Candied Tradition

     One of my most favorite things to do during the holidays is bake! Anything with lots of sugar and makes my home spell scrumptious is on the list. Last week I made one of my all time faves...Cinnamon Sugar Almonds in the crockpot...mmmmm!! If you're like me, I love to give to everyone, the mailman, my hairstylst, co-workers and so on. I've found over the years that some sort of baked good can please almost all. I've done caramel apples, the ingredients for Chocolate Chip Cookies in a mason jar, chocolate covered pretzels, and sugar cookies with no complaints thus far. 
     This year I opted for the never failing candy coated almonds. These are so easy I almost feel guilty about not putting more effort in but let's be real, who really has a lot of extra time during the holidays. I just want to make sure everyone gets a little something so they know how special they are to me. All it takes is a few common ingredients and you'll have gifts to go around.
     This is all you'll need. The complete recipe is at the bottom.

     

     First, you'll mix together both sugars, cinnamon and salt in a medium sized bowl. Set aside. 

     Whisk the egg white and the vanilla together until they're a little frothy and then pour in the almonds to coat, and coat well. Next, pour the almonds into the sugar mixture and stir making sure to coat all of the almonds. Thoroughly Spray the inside of the crock pot with a non-stick spray and pour the sugar almonds in. Here's what it looks like, a little weird but just trust me, the magic is about to happen.

   

     Cook on low with the lid on for 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. At the last hour, stir in the water. The will give them the crunchy coating. After adding the water, continue to cook for an hour still stirring every 20 minutes.

     Get ready, here comes the yumminess!

   

     Dump them out of the crockpot onto a baking sheet to cool, separating any of the almonds that might have stuck together. 

     Now it's time to be creative. I chose clear, cone shaped Cello bags I found at Hobby Lobby. Fill each bag with the sugar almonds and add a festive ribbon to top it off...voila! Adorable gifts to spread the holiday cheer.

     Complete Recipe:

                          1 1/2C. Sugar

                          1 1/2C. Brown Sugar

                          3 Tbsp. Cinnamon

                          1/8 tsp. Salt

                          1 egg white

                          2 tsp. vanilla

                          3C. Almonds

                          1/4C. water

     In a medium sized bowl, mix together sugars, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside. In another medium sized bowl, whisk the egg and vanilla until a little frothy. Add almonds. Make sure almonds are thoroughly coated in the egg white mixture. Add almonds to the cinnamon mixture and toss until coated. 

     Spray crock pot with non-stick spray and add the mixture of almonds and sugar.

     Cook on low 3-4 hours stirring every 20 minutes. In the last hour, add the water and stir well. Make sure to continue stirring every 20 minutes for another hour after the water is added.

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The Mischievous Elf on the Shelf

    The Elf on the Shelf tradition is based on a children's book written by Carol Aebersold and Chandra Bell to explain how Santa knows who's naughty and nice. 

    The story describes how "scout elves" hide in people's homes and watch over the daily events. When the family has gone to bed, the scout elf flies back to the North Pole to report to Santa the activities, good and bad, that have taken place throughout the day. Before the family wakes each morning, the scout elf flies back from the North Pole and hides. By hiding in a new spot each morning, the scout elf plays an ongoing game of hide and seek.

    Scout elves get their magic by being named and loved by a child. There's only one rule you must follow and that is not to touch the elf as the magic will disappear and Santa won't hear all that was seen. Although it can't be touched, they may speak to the scout elf and tell all of their Christmas wishes so that the elf can report back to Santa accurately. 
    Since the elf moves daily from Thanksgiving until Christmas, parents have found some creative ways to make him hide. My long-time friend, Mandy Engelbrecht, has to be one of the most creative Elf on the Shelf masters I've ever seen. Her pictures of their mischievous elf named Chippy are featured in this blog. Even after a long day of "momming" where I'm sure she would just like to go to bed, she always comes up with a fun way for her kids to wake up and find Chippy waiting. What an awesome tradition her kids will remember always!

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Favorite Holiday Traditions

What is your favorite holiday tradition? The one that I love most is designing and planning my annual family photo Christmas card. Now that my family is grown I include my kids, grandkids and even my granddogs. This is something I've done for over 40 years. I look back in awe as I see the way everyone has changed over the years. 

I'm not really sure how I got anything done before Pinterest but it is definitely my go-to for any and all ideas in every aspect of my life. The possibilities are endless! Whether you want to include your entire family, just the kids or even your furbaby, follow my Christmas Card board to find your own inspiration. Now is the time to start planning the perfect holiday greeting!
The first known personalized Christmas card was sent in 1891 by Annie Oakley, the famous American sharpshooter and star of Buffalo Bill's Wild West show. She was in Glasgow, Scotland at Christmas time that year and sent cards back to her friends and family in the states featuring a photo of her on it. 
As you can see in the photo, honoring her time in Scotland, she's wearing a tartan (a pattern consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands). Annie reportedly designed the cards herself and had them printed by a local printer. We found this great story at whychristmas.com.
Stay tuned...each week we'll be blogging on all of the wonderful and unique traditions during this magical holiday season.

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The History of Salt Dough Ornaments

The art of the salt dough making is an ancient one, dating back to Egyptian times. In Europe, mainly Germany, this craft became very popular. The art was used widely in home decoration, especially at festive times, much like today.

When immigrants started moving to the United States from Germany, a common place they located to was Pennsylvania. They were known as the Pennsylvania Dutch and created ornaments out of salt dough, wood, glass, fabric, metal and many other materials.

In the late 1970's personalized salt dough ornaments became sought after across the country. 1981 was the year I started my venture making salt dough ornaments but at this time the ornaments had a more primitive look. Here are a few of my first creations. Quite different, right?!

In the beginning, I sealed the ornaments with polyurethane which eventually yellowed over time. Later in the 80's I switched to an epoxy finish. It is a hardener and resin mixed together and gives them a clear, high gloss shine and discoloration is minimal.

Over the years products and methods have greatly improved turning this craft into beautiful pieces of art. We are constantly developing new, modern designs to keep up with the trending times. 

I've included the recipe for the dough so you too can try your hand at making your very own ornaments to treasure!

Salt Dough Recipe:

1C. Flour
1/4C. Salt
1/2C. Warm Water

Instructions:

1. Add salt and flour to bowl, gradually add warm water.
2. Mix together until dough forms. If it is sticky, roll in some loose flour and kneed.
3. Roll onto cutting board and use cookie cutters to form desired shapes.
4. Bake at 220 degree for 5 hours or until hard.
5. Paint and decorate with acrylic paints and glitter.
6 Spray with a clear sealer to protect.

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Ornaments in the Carribean

I recently visited the island of Curacao on vacation. It is a Dutch colony with unique and unusual culture. The water was turquoise and the sun was warm! On one of our island adventures we went into Willemstad to do a little shopping. The buildings of old architecture are beautiful. They were painted in vibrant colors...blue, turquoise, green, yellow and orange...amazing! They have a wonderful shopping district. 

We went into two stores and I was shocked to find many of my ornaments! It was so surprising but really neat. Always remember a personalized ornament is the perfect way to have a memory of your vacation or each life event. Check us out online at ornamentsforkeeps.com to see the entire line.

As I return and settle back into the cold, I will start designing and making our new collection of bread dough ornaments for Christmas 2018. We will keep you updated! Happy February!

Christmas is only 315 days away!

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