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Written on August 29, 2010 by Kate

Last week, during the Orange County heat wave, I was in my kitchen making these peppermint Christmas cookies. No, I wasn’t delirious from the heat, just excited about this holiday baker’s give-away that Wilton is sponsoring. After these cookies dried, they were packed up and brought to my dad. I could tell he thought it was odd to receive Christmas cookies in August, but the man is smart and he knows better than to question homemade cookies.

There are 116 shopping days or baking days until Christmas, depending on how you want to look at it. I have gone without a paycheck since June, and am officially poor. (It’s not easy being a teacher!) The word “shopping” has been banned from my vocabulary, so I prefer to think in terms of baking days. I know it seems like there’s plenty of time before the holiday madness starts, but it always seems to sneak up on us.

These peppermint candy cookies are festive for the holiday, but you can use any colors to coordinate with your party theme, and they’d make cute cookie favors. I tried two different decorating techniques for two different effects.

The fabulous people at Wilton are letting me give away one of my most used baking items… this 50 Piece Tool Caddy Decorating Set. This kit will keep your baking tools totally organized, so you’re not always searching for what you need. I keep my caddy in a kitchen cabinet right above my Kitchen Aid, and pull it out whenever I’m decorating.

Here’s what’s inside this 50 piece set:

• A bunch of decorating tips organized in a removable tray

• Flower nail

• Disposable bags and a reusable soft touch bag

• Tip brush for cleaning decorating tips

• Couplers

• Spatula

• 4 of the most popular Wilton gel icing colors

• Beginner’s guide to decorating

This kit is perfect for both beginning and advanced bakers. If you already have a baking tool caddy, this would make a fabulous Christmas present, and you’d be able to check someone off your gift-giving list.

But this is a holiday give-away, right? To get you inspired for all of your holiday cookie baking, Wilton is also including a copy of the Wilton book, Cookie Exchange. It is full of original cookie ideas, and step by step photo instructions.

Here’s how to enter*:

You have a total of 4 chances to win:

(Be sure to leave a separate comment for each.)

We have a winner! Random.org selected comment #105, Miss Jillian. Check out her adorable blog if you have a chance www.missjilliandesigns.blogspot.com . Thanks for playing along everyone. Grin and Bake it will be hosting a fall give-away soon, so stay tuned!

1. Leave a comment telling me what your favorite Wilton product is. Here’s the link if you want to shop!

2. Follow Grin and Bake it ~ Join the Grin and Bake it Facebook group, follow me on Twitter, or sign up for the RSS feed. Scroll down on the sidebar and click under “Follow Me”. (If you’re already a follower, let me know in a comment how you follow the blog.)

3. Subscribe to Grin and Bake It and receive emails when new posts are published. To subscribe, scroll down on the sidebar to “subscribe” and enter your email address. I promise this is totally safe! Post a comment letting me know you subscribed.

4. Tweet this give-away “Christmas comes early… Enter to win Wilton’s holiday giveaway @grinandbakeit http://wp.me/pnls6-2O1

Contest ends on Friday, September 3rd at 9 P.M. Pacific Standard Time. The winner will be selected randomly at random.org, and will be posted on this post. I will send the winner an email letting him/her know that he/she has won. The winner will have 24 hours to respond to the email, otherwise, a second winner will be selected.

*This contest is only open to people living in the U.S. (I do apologize to my Canadian blogging friends.)

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Written on February 8, 2010 by Kate

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Each February I go in search of a clever valentine for my son to make for his friends. It has to be something that reflects whatever he’s into that year. Third grade is somewhat of a transition year from what’s cute to what’s cool. Cutesy valentines aren’t going to fly this year. We needed something that would earn cool status.

And you know what’s cool… the wii! The boy loves video games. Lucky for him, he was born the son of the Atari Frogger champion from the 80’s. I mastered that game! And whenever I see an old Ms. Pac Man game, I can’t resist the urge to play.

I don’t think video games are evil, as some parents do. And I don’t think they will negatively impact this generation of kids. It’s all about balance. As long as there is still plenty of outdoor play with friends and other activities going on, I have no problem with a little Wii. In fact, if you stop by unannounced, you may just catch me playing Guitar Hero or singing into the microphone for Simon on the American Idol Wii game.

Last month, I went in search of a Wii valentine, but couldn’t find anything. I remembered reading about a bowling Wii tournament party on Hostess With the Mostess, so I went back for some inspiration. It is full of great Wii themed ideas. I, then, found a template online to make a paper, Wii-mote. This served as the envelope for the valentine. It is a pdf file and perfectly to scale. I printed one on my printer and ran the rest on the copier. The quality was still great. These would make perfect party favors too. Take my advice, use a glue gun to put these together, regular glue will make you a crazy person. There is a little cutting and folding involved, but it’s a great excuse to catch up on Tivo.

