar mixture by hand.
4. Add buttermilk, baking soda, eggs, and vanilla.
5. Pour into a well greased and floured baking sheet (18″ x 26″ x 1″)
6. Bake at 350 for 20-25 min or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Allow to cool completely.

For Frosting:
7. Mix all frosting ingredients, except the chocolate bar, until smooth.  Add additional powdered sugar if necessary.
8. Frost brownies.
9. Melt the chocolate bar and drizzle over the brownies (use a spoon, or I like to put the chocolate in ziploc bag and cut off a corner, then drizzle).  Enjoy!

*Disclaimer: I was compensated by Minted to write this post.  This post was written by me.  All opinions are 100% mine.*

This year has just flown by!  It seems like it was just yesterday that my husband and I were figuring out how in the world to design Christmas cards and where to have them printed.  We settled for a not so great answer and ended up with subpar cards to send out to a few of our friends that live far away.

This year I wanted something better.

And this year I found the answer, and I am SO excited to share it with all of you today!

Enter: Minted.

Okay you guys.  Minted.com is SO awesome!  They have hundreds of different card choices, from flat-cards to fold-out cards, to mini-book cards.  Every card can be customized with your own picture(s), color, greeting,  and my favorite…the SHAPE!

I don’t know about you, but at Christmas time I start getting so many cards, and eventually they all start looking the same: a rectangular card with a picture on it that says “Merry Christmas”.

Well, no more cliche cards from my family!  You can pick a different shape for you card for no additional cost!  Seriously. So. Cool.

Here are some of my personal favorites that I’m debating between this year:

Autograph

Family Year In Review

Making Spirits Bright

Glitter Holiday

Oh So Merry Collage

Bright and Chalky

Glitter Garden

Not only does Minted offer Holiday Cards, they offer a huge selection of wedding, birthday, baby shower invitations etc., stationary, business cards, banners, party decor and SO much more!  Go check them out!!

And, not only does Minted have a fabulous shop, they also have a great BLOG!  (Hooray for blogs!!)  Their blog is called Julep and offers many wonderful ideas.

One of the posts I love from Julep is How To Gold-Leaf a Pumpkin.  Remember back when I told you all how I thought that plain pumpkins were just so…boring?  Well, these gold-leaved pumpkins are anything but boring!

You can find this and more at minted’s blog Julep.

Happy Holidays!

**PLEASE PIN FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE

Apple Jello Salad by A Pinch of Glitter

Mountain Dew Apple Cinnamon Dumplings by A Pinch of Glitter

Milky Way Caramel Apple Nachos by A Pinch of Glitter

Caramel Apple Gooey Bars by Crazy for Crust

Apple Toffee Crumble by Something Swanky

Apple Pie Muddy Buddies by A Pumpkin and A Princess

Caramel Apple Milky Way Cheesecake Cookie Bars by Inside BruCrew Life

Crockpot Apple Butter by Changing My Destiny

Apple Fritter Waffles with Caramel Sauce by Call Me PMC

Apple Pie Baked in the Apples by Chronicles of a Domestic Dilettante

Homemade Apple Pie Filling by Inside BruCrew Life

Caramel Apple Cider Cookies by Baking With Blondie

Apple Rings by How To: Simplify

Apple Pie Popcorn Balls by Couponing and Cooking

Apple Cinnamon Sugar Cookie Bars by Lemons for Lulu

Apple Streusel Pizza by Cooking with Curls

Apple Turnovers with Vanilla Glaze by Love Grows Wild

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Dip by Couponing and Cooking

Apple Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread by Half Baked

Apple Pie Shakes by Lady Behind the Curtain

Snickers Caramel Apple Salad by Chef In Training

Bite Size Apple Pies by Cookin’ Up North

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup by Food Done Light

Apple Cider Donuts by Baked by Rachel

Spiced Apple Cider by Cooking Melangery

Apple Pie Cookies by Food Pusher

Caramel Apple In A Jar by The Gunny Sack

Skinny S’mores Apple Salad by Something Swanky

Apple Snickerdoodle Cobbler by Baked by Rachel

Kale Apple and Pork Potstickers by Hungry Girl Por Vida

Apple Cheesecake Bars by Crazy For Crust

Apple Crisp Pizza by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Biscoff Apple Empanadas by The Domestic Rebel

Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars by The Girl Who Ate Everything

Caramel Apple Granola Bars by Inside BruCrew Life

Apple Pie Caramel Apples by Miss CandiQuik

Caramel Apple Squares by My Baking Addiction

Caramel Apple Cake by The Charm of Home

Slow Cooker Caramel Apple Cider by Number 2 Pencil

Snickers Caramel Apple Pie by I Heart Naptime

Apple Pie Coffee Cake with Brown Butter Maple Glaze by Beyond Frosting

Apple Cinnamon Muddy Buddies by Dessert Now, Dinner Later!

