I love to entertain and decorate for any occasion or holiday! Well, really, I don’t need a reason to decorate…I just love to do it. It is my therapy…my stress relief! Tablescapes are a great way to add a whole new look and style to any table; they beautify and enhance the room they are set in. They can be simple and homey or sophisticated and elegant. Your design style and personal preferences will determine the look and feel of your tablescape creation.

The inspiration to create a tablescape can come from a variety of spots: magazines, napkins or tablecloths, stores, pictures, a favorite memory, floral design stores, home décor stores or even as simple as a favorite candle holder or place mat. Look around your home for items of inspiration that you want to give center stage to. Try to incorporate some items you already have on hand. I am a big repurposer. I take accent elements from around the house and repurpose them to another shelve, counter, room or tablescape.

A tablescape is a collection of items put together on a table to create a cohesive design statement beyond the tradition centerpiece. Tablescapes may or may not include dishes. Often these are used in place of a center piece on a buffet table. You may create your center design for a buffet and after the event, just leave it up for a special meal where you would use your dishes.

Before you can begin your design, you have a few key design elements to consider; these design elements will greatly influence your end results: color, size of items, height of items, shape, texture and quantity of items on hand. Including a wide range of design elements will ensure a uniquely gorgeous tablescape that you can stand back and admire!

The #1 consideration, and the place to begin, is color. Decide what color or color combinations you would like to use and begin to look for those colors in items you already have around your house. Think about your color scheme, there are many to choose from. For example, you could choose to go monochromatic, meaning one color. With this tablescape, it is important to include a variety of varying textures and shapes. Be sure to include an accent color for the pop factor and visual appeal with the monochromatic color scheme. You can go to www.worqx.com/color/color_wheel.htm and learn more about color combinations if you are not comfortable matching colors.

Another one of my favorite things to do during the holidays is create theme Christmas trees. You follow the same design considerations as for tablescapes. With theme trees, another design element that adds a lot of flair and interest is feathers and ribbons. Start by deciding if you want a green tree, flocked tree, or the new tinsel trees. Again you need to consider a variety of texture elements. Add your lights and you are off to designing a theme tree. Enjoy and have fun this holiday season!!

I love, love, love all forms of Chex Mix…plus it’s super easy and quick to make! It’s a holiday staple to have a heaping bowl of it out for your family and guests to much on at all times. I hope you enjoy both versions I have here for you - I’m giving you my sweet & sinful version and my salty & savory Darn Good version!

Simplicity Gourmet’s “White Trash” Chex Mix

UTENSILS: 2 qt w/ 2 qt Double Boiler, 1 Large Mixing Bowl, 1 Trash Bag

INGREDIENTS:

CHEX MIX:1 Regular Box Honey Graham Cereal, ½ Box Rice Chex, ½ Box Corn Chex, 4 Cups Cherrios, ½ Bag of Pretzel Stix or Mini Pretzels, 1 ½ Cups of Christmas M & M’s, 2 Cups of Peanuts, 2 Cups of Pecans, 1 cup Golden Raisins (optional)

SAUCE:1 ½ sticks butter, 14 oz milk chocolate chips (1 & ¾ cup), 14 oz white chocolate chips (1 & ¾ cup), 14 oz peanut butter (1 & ¾ cup), 2 tsp. vanilla, 1 Large Bag of Confectioner’s Sugar

INSTRUCTIONS:
Place 2″ of water in the 2 qt and pop the double boiler insert into the pan. Add the butter, chocolate chips, peanut butter, and vanilla to the double boiler. Cover, whistle open and cook on medium heat. When the whistle sounds (will take longer than normal in the double boiler), uncover, and stir. Reduce the temperature to Medium Low and recover, whistle closed. Cook for 5-7 minutes and stir again. Keep uncovered and stir until all ingredients are melted together. Remove the double boiler from the 2 qt and set aside to cool for 7-10 minutes.

Meanwhile, in the large mixing bowl, mix all of the dry ingredients until well blended. When the sauce has cooled, stir, and pour over the top of the chex mix and mix well. Add the ingredients to the trash bag and pour in the bag of confectioner’s sugar. Shake the bag up until all the contents are well seasoned with confectioner’s sugar.

