Holidays | Home Is Where The Haggis Is

Category: Holidays
- Galena Luminaria
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Dec 12th
  We skipped town last weekend. It sounds a little crazy with everything that we have left to tackle before Christmas, but I’m thinking we might need to do this every December. Galena, IL has always been the place to recharge the batteries. The reception is complete crap out there so the family can’t stay glued to their devices and there isn’t much to watch on T.V. other than a fishing or hunting show (I grew up on these so don’t get me wrong I have nothing against them.) It’s just the crackle of the fire, a good book to read and occasionally looking out the big picture window in the hopes of catching a deer or some other woodland creature wandering through the yard. The kids are forced to use their (gulp) imagination. They can explore in the woods, dust off a board game, play cards or chess. We pack lots of fun snacks and some good wine for Mom and Dad. Life is good!
  
  I’d read somewhere that there’s an annual live window shop display and Luminaria a few weeks before Christmas so we made a plan to go. Just the hubby, kids, dog and me. There’s the Grinch we saw above.
  
  The window shops were okay. It got pretty crowded along the streets so if you love shopping and don’t mind all of the people milling around then you would probably love it. I would highly recommend a visit to see the candle display. It’s a pretty incredible sight. Especially if you venture to climb the steps to the top of town and look down on the little pathways lighted along the river and through the Main St. Breathtaking. Magical. It puts the true meaning back into Christmas. A time to spend with your loved ones and appreciate all your blessings.
  
  Here’s the view when we were almost to the top. See the little lights down below? Those are all the bags with real candles lit inside each one!
  
  Made it to the top! Dress warm because it’s a chilly walk, but definitely worth it. Here you can see the candles lined up along the river walk.
  
  Looking back up after we began our descent. Check it out sometime! It’s a relaxing way to prepare for the busy holiday season. Merry Christmas!
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  Posted in Holidays, Travel | Tagged Galena at Christmas, Galena IL Lumnaria, Galena Luminaria
- Boo-zy Monday
  
  Posted at 5:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Oct 23rd
  Halloween is almost here! Last weekend, we celebrated at an annual zombie fest in our town. It’s crazy. So many cool costumes, great live music, turned over cars, tanks blocking the road. Good times! I thought these candy corn Jello shots would make the perfect pre-party drink (if you want to call it that.)
  
  These would be great to pass out to the parents taking their little trick-or-treaters out next week. Who says adults can’t have some fun treats too? 🙂
  
  Before you start the recipe, make sure you buy clear shot glasses instead of the red plastic ones I used. It’s great to be able to see the effect you worked so hard to create. My mistake is your gain!
  
  Here’s what you need to get started:
  Candy Corn Jello Shots
  - Servings: 60 shots
  - Time: active30 mins
  - Difficulty: easy
  - Print
  Credit: BRIT+CO
  
  Ingredients
  
  6 ounce package lemon Jell-O
  
  6 ounce package orange Jell-O
  
  2 unflavored gelatin packets
  
  1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
  
  1 bottle of your favorite Tequila like Patron
  
  Reddi whip
  
  candy corn
  
  Directions
  
  In a large bowl combine 6 ounce package of lemon Jello with 2.5 cups water. Add 1.5 cups Tequila. Using a spoon, fill your shot glasses a third of the way with the lemon Jello mixture. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes until set.
  
  In a large bowl combine 6 ounce package of orange Jello with 2.5 cups water. Add 1.5 cups Tequila. Using a spoon, fill your shot glasses a third of the way with the lemon Jello mixture. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes until set.
  
  In a large bowl combine the 2 packets of unflavored gelatin with 1.5 cups water. Add can of sweetened condensed milk. Spoon your final layer into shots glasses. Refrigerate for 60-90 minutes until set.
  
  To serve, add a dollop of whipped cream and a candy corn on top. Cheers!
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  Posted in Holidays
- Countdown Clocks
  
  Posted at 7:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Jan 1st
  Happy 2016! How was your NYE?
  
  Last night we had a slight change in plans due to our oldest not feeling well so my husband stayed home with her while I dropped by the first party with something savory, the Parmesan rounds that were in last year’s post. For the second party, my husband brought over something sweet. I decided to try my hand at making these Oreo dipped clocks. The hardest part was getting the white chocolate perfectly smooth around the cookies. The rest was cake. Here I am writing this post while the countdown winds down. Oh well. Sick happens and we have been in the clear since last spring so I guess we are due. Cheers!
  
  As of today, NYE is 364 days away. You can pin this idea for then or convert it into your dessert for Valentine’s Day. The chocolate melts I used come in a variety of colors including red and pink. Add some Valentine sprinkles on top and you’ve got your sweets covered next month. 😉
  
