Erik HOMEMADE Coffee Break eZine

Subscription Drive and NEW Conest!

Now through February 28th, 2010, get your free supscription to the Erik Homemade(R) Coffee Break eZine via the FEEDBURNER(tm) subscription form (to the left) and your email address will be entered to win one of 3 winter sticker embellishment packages!

Your subscription is free! Open to US residents over the age of 21. Three winners will be chosen at random. Click on the CURRENT CONTEST Page for complete information. Winners will be announced in early March, 2010. Good Luck!

Gingerbread Bark recipe

 
A spicy twist on an old favorite! This candy is a quick to make gift for family and friends; the crunch of ginger snaps will make it a new holiday treat! A perfect recipe to make with the kids...

Ingredients

1 14oz package chocolate candy coating wafers
2 teaspoons ground cloves
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups crushed ginger snap cookies, about 25  

cake sprinkles, if desired

zip-seal plastic bag, wax paper

Place ginger snap cookies in a zip-seal plastic bag and crush into coarse crumbs. Melt chocolate candy wafers according to package instructions. When chocolate is thoroughly melted, add spices and salt. Stir until well blended. Add crushed ginger snaps; stir until thoroughly coated with chocolate mixture. Pour onto a sheet of wax paper; sprinkle with cake decores; allow to harden. Break into pieces. Package as desired. Store covered in a cool dry place for up to two weeks.

Yield: about 1 lb candy.

Click here to print a copy of this recipe-->Download Recipe Template-Gingerbread Bark

Sources: holiday cardinal plate; Crate & Barrel.

Thursday's Thought

"They are ill discoverers that think there is no land, when they can see nothing but sea" --Francis Bacon

Santa's Ship, Troy, Michigan, December, 2009

 

Thursday's Thought

 
"Consider the postage stamp: its usefulness consists in the ability to stick to one thing till it gets there" 

 --Josh Billings 

Nativity Decoration craft project

 
Floating on a snowflake star, this little nativity would be perfect for a place-setting favor. It is small enough to be tucked in anywhere you want to show the reason for the season.

For one nativity decoration you will need

1 pill box nativity scene, or a nativity scene small enough to sit on the snowflake ornament
1 plastic snowflake ornament, large enough to hold the nativity scene
small branches clipped from a holiday bouquet
1 pine chenille stem, long enough to circle the base of the nativity scene
3-4 tiny white flowers, clipped from a larger bunch

silicone-type craft glue, we used Household Goop

If using the pill box nativity scene, carefully separate the nativity scene (top) from the metal band of the pill box. (Save the botton part, including the gold metal band, for another project.) With silicone type craft glue, glue the nativity scene to the snowflake making sure it is centered; allow to dry.

World Aids Day - December 1st, 2009

 

December 1st, 2009 is World Aids Day. We are showing our support by making red awareness lollipops using Make n' Mold's Awareness Ribbon mold (#0233); use our instructions from our October 21st, 2009 post (in the RECIPES and TREATS Categories-Awareness Ribbon Lollipops) to make your own. When the lollipops had completely cooled, we removed them from the mold and brushed them with clear corn syrup, then sprinkled them with red and white sugar crystals. Allow to dry thoroughly before you package them...Be sure to check your local community for ways you can be involved in World Aids Day 2009.

To find Make n' Mold's Awareness Ribbon lollipop mold, check with your local retailer or visit www.makenmold.com for more information.

Reindeer Noses Candy recipe

Bring a smile to every face this holiday season with these quick-as-a-wink to make candies! Look for jelly beans in the candy aisle of the grocery store this time of year...or substitute red hot candies, if you have trouble finding the black ones.

Ingredients

1 14oz package white candy coating wafers
2 cups (plus a little more, if needed) shredded coconut
black and red jelly beans

2 forks, wax paper

Melt candy wafers according to package directions. When candy coating is thoroughly melted, fold in 2 cups coconut. Stir until well blended. Add more coconut, if necessary to make a stiff candy. Using 2 forks, drop about 1 tablespoon onto wax paper. Immediately press a jelly bean into the center of each candy and allow to cool completely. Once cool, remove candies from wax paper and store tightly covered in a cool place, for up to 2 weeks.

Yield: about 36 candies 

Click here to print a copy of this recipe;Download Recipe pdf Template-Reindeer Noses Candy

Sources: tray; Target Stores: fabric (tablecloth); Studio e Fabrics. 

Thursday's Thought

 
"What moistens the lip and what brightens the eye, what calls back the past, like that rich pumpkin pie" --Whittier

Thursday's Thought

 

"Don't judge each day by the harvest you reap but by the seeds  that you sow." --Robert Louis Stephenson

Pumpkin Mound, Vala's Pumpkin Patch,
Gretna, Nebraska, October 2009

Ice Cream Soda Ornament craft project

Save your bottle caps and look what you can make for the Christmas tree! It takes very little to whip up this little cutie! All you need is the recycled cap and some craft supplies you already have on hand! Change the color of the top pompon, and you will have flavors to tempt everyone!

For each ornament you will need

1 recycled cap from a mouthwash bottle, the long conical type
2 coffee stir straws
2 large pompons-1 any color for base, 1 ice cream color
5 small white pompons, for whipped cream
enough fancy trim to go around top of cap
small holly leaves and berries, for garnish
6-inch cord, thread, or floss, for hanger

tacky type craft glue, scissors

Wash and dry mouthwash cap. With tacky glue, glue base pompon into bottom of cap. Referring to the photo, cut coffee stir straws to desired length; insert into cap alongside the base pompon. Tie a knot in cord and glue into cap, slightly aside of the straws. Allow to dry.

Glass Hurricane Candle Lamp craft project

 
Reminiscent of oil lamps of days gone by, this version uses a small votive candle instead of kerosene! Make sure the glass parts are free of oil and grease or the glue will not bond properly. Fill the resevoir with anything small to give your lamp a little color...and the best part, almost everything can be found in the dollar store!

For each hurricane lamp you will need

1 5-inch candy dish with cover that has a flat knob on the top
1 crystal taper holder
1 hurricane-type candle holder
3-inch wide red wired ribbon
sprig of artificial holly, or evergreen, with berries
small items to fill resevoir, if desired, we used small antique glass ornaments and beads
votive candle
Glass Bond glue**, or other glue suitable for adhering glass to glass

Wash and dry each glass part, making sure it is clean and free of dust, dirt, and oil residue. Follow the gluing instructions printed in the label to adhere the taper holder to the center bottom of the candy dish. Adhere the hurricane to the top of the candy dish cover, centering it on the flat part of the knob.