Serve and enjoy!

Simplicity Gourmet’s Darn Good Chex Mix

UTENSILS: Large Mixing Bowl, Large Cookie Sheet

INGREDIENTS: 1 Small Box Rice Chex, 1 Small Box Corn Chex, 1 Small Box Wheat Chex, 1 Bag of Pretzel Rods or Mini Pretzels, 1 Box of Regular Cheez Its, ½ Box of Cheddar Jack Cheez Its, ½ Box of White Cheddar Cheez Its, 2 Cups Sesame Stixs, 4 Cups of Mixed Nuts, ½ cup of Olive Oil, ¼ cup Worcestershire Sauce, 6-8 tsp Darn Good Seasoning (Available exclusively through Simplicity Gourmet - on sale for 2 for $5 plus tax and shipping - call me at 866-897-7676 to order!)

INSTRUCTIONS:

Mix all ingredients until well blended. Bake in batches at 350, stirring occasionally, until toasted through (about 15-20 minutes). Store in a jumbo air tight container to keep it fresh.

Well, ladies, as I was rushing around running Christmas errands…shopping, getting things decorated, getting things together for my family, etc…I found myself just going through the motions of Christmas. Not until I had a moment to sit down in front of my window in my living room and look outside did I realize that Christmas is and should be so much more than hustle and bustle.

I know it sounds like a cliché but I found myself like Cindy Lou Who from The Grinch trying to find out what Christmas Spirit is/was. I have felt it before but over time, it sometimes goes away. I thought about giving and being grateful. I thought about life and family. Then, I began to have this warm and delightful feeling come to my heart…my heart was full of gratitude, love, and compassion.

I am most fortunate for my family. Not until my Mom was diagnosed with breast cancer did I realize how quickly something could be taken away.  Now, she only has two more treatments and she will be done, YEAH!  Though the possibility was there that she could be taken from this life, I have found myself through this process. I have found how to be a better person, to treat others with respect, to serve others, to find happiness in life and to more importantly a way to love to love! I know it sounds crazy but I love to say “Love to Love.”

Don’t wait to realize there is one thing that has No Price, Can’t Be Taken From You, It Can Grow and Grow, and is it’s very nature to affect lives more than anything else: LOVE.  So, no matter what your status is in life, take the challenge of love to love.  It can and will change your life.  This, my dear friends is what Christmas Spirit is, a love to give and share. May this Christmas season bring you much Love and Happiness!

My special Tara’s Touch to help your busy holiday schedule is to share my favorite little goody to give the postman, trash man, teachers, neighbors etc.  That is Christmas Trail Mix; it is fast, good, and you will most definitely want to put this into your Christmas Goody Idea File! Enjoy!

May Your Days be Merry & Bright,

CHRISTMAS TRAIL MIX

INGREDIENTS/UTENSILS: 1 Gallon zip lock bag, 1 Large bag of Christmas M&M’s, 1 Large can of mixed nuts (or peanuts, your preference), 1 Large box of raisins

TO MAKE: Put all ingredients in the zip lock bag, seal it and shake it up. Now, this is very important, the key ingredient to making it with love, I like to sing the song: Shake, shake, shake senora, shake it all the time, shake, shake, shake senora, shake it all the time! I encourage you to sing - it’s good for the soul! Hehe!

TO DECORATE: Just put into a cute baggie & tie with a ribbon and put a gift tag! Ta-Dah!

I know we all love the quick and easy holiday favorites, but sometimes, Christmas just calls for a little extra effort to add those special touches that build traditions and memories for generations to come. Every year, my grandma gets Santa Claus cookies from an old-time favorite local baker. Each one is individually wrapped and is the treasure of our stocking stuffers. When we all see those cookies, our mouths start to water, and we just can’t wait to taste the sweet, buttery cookie that we all covet so very much - they really are the very best cookies ever!

