Clothespin Nutcrackers
By Terry McLaughlin
 

Moms - looking for something the kids can make to add to the family tree?

Teachers -looking for a simple and inexpensive craft project for your class this holiday season?

Clothespin nutcrackers might be the answer. With items found in just about any crafts store, you can create your own troops, standing at attention in their regimental colors.

Here's what you'll need:

• Wooden doll clothespins (3 3/4-inch size)

 

• Small paintbrush (A squared-off tip works best.)
   

• Acrylic paint (Black, blue, brown, green, red, and white are good colors.)
   

• 1-inch pom-poms
  Chenille pipe cleaners (the 9mm size works best)
   

• Wire cutters
   

• Scissors
   

• 1/8-inch wide ribbon (I used gold, silver, and white.)
   

• Craft glue
   

• Drinking glass to hold the pins upright while the paint and glue dry

Tip: Choose jacket paint colors that match the colors of the pipe cleaners so the jacket sleeves will match.

First, paint the trousers of the nutcracker, from the top edges of the slit to the bottom. Next, paint the nutcracker's torso, from the top edges of the trousers to the neck. Don't worry if your paint job is a bit crooked; the ribbon at the waistband and around the neck will hide most wobbly marks. If you have a steady hand and a fine brush, you can paint a face on your nutcracker. The ones here were left faceless, but they're still cute.

Tip: After applying each coat of paint, slide the pins onto the edges of a glass to hold them upright while the paint is drying.

Once the paint is dry, add the ribbon. First, measure and cut a length of ribbon (approximately 3 1/4 inches) that will stretch from one side of the waistband area across the chest in a diagonal, up and around the back of the neck, and down across the chest to the opposite waistband side, forming the "X" in the center front of the torso. Glue the ribbon in place. Next, measure and cut a length of ribbon (approximately 2 inches) that will circle the waistband area, and glue this in place with the edges meeting in the back.

The waistband ribbon should cover the edges of the jacket ribbon pieces and also hide the border of the trouser and jacket paint colors. If the edges of the ribbons at the sides don't meet up exactly, don't worry - the pipe cleaner sleeves will hide a great deal.

Tip: Gluing the fabric ribbon to the wooden pin works more easily if the glue is applied a few minutes before the ribbon is added. After applying thin lines of glue in the pattern the ribbons will follow, slide the pins back along the edges of the glass while you wait for the glue to reach a tacky, sticky consistency.

The last steps are adding the pom-pom helmets and the pipe cleaner sleeves. Squeeze a generous glob of glue on the top of each pin and then press the pom-pom on it to form the helmet. Gluing the pom-poms works best if you separate some of the fuzz and tug gently at the pom-pom to reveal the center before pressing the head of the pin against that point. Next, measure the pipe cleaners for the jacket sleeves (approximately 1 3/4 inches), and cut them with the wire cutters. Glue the pipe cleaner sleeves to each side, from the edge of the neck to a point on the trousers below the waistband.

Once the glue is dry, you can pin your regiments to bits of greenery, tuck them into gift wrapping, or string them up with your holiday cards.


Terry McLaughlin loves adding old-fashioned touches to her family's holiday celebrations, just as she loves writing old-fashioned love stories. Her first book for Harlequin Superromance, LEARNING CURVE, will be a May 2006 release.

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Holiday Desserts
By The Wet Noodle Poose

Carrot Cake
Contributed by Lorelle Marinello

Dry ingredients:
2 cups flour
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Moist ingredients:
3 eggs
1/2 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups grated carrots
1/2 cup crushed pineapple, drained
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 cup flaked or shredded coconut
1/2 cup raisins

Sift flour, sugar, soda, cinnamon, and salt together. Beat eggs together with oil, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add dry ingredients. Then mix in carrots, pineapple, chopped walnuts, coconut, and raisins. Pour into a greased 9X13-inch pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-50 minutes.

Glaze:
2/3 cup sugar
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/3 cup butter
2 teaspoons light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Boil all the ingredients except vanilla for 5 minutes. Remove from heat. Add vanilla. Pour over warm cake. Let glaze soak in before serving.


Sugar Plums from Sugarland (TX)
Contributed by Mary Fechter

2 cups butter
3 cups sifted Imperial 10x powdered sugar
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup chopped pecans (I don't use these.)
1 cup golden, seedless raisins
2 cups rolled oats, uncooked
Flaked or shredded coconut
1 cup granulated sugar (I use colored sugar.)