If you’re familiar with the Wii, one of the first tasks you do is to create a Mii (pronounced “me”), a graphic version of yourself. There are a few sites on the web that allow you to create and print your own Mii’s, just for fun, including MakeWee and My Avatar Editor. For the valentine, I had the boy go on the site and make his mii. I then cut and pasted it into Photoshop and created a valentine note to stick into the Wii-mote. The boy is one of three other Blake’s in his class and is referred to as Blake R. I’m hoping that doesn’t stick. To finish these off, we filled the Wii motes with AirHeads and other smaller candies. The boy can’t wait to share them later this week.

One of Blake’s best friends made Ipod Valentines this year, using small conversation heart boxes. The Ipod valentines are complete with peanut butter cup headphones attached. I love this idea! Family Fun shows all of the directions on how to make them.

Do you have any other great ideas for valentines, do share!

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Written on January 19, 2010 by Kate

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I love when talented crafters, artists, and baking bloggers put their fabulous creations out there for the rest of us to enjoy, at little or no cost. Next week, I’ll be sharing some ideas and printables for kids valentines, but today here are a few ideas that grown-ups will love too…

Kathleen’s blog Twig and Thistle is one of my favorites! For Valentine’s she created theses adorbale apple pie boxes . You can print out the template, read how to put it together, and even get the apple pie recipe on her blog. She also created the graphic on the top right to make Valentine brownie bags. It’s been updated at her site with the 2010 year. This is a great one when you have to make something for multiple people in your life. Make a batch of brownies, print a bunch of these and voila – you saved a lot of time running around, a lot of money, plus you can eat any left-overs.
For just a few dollars on Etsy, you can get printables and directions on how to make these festive paper fortune cookies. And they’re calorie-free!
Ez over at Creature Comforts, another great blogger, regularly shares her creations with her readers. She made these Valentine tea bags (bottom right). You can print-out the template and read the tutorial on putting them together on her blog. Wouldn’t these be perfect for co-workers or girlfriends? She also has free printable Valentine candy bar wrappers. Buy your valentine his favorite candy bar, add a cute wrapper, and you’re done!

P.S. I just visited Twig & Thistle this morning. Go check out the new Valentine’s bag printable Kathleen posted, it’s beautiful!

Hope you’re inspired… I know I am!

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Written on January 11, 2010 by Kate

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No, it’s not me. I am not the party planner – that would be the woman on the other side of the world, spending 21 days traveling through Vietnam, China, Thailand, and who knows where else. A couple of days after she comes back, she is hosting a baby shower – only my Queen of Entertaining mom could handle this. The week before she left, she was scrambling trying to get everything ready to go.

She asked if I had any ideas on a theme and I told her I’ve been loving the adorable owls that are everywhere. We have been purchasing owls for the past 15 years or so for my sister, whose sorority, Chi Omega’s symbol is an owl. We have tortured her with owls, but these cute little pink, multi-colored, adorable owls were not available until recently. I think she might have enjoyed these ones!

My mom asked if I would create an invitation and help with the pre-party details. My first stop was Etsy. Do you all know about Etsy, the online crafter’s haven? I’m sure it is to blame for many online shopping addictions. Etsy has favors, jewelry, clothes, housewares, scrapbook supplies, baking goods, and so much more. If someone can make it, it’s probably for sale on the site. One of my favorite finds are from the graphic artists. Tracey Ann Digital Art had the cutest pdf. file of owls I’ve ever seen (on the left). For a few dollars, she emailed it to me and I cut and pasted the graphics in Photoshop to create an invitation. These owls are also perfect for valentine tags, cards, and cupcake toppers!

With a quick search for owls on Etsy, a ton of items came up. Some of my favorites are in the collage above. I loved the Valentine’s card with owls and a wiener dog from one crafter. I’m telling you, whatever you can imagine, you will find. The owl sugar cookies in the collage above are a great idea for party favors, as our the little pocket mirrors which are easy to find. I love the stuffed owls. They would be adorable party decor. I’ll post more details later.

