Tuesday, April 10, 2012

McStevens Hot Chocolate for Your Gingerbread House Party

Fall and Winter Fun

Autumn ushers in that appreciation for hot beverages, bursting with flavors that speak of chilly days, falling leaves, snowball fights, and Christmas trees. McSteven's Holiday Hot Cocoa, Cider, and other nostalgic hot beverage mixes in nostalgic tins, bearing fun and whimsical scenes or memorable characters, are a great way to bring a bit of yesteryear into your home today. These are lovely in their own right, as small gifts for friends and family, so if you are looking for something truly unique, browse through those selections below, as it's doubtful you'll see them on the shelves of your local department store.
Many of the flavors are elegant and unique, much more intriguing than the simple packets of hot cocoa and cider mix you'll find at the grocery store. When the product is gone, you'll want to hang on to the lovely tins.

McSteven's Belgian White Chocolate Drink Mix

White chocolate as a morning beverage? Out of this world! As an evening treat? Scrumptious! The lovely snowman scene on the tin is perfect for an elegant, yet inexpensive, Christmas gift for a teacher or colleague. Bundle it with a snowman mug, for a perfect token of appreciation.
Do you need a holiday gift for your secret pal? This is the perfect way to add a touch of luxury to the season. A postal carrier, or hair stylist, or receptionist, will also find this a fun token of your appreciation during the Christmas season.

For the Gingerbread Afficionado

If you love gingerbread, or know someone who does, McSteven's Gingerbread Hot Cocoa is a perfect match with a gingerbread man mug. Bring it as a hostess gift to a Christmas caroling party, or give it to that baking enthusiast! Get a set of gingerbread man mugs, and a package of Gingerbread Holiday Blend Cocoa by McStevens, and have a fun night with your children, reading the story of the Gingerbread Man, and drawing up plans, or making candy decorations lists, for your upcoming gingerbread house decoration event!

Good Grief!

Christmas celebrations just aren't complete, for some, without watching the Charlie Brown Christmas Special. Enjoy McStven's collection of Charlie Brown and Peanuts hot cocoa tins, and find some Peanuts mugs, as well...bundle up and watch that special while enjoying this treat! My daughter already has Charlie Brown mugs picked out for her Uncle, who once playe the lead role in a middle school version of "You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown". Now all we need is the coordinating tins of hot chocolate mix. There are McStevens Beverages in Peanuts designs for other occasions, as well, so be sure to look for Valentines, and others.

Raggedy Ann and Andy

McSteven's has selections of Raggedy Ann and Andy hot cocoa tins and mixes, perfect for the adult who has fond memories of the pair, or for the youngster just becoming acquainted with them. Pair the hot cocoa with a mug, or an ornament, or a doll, or bring it yourself, and read Raggedy Ann and Andy stories to your nieces and nephews, or grandchildren! What a fun tradition!
If you have an older relative who has loved collectible, vintage dolls such as Raggedy Ann, this is a fun gift idea, as it may bring back some great memories. There are many Raggedy Ann crafts available, and it would be fun to package this treat in a special tote, decorated Raggedy Ann style!

McStevens Harvest Flavors

Perfect for fall nights, and great to bring along to a Thanksgiving Day celebration, these elegant flavors include Harvest Spice White Chocolate, Apple Cider, and Carmel Apple Cider. You may want to get an extra container for yourself, these will be a hit!
Are you setting up a kids table for Thanksgiving? Use the McStevens tins as part of the centerpieces, emptying the contents, and creating a lollipop bouquet, with the McStevens tin as the base. Mix up the hot cocoa, meanwhile, and serve it to the youngsters with generous dollops of whipped cream, while the adults enjoy coffee and tea.