In a large mixing bowl, allow butter to soften at room temperature. Add powdered and brown sugar; cream until light and fluffy. Blend in cocoa and vanilla; mix thoroughly. Stir in pecans, raisins and rolled oats. Chill dough until stiff, at least 2 hours. Break off pieces of dough; shape into 1-inch balls. Roll in coconut or sugar. Makes 8-9 dozen. Store in covered container in refrigerator.


Angel Delight
Contributed by Delle Jacobs

I usually prefer my cooking to be simple and healthful. This dish is complex and decadent. It not only tastes heavenly but also has an enticingly angelic, pink color that makes it a delectable addition to the holiday table. This is a 40-year-old recipe that came from my mother, so it has taken some improvising with modern ingredients and the way they are packaged. I have never followed the original directions that call for making it into a layer-style loaf cake and find it holds together
better in the "casserole" form I'm giving here.

1 (18-ounce) can crushed pineapple
4 ounces tiny marshmallows or regular size cut into small bits
1 (8-ounce) bottle maraschino cherries (I prefer halves.)
1 envelope plain gelatin (Knox)
1/2 cup milk, cold
1/2 cup milk, hot
1 cup chopped, blanched almonds
1 pint heavy cream, whipped
1 (10-inch) angel food cake (or whatever size you can find), cut into 20 slices

Combine pineapple, marshmallows and cherries, including juices, reserving a few cherries for garnish. Let soak 6 hours or overnight. Heat 1/2 cup of the milk. Soften gelatin in 1/2 cup cold milk for five minutes then add 1/2 cup hot milk. Chill until SLIGHTLY thickened. Watch this carefully. Don't let it set too firmly. Have whipped cream ready for next step. Add fruit mix and almonds to gelatin, and fold in whipped cream. Cut angel food cake into 1/2-inch slices, and space half of them, in two rows of five, on the bottom of an oblong casserole dish. Spread fruit and cream mix over and around angel food. Then space a layer of the remaining slices directly over the lower layer (makes cutting portions easier), and spread the remaining fruit and cream mixture over the top. Decorate with remaining cherries and almonds. I like to place one cherry half atop each portion and sometimes add mint leaves or green spearmint candy leaves. Chill cake before serving. Yields 10 portions.


Rich Plum Pudding
Contributed by Trish Morey

Here is the best light plum pudding you'll find on either side of the equator! Light but rich, packed with fruit and almonds and all things nice, and equally wonderful served warm with custard for a chilly Northern Hemisphere Christmas or cold with cream and ice cream for a stinking hot Christmas fest Down Under.

And the best thing is it makes enough for two big family gatherings, or you can make enough for one family feast plus smaller puddings for family and friends - a treat they'll appreciate for sure!

Makes 2 large puddings. Each pudding serves 12-16.

500g (1 pound) currants
500g (1 pound) sultanas and raisins
125g (4 ounces) pitted prunes
125g (4 ounces) mixed peel
1/2 cup brandy
500g (1 pound) butter
250g (8 ounces, or 4 cups) fresh, white breadcrumbs
125g (4 ounces) chopped almonds
1 large Granny Smith (sharp-cooking) apple, peeled and coarsely grated
1 large carrot, peeled and coarsely grated
2 cups brown sugar
Grated rind of one lemon and one orange
10 medium eggs
2 cups plain flour
1 teaspoon carbonate of soda
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon

The day before you intend to cook the puddings, put all fruit into bowl. Sprinkle with brandy. Cover and soak overnight (Smells delish!!). The next day, cream butter, sugar and citrus rinds until light and fluffy. Add 8 of the eggs one by one, beating well after each addition. Add sifted flour, soda and spices, beat well then add remaining 2 eggs, breadcrumbs, nuts, grated apple and carrot. Mix well then stir in the soaked fruit and any spirits left in the bowl. Cover and let stand for at least an hour for crumbs to swell; then give mixture a good stir. Pack into 2 large, 2-litre (roughly 2-quart), well-greased basins (glass Pyrex pudding bowls), cover with a circle of greased paper and 2 sheets of foil. Tie well. Lower into boiling water, 1/2 way up sides. Cover and simmer for about 5 hours. Reheat for 1 hour in boiling water on Christmas Day. Serve with brandy custard and cream in cold climes, or ice cream and brandy cream Down Under. Either way, it's yum!

I usually make one large pudding and several smaller. They are wonderful to give as Christmas gifts, especially to those without large families or others to provide for them, and it's a wonderful way to include them in your Christmas celebration. Reduce cooking time for small puddings to around 2 hours for 1/2-litre (1-pint) size.


