Holiday Wanderings

December 21, 2012December 21, 2012 ~ Angela ~ Leave a comment

I’ve been doing quite a bit of Christmas-y stuff the past week. First, I put together gift tins full of goodies for my coworkers. I made chocolate covered Oreos (Double Stuff, of course), cute little candy cane striped cups full of Christmas gummies, personalized stocking cookies, and a treat I found on Pinterest – Cinnamon Sugar White Chocolate Pretzels (or what I now refer to as Christmas Crack – it’s THAT good)!

Cute Christmas tin I got at the dollar store!

I also went with a bunch of friends to see the Holiday Pops show. Before the concert we had lunch at Max Brenner, where I had this lovely concoction:

This wasn’t the first time I got to have this drink, called Satisfaction Guaranteed, and it was every bit as good as I remembered!

After lunch we headed over to the Kimmel Center to see Peter Nero and the Philly Pops!

Love the architecture at the Kimmel Center!

Once the show was over, we wandered around the city quite a bit. We went to Love Park to check out the Christmas Village and the tree at City Hall (which was not actually at City Hall this year due to some construction mess).

All the walking made us hungry again and we ended up a my favorite restaurant, Jones, where I had some excellent baked mac and cheese.

The next night I baked cookies with this candy cane sugar cookie dough made by Pillsbury. I found it with the refrigerated doughs. I dipped some of the cookies in melted dark chocolate, and drizzled the chocolate on others. I also made some chocolate covered marshmallows and put it all together on a tray to take to work.

The cookies were really good, so I went looking for another package of the dough at the grocery store this morning but couldn’t find any. 😦 Bah humbug!

Last but not least, I headed over to Christmas Madness Central with my brother to take some pictures.

I could hear their electric meters whirring from across the street, and I swear as you round the corner onto the street where these two houses are the air actually feels warmer. I wonder if they can been seen from outer space…

So there’s a sample of what’s been keeping me busy the past few days! Since the world didn’t end this morning I’ll probably be baking some more cookies today! Hope everyone is enjoying all the fun this time of year has to offer!

It’s a Major Award!

December 17, 2012December 17, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 12 Comments

One of my favorite Christmas movies (who am I kidding – they are ALL my favorite!) is A Christmas Story. Every Christmas day, the 24 hour marathon is on all day in my house and I never get tired of hearing “Bumpuses! Sons of bitches!” So last year when I came across a leg lamp cookie cutter online, I knew I had to have it! Fra-gee-lay!

Last year’s cookie was kind of sloppy looking if you ask me.

I was just starting out with the cookie decorating, so it was understandable. I had had a very bad experience making my own black royal icing so I used stuff from a tube, which was kind of gloppy and didn’t dry with the nice smooth finish of royal. In addition, I just didn’t have the steady hand that I have developed over the last year, so everything was kind of wobbly. More like the glued together version of the leg lamp after it was “accidentally” broken!

Nonetheless, someone liked them enough to order a dozen from me this Christmas! (Thanks Nicki!) Since she is going to be giving them to coworkers as gifts, I wanted to make sure they looked REALLY good.

I have solved the black icing issue, thanks to Americolor Super Black and learning that I should try starting out by tinting the icing brown first and THEN adding the black. I decided to outline the whole cookie in black first.

After that, I filled in the sections.

I let this dry overnight before adding the fringe and the fishnet stocking detail. For the fringe I used royal icing, but for the fishnet I went with a food safe, fine tip black marker. I think the result is a big improvement over my first attempt!

Like I said, I wanted to go above and beyond with this order and I knew the finishing touch I needed to do just that. My friend over at Scrapsecrets makes the nicest greeting cards, gift card holders, gift tags, etc., so I emailed her and asked if she would be able to make some tags for me to use when I wrapped up the cookies. I wanted a tag that looked like wood grain, with the word “FRAGILE” stamped on it. Michele was just as excited as I was for the chance to do a little blog collaboration and of course, she delivered an amazing product!

The tags were EXACTLY what I had pictured in my head! They came with a hole already punched for the ribbon, and I found some red ribbon in the $1 bin at A.C. Moore to use to attach the tags to the cookie bags.

I just love it when an idea comes together, and I want to thank Michele at Scrapsecrets for making the “FRAGILE” tags for me! They were the perfect finishing touch that took the leg lamp from cute cookie, to awesome gift! If you need a cute custom card, or perhaps some cookie tags don’t hesitate to check out her Etsy shop – she’s happy to do custom orders like mine!