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Written on December 23, 2009 by Kate

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I usually bring a bottle of wine to a dinner party, but this Christmas called for something more festive. If you follow my blog, you’ve probably figured out that I love a sweet martini. The sky is the limit when it comes to what you choose to infuse. Walk down the liquor aisle of your grocery store and you’ll be amazed by the number of flavored vodkas that are out there. But nothing on the shelf will compare to the flavor you can achieve by making your own infusions. Here’s how to start…

Step #1 Decide what to infuse

People make all kinds of infusions. For this batch, I wanted Christmas colors. I opted for the nostalgic Jolly Rancher and the more sophisticated cranberry-vanilla infusion Some other options…

Traditional

berries, pineapple, oranges, cherries, peaches, mangoes, cantaloupe, lemons, limes, grapefruits, cinnamon, ginger, herbs, garlic, peppers, mint, vanilla beans, almond, mint, chlli peppers, lemongrass

Creative (You may call them weird, I call them creative)

Skittles, Jolly Ranchers, bubblegum, candy corn, candy canes, caramel, Pop Rock, jalapenos, and even bacon. The last two don’t appeal to me, but maybe they will to you.

Step #2 Gather supplies

You first need a glass jar to infuse with. (See picture next to step#3)The key is to have something large enough with a tight seal. There are special infusion jars, but you probably have something in your kitchen already.

It is important to select the right kind of vodka. Don’t go cheap. Inexpensive vodka can leave a bad after-taste. There is also no need to spend the big bucks. Don’t waste your Grey Goose on infusions. Most of the flavor will come from what you’re infusing, so a medium grade vodka is your best bet.

You also need to find bottles to show off your infusions. Crate and Barrel, Ikea, and Pier One are pretty much guaranteed to have something. I checked all of those places and then came across a website that was the cheapest even when I counted in the cost of shipping. The bottles I used were on a special sale at Save-On-Crafts.com . Another great online site to checkout is SpecialtyBottle.com .

Step #3 Infuse

Mix the vodka and your infusion ingredient in your infusion jar. Shake once or twice and keep it in a cool place.

Step #4 Be patient

The next step is to wait while the magic happens. I shake my infusion mixture once a day. Most recipes will infuse between two and five days. Citrus fruits, candy, and strongly flavored ingredients tend to infuse more quickly. Softly flavored ingredients (vanilla, ginger) will need more time.

Once you think it is ready, try a taste. But, remember that some flavored vodkas will not taste very good straight. Jolly Rancher vodka definitely needs a mixer.

Step #5 Strain Away

Now here comes the fun part – straining. Depending on what you infuse, this can be a very important step. Some candy will dissolve within a day or two. Most infusions will require you to strain with cheesecloth or the vodka will be cloudy. The cranberry vanilla vodka infusion required me to strain several times. I first separated the cranberries and kept the nice looking ones for garnish. I then used cheesecloth and strained a few more times. It was worth the time it took. The result was clear and a beautiful Christmas red color.

Step#6 Don’t Forget the Gift Tag

If you’re giving you’re infusion as a gift, attach a gift tag that provides the recipient with a recipe. I was thrilled when I came across vintage Christmas tags on Etsy. One of the tags had Santa toasting – perfect, or what? I paid a few bucks through Paypal and shortly after received an email with a pdf file of the tags attached. I cropped it in Photoshop and made multiple copies of the Santa Cocktail tag. I printed the recipes on the same size paper and then backed them on black heavy-weight paper. To add a little pizzazz, I dipped a small paintbrush in glue and painted a few of the details on the Santa tag. I then sprinkled Martha Stewart’s gold glitter on and shook off the excess, and set them aside to dry. To get the remaining sparkles off, I took a dry paintbrush and brushed over the tag.

Voila! That’s how easy it is! Cheers to a Merry Christmas!

See recipes below

Green Apple Jolly Rancher Infusion

30 Green Apple Jolly Ranchers

750mL bottle of medium-grade vodka (3 cups)

Combine ingredients in infusion jar and stir to break up the candy. Seal the jar and place in a cool location. The candy will dissolve within 1-2 days. Your infusion will be ready.

Holly Jolly Cocktail

Pour two shots of Jolly Rancher martini in a highball glass filled with ice. Mix this with ginger ale, 7up, or Sprite to taste

Cranberry-Vanilla Vodka Infusion

1 whole Vanilla bean, cut a slit down the length of the bean

Fresh cranberries

750mL bottle of medium-grade vodka (3 cups)

Christmas Cosmo Recipe

1 pt. cranberry liqueur

1 pt vodka, well chilled

1 pt. cranberry juice

1 pt. triple sec

Juice of one lime

Combine the ingredients in a martini shaker. Shake and pour.

Check out these sites for more vodka infusion recipes:

Infusions of Grandeur (A fun group of guys who love experimenting!)