This year, my grandma has moved in with my Aunt and Uncle and as it’s very far from our precious cookie baker, I’ve become disheartened at the thought of the absence of those cookies on Christmas morning! As this precious holiday wiggles its way closer down the calendar, I’ve begun to test and try my hand at those cookies and I think I’ve finally got it down! They’ve been such a special part of our family’s Christmas stocking stuffer tradition that I just can’t bear the thought of never tasting a Santa Cookie again and now I won’t have to!

I hope you take the time to make your family these special little treats this Christmas, and, who knows, you’ll probably start a Santa Cookie tradition of your own!

SANTA SUGAR COOKIES

UTENSILS: 2 Large Mixing Bowls, Electric Mixer, Rolling Pin, Plastic Wrap, Butter knife, 2 Large Cookie Sheets, Icing Decoration Kit (bag and tips)

INGREDIENTS:

COOKIES:1 ½ Cups Butter, 2 Cups White Sugar, 4 Eggs, 2 tsp All-Purpose Flour, 2 tsp Baking Powder, 1 tsp Salt

2/2/2/ ICING: (double for this recipe) 4 Cups Butter, Softened, 4 Cups Confectioner’s Sugar, 4 tsp Vanilla

DECORATION: Red food dye or Red Sugar Crystals, Mini Chocolate Chips, Red Hots, 1 Icing Bag, Scalloped Pipe Tip, Small Straight Writing Tip, and Mini-Marshmallows (optional)

INSTRUCTIONS:

**MAKE THE DAY BEFORE** ~ COOKIE DOUGH: In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in the eggs and vanilla. Stir in the flour, baking powder, and salt. Cover, and chill the dough for at least one hour (or overnight). ICING: Cream together the butter, sugar, and vanilla. Cover and allow to set up in the fridge over night.

TO BAKE:

Preheat the oven to 400. Roll out the dough on a floured surface ¼ to ½ inch thick. Cut into shapes with any cookie cutter. (we will use a Santa-Head shaped cookie cutter for this project - but you could use any shape for any occasion)

• Place the cookies 1 inch apart on a buttered cookie sheet.
• Bake 5-7 minutes and cool completely before icing.

TO DECORATE:

• Remove about 1 ½ cups of icing into a small mixing bowl; sprinkle the red food coloring in it and mix until it is crimson red. Use this icing for the hat. Using a butter knife, gently fill in the hat section of the cookie. Repeat on all cookies. (you could also use red sugar crystals to color the hat instead of dying the icing)
• Fill an icing bag with the reserved white icing and use a scalloped tip. Pipe on the hat trim and the ball at the end of the hat. (you can get creative here and use a mini marshmallow for the ball of the hat)
• Pipe on the beard, leaving a little space for the mouth section. Repeat this on all cookies.
• Change the tip to a straight dot tip. Make two small dots for eyes; place one mini chocolate chip on each dot to adhere it to the cookie.
• Make one small dot of icing for the nose; place a red hot on that dot to make the nose.
• In the moth section, make a small dot of icing for the mouth. Cut a red hot in half and adhere it to the dot to make the mouth. Repeat on all cookies.

Check back all next week for our Simplicity Gourmet’s Quick and Easy Homemade Holiday Treats!

Christmas Blessings,
Katie�

Family, friends, football, turkey, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, rolls and pumpkin pie are the beginnings of a great Thanksgiving. Can’t you smell the wonderful aromas? This holiday season, take some time to enjoy your family and guests. Create new memories that you and your guests can reflect back on. Don’t spend the entire day in your kitchen only to have that fantastic meal devoured in 20 minutes, leaving you with a gray blur of the day and how exhausted you are. Take time to reflect on the abundance in your life. Take time to enjoy your guests and get out of the kitchen. Here are a few fun suggestions:

Turn off the football and break out the home movies, have extended family and friends bring their’s and enjoy laughing and sharing.

Set out board game and make sure to include some of the old favorites: Monopoly, Clue, Yahtzee, Scrabble and Dominoes.

Have guests bring shoes or coats and donate them to such projects as “Souls for Souls” or “Charity Coats” for kids.

Ask guests to bring a few canned or boxed goods and donate them to your local food bank.