If you are interested in making your own leg lamp cookies, you can buy the cookie cutter here. If you are making these, be sure to add a healthy dusting of flour to your rolled out cookie dough before using the cutter to prevent the dough from getting all stuck in it. I seem to recall digging dough out of the cutter with a butter knife the first time I tried to make these.

Lastly, I want to use this post as a little pep talk for any of you out there who may be starting out making your own decorated sugar cookies. If your first few attempts don’t exactly come out the way you are hoping – you WILL get better with practice! Just look at my last year’s cookie compared to the one I made this year. I’d say my improvement is worthy of a major award!

Not Quite The Night Before Christmas

December 12, 2012December 12, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Just two weeks before Christmas, and all through my blog

No cocktail has been shaken, not even some nog!

The Miracle of Egg Nog and Baileys (Photo credit: matthewhooper)

My mixer sits there all alone and forgotten;

The eggs in my fridge are probably rotten.

My sifter lies nestled so snug in its drawer;

I need to bake cupcakes so I can post more!

My presence on WordPress has been rather lacking.

There’s just so much to do – I need to get cracking!

Time has passed quickly since the first of December –

I have so much to do that it’s hard to remember!

I have plans for cupcakes in holiday flavors,

And goodies that hopefully my friends will savor.

But I still have shopping and wrapping to do,

And if it stops raining I need to put up my lights, too! (Seriously Mother Nature – I thought it was supposed to be 60 and sunny on Saturday?!)

christmas cookies (Photo credit: Sabina Panayotova)

After that there’s an order of cookies to bake;

Maybe then I’ll come up with a cocktail to make.

Until I return with new photos to share,

I wrote you this poem so my blog is not bare!

Hope everyone is enjoying the holiday season! I’ll be back soon – I promise!

The stress really got to Santa this year, so d... — The stress really got to Santa this year, so did the tequila. (Photo credit: formerperson)

Thanks…For Nothing

November 20, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

A bunch of friends on Facebook have been posting one thing every day this month that they are thankful for. I have decided to go the opposite route, and take a moment to send a little “thanks for nothing” to those who have pissed me off over the past few days.

1. T-Mobile: Thank you SO much for porting my phone number BEFORE my phone arrived so that, for the past two days, I had no cell service of any kind. And a double thanks for informing me, when I called and spoke with your snotty support twit, that yes, you would be charging me for those two days even though I was NOT receiving service from you. Way to impress a brand new customer, douchebags.

2. Asshat at the grocery store: It was so kind of you to prevent me from backing out of my parking spot (after I had to fight through the throngs of ignorant morons INSIDE the store just so I could get some lettuce and cans of beans) by sticking your cart directly behind my vehicle while you loaded your bags into the trunk of your ridiculously stupid, giant SUV. You rock.

3. Handful of NHL players: It was so cool that you decided to put together a game in Atlantic City to benefit Sandy relief organizations, and even cooler that you scheduled it for one of the ONLY DAYS ALL YEAR that I actually have plans. Every other weekend I sit around on my ass doing nothing, but not the day you are holding the game. Potentially the only hockey game I could have seen this season and I can’t go. BOO! (But still YAY for the cause!)

Oh, and another BOO for this stupid ass NHL lockout. While you are busy fighting over your hundreds of thousands of dollars, there are people who work for minimum wage in your arenas that are OUT OF WORK because of you! Get over yourselves, all of you!

4. This last one requires a bit of back story… A little over a year ago, a woman ON A BICYCLE crashed into my car which was parked on the street (something I rarely ever do). She took off my power mirror, and dented and scratched the front end of my car. Apparently my neighbor across the street saw what happened, and made sure she came up to the house to tell me what she did. My boyfriend answered the door, and when she said she had hit my car and was going home to get her insurance info (homeowners I guess?) he believed her. Had we known that the only reason she came up in the first place was that she had been nabbed trying to just take off by the guy across the street we would have just called the cops. Anyway, of course she did not come back, and we had not taken any info from her.

So last week my boyfriend is out front and the lady drives up and says, “Oh, I see you got the car fixed. How much did it cost so I can pay you?” Mind you, over a YEAR has gone by at this point. So he tells her the cost to replace the mirror (I still have the lovely marks from her bike handle bar) and she says, “I don’t have a job, I can’t pay you,” gives her address, and drives off in her BRAND NEW Toyota Corolla.

So I want to thank her for a). drunk biking or whatever the hell she was doing when she crashed my car, b). saying she would return that day to take care of things and then disappearing and c.) randomly showing up a year later to rub in my face that she still hasn’t paid for the damage to my car, and apparently doesn’t have a job but has a much newer, nicer car than I do. Piss off.