Apple Cinnamon Cream Cheese Pull Apart by Julie’s Eats and Treats

Easy Apple Pie Snickerdoodle Cookie Bars by Shaken Together

Salted Caramel Spiced Apple Macarons by Blahnik Baker

Apple Toffee Blondies by Cookies and Cups

Cinnamon Cider by The Frugal Girls

Apple Cinnamon Streusel Muffins by Baked by Rachel

How to Make Purple Candy Apples by Rose Bakes

Slow Cooker Apple Pork Loin by The Kitchen is My Playground

Autumn Turkey and Apple Salad by Cupcakes and Kale Chips

Apple Cider Caramels by Ecokaren

Apple Crisp Ice Cream by Shared Appetite

Bacon n’ Apple Cheeseburger Sliders on Key Ingredient

It’s that time again…time for the Lady Behind the Curtain Dessert Challenge!

For anyone who is new, here is a quick rundown: each month, any bloggers that would like to participate are given two ingredients that they are to create a dessert out of.  Then, on the second Thursday of each month, we all get together and post our recipes and join in a link party to share our recipes.  Also, new this month, we are each starting Pinterest boards to go along with the month’s theme.

This month’s ingredients: Maple and Pears.

I will be totally honest with you, I was NOT excited about these ingredients.

Maple just reminds me of sticky breakfast syrup.  Which, I suppose I like just fine, but…to make a dessert out of?!  Blah.

And pears!?  I eat those out of a can for my lunch when I’m feeling like a hobo and don’t even want to make myself a PB&J.

Two very blah ingredients, and I’m supposed to make a DESSERT out of them!?

Challenge accepted

Crepes seem like a magical food to me.  They’re like the food you can eat at any level of savory or sweet.  Throw bacon, eggs, peppers, and salsa on them and you’ve got one heck of a meal right there.  Put butter and a little sugar on them: a great snack with a touch of sweet.

Whip up these maple and pear crepes and you’ve got yourself a full-on dessert.  Add the maple whipped cream and you’ve got yourself the dessert of a lifetime!

Maple Pear Crepes with Maple Whipped Cream
Ingredients:
Crepes:
2 eggs
3/4 cup milk
1/2 cup water
1 cup flour
3 Tbs. butter, melted
2 Tbs. sugar
1 tsp. vanilla
Filling:
1 can (29 oz.) pears
1 cup brown sugar
1 tsp. maple extract
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
         1/4 tsp. nutmeg
         3-4 Tsp. flour
   Whipped Cream:
Half Pint (236 mL) Whipping Cream
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1/3 cup maple syrup

Directions:
1. Place all crepe ingredients in a blender and blend together for 1 minute.  Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour (do not skip this step!).
2. Meanwhile, dice pears into bite sized chunks.
3. In a large skillet over medium heat, stir together pears and brown sugar.
4. Add maple extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg.  Cook for 10 minutes, stirring frequently, to allow sauce to thicken slightly.
5. Whisk in flour until the sauce is thick and sticky.  Cook for another 2-3 minutes.
6. Meanwhile, whip the whipping cream with a mixer on high speed until stiff peaks form.
7. Mix in powdered sugar and maple syrup.
8. To cook the crepes: in a lightly buttered skillet over medium heat, pour a thin layer of batter.  Once the edges are dry and the center is bubbly, flip the crepe to cook the other side.
9. Stuff crepes with the pear filling and roll up.  Top with maple whipped cream and extra maple syrup if desired.  Enjoy!

Click below to see all of the great Maple and Pear Recipes created by bloggers this month!

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Oh my goodness.  Can you believe that the holiday season is already here?!?  It feels like one day it was summer and the next day I’m pinning peppermint on Pinterest.  Say what?!

I know I’ve made it clear before that I am not a fan of the bitter cold that comes with winter.  I wish that it could be summer year-round.

However, one thing that I am a fan of is all of the delicious recipes that are posted this time of year.  And, I feel like it’s only getting started!  Sure, we all know that Pinterest goes through this MASSIVE pumpkin phase each year, but that doesn’t quite count.  Even I can’t fill my diet with only pumpkin products

I hope you enjoy what I have found this week, and know that it will only get better as we get deeper into the winter season!

Here are the RULES:

1. PIN FROM THE ORIGINAL SOURCE!!!
2. Want to see these pins on Pinterest?  Follow me 3. If I featured you, go ahead a grab a featured button from my sidebar! 4. Enjoy!

