Salt Dough

Source: homemadegrits.blogspot.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

Not for eating!  This was a great dough for rolling out and making handprint ornaments.  It was easy to make and roll out.  Since it wasn't too sticky, the toddlers at my house for a craft morning didn't mind pressing their hands against it!

Ingredients:
Yield: 12 small hand prints

4 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 1/2 cups water

Directions:Combine ingredients and knead dough for 15 to 20 minutes.
Roll dough out and cut around hand or cut circles out for making hand imprints.
Use cookie cutters for ornaments or gift tags.
If necessary, slightly dampen pieces to make them stick together.
Make a small hole for the hanger and prick to prevent air bubbles.
Bake at 300ºF about 20 to 25 minutes or until golden.

You may have to bake considerably longer depending on how thick your items are. They may not feel hard right away but will harden as they cool.
I baked ours on parchment paper.  They came up off the surface quite easily!
Paint and decorate as desired. Acrylic paints work best and use a varnish to make them shiny. 

On a second try (the following day), I had Laura use finger paint to make her handprint impression on the raw dough.  After the painted dough was cooked and cooled, we sprayed it with clear varnish to make it shiny.  Looks great!

Christmas Pork

Pork tenderloin is probably my favorite food.  I don't care how it's prepared - it's always delicious.  For the past few years, I have made what I call "Christmas Pork" to serve at our annual holiday party.  I made it up, and it changes a bit every year based on what ingredients I have on hand, so here is the loose "recipe" I follow:

Ingredients (all amounts approximate)
One pork tenderloin (two per package)
1 1/2 cup Apple cider
1/2 cup Orange Juice
1 T orange zest (if available)
1 T Honey (or more!)
2 Cinnamon sticks
Cloves
Nutmeg
Rosemary (if you're so inclined!)
Ground Cinnamon
Garlic Salt

In small saucepan, heat apple cider, orange juice, orange zest (if available), honey, and cinnamon sticks over medium heat.  Add cloves and nutmeg (and sometimes rosemary!) to taste.  Simmer till mixtrue becomes frothy.  Remove from heat and cool completely.

Remove tenderloin from packaging.  Cut into thirds (six short sections of meat).  Rinse and dry thoroughly; set in casserole dish.  Rub with garlic salt and ground cinnamon.  Let sit 5-10 minutes to let juices absorb the rub.  Pour cooled marinade over pork.  Let sit at least an hour (the longer, the better!).

Preheat oven to 350*

Heat cast iron skillet (or very heavy pan) over medium-high heat.  Add meat to skillet.  Transfer extra marinade back into saucepan for later.  Sear meat sections on all sides, till halfway cooked.  Move seared meat back to casserole dish.  Bake at 350* for 30 - 60 minutes, depending on size of meat.  Let sit on counter for 10 minutes before slicing.

While meat sits, reheat marinade in saucepan until it begins to reduce.  Pour into gravy boat to serve over sliced pork.  Enjoy!

Typing this out makes it seem really complicated.  It's not.  I just love how sweet the marinade makes the meat.  Searing the meat first helps seal in the flavor, and cook the meat faster!

Apple Cider Sangria

Source: mylifeasamrs.com via Caitlin on Pinterest

Nate and I were looking for a new punch to serve at our annual holiday party this year.  We have made Algonquin Bar Punch for the last few years.  It's tasty, but takes some prep time.  We were ready for something new.  I went to my latest recipe source, Pinterest, to find some ideas.  Apple Cider Sangria won.

Apple Cider Sangria
yield: 6 1/2 cups

Ingredients:

For the Spiced Apple Cider:2 cups apple cider (the real stuff - opaque in color & found in the refrigerator section)
1/3 cup sugar
2 cinnamon sticks
1/2 teaspoon cloves (this was a lot of clove... I'd use less next time)
1/4-1/2 teaspoon ground allspice (I didn't have this, so I threw in some nutmeg?)
1/2 teaspoon orange zest
2 orange slices (rounds)

For the Spiced Apple Cider Sangria:1 bottle inexpensive Spanish red wine (we used a cheap Cabernet Sauvignon)
2 cups spiced apple cider (recipe above)
1/2 cup orange juice
1/2 cup brandy (we added extra brandy!)

Directions:

For the Spiced Apple Cider: Mix together all ingredients in a medium sized saucepan. Bring to a simmer over medium-high heat and then remove from heat and allow to cool completely. Strain before using.

For the Spiced Apple Cider Sangria:Mix ingredients together in a large pitcher and garnish with orange wheels and cinnamon sticks. To serve, pour over ice.  Enjoy!