Christmas-ing Around

I love Christmas.  Every year I try to find tons of holiday activities to do throughout the whole season.  Needless to say, I've tried to do a bunch already and there are some really good events in both Chicago and Northwest Indiana.  It's just something about the season that puts me in such a good mood!  Take advantage if you're around any of these.

Christkindlmarket - Tons of booths from all over the world are set up in Daley Plaza downtown Chicago.  We looked at beer steins handcrafted in Germany and purchased an ornament from Israel.  We took advantage of all the authentic German food and had legitimate German bratwursts, spicy kilometer sausages, the best sauerkraut I've ever had in my life, and delicious potato pancakes.  They also have hot spiced wine (which comes in a souvenir boot) and dark Spaten bockbeer.  As a bonus to all the booths, beer, and brats, the Daley Plaza Christmas tree is up and there is a beautiful manger seen too.  Definitely worth finding your way through the crowd!

Christmas Around the World at the Museum of Science and Industry - From November 15th through January 6th, the museum will have this beautiful exhibit on display.  This year there are over fifty trees representing different customs and traditions from countries all over the world.  The grand tree is Snoopy themed and has over 30,000 lights and 1,000 ornaments.  The museum has even coordinated falling snow every so often during the course of the day.  This display is absolutely breathtaking!!

www.michigancityparks.com

Festival of Holiday Lights - From early December to early January, Washington Park in Michigan City turns their entire landscape into a stunning light show.  There are all kinds of lights from snails and lighthouses to carolers and dancing Santas.  Entrance into the park is free and it's a drive along event, so no need to leave the warmth of your car!  Furthermore, while trying to find a website with the information regarding the 2012 lights, I noticed that every year on their press release they include the above picture with the caption "Please take a moment to remember our soldiers, who bravely give up so much, including time with their loved ones during the holiday season, so that we may spend time with ours."  Well said, Michigan City!

Ice Skate the Plaza - Deep River Water Park in Crown Point makes an Ice Plaza out of some of their kiddie pools.  This year, the park is open for skating from November 23rd to February 24th.  Obviously I can't take Carl along to this event (he's still in a sling from his surgery) but I will definitely be seeing if my Goddaughters want to go; ice skating is always a good time!

Macy's Holiday Windows - This year the theme for the State Street Macy's windows is The Magic of Christmas, which highlights the traditions Marshall Fields began long ago.  If you plan on taking a stroll by the windows, this article has good information on other happenings going on inside Macy's.

ZooLights - The Lincoln Park Zoo in Chicago does a seriously fascinating display of lights every year!  Admission is free and you can purchase hot drinks and warm food to snack on while walking around the beautifully lit pathways.  Some of the lights are coordinated with music and there is an ice sculpture area to enjoy as well.  I love this holiday activity & cannot wait to go this year!

Hope you all are out there enjoying your holiday season too!!!

DIY Christmas Wreath

I've been admiring those beautiful deco mesh wreaths since etsy became popular, but they are expensive!  I'm pretty positive I've never seen one priced below the $75 mark.  When I noticed that tutorials were starting to pop up all over Pinterest, I finally decided I would give the do-it-yourself version a try.  And it worked!!

There are a million and one tutorials out there for DIY Christmas wreaths!  I read through a bunch, not really finding exactly what I was looking for and then I discovered this video.  The tutorial uses different materials than I ended up purchasing, but I do like how they demonstrate the overall idea. 

After watching the video, I headed out to the local craft stores and this is what I ended up purchasing:

Regular sized DIY wreath starter
21" red metallic deco mesh
5 1/2" white deco mesh ribbon
2" wired ribbon
Decorative candies (to hang in the middle of the wreath)

I found the wreath half off at JoAnn Fabrics and everything else was half off at Hobby Lobby.  Overall, I spent $30 on what would have cost me more than double to purchase! 
*(If you only live near a Michael's craft store, I would check to see if they carry deco mesh, as one Micheal's was completely out of stock and the other in the area did not even carry it.)