  Oreo Clocks
  
  Makes 12
  
  For this dessert you will need:
  - Oreo Double Stuff cookies
  - White and black fondant (again Wilton from Wal-Mart)
  - White Chocolate (I used Wilton dipping chocolate)
  - Chocolate and white sprinkles (hint, I used leftover Christmas sprinkles and just picked out the white ones)
  - Pearl sprinkles
  - Edible black ink pen ($5 for a set of 4 colors at Wal-Mart)
  - A cupcake pan
  - Corn syrup
  Directions:
  - Melt a tub of chocolate in the microwave on 30 second increments until completely melted.
  - Take a metal spoon from your silverware drawer and stir chocolate. Drop a few spoonfuls into each cupcake container until bottom is completely covered. Only do a few at a time because the chocolate hardens pretty quickly.
  - To get bubbles out of the chocolate, pick up and drop pan on the counter a few times. Place an Oreo into the center of each cupcake container. Place the pan in the fridge to set the chocolate. It should only take a minute or two to set.
  - Melt another container of white chocolate and drizzle spoonfuls over the top of each Oreo until covered completely. Again, only do a few Oreos at a time as the chocolate will harden and you want to get those bubbles out.
  - Pick up the pan and drop it a few times to smooth out the chocolate after each Oreo is covered. This part is a bit painstaking, but it will make your chocolate smooth instead of lumpy when you pop these out the pan later.
  - Once all Oreos are covered and smooth, place pan in fridge.
  - After a few more minutes take pan out and carefully turn pan over on parchment paper. They should pop right out. If not, tap gently on your pan until they do.
  - Roll out your fondant and use a circular cookie cutter that roughly matches the diameter of the cookie. I used a champagne flute and the diameter was slightly smaller, but get creative and see what you can find in your cabinets. I don’t believe in going out to buy something that you won’t use very often like a 2 and 7/8 inch cookie cutter.
  - Alternate the white and black fondant on each cookie.
  - Using the corn syrup poured into a small cup, dip the end of toothpick into the syrup and dot your fondant with 4 dots representing 12, 3, 6 and 9 on your clock. Add the pearls to each dot and press in slightly so it stays firmly in place.
  - With the corn syrup, again use the chocolate sprinkles on the white fondant and the white sprinkles on the black fondant to affix the remaining numerals on the clock.
  - Finish with the edible ink pen on the white fondant to create the first and second-hand for your clock. I put some white melted chocolate in a sandwich bag, snipped off one end and piped the white hands on the black fondant.
  That’s it. I will admit, it’s a bit of work to decorate the cookies, but there was no baking involved and it probably took me a total of an hour with some wait time included.
  
  Here’s the chocolate I used to decorate the cookies. I went through 3 tubs of these to make 12 cookies. Yes, that is a lot of chocolate!
  
  Here are the other items that went into decorating the Oreos.
  
  Whattya think? You can see the two in the middle picture above were one of the first Oreos that I frosted. It takes a little practice to get that chocolate nice and smooth, but overall, the idea is pretty cute.
  
  Credit goes out to Pint Sized Baker for the great idea.
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  Posted in Baking, Holidays | Tagged NYE dessert, Oreo Clocks
- You Really Shouldn’t Have
  
  Posted at 6:00 am by Lisa Cavallari
  
  Dec 18th
  The holidays are busy and stressful so let’s lighten things up and talk about regifting.
  
  I think my first memory of a regift was when I was seven. My grandma had gone to all of the banks and stores in the area collecting pencils throughout the year and gave my brother and I each a bunch wrapped in curling ribbon. One had a John Deere Logo, another a local grocery store emblem. My brother and I exchanged bewildered looks and moved on to the next gifts; chocolate covered mints and a check for $20. (Internal sighs of relief) We thanked her and my grandpa and thank you notes were mailed within a day or two. Come on, we were a little spoiled, I’ll admit, but we weren’t complete a-holes.
  
  My other grandma was guilty of regifting on a much grander scale. In fact, it became somewhat of a joke with one of her “gifts.” One year she decided to wrap up an old coat my grandpa used to wear and gave it to my dad. Now, keep in mind that this coat was probably 20 years old and, living on a farm, it had its fair share of stains and rips too. Still, for some reason my grandma thought it would make the perfect gift. The coat was secretly exchanged between my dad and his brother-in-law…until one year they were not so discreet, my grandma found out and that was the end of the brown, shabby coat.
  
  Let us not forget Clark Griswold’s family Christmas. This movie was our family tradition to watch each year. I can quote practically every line from it. Something to add that to my resume. Ha! For those of you not familiar with it, the GIF above is when Aunt Edna went through her house wrapping up gifts and one of them was her cat. Rusty replies, “Great, can’t wait to see what I get.”
  
  Recently, I received a gift from a student where I volunteer. I am guessing my student (or the mom?!) went through the house and found something a teacher might like and decided to bring it in which is pretty cute (if it was the kid, but a little crazy if Mom did it). The gift made no sense and in the interest of discretion I will not divulge what it was, but I had to smile when I opened it because it reminded me of the regifts of Christmas’ past which prompted this post.
  
  Maybe I am not using the term ‘regift’ correctly. Usually a regift is something you received originally as a gift, but did not care for so you passed it along to someone you think would appreciate it. Were the gifts above repurposed? I don’t think there is a correct term for what those were. We might have to make one up like Seinfeld did on the label maker episode. Thrifty-gifty, Junkyard Santa, Mrs. Claus’ Nightmare Knick Knacks, Gingerbread House Leftovers, Closet Purge Presents or Gift Imposter. Thoughts?
  
  Let me clarify regifting a little further. If there is a gift that is in mint condition and relatively new, then by all means pass it on to someone who might appreciate it and possibly with the disclaimer that it’s not a gift, but more of an extra. A few of my friends and family have done this and I have loved what I received: a Coach purse, a silverware organizer, gloves, shirts, the list goes on. That’s spreading the love and definitely not regifting.
  
  So now I leave it to you readers, I’m sure you all have at least one good regift story to share. I can’t be the only one to experience the gamut of emotions, from being excited to open the gift, then puzzled, followed by starting to get a little pissed off and finally laughing about it later.
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  Posted in Etiquette, Holidays | Tagged Christmas Regift, Regifting at Christmas
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