Find Additional McSteven's Hot Beverage Mixes

For autumn and winter holidays, or for other occasions throughout the year, McSteven's provides intriguing and elegant packaging for unique hot and cold beverages. While all possiblities are not able to be displayed herein, there are options for wedding day and new baby themes at Amazon, and some of the McSteven's mixes and tins are available for subscribe and save discounts.
Posted by Admin at 7:01 AM
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Candy Christmas Ornaments

Edible Christmas Decor

One of the highlights of the Christmas season is the decorating of the tree, and for young and old, the sweets and treats of the holiday season are similarly loved. Combine the two with candy Christmas ornaments of various types. Get extras, though, as it's hard to keep little ones from wanting to sample the fun!


Candy Christmas Ornaments for Fun Tree Decorating Traditions


Many companies provide specialty ornaments each season. It's not tough to check the Christmas aisles of your favorite stores to find some of the biggies: M&M's, Lifesavers, and others, are traditional favorites. However, in my small town, that's the limit, and generally, I don't have the time during the prep for my tree decorating to track down the unique and unusual in person. However, many retailers, including Amazon, make it easy to find such goodies from the convenience of your home. Featured below are some of the options you will find at Amazon.

Foil Wrapped Chocolate Ornaments

Giradelli Chocolate Ornaments add Elegance to the Tree

When I was a child, there was a terrific little German restaurant in our town, which had a little gift area up front. I remember the assortment of novelty candies in unique containers, and foil wrapped ornaments were among the lovliest. The colors of the foil, reflecting the tree lights, are captivating to small children. Be careful not to place these too close to the lights, as melting is possible. Also, pay attention to the reach of your toddlers; if you have children who are prone to grabbing and putting tree decorations in their mouths, you don't want them to be able to get to these when you aren't watching. I've had many a toddler moment where wrapped food went into the mouth, wrapper and all, and that wouldn't be a pleasant outcome with your edible tree ornaments. Keep foil wrapped chocolate ornaments higher up if you have toddlers.
Posted by Admin at 6:48 AM
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How to Make Sugar Cookies From Scratch, and Sugar Cookie Houses Too

Build a fun tradition with your kids...

Sugar cookies are an integral part of many families' holiday activities, whether you make them from scratch, or from a purchased dough, or from a mix. Decorating provides an amazing time of bonding, with creativity able to be demonstrated at every level. I'm always amazed by the new and wonderful sugar cookie designs displayed on magazie covers during the Christmas holidays, and the reality is that there are cutters, equipment, presses, and applications for every imaginable holiday or event.
I have a high school friend who has stepped into her own custom cookie business, shipping logo cookies and one of a kind gifts and favors, all over the place. I have a relative who incorporates elegantly designed and decorated pieces into her cake decorating business. And I have creative children, who work with me to create unique confectionary designs and concepts for our own use, eating and gifting. While gingerbread houses are our absolute favorite, we've taken it to another level in recent years, creating a comparable sugar cookie house recipe. The tips and tricks we've learned apply to making sugar cookies from scratch, as well.
Make sugar cookie dough from scratch, for a variation on traditional gingerbread houses.
Make sugar cookie dough from scratch, for a variation on traditional gingerbread houses.

Ingredients

  • 5 to 5 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla
  • 1 cup shortening
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 1/4 cups light corn syrup
  • 2 eggs, beaten

Procedure

  • Mix the dry ingredients thoroughly.
  • Melt your shortening in a large pot (I use my stockpot for a double recipe) until it is just melted, then remove from heat.
  • Add sugar, then corn syrup, then eggs, mixing well after each addition.
  • Cool your ingredients, then add 4 cups of the dry ingredients (8 if you are doubling) and mix well.
  • Sprinkle about half of your remaining dry ingredients onto a hard surface (my tabletop works best) and pour your dough out onto the surface. Begin kneading the dry ingredients into your dough. Continue to add dry ingredients, kneading until you have a firm dough.
  • With a sturdy stand mixer, you could probably do much of this in the mixer, rather than by hand.
  • You can prepare to bake right away, or refrigerate your dough for up to a week. Allow ample time for dough to come to room temperature before using.
  • To use, roll dough to 1/4" thick, and cut (variations on this procedure will be given)
  • Bake at 350 for 10-12 minutes
  • Allow to cool, and decorate!

