Happy Hour Friday :: Champ-a-rita + Rosanna Sale!

A sparkling glass of margarita infused champagne feels like just the thing for this dreary rainy day.  And it will be the perfect way to celebrate all of your amazing finds from the Rosanna warehouse sale tomorrow from 9am-6pm!  Click here for more info.  

Champ-a-Rita
1/2 ounce tequila
1/2 ounce fresh lemon juice
splash of cointreau
4 ounces champagne
lemon
sugar

Run the juicy part of the lemon around the rim of a champagne glass and dip in sugar.  Pour tequila and lemon juice in the bottom of the glass and top with champagne.  Finish with a dash of cointreau.




* My turquoise glass is a Rosanna find!  What will you find?

As seen on TV :: Vintage Christmas Party

Tune into Q13 Fox News this morning at 8:15 for all of my ideas - live and in person!

When I found a vintage entertaining book by Better Homes and Gardens at a thrift store for $2 I knew it must be mine.  When I realized I could throw the coolest holiday party on the block using said book, I was smitten.  Now you can throw the same fab-tastic party.  Cheers to the holiday season!

Noel Fruit Bars  ::  Cheese Fondue   ::   Create a Christmas Corsage   ::   Champagne Cocktail

Craft it :: Tinsel Wreath

Easiest wreath craft of all time.

You'll need
1 twenty inch wreath form
3 tinsel garland lengths

Step 1 :: Wrap the tinsel garland around the wreath form.
Step 2 :: Hang it up.

What you can't see :: 425 Magazine Vintage Christmas

It's always way less glamourous behind the scenes than in front of the camera.  If you're at a party that is doubling as a shoot - first, sorry - but it's usually not too intrusive except that you can't touch the food until Jeff has been there and you may be asked to take the same bite of food several times until we get it right.  Luckily, my friends are super patient and usually get a kick out of the process.  And we all adore Jeff.

Our little Christmas house

Christmas at our house has been an adventure for the last four years.  The first year I hung only cookies on the tree since Lars was almost one year.  The dog ate all of them.  The next two years I hung an edited number of ornaments on the tree depending on what I could find, what "theme" we were going with, etc.  Last year we tried candy canes and the two oldest children ate them all. Literally, they drug chairs over to the tree to get the ones that were up high.

This year we have a child who loves to throw balls.  All balls.  All ball shaped items.  Glass ball shaped ornaments seemed like a bad idea.

Thank goodness Ikea had plastic ball ornaments that look decent and I dug out an old strand of flamingo lights to add a little more color.  One day I will get to have an over the top tree with every ornament I've ever owned.  And I'll be a little sad that the children are growing up.

From a Vintage Christmas :: Noel Fruit Bars

These entirely vintage bars are cake-y and light.  Studded with candied cherries and citron, they taste a little elegant and a lot delicious.  Smear the top with frosting for a decadent (and delicious) treat!

Noel Fruit Bars

2 eggs

1 cup sifted confectioners sugar

¼ cup melted butter

½ teaspoon vanilla

¾ cup flour

1 ½ teaspoon baking powder

½ teaspoon salt

½ cup candied cherries, chopped + ½ cup unchopped

½ cup candied citron, chopped

1 cup dates, chopped

1 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Blend together flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl – set aside.  In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine eggs, sugar, butter and vanilla.  Slowly add flour to stand mixer, mixing until just combined.  With a wooden spoon, mix in fruits and nuts.  Spread batter into a greased 9x9 pan and bake 30-35 minutes.  Remove from pan and cut while still warm. 

Let cool before dotting the top of each bar with frosting and a half of a candied cherry.

Frosting

½ cup softened butter

3 cups confectioners sugar

Whip together butter and one cup of sugar with a hand mixer or stand mixer.  Continue adding sugar until frosting becomes light and fluffy.

Inspired by Better Homes and Garden’s Entertaining at Home 1969

Extra Photos :: 425 Magazine Vintage Christmas Party

This month's issue of 425 Magazine features a vintage inspired Christmas party that I hosted last year around our plastic white tree inspired by a vintage copy of Better Homes and Garden's Guide to Entertaining.

You know I love to have a theme.  Shake a martini, melt some fondue, and don a fabulous jumper - it's Christmastime!

For the entire article, pick up a copy of 425 Magazine in Western Washington.  Or subscribe online, after all, I'm in every issue so you know it's good.

photos by Jeff Hobson 

Bookalicious :: More from Macrina

If ever I had an aspiration, it would be to bake better bread.  I have made a few loaves that turned out alright, but nothing like what my sister can pull off.  Her bread is amazing.  I have given up making bread a few times only to try again when I get the urge to eat a really good loaf of bread.

And now that time has come again.  Macrina Bakery (if you haven't eaten there yet, drop everything and eat there) has a second cookbook out, More from Macrina.  I am devouring it.  I've even successfully made a few things from it.  Hooray!

The best part - for me - is that each chapter starts with a 'master recipe' and every subsequent recipe uses that one as the base.  That means I only have to really get one recipe right and I have several things I can make from it.  Success!  

Christmas morning we're eating Sugar Buns.  (And I may start calling my kids that too.)

As Seen on TV :: Thanksgiving Preparedness

Handprint Turkey Instructions :: Knit Pumpkin Instructions :: Raw Brussel Sprout Salad Recipe :: Cranberry Fizz Recipe

The Hedin's do Disneyland

We took our children to Disneyland for a few days of chaos infused sugar highs and tear streaked dinners.

