Circus Baby Shower

Last month, our good friends Jon and Laura threw us a baby shower. It was a circus theme, to go along with our nursery decor. Laura made the most delicious chocolate cupcakes, stuffed with caramel creme pudding! They were heavenly.

Laura also had lots of fun decor ideas!

Feathers on the stairway bannisters!

The bar.
The cotton candy cones were super cute and were a big hit!

Popcorn and cracker jacks, no circus would be complete without them!

Fruit kebobs in a popcorn tub.

It was a wonderful shower and we are so thankful for our great friends!

St. Pat's Centerpiece

How cute is this little centerpiece? My mother-in-law attended a party last week, and these were on each of the tables. Bless her heart, she asked if she could take one home! I think they would be adorable for a St. Patty's day party, with the white carnations substituted with green ones. Or you could sub the brown glass beads (the beer!) for green ones instead, and still go with white carnations. You could even use this idea for a kid-friendly BBQ, and serve root beer floats as the centerpiece look-a-likes. The possiblities are endless with this one!

P.S. Nell Hill's Briarcliff was kind of a flop, we didn't find much we liked, and decided the Atchison location is better for us. So that is the reason the follow up post never happened!

Holiday Kitchen Gifts

Nothing shows how much you care like giving a gift you made yourself. Check out these beautiful kitchen gifts from Whole Foods! You can probably wrap up your holiday shopping without leaving the house. Now to decide what to make for everyone....



maybe Citrus Salts...


or Marinated Olives....



or Spicy Wine Mustard, that would be delish on left over ham sandwiches....


or Dried Fruit and Herb Tea....


oh, definitely Mulling Spice Satchets! Have fun in the kitchen!

Fruit of the Earth

WAIT!!! Don't throw out your pumpkins now that the Christmas season is officially upon us. Instead cut those babies open, scoop out the seeds and roast 'em up with these great recipes. We did and they made a great Turkey Day app. I am thinking about dumping the leftovers into ziplok baggies and stashing them in my purse for emergency Christmas shopping snacks. Shopping always makes me hungry.





Going along with our "fruit of the earth" Turkey Day apps, we also whipped up this delicious spread using porcini mushroom we foraged for earlier this year in the NM mountains. Can I just say, it will definitely be made again.

A Little Nutty

We are entertaining lots of guests in our new home this Fall, and are loving these simple Happy Hour nuts. They keep well in plastic containers, so go ahead and make up the whole batch.

Pumpkins and Pinecones

Celebrations at Home posted an adorable party today. Love those pine cone/daisy chandeliers. Oh, and the pumpkin dessert looks delish, can't wait to break out the trifle bowl for that one. Don't ya just love Fall?!?

Autumn Salad

Man, have I been on a salad kick lately! I can't wait to make these two, so the "salad for dinner" trend is going to continue for a while in our household.

This first one comes from St. Louis Entertains. I love the look of an arranged salad, especially when it is bursting with fall colors.

The second one is from Ina Garten. Many of her fall recipes were featured in House Beautiful this month and many looked super delicious.

Ok, off to eat my greens now.

Chocolate Butter

As if pumpkin bread is not delicious enough on its own, Hy-Vee is suggesting we slather dark chocolate butter on top! I can't think of a better idea.

1/3 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup baking cocoa
3 tablespoons water
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a small saucepan, stir together sugar, cocoa and the water until smooth. Add butter; cook and stir over med-low heat until bubbly. Reduce heat to low; cook, stirring constantly, for 3 min. Remove from heat, stir in vanilla. Pour into a small bowl. Cool for 1 hr. Cover and refrigerate until serving time.

I am going to make some of this up and keep it refrigerated all Fall to douse all kinds of yummies in.

Cute pumpkin pan is available from Nordic Ware for $19.99.

Summer Spread

With home grown tomatoes and basil ripening everywhere right now, it seems like the perfect time to share this great recipe from Kraft. I took it as an app for a dinner party last week and it was a huge hit. It is quick to put together too!

Warm Italiano Spread

1 pkg cream cheese

1/4 cup pesto

1 tomato, chopped

1/4 cup shredded motz cheese

Triscuit Cracked Pepper & Olive Oil Crackers or sliced baguette

Heat grill to medium heat. Place cream cheese block on a square of foil. Top with pesto, tomatoes and shredded cheese. Fold up and seal sides of foil to form a little packet.

Place foil packet on grill for 8-10 min, or until cheese is melted.

