Holiday Chocolate Truffle Delight

Michelle brings us a wonderful recipe for those hard to please men in our lives and my guess the women too ~ because who doesn't LOVE chocolate! This is one delightfully sweet treat you will have to hide a little away to enjoy over the holidays for yourself! WOW I have always wanted to know how to make these thanks Michelle for sharing this fantastic recipe with all of us I can't wait to try it!



BY: Michelle of Creative Critters
My studio is called CreativeCritters and all my work is carefully hand crafted. I make polymer clay sculptures, mixed media jewelry, adorable hand-sewn cloth dolls, knit stuffed toys, polymer clay pen sets, and World of Warcraft plush characters, among other things. Each piece is individually handcrafted, and each is unique.

~*~
"I finally found something that my father in law just loves, and he's a VERY picky man, especially when it comes to food. One year I decided to try my hand at making homemade truffles. Dad absolutely loved them, and I've had to make him his own special box every Christmas since then. He even hides his box when he gets home (Mom told me this)! So if you've got a hard to please father in law, try this recipe out on him!"


Chocolate Truffles
Makes 35-45 truffles

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Ingredients:
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20 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
1 cup heavy cream

1) Make the filling
Place 8 oz. of chocolate chips and the butter in a large bowl. In a small saucepan over low heat, bring the cream to a simmer. Remove from heat and pour half the cream into the bowl. As the chocolate melts, slowly whisk the mixture together until smooth. Then gradually add the remaining cream until it's completely incorporated and the ganache is thick and shiny.

2)Form the truffles
Pour the ganache into a 2" deep baking pan, spread evenly and place in the freezer for 30 minutes or until set (it should have the consistency of fudge). Using a melon baller or small spoon, form rounds and place them on a baking sheet lined with waxed paper. Let the truffles harden in the freezer for about 15 minutes. After removing from the freezer, roll truffles between your hands into marble sized spheres, squeezing slightly (try to do this quickly or they'll become too soft). Now you can dust them with powdered sugar or cocoa, which is Dad's favorite way to have them. You can also coat them with chocolate, which Mom and my brother in law prefer.

3) Make the chocolate coating
Let the truffles rest in the freezer while you make the chocolate glaze. Place the remaining chocolate pieces in a large bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and stir occasionally until the chocolate is completely melted. Remove from heat and let cool at room temp., stirring occasionally until the chocolate starts to set at the edge of the bowl. Drop the truffles into the melted chocolate and retrieve them with a fork, allowing any excess chocolate to drip off. You can leave them with a plain chocolate coating or dust them with cocoa, powdered sugar, or nuts.

Truffles will keep for about 2 weeks chilled or at room temp when stored in an airtight container
(although Dad's never last that long!).

Make a Spicy Orange Pomander

The pomander clove-studded citrus fruit is a traditional Christmas ornament and New Year’s gift. As early as the 17th and 18th century the decorated orange stuck with cloves was often mentioned as a Christmas or New Year’s custom. The Victorians hung pomanders in their closets to ward off moths. Every Thanksgiving I make the spicy orange pomanders and come Christmas time they are dried and ready to be put out in a large festive bowl for my family and friends to take home as a thoughtful handcrafted gift and the rich spicy fragrance will last for years! I thought you might enjoy making your own special pomanders this year and because they are so simple to make it's also a nice project to do with your children or a great activity for children to make in supervised groups too.

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Traditional Spicy Orange Pomanders
Makes 6 pomanders


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Materials
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6 oranges
(select firm, unblemished ones)
or lemons or limes may be used instead

1/2 - cup ground cinnamon

1/4 - cup ground cloves

1 - tablespoon ground allspice

1 - tablespoon ground nutmeg

1 - tablespoon ground coriander

2 - tablespoons ground orris root
(this, along with the spices act as a preservative)

1/4 to 1/2 - cup whole large head cloves

A toothpick, wooden skewer or large needle to make the holes

Large heavy brown paper (grocery type) bag

Ribbon for hanging pomanders

*Alternative to using orris root - 8 drops sandalwood oil (a natural preservative).
In traditional pomanders, Orris root is used to act as a preservative and scent enhancer. Orris root is from the Iris bulb that has been dried and ground to a fine powder. Some people have shown allergic reactions to Orris root. You can use sandalwood oil as an alternative preserver.

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Instructions:
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Use your toothpick, wooden skewer or large needle to poke holes into the orange, about 1/8 inch apart, and then push a clove into each hole. A traditional pomander covers the entire orange with cloves, but you can make fun patterns or even ones with monograms on them, be sure to draw your pattern on the orange before you begin. When covering the entire orange I have found it is easiest to work on one small area at a time and continue until the orange is completely covered.