January Yellow :: Obsession #1

I am obsessed with butter.  I love butter.  I think I only eat toast and bread because I get to put butter on them without excuses.  When Darigold recently sent me their GOLD BRAND REAL NAME HERE butter I swooned, I baked bread, I sautéed vegetables and when it was gone I went back to the regular ol' Darigold butter.  That's when I realized my world had changed.  Now I'm not just obsessed with butter, I'm obsessed with GOLD BRAND REAL NAME HERE.

Have a magical weekend

Bookalicious :: The Sugar Cube

One thing that I believe passionately is that if I can do it - you can do it.  You may feel I have some superior advantage but I don't.  I'm a stay-at-home mom to three kids under four years old and I have twenty eight square feet of countertop in my kitchen.  28.  Which is why I feel such a kinship to Kir Jensen of the Sugar Cube.  She turned a teeny tiny food cart into her pastry kitchen and became the 'sweetest little food cart on the planet.'  If she can bake it - you can bake it.

And now she has a cookbook.  Lucky for all of us - especially with Thanksgiving this week - because there is nothing worse than pumpkin pie.  Literally.  I'm making Lemon Pudding Pops.


Three things I learned from this book.
1. brush the top of cakes with flavored simple syrups = moist cakes + intense flavor
2. ruffles potato chips dipped in caramel are addictive
3. bittersweet chocolate + tawny port = after dinner decadence


Oh, and my next trip to Portland may or may not be specifically to go see Kir.

images via Star Chefs and Chronicle Books

November Knit :: Me & Mini-Me

fair isle sweater :: ball rattles :: woven bracelet

Happy Hour Friday :: Cranberry Fizz

My new favorite fall drink.

The Cranberry Fizz
1 1/2 ounces Whiskey
1 ounce unsweetened cranberry juice
1 ounce soda water
1 teaspoon agave nectar
dash bitters
maraschino cherry

With a swizzle stick, mix together all ingredients (except the cherry) in a highball glass filled with ice.  Top with a cherry and enjoy.

Canisters on parade

Over the weekend several of my canisters broke leading to wonder, what should I do next?

Owl Cookie Jar   ::   Ribbed Cannister  ::  Biscotti Jar  ::   Montana Canister 

November Knit :: Knit Pumpkin

I like having pumpkins around this time of year.  But orange pumpkins are so "halloween" that I can't handle them after October.  In honor of the month of November Knit I crafted a few pumpkins out of old sweater sleeves and twigs.  This could not be easier.  

You'll need
1 old sweater (with sleeves)
Batting
Needle + thread
Hot glue + hot glue gun
a twig

Instructions
Step 1 :: Cut off part of the sleeve of the sweater.  A traditional mens large sweater is about a 5 inch width sleeve.  You'll need eight inches in length.  (the ratio is 8 inch length :: 5 inch width and it works scaled down 7 inch length :: 4 inch width, etc.)
Step 2 :: Using the needle and thread, stitch loosely across one end of the sleeve length (a basting stitch).  Pull the threads at the end gently to close the hole.  Tie off the ends and knot them.
Step 3 :: Repeat the basting stitch on the other end but do not close the hole.  When the stitch is done, fill the sleeve with batting until it's loosely packed.
Step 4 :: Pull the threads on the open end to close and knot them.
Step 5 :: Tuck in the loose "frilly" top on each end.
Step 6 :: Cut a length of a one inch twig to look cute on the pumpkin.  Using hot glue, place the twig in the center of the button and push hard down to catch the bottom 'button' in the glue.  Hold briefly until the glue dries.

Don't forget

Color of the Month :: November Knit

I realize "knit" is not exactly a color - but I couldn't think of anything more perfect that "knit" to capture the coziness of fall.  Knit has inspired a rash of crafts and recipes that I'm excited to share with you this month.  Stay tuned for more and follow along on Pinterest for all of my inspiration!

Find January Yellow here
Find Febraruy Funfetti here
Find March Turquoise here
Find April Purple here

Find May Brass here

Find June Pink here

Find July Stripe here

Find August Blue here

Find September Green here

Find October Grey here

Halloween Candy Solution #3 :: Hard Candy Ornaments

Since Christmas is just right around the corner (eight weeks!), it seemed like a good idea to turn some of the "extra" candy into ornaments.  This is a crazy simple project and perfect for the kids.  After the candies are smashed up, have them help you put them in the cookie cutters.  They can get as creative with color as they'd like.  

They are also great because if you have small children who would break and/or eat ornaments, these aren't ones to worry about.  Merry October!

Candy Ornaments

You'll need

Hard candies

Metal cookie cutters

Ribbon

Skewer

Oil

Step 1 :: Smash up hard candies.  Keep colors separate.  

Step 2 :: Place cookie cutters on a silicon baking sheet or parchment paper

Step 3 :: Fill the cookie cutters with hard candy pieces to create about 1/2 inch of candy at the bottom

Step 4 :: Place cookie sheet in a hot 200 degree oven.  Bake 10-20 minutes until candy is completely melted.

Step 5 :: Remove from oven and let cool three minutes.

Step 6 :: Grease the top of a skewer with oil and puncture the top of the candy where you will want a ribbon to hang.  Spin the skewer around gently until the hole is the correct size. 

Step 7 :: When all holes are created, move the cookie sheet to the freezer for five minutes.  Remove from freezer and pop cookie cutters off ornaments.  

Step 8 :: Tie a ribbon through the hole and hang!