Make Martinis at Home – Several recipes

Infused Vodka.com – More info. And products

Merriment Design – Shows you how to host a vodka infusion tasting party

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Written on December 12, 2009 by Kate

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Just when I thought I was done… I swear, every December around this time when I think I’m done (or almost done) Christmas shopping, it seems I’m always adding more – the neighbors, co-workers, or my son’s classmates get added to my never-ending list. If you’re in need of some simple and inexpensive favor-type gifts, check out all of these adorable do-it-yourself ideas from a group of very talented bloggers!

Rudolf’s Spares, Reindeer Food & Reindeer Poop!

These three are cute and simple to put together. I’ve even seen these for sale at Hallmark for about five times the cost of what you could make them for. You just need red hots or Fireballs for Rudolf noses, oatmeal and glitter for reindeer food, and Whoppers or a chocolate-covered candy for Reindeer Poop (which, by the way is such an 8-year old boy thing to give out!). Each treat has a poem that goes with it and printables all over the web. I love the beautiful packaging by, Miriam, a Stampin’ Up consultant. She posted the three poems on her site.

A Little Snowman Inspiration

Snowman Soup (see collage below) is another popular favor to put together, and there are a ton of examples if you search the web. Quick and inexpensive to put together, you include a packet of hot chocolate, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and a candy cane. They sell these small tin buckets at Target in the dollar section, or you can put the contents in a cellophane bag. The top right corner of the collage is called “Snowman Kisses” (which are white Tic Tacs). Check out Kristen’s step-by-step tutorial on how to make these cute packages. The bottom right printable is from a talented blogger and graphic designer at Happy Bird’s Crafting Haven. I love graphic artists who are willing to share their work with those of us graphically challenged people! She made these printables to fit perfectly over the Ghiradelli Chocolate Squares. If you haven’t bought the limited edition peppermint bark by Ghiradelli, they are an amazing treat. Go through all of Happy Bird’s seasonal posts for more great ideas and printables that she generously shares with her readers!

Still want more ideas?

Betty Crocker shows you how to make a candy sleigh. Candy trains are also fun for kids to make for friends, or can be a great craft to keep them busy over winter break.

Finally two more great printables!

Caramel popcorn and chocolate-covered pretzels are two of my favorite recipes to make with my son. Neighbor kids always come over asking when we’re going to make more. Emeril’s caramel popcorn recipe is my go-to recipe for cooking with kids. It is all done in the microwave and tastes great! I love the popcorn bag printable pdf file by Monita at her Mushy blog. The lunch bag goes right into your printer. The Merry & Bright tags from Giver’s Log (one of my favorite blogs!) can be used for any ho;iday favor you come up with!

Hope you’re inspired! I know I am!

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Written on November 30, 2009 by Kate

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This month’s theme for the “Flavor of the Month” group, hosted by Bridget from Bakeat350, is “traditions”. We have so many favorite traditions in our family… new pajamas on Christmas Eve, gingerbread parties, and counting the naughty words as my dad puts up my tree to name a few. But some of our best traditions are baking our favorite holiday treats.

Peppermint is one of my all-time favorite holiday flavors. Peppermint ice cream, peppermint mochas, candy cane martinis, add peppermint and I’ll probably eat it. Every year I make up a batch of peppermint bark to have on hand when friends stop by. Last year my girlfriend came over to help make the bark and we endured a minor catastrophe. The batch was immediately thrown out and we moved on to the next recipe. The chocolate seized… Gasp! Rule #1 Chocolate and water never mix. I should know better! I still have no idea how it happened, and to this day blame it on the Kendall Jackson!

When my Bon Appetit magazine arrived in the mail last week, I couldn’t wait to try their new twist on peppermint bark. These peppermint bark cookies keep with the traditional chocolate and candy cane ingredients, but place them on top of an amazing shortbread. They are so simple to make and absolutely to die for. This is one of those recipes you whip up that make people think you’re a fabulous baker. This weekend I baked up a batch minus the girlfriend, and minus the KJ and guess what… the chocolate was on its best behavior! This is the perfect treat to make for a cookie exchange. Set them out on a plate for guests, or better yet wrap them up with a bow and get rid of them. These are dangerously good!

Here’s how simple they come together…

Bake up the shortbread exactly as the recipe states. Once you take it out of the oven, sprinkle broken up pieces of chocolate over it. Wait a few minutes and the chocolate will easily spread using an offset spatula.

Immediately after the chocolate is spread, sprinkle with candy cane pieces and drip melted white chocolate all over the top.

See the recipe below for all of the details, and don’t forget to check out everyone else’s traditional recipes.