Have someone tell the Thanksgiving story or why we pull the wish bone or other harvest traditions from around the world. Make it fun and ask questions and those that answer right might be the ones to pull apart the wishbone or they are exempt from clearing the table or doing dishes or any other fun reward you can think of. This one could become the all time family favorite that creates memories for a long time to come!

Set out markers and colorful fall leaves you have cut from construction paper. Ask your guests to write what they are thankful for and then share them at the thanksgiving feast. A twist on this might be to have everyone write why they are thankful for their family. You then can take these colorful leaves and string them together to begin making a “gratitude garland.” You can add leaves to it each year and your garland will become a treasured part of your fall decorations.

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How exciting it is for me to be given the privilege of writing to you each month - to give you all the special little touches that will strengthen your home and family - I am just sooo excited!  Twice a month, I will be your stop for news on being a wife, mommy, and homemaker and you can pick up the insights, advice, and home and craft ideas that will make your family and home set apart.

Being that this is our first edition, I would like to give you a little information about my crazy but amazing family and life.  I have been married for 11 years to the love of my life; I have two adorable children who are truly the greatest gifts in my life.  I grew up a military brat, relocating about every two years all along the gulf coast until we finally moved to Tennessee when I was sixteen. 

When my husband and I met, I was sixteen and he was my brother’s best friend.  We became friends and would occasionally hang out but it was that, “Oh, that’s my brother’s best friend, kinda can’t like him,” thing.  We did not date until I was nineteen, at which point we were both nervous but excited to cross the line of friends into dating.  It was through great thought and prayer before we made this decision.  Needless to say, I have never looked back and have truly relished walking out my life with my husband, my best friend, these past 11 years. 

We wanted time to share together and develop our relationship before having children, so we waited 5 years before having our little ones.  All in all, I can’t be more thankful for my family, the life lessons I have learned, the trials and tribulations I have experienced, and the countless blessings I have received.  Through this newsletter, I hope to be able to help you build a home of insight, laughter, thoughtfulness, creativity, and, most importantly, special memories that will last you a lifetime.  For more of Tara’s Touch, please visit the rest of our blog. Well, ladies, until next month, I leave you with a thought and little Thanksgiving craft. Enjoy!

Love, Tara

Tara’s Thoughts:

“The world has enough women who are tough; we need women who are tender. There are enough women who are coarse; we need women who are kind…we have enough women of fame and fortune; we need more women of faith.” ~ Margaret D. Nadauld

Tara’s Crafts:

Garland of Gratitude:

You will need to get a string of Garland at your local craft store, a sharpie of your color preference, and have fall colored slips of paper (maybe even jazz them and cut them into leaf and pumpkin shapes).  Until Thanksgiving, you can decorate your mantel, stairwell, or table with the garland.  On Thanksgiving Day, have a place in your home where everyone can write what they are thankful for and sign their name and year on one of the slips of paper; if you have little ones, you will need to help them. Attach these to the garland. You will have a charitable keepsake that you can decorate with for years in your home - memories that will you will never be able to put a price on. 

Festive Fun Treat

Here is a fun treat to make ahead and have on hand for entertaining. Print up the “Harvest Blessing” and put it beside the mix on a table in a pretty fall bowl or attach it to a bag with some colorful ribbon to give as a fun treat to teachers, friends or someone who needs a little lift. The sweet and salty flavors are such a yummy combination together!

Harvest Blessing

The Bugles are a symbol of the Cornucopia, a horn of plenty.

The Pretzels represent arms folded in thanks and prayer.

The Candy Corn reminds us that during the first winter, the pilgrims were allowed only five kernels of corn per day because food was so scarce.

The Fruit is a reminder that Thanksgiving is the celebration of the harvest.

The Peanuts represent seeds, the potential of the bounteous harvest for the next season if they are planted and well-tended.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving and remember the daily blessings that are all around you!

Every year I decorate my front porch for Fall. I start with some basic components the first of October, Pumpkins of many varieties, scarecrows, and mums. In mid-October, I throw in a couple of Halloween items and carve a pumpkin or two. When the first of November rolls around, I take out the carved pumpkins and the other Halloween accents and add my “pumpkin pics” to turn my pumpkin into a turkey. It is so stinking cute!!!! I also add my giant turkey flag to my flag post hanger. I always try to repurpose items because it saves me time and money.