Baking and Cutting Techniques

Note that parchment paper is extremely helpful in confection baking of all sorts, including when you make sugar cookies from scratch. The only time I don't use parchment paper is when I've run out. I cut a section to fit each baking sheet I will be using, and re-use until I'm finished baking for the day. This alleviates the frustration of sticking, and makes for a much easier cleanup.
When you roll out cookie dough on a board or mat, there is potential that the cut out shape will stretch when you move it to the baking pan. I usually use a thin metal spatula to transfer my cut outs, but if precision is important, as in a confection house, this is not my preferred method. However, if you are making shapes which don't have to be precise, such as hearts or snowmen, then this is fine.

Dealing With Scraps

Since I try to stretch my recipes out for multiple houses, I often roll my dough much thinner than the recommended quarter inch. Usually, I will roll my dough directly onto the baking sheet/parchment paper, and cut out my shapes there. Then, I remove scraps, and toss them into the "recycled scraps bowl"...they will be put together with all the other scraps, rolled out again, and made into shapes. Because the rolled out dough gets tougher, I try not to mix scraps with the fresh, unrolled dough.
If you are doing a bunch of houses, or tons of from scratch sugar cookies, you will inevitably get ahead of your supply of baking sheet space, in terms of having more pieces ready to bake than will fit at a time. I find it sensible to have lots of parchment sheets cut to size in this case, ready to fit into the baking sheet, easy to remove the whole shebang when it comes out of the oven. This makes your project more time efficient, though you will use up a little more paper. In my economy, that's alright!
Still another approach, the one I've adopted with houses, is to bake the dough as a whole sheet. I roll onto the correctly sized parchment paper, and pre cut the pieces, without removing scraps. When the dough is sufficiently baked, I re-cut, and then allow them to cool a few minutes before removing...premature removal can cause precise shapes to get tweaked a bit. The cutting can be done, the parchment paper holding the cookies can be removed intact from the sheet, and the next batch put in place to bake.
You can also do your first and only cutting in the baked dough, provided you move quickly. However, this leads to rough, crumble laden edges. This was my approach last year, but I have since discovered that pre-cutting leads to a tidier outcome.

Shapes

Math teacher by trade, I love unique shapes, and recently considered some from scratch projects involving creative shaping. This led to a great brainstorming session with my kids, and lots of trial and error.
However, we found that a sharp knife can allow for creative shapes to be made. Use the knife to "draw" your shapes freehand, and when the baking is complete, separate while still warm.
The thinner you have rolled your dough, the quicker you will have to move on this.

Decorating Techniques

Decorating techniques, whether you make sugar cookies from scratch, or from purchased dough, are wide and varied. It can be as simple as purchased decorating materials from the baking aisle of your grocer, or as complicated as my friend's elaborate logo designs. That will be the topic of another hub, another day, perhaps many hubs. If you want a great, simple Royal Icing Recipe, here's mine! Beyond that, the sky is the limit!

Cookie Cutters and From Scratch Sugar Cookies

Cutting out shapes is an integral part of the process, much fun for the whole family, and a fantastic educational experience, with an especially wonderful opportunity to explore the concept of "conservation". It doesn't need to be a formal study, though it could. However, you can observe your children's ability to notice what a similar quantity of sugar cookie dough will allow for, with regard to the shapes and sizes. Discuss the number of small cookies, large cookies, or gingerbread house panels that you can get out of a certain sized ball of dough.
Observe the kids spatial understanding, and notice the difference with which each child places their cutters. Which children are more proficient at getting more cookies from one rolling out of a dough ball? This child is probably more of a visual learner. You will notice a difference if you let this happen naturally, not dictating the cuts. You may never have considered a sugar cookie recipe to be as useful in educational insights as this, but I find it fascinating to watch how my different children approach such activities. You can find lots of cookie shapes and sizes, whether for holidays, or for every day!
Posted by Admin at 6:41 AM
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