Peppermint Bark Cookies

(Bon Appetit, December 2009)

Ingredients

Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 cups all purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temperature

1 cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 large egg yolk

6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup finely chopped red-and-white-striped hard peppermint candies or candy canes (about 3 ounces)

2 ounces high-quality white chocolate (such as Lindt or Perugina)

Preparation

Preheat oven to 350°F. Spray 13×9x2-inch metal baking pan with nonstick spray. Line bottom of pan with long strip of 9-inch-wide parchment paper, leaving overhang on both short sides of pan. Whisk flour and salt in medium bowl. Using electric mixer, beat butter in large bowl until creamy, about 2 minutes. Gradually beat in sugar. Continue beating until mixture is light and fluffy, stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl, about 3 minutes. Beat in vanilla, then egg yolk. Gradually add flour mixture, beating on low speed just to blend.

Drop dough by tablespoonfuls into prepared baking pan, spacing evenly. Using moistened fingertips, press dough to form even layer over bottom of pan. Pierce dough all over with fork.

Bake cookie base until light golden brown and slightly puffed and edges begin to come away from sides of pan, about 30 minutes. Place pan on rack; immediately sprinkle bittersweet chocolate over. Let stand until chocolate softens, about 3 minutes. Using small offset spatula, spread bittersweet chocolate over top of cookie in thin even layer. Immediately sprinkle chopped peppermint candies over.

Stir white chocolate in medium metal bowl set over saucepan of simmering water until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Using fork, drizzle white chocolate all over cookies. Chill until white chocolate is set, about 30 minutes.

Using paper overhang as aid, lift cookie from pan and transfer to work surface. Using large knife, cut cookie into irregular pieces. DO AHEAD Can be made 1 week ahead. Store in refrigerator in airtight containers between layers of waxed paper or parchment paper.

Mix it up

For a variation on this cookie, sprinkle the melted dark chocolate with chopped peanut brittle or peanut butter cups instead of the peppermint candies.

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Written on November 9, 2009 by Kate

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Many of you know that my Monday post is almost always a martini or a cocktail of some sort. Martini Mondays make me actually look forward to Monday, and not dread the inevitable craziness that the beginning of the week brings. Today, not only do I have a great martini to share, but I also have something fabulous to give away.

But first off, let’s talk martinis! I was recently thinking back to the cake batter martini that my mom and I created about a year ago, and was inspired to create a sugar cookie martini for the holiday season. Like the cake batter martini, it’s definitely a dessert in itself. I splurged on a bottle of Godiva white chocolate liqueur last week and it is amazing. I have big plans for this bottle this season, including a Candy Cane Martini and a White Blizzard Martini. So go get yourself a bottle, I promise I’ll help you put it to good use.

Sugar Cookie Martini

2 oz. Godiva White Chocolate Liqueur

2 oz. Bailey’s Irish Cream

2 oz. Butterscotch Schnapps

2 oz. whipping cream

2 oz. milk

Combine ingredients in a martini shaker with ice. Shake and pour.

Cookie Decorating Give-Away!

Update… We have a winner! Random.org choose comment #43 to get this great giveaway! Congrats Mama Ruck! Have fun with all of your holiday baking!!

Now onto something equally great, this cookie decorating give away. The people at Storey publishing have been generous enough to give me an extra copy of one of my favorite cookie books, Cookie Craft, so that I can share it with one lucky reader. Not only is It is filled with a ton of beautiful cookie photographs, but the authors provide detailed directions on many decorating techniques, including piping techniques, covering cookies with fondant, and making three-dimensional cookie creations. This book will inspire the beginner or the pro this holiday season. You are going to love this!! Okay, so who wants it?

(Update: I received the book in the mail today and discovered that they sent me the Christmas Cookie Craft Book, even more perfect for the holiday season and just as fabulous as their first!)

But wait that’s not all (Do I sound like an informercial?)… I couldn’t just give away a cookie book without a couple of tools, right? A few months back, I wrote a post about a must-have tool for decorating sugar cookies, squeeze bottles, and I shared the perfect set I had found by Kuhn Rikon, a Swiss cookware company. I love this set and use it all of the time! It comes with five bottles and a variety of tips. They are easy to use and easy to clean! The people at Kuhn Rikon are also giving me a set to include in this cookie give away. Finally, it didn’t seem right to not include a few cookie cutters, so I’m throwing in a 20 piece holiday cookie cutter set from Michaels. It includes every Christmas cutter you need.

Okay, so now your part… All you have to do to enter is leave a comment on this post telling me what your favorite kind of cookie is to bake during the holiday season. I’ll post the winner after 5PM this Sunday, November 15th. The winner will be selected by random.org. Can’t wait to see who the lucky winner is, and can’t wait to hear all of the fabulous cookies you’re baking for the holiday season!