DECK THE HOLIDAY'S

   This comes fro www.sawdustandpaperscraps.com .  These are really cool and could be used all year round with different types of papers and card stock. 3D Star Ornament Tutorial Last year was Madison’s last year in elementary school and my last year as room mom. {Sniffle, they grow up so fast!} I wanted to come up with an ornament craft that was different and unique and could be beautiful, fun, funky…whatever, depending on the combination of cardstock the kids chose. I bought a book of thick patterned cardstock from Hobby Lobby when it was on sale for 1/2 off and split it with my friend who was room mom in another class {at another school}so this craft cost $5 for my whole class {about $.25 per child}. How to: 1. Cut out 6 identical stars. {I cut a quite a few in different papers to give myself options when I started glueing it all together.} {I used the die cut machine at the school as I had to cut out about 140 stars. You could use “clip ...

   Loaded with the nutty crunch of walnuts and pecans, these irresistible cookies are crisp on the outside, and brownie-rich on the inside. The secret is stirring the dough just long enough to moisten the dry ingredients. Ingredients 6 (1-ounce) semisweet chocolate squares, chopped 2 (1-ounce) unsweetened chocolate squares, chopped 1/3 cup butter 3 large eggs 1 cup sugar 1/4 cup all-purpose flour 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1/8 teaspoon salt $ Click to see savings 2 cups (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate morsels 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans 2 cups coarsely chopped walnuts Preparation Combine first 3 ingredients in a heavy saucepan; cook, stirring often, over low heat until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; cool slightly. Beat eggs and sugar at medium speed with an electric mixer until smooth; add chocolate mixture, beating well. Combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to chocolate mixture, ...

   As well as the influence of the Venetian and Austrian civilian carnivals the six century-old carnival tradition of this area is the foundation on which the renewed Rijeka Carnival began to create its characteristic identity back in 1982. Starting with only three domestic carnival groups and around hundred participants it has turned into an international event which today, only during the International Carnival Parade, counts over ten thousand participants from around ten world countries.    The large number of participants and observers in 1995 ensured full membership of the Federation of European Carnival Cities for the Rijeka Carnival and selected it amongst the most important in Europe. The Rijeka Carnival is part of Croatian cultural heritage, the city of Rijeka, Primorsko-goranska County and the Republic of Croatia’s strong tourist trump both within the country and abroad, it is a favourite entertainment and sporting event for citizens of all generati...

1. The First Tree    The first tree debuted at Rockefeller Center on Christmas Eve, 1931. The tree, erected by construction workers eager to receive a day’s pay in the depths of the Depression, stood only 20 ft. tall — a quarter of the size of this year’s holiday specimen.   Here's a look at some of the 79-year-old tradition’s most historic moments: 2. The $1.5 Million Star     In 1931, tin cans and scrap paper were used to adorn the tree — appropriate decorations for Depression-era America. Then came garlands and glass. Colored lights and ornaments in the shape of dogs and sailboats made their appearance in 1934. A 4-ft. plastic star, a white spray-painted tree and 10-ft.-long aluminum icicles were staples of the 1950s. The 1990s took it up a notch with a gold-leaf star. But that was nothing compared to the 550-lb. Swarovski star unveiled in 2009. Created specifically for the tree and standing 10 ft. tall, the estimated $1.5 million...

   The Patras Carnival , Patrino karnavali is the largest event of its kind in Greece and one of the biggest in Europe. It has more than 160 years of history. The events begin on 17th of January and last up to Clean Monday. The carnival of Patras is not a single event but a variety of events that includes balls, parades, hunting of hidden treasure, kids’ carnival etc. Its apogee is in the last weekend of Carnival with the Saturday evening parade of carnival groups, the extravagant Sunday parade of floats and groups, and finally the ritual burning of king carnival at the St. Nikolaos Street wharf in the harbour of Patras. Its characteristics are spontaneity, improvisation, inspiration and volunteerism. History    Most people agree that starting event of the Patras Carnival was a ball given in the residence of the merchant Moretis in 1829. However the carnival, as most carnival events in the Mediterranean and the Balkans, is connected with ancient pagan rit...

   Get in on the fun of the King Cake. Hide a little toy baby in the cake and whoever finds it has one year of good luck! Prep: 40 min. + rising Bake: 25 min. + cooling Yield: 12 Servings Ingredients 40 25 65              Ingredients 2 packages (1/4 ounce each ) active dry yeast 1/2 cup warm water (110° to 115°) 3/4 cup sugar, divided 1/2 cup butter, softened 1/2 cup warm 2% milk (110° to 115°) 2 egg yolks 1-1/4 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoon grated lemon peel 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg 3-1/4 to 3-3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon 1 egg, beaten GLAZE: 1-1/2 cups confectioners' sugar 2 teaspoons lemon juice 2 to 3 tablespoons water Green, purple and yellow sugars Directions In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add 1/2 cup sugar, butter, milk, egg yolks, salt, lemon peel, nutmeg an...

   This diy comes from www.mykitchenaddiction.com .  If you're a baker, you will probably use alot of  royal icing to decorate your cookies, cupcakes and misc. other sweet treats.  Nothing is worse than not having the right consistency of your icing while in the middle of decorating a couple dozen cookies (let alone ruin a tasty cookie with a subpar icing).  Good luck! Stress Free Royal Icing Last week, as I was decorating cookies for Halloween, I was reminded of the fact that I’ve been meaning to share my tips for making royal icing with no stress. After all, everyone wants to decorate beautiful cookies during the holiday season, but no one wants to fight with the royal icing. Between shopping for gifts, decorating the house, and lots of friends and family dropping in, there’s enough stress already! This is one of those blog posts that has been writing itself in the back of my mind for quite a while. Almost every time I post about cookies that I ...