Simple Holiday Appetizers - that are YUMMY

If you'd like to make a fresh baked apple pie and serve it warm - right out of the oven - as your guests walk in the door--it's going to take some time but here's how to have the same effect without all that work.

Grab a pretty holiday plate, put a bowl in the middle and fill it with Apple Pie Dip and surround the bowl with Cinnamon Pita Chips.

The simplest way to make the Apple Pie Dip is to take a can of apple pie filling and warm it in the microwave - you can add some water (one tablespoon at a time) to thin the mixture (and chop the apple chunks before serving).

You can buy the Cinnamon Pita Chips at the store.

So simple, tasty and oh so festive. And, if you have a little more time, you can make the Apple Pie Dip and pita chips from scratch.

Apple Pie Dip (Thanks to Pottery Barn)


2 Large apples, peeled, cored and diced small
Juice from half a lemon
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon cornstarch, dissolved in 1 teaspoon water

In a small saucepan, combine all dip ingredients minus the cornstarch/water paste.  Heat on medium low until the mixture is boiling and juices are bursting from the apples. (Just a few minutes) Remove from heat and stir in the cornstarch paste.

Return to heat, then cook on medium low for a few more minutes until boiling again and the sauce is somewhat thickened. Transfer to heat-proof serving bowl and set aside to make the chips. (Serve warm, cold or at room temperature, however, store int he fridge if not serving right away.)

Christmas Cupcakes

I

I love to bake and I love the holidays so what could be better than some Christmas inspired cupcakes?

Here's how I made them.

I started with some pretty cupcake papers.

Then I filled them with cake batter. And I created some frosting with coconut, marshmallows and food coloring. You can make it yourself with a pound of powdered sugar and one cube of butter for butter cream frosting (if you want cream cheese frosting, simply substitute cream cheese for the butter) and mix them up together until smooth. Add your food coloring and wha-lah, you're ready. I add in shredded coconut or marshmallows to create the texture I want.

Then I frosted some ice cream cones and stuck them on top of my frosted cupcakes.

For the Santa Hat, I used a marshmallow for the fur.

I decorated my trees with candies to make them look like ornaments.

It was fun and they were also great to use for tabletop decorations.

DIY Christmas Candy Canister

I love almonds. So, I have empty cans sitting around to be recycled and I thought, "what a waste." And I thought I could use those canisters to give Christmas Candy gifts as presents but they didn't look very pretty.

But I have left over scraps of fabric sitting around the house and some Elmer's glue...WAH-LAH! Inspiration.

So, I took the canister and cut out the fabric to fit and glued it in place.

Now, I simply need to fill the Christmas Canisters with some home-made candy...but that's all for another post ;D

On-line Critique Groups

For all my writer friends...

Are you in a critique group?

I know some people have trouble putting together a group, meeting, or just getting away from work, home, and kids. So....here's an idea:

what about an on-line group?

If you are interested, and want to check it out, here's a link to CPSeek which is critique partners seek - check it out. You might like it.

DIY Christmas Scarf

I've been pulling this out at lunch to whittle away the time while I'm munching and Pinning... Finally finished it today - December 3rd - so I've got a good 22 days to wear this little wrap.

And maybe you've seen my posts, while I've been criss-crossing my knitting needles. This is a simple project that I should have been able to make in an hour or . . . three but there's a reason it took so long, it was in-between bites and chews.

How 'bout you...do you have any projects you've been trying to get done in time for the holidays?

PitchWars

It's that time of year again. Yes, the holidays are here and so is PitchWars.

PitchWars, if you haven't heard, is a wonderful writer's contest where unagented authors get linked up with professional mentors to help them polish their manuscripts and get them ready for submission.

This is a wonderful way to work with other writers and create a community of like-minded people, who can share, celebrate and enjoy one anothers' progress.

And a huge THANK YOU needs to go out to Brenda Drake and all the mentors who are putting their time, energy and efforts into helping other writers work their way toward publication.

FROZEN - THE MOVIE

FROZEN

            It was a holiday weekend and one of our family traditions is to go to the movies over the holidays but it can be difficult to find a movie that everyone can agree on. Lucky for us, we all hold a soft spot in our hearts for Disney movies… especially animated films.

            So, we loaded up the car and headed off to the theater to watch FROZEN.

            This was a really-really good film. And one where the commercials and trailers didn't do it justice. One of the reasons is that the “Love Story” wasn’t your typical “girl loves prince” story. This was a love story that focused on family, which made me love it even more.

It also had a female lead role, Elsa, who was a strong character who chose to risk everything not to hurt other people, especially her little sister.

And, of course, the Scandinavian theme was a soft spot for me.

Plus the music was fun!

So, all in all, I would recommend this film==it is a holiday MUST SEE!