(I have also heated this in the oven at 350 degrees for about 15 min.)

Tasting Party

I am digging the new Tasting Party items from Pier 1! The have some tasty looking recipes here too.

The Perfect Pear

Seems in the summertime I become obsessed with certain fruits and veggies (remember the lemons and zucchinis from last summer ?) Anyway, this summer's flavor is pear. I recently made a yummy pear sangria when my folks were in town, so I thought I would share the recipe. It is easy and super refreshing on a warm evening. It comes from Beso Las Vegas (Eva Longoria Parker's restaurant.)

Combine 2 bottles Sauvignon Blanc (I purchased $3 bottles at Walmart) and 3 cups white cranberry juice, along with 2 tbsp lime juice. Add 1 or 2 thinly sliced pears and 1/2 pint each of blackberries and raspberries. Let the mixture sit overnight before serving in pretty glasses. Garnish with a sprig of mint if you like.

I also scored a great pear shaped glass jar at Goodwill for $.99 a couple of weeks back. Perfect for storing wine corks in our new kitchen!

Rosalie Cooks....

Check out a fellow STL area blogger...www.rosalieserving.com
I am loving her Italian and Country recipes!

Martha Stewart iPhone App

Let me explain the lack of postings lately....I finally got a iPhone. The tiny computer has been occupying all my "technology" time!! However, I found a fun Martha Stewart app to share. With the App, daily recipe ideas come straight to you, no more wondering "what's for dinner?" You can search for a dish among thousands of recipes, view photos, and choose "Quick Dinner Recipes" when you're looking for a meal that will be ready in no time. When you find a recipe you like, the App will create a grocery list for you, organized by aisle, which you can take straight to the store. This is perfect for me because I already organize my grocery list by the store layout, and now this does it for me. It is like Martha read my mind on this one!!

Mexican Chocolate Pots de Creme

Recently, Food & Wine magazine started showing up at our house out of the blue. It is a very welcome addition to our weekly menus! We especially enjoyed this wonderful chocolate pudding on Valentine's Day. It is D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S!

Total Time: 20 min plus cooling
Servings: 6

Ingredients:
1 1/2 cups whole milk (I substituted skim milk instead)
1/2 cup heavy cream (I substituted half 'n half instead)
6 large egg yolks
6 ounces Mexican chocolate, preferably Ibarra, finely chopped
6 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped, plus shavings for garnish
Whipped cream, for serving

Directions:
1. In a medium sauce pan, combine the milk with the cream and bring to a simmer over moderately high heat.
2. In a small bowl, beat the egg yolks until combined. Slowly whisk in 1/2 cup of the hot milk, then transfer the mixture to the saucepan. (Get the eggs pretty warm first with a little of the hot milk or they will scramble when you pour them into the saucepan!)
3. Cook the custard over moderate heat, whisking constantly until it is slightly thickened, about 2 minutes.
4. Immediately add the finely chopped Mexican and bittersweet chocolate and remove saucepan from the heat.
5. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted, then strain the mixture through a fine sieve into a large measuring bowl or cup. It is important not to skip the straining step or your pudding will be grainy.
6. Pour the chocolate mixture into 6 small bowls and refrigerate for a couple of hours. Top with whipped cream and chocolate shavings when serving.

I also think this would be a really fun dessert to do in the small glass shot-glass-like containers. It is so rich, you really only need a small amount and you could totally wow your guests with presentation! Remember, we eat with our eyes first!

Valentine's Pizza

I am already planning our Valentine's day menu! It is so much easier to cook something special at home than to go out to eat on that crazy night!

Try these heart shaped mini pizzas.

INGREDIENTS

1	can (13.8 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated classic pizza crust or 1 can (11 oz) Pillsbury® refrigerated thin pizza crust
1	can (8 oz) pizza sauce
24	slices turkey pepperoni with 70% less fat
3/4	cup shredded mozzarella cheese (3 oz)

DIRECTIONS

1.	If using classic crust: Heat oven to 425°F. Lightly spray or grease large cookie sheet. If using thin crust: Heat oven to 400 F. Spray or grease 15x10-inch or larger dark or nonstick cookie sheet.
2.	Unroll dough on work surface. With sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut dough into 4 rectangles. Place rectangles on cookie sheet. Cut 1-inch slit in center of wide edge of each dough portion; on opposite wide edge across from slit, pinch dough together to shape point of heart. Slightly separate each cut slit, and gently press dough into a 6x5-inch heart, creating slight rim on edge of dough.
3.	Divide pizza sauce evenly onto hearts, spreading to within 1/2 inch of edges. Top each with 6 slices pepperoni and 3 tablespoons cheese.
4.	Bake classic crust 13 to 16 minutes, thin crust 9 to 13 minutes, or until crust edges are golden brown and cheese is melted.

