Archive | December, 2011

Wordless Wednesday-Disneyland Holiday Treats

What’s cuter than a snowman? An edible snowman with Mickey Mouse ears!

holiday disneyland treats courtesy of Disneyland Media

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Cheesecake Pecan Pie From THE HELP Movie

This weekend I had the chance to sit down and watch a preview copy of the Blu-Ray/DVD of The Help which hits the stores today. I had wanted to see this in the theaters and just never had the chance. Rarely is a movie as good as  a book but I enjoyed them both in separate ways. The food featured in the movie reminds of me of the things my grandmother would make.

This is a perfect ‘chick flick’. Grab your girlfriends and bake up this perfect Cheesecake Pecan Pie for a viewing party!

CHEESECAKE PECAN PIE

Ingredients:
1 (15 oz.) pkg. refrigerated pie crusts
1 (8 oz.) pkg. cream cheese
4 large eggs, divided
¾  cup sugar, divided
2 tsp. vanilla, divided
¼  tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans
1 cup light corn syrup

Directions:

  1. Unfold and stack 2 piecrust together. Gently roll  or press together and fit into a 9 inch pie plate according to directions; fold edges under and crimp. Note: For a more homemade flavor, try Lee Ann’s Homemade Pie Crust recipe (below)
  2. Beat cream cheese, 1 egg, ½ cup sugar, 1 tsp. vanilla and salt at medium speed with a mixer until smooth.
  3. Pour into piecrust and sprinkle with pecans.
  4. Stir together corn syrup, 3 eggs, remaining 1/4 cup sugar and remaining 1 tsp. vanilla and pour mixture over pecans.
  5. Bake at 350 degrees for 50-55 minutes until set.

Homemade Pie Crust

Ingredients:
1 ¼ cups plain flour
¼ tsp. salt
1/3 cup shortening (butter flavor shortening is great, too)
4-5 tbsp. cold ice water

Directions:

  1. In a medium bowl, stir flour and salt together.
  2. Using a pastry blender, cut in shortening until pieces are pea-size.
  3. Sprinkle 1 tbsp. of water over part of the flour mixture; gently toss with a fork.
  4. Push moistened dough to the side of the bowl. Repeat using 1 tbsp. of water at a time, until all the flour mixture is moistened.
  5. Form dough into a ball; wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 1 hour.
  6. On a lightly floured surface, use your hands to slightly flatten dough. Roll dough from center to edges into a circle about 12 inches in diameter.
  7. To transfer pastry, wrap it around the rolling pin.
  8. Unroll pastry into a 9-inch pie plate. Ease pastry into pie plate without stretching it.
  9. Trim pastry to ½ inch beyond edge of pie plate. Fold under extra pastry. Crimp edges as desired.
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It’s Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

Christmas Decorating

It’s beginning to look a lot like Christmas at the Spilsbury house.  And, as usual, I have a method to keeping things organized  in order to make our season bright.

Christmas Decorating

The Family Christmas Tree

There’s nothing I enjoy more than homemade Christmas ornaments, and I have faithfully kept ours through the years as our collection has grown.  In fact, I still have homemade Christmas ornaments that my husband made when he was five-years old!

Santa Ornament

Mr. Spilsbury made this ornament when he was five-years old!

Keeping Christmas Memories

Each year our little-ones create new ornaments, either at school, home or church and we treasure them dearly.  In our family room I put up a smaller tree- about 4 feet- that I use as our “Family Christmas Tree” where we hang our homemade ornaments.  Each year as we string multi-color lights, the kids are so excited to bring out these special creations one by one, and reminisce of Christmas’ past.

Because this tree is in the same room where we spend most of our time, we can enjoy our homemade ornaments more.  Underneath this tree is where I keep Christmas books like Polar Express and The Night Before Christmas, which I only pull out during the holidays.  And remember all the little stuffed animals that sing Christmas carols that you don’t know where to put?  I keep those here as well and the kids love playing with them, along with a figurine set of Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer movie.

Christmas books image

Christmas books are kept in storage throughout the year until December

handmade Christmas Ornament

This ornament was made with Connor's handprint- priceless!

This smaller tree is where I keep all of our wrapped Christmas presents for guests who will not be with us Christmas Day, so they don’t get mixed up with our presents under the big tree.

And, because we have so many guests during the holidays and I never know when we will have kids over, I wrap about 10-12 extra gifts of pads & pens, mittens, books and other small toys to have on-hand for kids to choose from.

a variety of simple generic gifts are wrapped with no name to have on hand for guests

The FooFoo Tree

By having our Family Christmas Tree in the family room, this allows me to decorate our big Christmas tree in our living room any way I want- I call it my “designer” tree… my oldest daughter calls it my “foo-foo tree”.

(more photos of the FooFoo Tree to come- so stay tuned)

Don’t Forget The Playhouse

The Spilsbury Playhouse is not forgotten in our Christmas decorating.  In fact, “Casa Spilsbury Kids” is home to our annual Candy Cane Hot Chocolate party for the kids!

Cany Cane Hot Chocolate Christmas Party 2010

fireplace made from Costco box tutorial coming!

Candy Cane Hot Cocoa- Christmas Memories In The Making!

 

I hope your Christmas holiday is off to a great start this year!

 

I hope your Christmas Holiday is off to a great start!

Sincerely, Toni

 

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Manic Monday Giveaway from The Organized Cook!

Holiday Giveaway from The Organized Cook

The holiday season is in full swing at The Organized Cook and to celebrate we’re kicking off the week with another giveaway of Toni’s cookbook The Organized Cook- Busy Mom’s Remedy to Dinnertime Ruts and Runaway Grocery Bills.

Meal Planning Holiday Gift Subscription

Holiday Cookbook and Subscription Gift Set

Two lucky winners will receive a signed copy of The Organized Cook cookbook made out to whomever you designate, so this could be the perfect gift for your sister, daughter, co-worker or BFF.  And, we’re throwing in a free one-year’s subscription to The Organized Cook Weekly Meal Plan System for each winner!  See below for details on how to win:

 



 

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