**Mix all of the ground spices and orris root (or sandalwood oil) thoroughly in your large heavy brown paper (grocery type) bag and roll your clove-studded oranges in it, filling the spaces between the cloves as much as possible. Leave your pomanders in the bag with the top open in a warm, dry room and turn daily during the drying process, around 3 to 4 weeks, until the skin becomes hard. As the orange begins to dry their natural scent will blend with the scent of the cloves, nutmeg, allspice, and cinnamon resulting in a wonderful orange spice fragrance! You will know when they are ready, your pomanders will have shrunk a bit and will be dry and hard. Shake off excess spice powder (any excess can be saved and used again).

**OR another method I have read recently, if you would like to try drying your pomanders without the spices, is to simply place your finished clove studded orange pomanders on newspaper in a warm, dry, well-ventilated location and turn them daily until dried. I have never tried this method myself and I think I will give it a try this year with a few pomanders to see.

Tie around the pomander with a ribbon if desired and hang in wardrobes, cupboards, Christmas tree or display in a bowl. I give them as gifts at Christmas time but you can savor the wonderful spicy fragrance filling your house over the Christmas holiday and give them as a traditional New Years Eve gift!

A pomander's scent usually lasts for several years but they can be refreshed by dipping the pomander in warm water, then rolling it in fresh spices mixed with a drop or two of cinnamon or clove oil . Leave the pomander in the mixture for a few days then use as before.

Mini Chip Snowball Cookies

Remember when your mom was baking up a holiday storm and the whole house smelled heavenly with the scent of homemade cookies? Nothing says the holidays are here better then batches of wonderful homemade cookies to share with your family and friends! While we might not have the time to do a ton of holiday baking like mom used to do this is a great easy to make recipe that will add a new cookie delight to your holidays everyone will love including you! These might just become a favorite family holiday tradition at your home!

BY: Katy of Jewel Fire Designs
A studio filled with jewelry designs from Elegant to Bold and everything in between.
I have been making jewelry and lampwork beads for 20 years and just love bling. Helping women feel good about themselves and giving them something to treasure is my goal.

"I always make a ton of these over the holidays as they go fast!"

Mini Chip Snowball Cookies

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Ingredients:
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1 1/2 cups (3 sticks) butter or margarine, softened

• 3/4 cup powdered sugar


• 1 tablespoon vanilla extract


• 1/2 teaspoon salt


• 3 cups all-purpose flour


• 2 cups (12-oz. pkg.) Mini Chocolate Chips


• 1/2 cup finely chopped nuts


• Powdered sugar
  

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Cooking Directions:
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PREHEAT oven to 375° F.

BEAT butter, sugar, vanilla extract and salt in large mixer bowl until creamy. Gradually beat in flour; stir in morsels and nuts. Shape level tablespoons of dough into 1 1/4-inch balls. Place on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE for 10 to 12 minutes or until cookies are set and lightly browned. Remove from oven. Sift powdered sugar over hot cookies on baking sheets. Cool on baking sheets for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely. Sprinkle with additional powdered sugar, if desired.
Store in airtight containers.

Turkey Craft with the Kids!

Looking for a cute craft idea that you can do with the kids and will be a wonderful centerpiece on your Thanksgiving day table too? Well this great turkey is a little holiday fun for everyone! A wonderful and unique handmade holiday decoration that will give you and your children a lot of joy to create together and your kids will feel so proud to have their handiwork displayed for all your holiday guest to enjoy!

BY: Natasha of Capricious Adornments
Unique Gifts & Capricious Adornments
Gemstone, Bead, Enamel and Chain Jewelry
I try to reflect a fun, whimsical and unpredictably spirited theme in my designs! I appreciate the many roles and hats that we, as women, wear during our routine lives.


Turkey Centerpiece
Made from a disposable glove, popcorn, feathers, some googly eyes and a large apple - this turkey centerpiece will get chuckles from your Thanksgiving guests.

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You need
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* Disposable Glove
* Glue
* Scissors
* Yellow / Orange / Red Tissue Paper
* Large Apple or Small Pumpkin (as a base)
* Rubber Band
* Wooden Skewer Stick
* Red felt or construction paper for waddle (the red thing on the neck)
* Black construction paper for a hat
* Brown Construction paper for a beak

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Instructions
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Stuff a disposable glove with popcorn, you can pop your own or buy it ready made. Can't tell you how much because it's always eaten during the crafting process :)

Use a rubber band to tightly close up the bottom.

Poke a hole in the glove and push the skewer into the hole.

Rip up pieces of tissue paper and glue feather like strips or balls onto all sides of the fingers and palm of the stuffed glove.

Glue on some googly eyes, which you can find in any craft store. Cut out and glue on a waddle, hat and beak.

You have a gorgeous Turkey Centerpiece!