To get started, fluff out some of the branches on the wreath so they can be easily twisted.  Begin by securing the start of the 21" deco mesh with a wired branch.  Usually the wreaths have an outer and inner area; I did this part on the outer wreath section.  Every six inches or so, gather the deco mesh and twist a branch over it to secure to the actual wreath itself.  Make sure to gather and fold the mesh as you go to achieve the look you want.  Once you have done this around the outer wreath, you can move on to the 5 1/2" deco mesh ribbon.  Secure this one using a branch on the inner wreath.  Weave in and out through your outside deco mesh, securing the ribbon with a branch every so often.  Once this is complete, you can make a bow with the wired ribbon and again, use a branch to hold it to the wreath.  I used this visual aide to guide me through making a bow.  Finally, I secured my candy to the wreath, fluffed everything a final time and hung on the door! 

New Life Experience

Outside of my baking, reading, and DIY-ing, I decided it was time for a life update.  And let me prepare you - you may be quite surprised with what I'm about to tell you next: 

Last Friday, I was Mrs. Regner, aka Mrs. R. for the first time....as in substitute teaching!  Okay, so that part is pretty believable.  But what if I told you it was for a first grade class?  Now you're getting a little suspicious.  But seriously, I did it.  And I'm glad I did.

You guys know me.. and you know I don't have kids.  To be honest, I was pretty nervous going into the whole thing.  Way back when I turned in the paperwork to the school system I specified only middle school and high school.  Well sometime mid-morning on Friday, I logged on to the website they use to keep track of openings and there it was - a four hour, afternoon only substitute teacher opening.  It struck me as a nice length of time for my first try, it was at the same elementary school I attended years ago, and the school still had the same principal.

{At this point, let me just say that I am literally all about finding coincidences, just ask Carl.  At least every other day I say to him "Oh my gosh, what a coincidence!  Now what are the chances of that happening?!"  And then if he doesn't respond I nudge him towards a response with a "Right?  I mean, don't you think so?"  Case in point, we went to the mall and I ended up parking in line with the same make/model/color car that Val drives and a look alike of what my dad drove while we were in high school.  Um, please tell me I'm not the only that thinks that is such a coincidence!}

With that said, as I read the substitute details for that afternoon my natural first thought was "Oh my goodness, what a coincidence, this totally means I was meant to log on at this moment and sign up for this opening!"  So I signed up and an hour later, twenty children were put under my supervision.  Like I mentioned above, I'm happy I did this.  For me, this is definitely 'stepping outside the box' and I'm proud that I followed through!

Bond Girl: A Novel - Book Review

www.barnesandnoble.com

Go get this book now!!!

Okay, but seriously I could not set this book down.  I read it in two days.  I mean, I know I'm unemployed right now so having two whole uninterrupted days to read a book in is not a big feat.  But still.

Awhile back I saw Lauren Conrad's fall reading list, so I scrolled through.  Immediately this book caught my eye, as the website's description was "The Devil Wears Prada but on Wall Street."  Um hello, I downloaded it right away and that tag line was completely correct.

The book follows the main character (a young woman who recently graduated from college) learning her ways of the typically male-dominated Wall Street both on a work basis and a personal level.  It has all the qualities of your typical 'chick lit' book, but maybe it's the financial career aspect that keeps it grounded.  Either way, it's good.  It's well-written and holds the reader's attention at all times.  In fact, I'm really hoping that Erin Duffy writes a second novel, because I will not hesitate to scoop it up the second it's published.  If you're looking for something to read over the holidays, I definitely recommend this book!  Let me know if you like it as much as I did!!                                                                                                    

Bailey's Fall-Apart Fudge

Naturally, I so wish that 'fall-apart' did not have to be the adjective in the title.  But it was necessary.  Since that is what my fudge did.  Which is disappointing, because wow, the taste was delicious...it just would not set correctly.  I used the recipe from Lauren Conrand's website because the simpleness of a microwave fudge caught my eye.  I've pretty much decided it's a European recipe of sorts since the main ingredients are all listed in ounces.  Or at least that's my guess.

Bailey's Fall-Apart Fudge
14 ounces (1 can) condensed milk (I used the non-fat kind)
10 Tbsp butter
Heaping cup Splenda sugar blend
Heaping cup Splenda brown sugar blend
1 1/2 tsps vanilla extract
2 Tbs Bailey's  

Using the largest microwaveable bowl you have, combine the milk, butter, and sugars.