60+ Thanksgiving Sides Recipes by Lil’ Luna

Candy Cane Blossoms by Cupcake Diaries

75+ DIY Gift Ideas Under $5 by Lil’ Luna

Glittery Snowball Tutorial by View Along the Way

Tile Coaster Tutorial by The Cottage Mama

Cherry Cheesecake Fluff Salad by Something Swanky

White Chocolate Caramel Poke Cake by Inside BruCrew Life

Butterfinger Popcorn by Six Sisters’ Stuff

Pumpkin Cinnamon Twist Knots by A Kitchen Addiction

Creamy Tomato and Spinach Pasta by Tastes Better From Scratch

I LOVE Thanksgiving time.  I was recently at the store to see what sort of Thanksgiving decor they had (and to see if there was any I absolutely couldn’t live without!), and I was lucky if I could find a few racks of Fall, yet alone Thanksgiving items, among all of the CHRISTMAS stuff.  I couldn’t believe it!!  I mean, I have come to the realization that Christmas is over-commercialized and yada yada, but to completely ignore Thanksgiving is NOT okay with me!  Shouldn’t we be giving thanks for what we have, and not be so worried about what we think we should have?

That being said, it will be forever known that in my house we will fully celebrate Thanksgiving and give it the attention it deserves

This will be the first Thanksgiving that I get to spend with my in-laws.  I’m super excited to be apart of all of their traditions!  I know that they make tons and TONS of pies (like 20 or 30!), so I definitely can’t wait for that!

However, I will definitely miss my own family’s Thanksgiving traditions.

Remember how I said in one of my recent posts that my family lives on an orchard?  Well, years ago when my grandmother was still alive and helping to run the orchard, she would go down by the highway where my parents now live and sell fruit from the orchard.  One day as my grandmother was selling apples, a woman came up to her and said that she always loved to buy apples from her orchard to make one of her favorite recipes.  This woman, Mrs. Wilson, gave my grandmother a copy of the recipe so she could try it out herself.

It was a recipe for a jello salad made using fresh, grated apples.  We called it Mrs. Wilson’s Set Salad.

My grandmother tried the recipe, and it became an instant family favorite.  We would have it at many Sunday dinners, and I cannot remember a Thanksgiving dinner in my life where this jello has not been served.

I may be biased, but I think this is the perfect Thanksgiving jello.  It is the perfect side dish and is just what you need to complete your meal.  Oh, and did I mention that it’s super easy!?

Apple Jello Salad
Ingredients:
1 small box (3 oz.) Cherry Jell-O
1 cup boiling water
1/2 cup sugar
3/4 cup Orange Juice
3 apples, peeled and grated
dash of salt

Directions:
1. Stir the Jell-O mix into the cup of boiling water.  Stir until dissolved.
2. Stir in sugar until dissolved.
3. Add the orange juice and salt.  Mix well.
4. Pour the Jell-O into an 8×8 pan**.
5. Add the apples, and lightly mix in until even.  Use a spoon to scoop off any bubbles.
6. Place on a level shelf in the refrigerator and allow to set until firm.  Enjoy!

**Double the recipe for a 9×13 pan

What a week it is has been!!

It sure was crazy at my house for Halloween.  I decided that I definitely did not want to just hand out fun-sized candy bars for Halloween this year, but I wanted to go full out and make lots of cute treats for the trick-or-treaters!  So I did exactly that.  I made not only one treat, but THREE.

The night before Halloween I was making a HUGE mess in my kitchen whipping up White Chocolate Reese’s Muddy Buddies, Cookies and Cream Muddy Buddies, and (what turned out to be my absolute favorite) Butterfinger Fudge.  It was seriously a sugar factory in my kitchen!

The next day (on Halloween), my hubby made a stew…INSIDE OF A PUMPKIN.  He made it to take to our ward trunk-or-treat.  The men were in charge of bringing the soups/chili’s.  I gave him the idea to make it inside of a pumpkin (kind of like a dinner in a pumpkin).  I didn’t think he would actually want to do it, but he did!  It turned out fabulous

I found lots of great things this week while browsing Pinterest.  I wish that I could make them all!!  Here they are:

Bring the Heath Doughnuts by Mom on Timeout

Butterflake Dinner Rolls by Dessert Now, Dinner Later!

Creamy Vegetable Soup by Food Folks and Fun

Peppermint Fudge by Shugary Sweets

Sprinkle Nutella Rolls by Inside BruCrew Life

Parmesan Herb Stuffed Chicken by Will Cook for Smiles

Buffalo Chicken Fettuccine by Fifteen Spatulas

Homemade Chocolate Fudge Poptarts by Half Baked Harvest

Creamy Chicken Picasso by Let’s Dish

Sesame Ginger Sweet Teriyaki Salmon with Garlic Quinoa Stir-fry by Ambitious Kitchen