Cabin Fever Party

New Year, new parties to plan! With all this cold weather, I am planning a Cabin Fever party for later this month. I know by then everyone will be tired of staying inside and ready for some good old fashioned board game playing!

Going along with the Cabin Fever idea, I am encouraging invitees to drag out their flannel shirts (easy to find in stores this year!) and bring over their favorite games.

I probably won't do much in the way of decor, since we will need the table for our competitive game playing, but I thought this tablescape from Southern Living was both rustic and charming.

Love the wooden rings as risers for a decorate-your-own-cupcake stand. The plaid tablecloth would also fit right in with my flannel theme!

1-And a Cocktail in a Pear Tree....

So the 12 days comes to an end with a delish drink for all you lovely followers! I have served this at many parties and it is always a HUGE hit. Better triple the batch for a crowd though, I always do!

Sangria

1 750ml dry red wine (a dry "box" wine works just fine!)

1 cup orange juice-I prefer pulp free

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 cup lime juice

1/4 cup triple sec

Chill overnight.

Before serving add ice, orange, lime and lemon slices. I also like to put whole, fresh cranberries in around the holidays.

Cheers to all of you! Thanks so much for following The Gifted Life. I enjoy sharing my ideas with you. Have a wonderful Christmas and a blessed New Year!

4-Candy Sushi

I think this idea is so fun! Great for entertaining kiddos at home on Christmas break this week too.

Ingredients
1/4 cup butter
4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups crisped rice cereal
20 to 25 gummy worms
1 to 2 boxes of fruit leather (I think Fruit by the Foot would work, if that product still exists!)
12- by 17-inch baking sheet
2-quart saucepan

Instructions
Grease a 12- by 17-inch baking pan.

Melt butter in a 2-quart saucepan over medium heat.
Add the marshmallows and stir until smooth.

Remove mixture from heat and stir in the rice cereal until it's evenly coated.

Turn the baking sheet so that the shorter ends are at the top and bottom. Then press the marshmallow mixture on the sheet, distributing it evenly.

Starting at one side and 1 inch up from the lower edge, place gummy worms atop the mixture end to end in a horizontal line.

Gently roll the lower edge of the marshmallow mixture over the gummy worms.

Then stop and cut the log away from the rest of the mixture. Use the same method for 4 more logs.

Slice each log in 1-inch-thick "sushi" rolls and wrap them individually with a strip of fruit leather.


In one of the images above, you can see they have used powdered sugar doughnuts, cut in 1/2, placed a Swedish Fish on top, and then wrapped with the fruit leather.

5-Clementines and Peppermints

I am loving this idea from Real Simple. Mix clementines and peppermints in a glass jar or trifle bowl. Have small bags on hand for your holiday guests to create take home goodie bags.

At an all ages Christmas party, keep the kiddos entertained with this easy craft. Give each child three clementines, a sturdy plate, some toothpicks, and store bought frosting. Dollop frosting in the center of the plate and place a clementine in it. Stick a few toothpicks halfway into the top of the fruit and spear a smaller clementine on top. Repeat with the third clementine. Make a hat out of frosting, a vanilla wafer, and peppermints. Use candy cane pieces for arms and a nose, and cloves for the eyes. Finish by tying on a scarf of red licorice.

8-Merry Kissmas to all and to all a good night....

Here are two great holiday ideas involving Hershey's Kisses.

Need a last minute centerpiece idea for a Christmas party or your holiday table?

Try this one. It requires nothing more than a few martini glasses, silver taper candles, Hershey's Kisses and some greens plucked from the tree. You don't need a fancy fabric runner. Just use wrapping paper. There are so many different varieties of Kisses now, you can definitely find one to coordinate with your decor. (STL'ers metallic taper candles are on sale this week at Schnuck's!)

I have to give my husband credit for this next idea. He had these treats at work this week and then surprised me by making them last night! They make a perfect give-away treat to go along with the fudge recipe I shared earlier this week.

Instructions

1. Heat the oven to 170F. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper or wax paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.
2. Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.
3. Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.