For a 900W microwave, cook for 9 minutes, removing to stir every 3 minutes.  If you're microwave is a lower wattage, the mixture will need to cook longer.  Add 1 minute to the cooking time for every 50 watts lower.

Once finished cooking, add in the vanilla and Bailey's.  Stir until it looks glossy.  Pour into a 9x9 pan lined with parchment paper.  Once it has cooled to room temperature, pop it in the refrigerator overnight to get a better set.

Where I think I went wrong -- The recipe mentions to cook longer for lower wattage, however it doesn't say anything about having a microwave with higher wattage.  I should've checked the microwave, but I'm guessing the one in our kitchen may be a bit higher than that.  Therefore I should have removed a minute of cooking time for every 50 watts higher it was.  Next time I'll be sure to check this out.  And believe me, there will be a next time.  It captured the taste of Bailey's excellently.  Thank goodness my mom is so close to her co-workers that it was acceptable to bring in fudge that was falling apart.  Or else we probably would've eaten the whole pan, haha.

***If you try this & get it to set please let me know what you did!  It's so delish, I'd love for mine to set!!

Chocolate & Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches

Hello Christmas season!  My mom's office Christmas party was today so last night I baked these super festive cute holiday cookies for her to bring.  The chocolate cookies have a true wafer taste - chocolatey, but definitely not to sweet.  This evens out well with the sweet peppermint middles, giving the whole cookie sandwich a good balance.

Chocolate & Peppermint Cookie Sandwiches
(Adapted from the Chocolate Mint Wafer recipe in The Taste of Home Baking Book)

For the wafers:
2/3 cup butter - softened
1/2 cup Splenda sugar blend
1/2 cup packed Splenda brown sugar blend
1/4 cup skim milk
1 egg
1 cup all purpose flour
1 cup whole wheat flour (of course you can use 2 cups of all purpose, I just wanted to add some fiber)
3/4 cup baking cocoa
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt

For the filling:
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1/4 cup half-and-half cream
1 tsp peppermint extract
1/2 tsp salt
About 5 drops of green food coloring

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and both sugars.  Once this mixture is fluffy, mix in the milk and egg.  Gradually add in the flours, baking cocoa, and other dry ingredients.  Mix until well combined.  Cover and refrigerate for two hours or until firm.

After the two hours have passed, remove the dough and let it warm just a bit so it's not frigidly cold.  If it's too cold, it can be hard to work with.  On a floured surface, roll out the dough to a 1/8 inch thickness.  Cut with a cookie cutter that is approximately 1.5 inches.  Place cookies on a greased baking sheet about an inch apart.  Bake for 5 minutes.  Let cool for several minutes on the pan and then transfer to a wire cooling rack.  This recipe should make around 75 wafers.

Combine all of the filling ingredients and mix until everything is very well combined. 

Once the cookies are completely cooled, ice the inside of half of the wafers and top with the remaining wafers.  As an added bonus, I added red sprinkles on the outside of the icing to make them extra festive!

Mmm Hot Cocoa

We've had such great weather the past couple of days!  I'm talking only wearing a windbreaker in the city, walking the dogs in capris, no jacket necessary great weather.  Which never happens here in December.  Naturally, when I left the house just after dark this evening, wearing running capris with no fleece... it was freezing!  And now I haven't been able to get warm.  Bring on the hot cocoa.

Quick & Easy Hot Cocoa
(original recipe found here)

1 1/2 Tbs unsweetened cocoa powder
1/8 cup (or 2 Tbs) Splenda sugar blend
2 cups skim milk 
1/8 tsp vanilla extract
miniature marshmallows 
*this makes one jumbo cup of cocoa, so double the recipe for more servings

In a small bowl, mix the cocoa powder and sugar together.  In a medium saucepan, bring the milk to a scalding temperature over medium heat.  Pour about 1/3 of the hot milk into the cocoa and sugar mixture and mix together.  Return this to the saucepan and continue stirring over heat until well combined.  Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.  

Pour into your cup, sprinkle your marshmallows, and warm up!