Happy Crafting!

Easy Make Ahead Cranberry Sauce

I know making cranberry sauce from scratch can sound a bit intimidating (especially when you could just open a can like I used to lol!) but here is a great little recipe that is very easy to make, using just a few key ingredients, and it is also a real Thanksgiving day dinner time saver too! It only takes minutes to create this fabulous fall holiday dish and it tastes best after sitting in the refrigerator for a day or two allowing the flavors to develop and meld so you can make it well ahead of time saving you precious Thanksgiving day cooking and preparation time. Plus this is seriously delicious!

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Ingredients:
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2 cups orange juice

2 - 12 oz bags fresh cranberries

1/2 tsp. ground ginger

2 cups granulated sugar

Zest of 2 oranges

1 cup chopped walnuts

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You can also jazz this up a bit if you like and add your own favorites
in addition to the ingredients listed here. I also like to add chopped pears and currants to mine too.

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Cooking Directions:
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Make sure to wash your cranberries well in a colander or strainer
removing any stems or bad berries and allow them to dry.

Add the orange juice, cranberries and ginger to a nice sized pot. Bring mixture to a slow rolling simmer stirring often just until cranberries pop and become tender ~ about 10 minutes.

Turn off heat.

Add sugar, orange zest, walnuts (and your own favorites) stirring mixture to combine and keep stirring until sugar is completely dissolved. Tip: Adding the sugar after the cranberries have already popped keeps the cranberry skins from getting tough! Once all of your ingredients are thoroughly combined allow the (now scrumptious) cranberry sauce to cool completely in the pan and pour into your casserole/serving dish.

Refrigerate for a day or two and enjoy!

Setting A Formal Thanksgiving Table

Sometimes it is so nice to have a formal setting when it comes to Thanksgiving entertaining, it makes the holiday meal even more special and the food presented will look fantastic. I thought I would share a few tips for setting a formal table ~ it's not as difficult as it looks!

Centerpiece
The first thing you should think about is your centerpiece, it can often set the mood so choose carefully! Keep the centerpiece natural and uncomplicated, avoid too many tall elements that could block sight lines across the table. Centerpieces can be anything from floral arrangements to a beautiful bowl filled with fruits and vegetables of the season.

Tablecloth or Placemats
If you have a beautiful table, consider using placemats instead of a tablecloth. Mats can be plain or patterned to suit your decor as long as they are not to busy and they are heatproof. If your table surface needs to be protected or is already damaged, use a tablecloth. A light color, white, tablecloth is traditionally more formal, make sure it is ironed and add a darker color runner. Nothing brings subtle sophistication to your table like a beautiful runner. The cloth should be big enough to drape at least 6 inches over each side of the table and the runner should be the same length or shorter than the tablecloth.

Place Settings
Dinner plates to the center and if you are having a soup course, place the soup dish on top of the dinner plate, side plate goes to the left of the place setting.

The general rule for silverware is you put the ones you will use first on the outside of each setting, and you work your way in.

To the right of each plate, first place the dinner knife with the blade facing the plate. On its right, place the teaspoon, and further to the right place the soup spoon. Optionally a dessert spoon may be placed horizontally above the plate, pointing to the left.

On the left, place the dessert fork nearest the plate (if there is to be one), then the dinner fork and finally, the salad fork to the left of that. The bottoms of each piece of silverware should line up with the bottom of the dinner plate.

* If your table is small, or you have a lot of guest, to keep the table from becoming too crowded you can bring out specialty utensils, like shellfish forks, with the course. The same with forks or spoons for dessert.

The bread and butter plate is placed directly above the forks, with a butter spreader placed horizontally across the top of the plate, with the tip pointing to the left.

Above the plate and slightly to the right you place the water glass, with a red wine glass to the right of that and a white wine glass to the right of all.

The Napkins
Napkins traditionally are folded and placed to the left of the forks. If you are using a fancy fold or napkin rings, place the napkin on top of the dinner plate (or on the soup bowl if one is seated on the dinner plate).

Place Cards
Using place cards avoids awkward moments when guests seat themselves and wards off potential problems. The place card is placed directly above the dinner plate AND to help you get started on your fabulous handmade thanksgiving meal I have made up two place cards, one for men one for women, that you can use! Save them to your computer, print out on heaver type paper or card stock and add the names!






Once you have added the names to your cards fold them in half so they stand up nicely for your guest to see!



One last thing... The kids table.
Setting up a separate table for the kids is a tradition worth upholding and you can make it a fun table for them. Get your own children involved with decorating the kids table, they will love helping and being an active part of all of the holiday excitement. It will be a fun project for them picking out a fun tablecloth, bright plastic plates and cups, placemats they can color on or some coloring books and crayons and if they are old enough setting it all up for you too!