I know a lot of families have movie night once a week where they gather around the television for a good movie and have popcorn. So, I thought I would teach you how to make fantastic popcorn using your waterless cookware instead of the microwave…it’s sooo much cheaper and way more fun!

Traditional Popcorn

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions: Pre-heat Electric Skillet to 400 degrees. When temperature light goes off, add 3 tablespoons of oil and a 1/2 cup of popcorn. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes about 2 quarts; season to your liking

Greaseless Popcorn:

Utensils: Electric Skillet

Directions- Start with a cold skillet, add 1/2 cup of popcorn and turn skillet to 400 degrees. Cover and let pop until all corn is popped.

Makes 2 quarts; season to your liking

This time of year always brings up so many memories of growing up. I love fall - sweaters & sweatshirts, forests of fiery leaves, crisp, cool air, breezy, sunny walks, the smell of fires and apples and baked goods, and, of course, pumpkin carving. When I see an intricately carved jack-o-lantern, I always picture my grandpa on the back porch at my grandparent’s house creating jack-o-lantern masterpieces. My Poppy was an avid jack-o-lantern champ! I’d eventually end up raking leaves into huge piles and jumping around in them but he’d emerge from his huddled position over the pumpkin and I was always in sheer amazement at how he had come up with yet another piece of pumpkin perfection. Their house was the last house on the block and everyone from the entire neighborhood - and I’m sure beyond - always came out to the vast array of faces - silly and scary alike. Oh, sigh, childhood snapshots in time that I miss so very much.

This year, as I started to wish so badly that I could recreate one of his masterpieces just one more time, my mind started to wander to the reason why we have this strange tradition. Ever wonder why we carve faces into pumpkins?

A little easy research and I’ve found myself thoroughly educated on the subject. In short, carving jack-o-lanterns was an ancient Celtic practice on a holiday called “Samhein,” a holiday reserved to honor the memory of deceased family and friends. The jack-o-lanterns would be lighted by burning lumps of coal and placed in the windows and doorsteps of the homes on the last day of harvest. Now, I was surprised to find that it wasn’t actually the pumpkin that the Irish used, but rather hollowed out turnips, gourds, or potatoes.

When the Irish began to immigrate to North America, they brought this tradition along with them. Turnips weren’t so plentiful in our part of the world, but pumpkins definitely were and they were found to make for much more elaborate jack-o-lanterns. While the actual traditions of Samhein was buried along with our ancestors hundreds of years ago, you will still find most houses glowing brightly this week with their very own homemade jack-o-lanterns welcoming home their little trick or treaters.

My research has also given me a few pumpkin picking tips that need to be shared. A couple of things to keep in mind when pick out your pumpkin is that you will always want to make a trip to a pumpkin patch - it’s so quaint and rustic, you almost always get a hayride out to the pumpkin patch out of it! Plus, you will always get the freshest pumpkin when you pick it straight from the vine. A farm stand would be the second best choice to pick up your pumpkin b/c they were picked locally and you know they haven’t endured abuse during a long trip to the supermarket. Try to sit the pumpkin upright when it’s still attached to the vine to make sure that it sits level. Make sure that the stem is still attached to the pumpkin; pumpkins that are ready for harvest should have dried, brittle stems that are easily broken from the vine. Make sure your pumpkin has a vibrant orange color and is free of bruises and scaring, soft spots or any signs of mold. Carry your pumpkin by the base and make sure to store it in a cool place until you are ready to carve it.

This year will be my first year without my Poppy’s Pumpkin Patch, so, I’m attempting to make him proud and create a couple of my own tonight. I found a few pumpkin design books for $5.00 each that I downloaded straight to my computer - pretty fancy, huh?! They are unbelievable - you won’t be disappointed. So, wish me luck - I hope to make my Poppy proud!

Jack-o-lanterns aren’t the only things that pumpkins are good for! For the very best in Fall fare and activities, visit Pumpkinfest with Simplicity Gourmet today!