OKAY, I feel a little better now. On to some things I am actually thankful for.

I would like to express my thanks to The Domestic Rebel for this blog post, in which she alerted me to the fact that such a thing as Hot Cocoa with Marshmallow 3 Musketeers bars exist in this mad world. I found them today, and they are awesome.

I might actually try her recipe in which she melted the candy bars down to make icing for cupcakes (hello, genius!), if I don’t eat the whole bag first.

Next, I would like to thank Pinnacle Vodka for making Pumpkin Pie flavored vodka. I have had so much fun making drinks with this stuff over the past month and today I might have outdone myself…

I loooove those mucho mudslides you get at Friday’s or Applebee’s, loaded up with ice cream and whipped cream and chocolate syrup. So after a twenty minute argument with customer “support” at T-Mobile, this was just the thing I needed to bring my happy back.

Pumpkin Mudslide
Ingredients
1 oz Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie
1 oz Kahlua
1 oz Baileys
2 scoops coffee flavored ice cream
ice
chocolate syrup and whipped cream for garnish
Directions
Blend liquors, ice cream and ice in blender. Drizzle chocolate syrup around the inside of a glass, pour in drink, and top with whipped cream.

Mmmmmmm….what was I annoyed about??? Oh, that’s right, not a damn thing! : )

Lastly I would like to say thanks to those of you who, whenever I manage to post something, take a few minutes out of your busy day to read what I have to say here in my blog. It’s been awesome so far getting to interact with all of you and I wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! (If you aren’t in the U.S., just have a happy Thursday!)

The Only Onesie

November 19, 2012November 19, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

This is the only type of onesie you will ever find in my house!!

Pumpkin Pie Vodka – The Saga Continues…

November 18, 2012September 13, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

I know that Target would like us all to think that Christmas is next weekend but in my world it’s still fall, and Thanksgiving hasn’t even happened yet! I’m still crunching through leaves, dreaming of turkey and stuffing, and mixing up drinks with my Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie vodka.

My bottle is almost empty so I went out to the liquor store today to replenish my supply. I went to the place where I got my first bottle and they didn’t have any! I’ll admit, I panicked a little – I still have quite a few drink ideas that I want to try! Luckily I found it at the next store I tried so I bought two bottles just to be on the safe side. Oh, and I bought a bottle of Pinnacle Marshmallow as well. Pumpkin, marshmallow…it works for Scentsy, it could work for a cocktail too!

I felt like a bit of an alcoholic marching up to the checkout line with three bottles of vodka and a case of beer (for the boyfriend) but all was forgotten after I handed over my debit card and realized I just spent $63 dollars on booze. It’s an investment?? Yeah, a blog expense. That’s what it is…

Today’s drink is super easy to make, and combines three fall flavors: pumpkin, cranberry and ginger. It’s the Cran-Pumpkin Pop!

Cran-Pumpkin Pop

One shot of Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie Vodka (or two!)
Splash of cranberry juice
Ginger ale

Pour the vodka and cranberry juice into a glass, then fill the glass with the ginger ale and some ice.

It’s a Shirley Temple for fall!!

Do you have any favorite fall cocktails? AND, does anyone else agree with me that Christmas commercials before Thanksgiving have replaced political ads as the most annoying thing on TV right now?

Mother Nature Mischief

October 30, 2012October 30, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 4 Comments

It’s been an interesting few days here in NJ. In case you missed it, the East Coast and other areas just got their asses kicked by Hurricane Sandy, aka “Frankenstorm”. I am VERY fortunate in that our basement didn’t flood, we did not lose power (just a few pieces of siding), and though my cable/internet was down most of the day it is up and running again.

I did spend a good deal of time worrying that my neighbor’s dead tree was going to come crashing through our roof, but it somehow stayed put. The worst part of the night last night came when my boyfriend entertained the thought of climbing out onto the roof – in the dark in, the middle of a hurricane with 70 mph wind gusts! – to try to tack down the siding that was coming loose. Thankfully, common sense prevailed.

In order to keep my mind off the threat of impending doom, I spent a good portion of the day yesterday decorating some Halloween cookies and drinking wine. Though trick or treating has been postponed in my neighborhood until Friday, Halloween is still tomorrow. We’ve had enough tricks, now for some treats!

I hope everyone has a safe and Happy Halloween (no matter what day you actually get to celebrate!) and my thoughts are with all of those affected by this devastating storm. It’s times like these when you really appreciate all that you have!

Peep-A-Boo

October 27, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

Eye See You!!!