Profiteroles
Contributed by Terry McLaughlin
 

French puff pastry, used to make cream puffs and eclairs, seems difficult at first, but it's actually fast and easy to make. The pastry can be made ahead of time and frozen, so you could always have a fancy dessert ready to serve - if you don't gobble up the entire batch first, that is.

And if delicate miniature cream puffs filled with vanilla ice cream (or another favorite flavor) aren't enough to entice you, try this recipe for the most important reason: the chocolate sauce is simply to die for.

Ingredients:

1 cup milk
1/4 pound (1 stick) butter
Pinch of salt
1 cup all-purpose flour
4 large eggs
1/2 cup heavy cream
12 ounces (1 large package) semisweet chocolate chips
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons prepared coffee
Vanilla ice cream

Equipment:

Medium and small saucepans
Mixing spoon
Food processor, fitted with the metal blade
Baking sheet (non-stick surface, or greased and floured, or lined with parchment paper)

Preheat the oven to 425 degrees. Heat the milk, butter, and salt in a medium saucepan over medium heat until scalded (when tiny bubbles form along the edges of the liquid and steam rises from the mixture). Add the flour all at once, and stir rapidly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes together and forms a dough (this will take only a few seconds). Reduce the heat to low and cook the flour mixture, stirring constantly, for two minutes. Dump the hot mixture into the food processor. Add the eggs, one at a time, and pulse until each egg is blended into the dough. The mixture will form a thick, glistening paste. Using two spoons, or a spoon and a spatula, scoop out one rounded spoonful of mixture at a time and drop in high, neat round balls on the baking sheet. There will be enough dough for 18 puffs. Bake for twenty minutes, or until lightly browned. Turn the oven off, and let the puffs sit in the oven for another ten minutes. Remove the puffs from the oven. With a very sharp-pointed knife, poke a small slit in the side of each puff to allow excess steam to escape. Set the puffs aside to cool.

For the chocolate sauce, place the semisweet chips, cream, honey, and coffee in a small saucepan over medium heat. Stir until the chocolate melts and the mixture is smooth. Set aside.

To serve, cut each puff in half, crosswise (a very sharp, serrated knife works best), and remove the top half. Fill with a small scoop of ice cream and replace the top. Drizzle with the slightly warm chocolate sauce. Makes six servings.


Christmas Wreaths
Contributed by Priscilla Kissinger

Christmas in our house is about music, food, family and laughter. We love to bake almost as much as we love to eat. And we're all into having a good time together. Our baking ranges from the simple (quick cookies such as the recipe below) to the elaborate (gingerbread houses and towns that take weeks to finish and mere days to devour). With our hectic lifestyles, I figured most Wet Noodle Posse e-zine readers would appreciate a quick-and-easy cookie recipe - one that will add a little color and flair to your table while not keeping you chained to the oven in your kitchen. Here's hoping your holiday season is filled with joy and love!

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
30 large marshmallows
1 1/2 teaspoons green liquid food coloring
1 teaspoon vanilla
4 cups corn flakes
2 tablespoons cinnamon, red-hot candies

Bring pot of water to boil; adjust heat to keep at simmer. Line two baking sheets with waxed paper; spray with nonstick, vegetable-oil cooking spray. Spray medium-size saucepan with nonstick, vegetable-oil cooking spray. Add butter; melt over low heat. Add marshmallows. Cook, stirring constantly, for 6 minutes or until smooth. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring and vanilla until blended. Stir in corn flakes until evenly coated. Place the simmering water in a large bowl. Set the saucepan in the bowl to keep the wreath mixture warm. Working quickly so mixture does not harden, drop by measuring tablespoonfuls onto prepared sheets one at a time. Using greased fingers, shape into wreaths with holes in centers.

TIP 1: This is a good teamwork project. My younger daughter usually places the mixture on the sheets while I shape the cookies to keep little fingers from getting burned.

Decorate with red-hots, pressing into the wreaths while still warm, or attach to cooled wreaths with decorator frosting. The wreaths can be stored in airtight containers in the refrigerator for several weeks.

TIP 2: The microwave oven works well to melt the butter and marshmallows. Stir often as the marshmallows swell considerably until melted.

Makes 2 dozen wreaths. Nutrient value per wreath: 80 calories, 1 gram protein, 4 grams fat, 11 grams carbohydrates, 51 milligrams sodium, 10 milligrams cholesterol. Exchanges: 1/4 starch/bread, 1/2 fruit, 3/4 fat.

To read last month's Stuff to Make article, click here.

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