Things are about to get a little hairy here on the East Coast, with the impending arrival of “Frankenstorm” (yes, that’s what the news people are calling it). Water, bread and milk are flying off the shelves along with batteries, flashlights, and generators. This begs the question – what happened to the generators everyone bought last year, before hurricane Irene?

Anywho, I have no desire to stock up on ingredients for french toast. I’m more concerned about having an adequate supply of booze and cupcakes. Too bad I don’t have any of these Peeps and Peepers Cupcakes leftover!

I had an order for some Halloween themed birthday cupcakes the other day. When I saw these chocolate eyeball candies in the store I knew they would make perfect creepy cupcake toppers. I also had a package of these cute pumpkin shaped Peeps that my mom gave me. In case you missed my Easter rantings, I LOVE Peeps and thankfully there is a Peep for every season.

These were just basic chocolate and vanilla cupcakes but as you can see, a little decoration can go a long way!

Well, guess I better start battening down some hatches or something. Or perhaps I will just have a glass of wine… : )

Halloweenie

October 24, 2012October 23, 2013 ~ Angela ~ 20 Comments

One of my favorite holidays is a week away and I have just one question…

When did Halloween become so lame?!

Trick-or-Treat was a serious event when I was a kid. My mom made a lot of costumes for me and my little brother.

Me, as Rainbow Brite. Yes, my mom MADE that!

Then, when I was too old for my mom to be making my costume for me, I made my own!

Lucky Charms! I was the blue diamond... — Lucky Charms! I was the blue diamond…

See those things in our hands?! PILLOWCASES! We filled them, at least twice! We didn’t run around with those crappy plastic pumpkins that hold ten pieces of candy.

If Halloween fell on a school day: 1. We got to have a Halloween parade. I’ve been hearing about all kinds of school districts in my area canceling these events because some asshat is offended. Give me a freaking break. What is offensive about playing dress-up and getting free candy?! And 2. We were out roaming the streets in droves as soon as school let out, and we didn’t come home until well after 8-9 o’clock. Now, no one shows up at my house until after dinner and the last kids usually arrive around 7. LAME! If Halloween was on the weekend, it was on like Donkey Kong.

We were allowed to wear masks (the creepier the better) and we didn’t have to have our parents lurking on the sidewalk as we went up to ring doorbells. We were running wild and free, and we had a ball!

These days, I have maybe a dozen kids come to my house to Trick-or-Treat, and half of them don’t even bother to put on costumes. They just ring my doorbell and then sullenly hold out a bag when I open the door. They don’t even yell “TRICK OR TREAT!” I’m often tempted to ask what the hell they are doing on my doorstep, but I’m afraid my house will be paint-balled if I do. So I give them their candy and send them on their way, all while mourning the loss of what used to be an AWESOME tradition.

So, to honor the good old days, I made some cupcakes with my favorite Halloween candy – Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups!

I used a boxed chocolate cake mix. I poured a little batter into the bottom of the cups, then added a peanut butter cup. I poured the remaining batter on top and baked per the box instructions. I made a chocolate buttercream, and topped the cupcakes with crushed Reese’s Pieces and a mini PB Cup. Total candy coma!

Doesn’t this make you want to stick a sheet over your head and go beg your neighbors for candy??? Bring (the real) Halloween Back!!!

The Great Pumpkin (Loaf)

October 23, 2012October 23, 2012 ~ Angela ~ 2 Comments

I’ve been feeling a bit like Charlie Brown lately; like I have gone out trick-or-treating and ended up with a bag full of rocks. When life hands you rocks, what do you do?

You make pumpkin cranberry bread!!

This is my FAVORITE bread to make. It is soooooooo good that I could eat a whole loaf all by myself. I would be sick afterward, but it’s worth it. It’s a good thing this recipe makes 2 loaves!

The recipe is from Libby’s and you can see the original here.

Ingredients

3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon plus 2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
3 cups granulated sugar
1 can (15 ounces) LIBBY’S® 100% Pure Pumpkin
4 large eggs
1 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup orange juice or water
1 cup sweetened dried, fresh or frozen cranberries

Directions

PREHEAT oven to 350° F. Grease and flour two 9 x 5-inch loaf pans.

COMBINE flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt in large bowl. Combine sugar, pumpkin, eggs, oil and juice in large mixer bowl; beat until just blended. Add pumpkin mixture to flour mixture; stir just until moistened. Fold in cranberries. Spoon batter into prepared loaf pans.

BAKE for 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.

Recipe makes two loaves.

OR, you can do what I did and make one big loaf, and then a bunch of mini ones. I only baked the minis for 30 minutes. If you put them in little cellophane bags and tie them with ribbons, these make perfect little gifts for the holidays!