Do you have a holiday party to go to and need something to bring (preferably really easy)? This has always been a big hit when I bring it to parties and it is really simple to make. Make it ahead of time and keep it in the fridge. And normally, I am not a big fan of cheese logs. I just recently took this to a potluck picnic and everyone loved it!

• 1 pkg (8oz) cream cheese
• 1 1/2  C grated cheese–I usually use white cheddar, but for a milder flavor, you can use Swiss or other cheese that is the same type of texture
• 1 T Dijon mustard
• 1 t Worcestershire sauce
• Salt and Pepper–if you have salt and pepper grinder, use these.
• 1 C shelled unsalted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• Crackers

Beat the cream cheese, cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce until combined, season with the salt and pepper. Cover this and refrigerate until pretty firm. This is take at least an hour.

Toast the pistachios in a cast iron skillet over medium heat and set aside to cool.

Put the chilled cheese mixture on a piece of waxed paper and use the paper to form a log about 6 inches long.

At this point, if I am making this ahead of time, I wrap the log in the wax paper and store in the fridge.

About an hour before you will be serving the cheese log, cover the cheese in the chopped pistachios and wrap in wax paper again. Chill until ready to eat! Serve with crackers.

Tip: Make sure you write down the recipe and take it with you! I am always asked for this recipe. Also take along a nice bottle of wine as a gift. Your hostess will love you. This is another one you could add to your gift giving list.

Chia Pet Rescue

December 12 is National Poinsettia Day. So often, holidays are listed as national holidays but really aren’t official national holidays. However, this is an official national holiday.

This plant has long been associated with Christmas because of its bright red and green leaves. However, now the poinsettia can be found in a variety of colors. It is also believed that one of the reasons it has been associated with Christmas is that Joel Roberts Poinset would raise them and give them to friends as gifts.

This day was declared National Poinsettia Day in honor of the death of Joel Roberts Poinset on December 12, 1851.
Joel Roberts Poinsett was the first Ambassador to Mexico and he brought the plant back to his plantation in Greenville, S.C. He continued to grow them and give them to his friends as gifts.

The red leaves of a poinsettia are actually not the bloom, but rather leaves. The bloom is at the center of the red leaves.

The Aztecs used the plant to produce red dye and as an antipyretic medication.

Many people believe that the poinsettia is poisonous. That is actually not true. This misconception was spread by an urban legend in 1919. However, it can be irritating to the skin or stomach. But the truth is that this plant is really harmless.

Why not get your Christmas poinsettias today in honor of this holiday!

Chia Pet Rescue

I just updated my store with a more “user-friendly” layout.

Check it out.

Chia Pet Rescue

December 8th is National Brownie Day. After a bit of research, I found that this isn’t an actual national holiday. But I think it should be. I love brownies.

Food historians traced the first recorded recipe for a brownie to the 1906 edition of The Boston Cooking School Cook Book by Fannie Merritt Farmer. It apparently was more like a cake than the brownies that we are familiar with. Then another recipe appeared in 1907 in Lowney’s Cook Book, by Maria Willet Howard. It added an extra egg and an additional square of chocolate, creating a richer, fudgier brownie. It was called Bangor Brownies. Most think it was named this because it was created by a woman in Bangor, Maine. According to the 1979 Betty Crocker’s Baking Classics cookbook, brownies were accidentally invented by Maine home economist, Mildred Schrumpf when she served a chocolate cake that had collapsed in the oven. In another story, it was invented in Chicago by the chef of the Palmer House Hotel during the 1893 Columbian Exposition.

I thought that in celebration of this great day, that I would share my favorite brownie recipe:

• 1/2 C corn syrup
• 1/2 C butter
• 5 oz semisweet chocolate
• 3/4 C sugar
• 3 eggs
• 1 t vanilla
• 1 C flour
• 1/2 C walnuts

Grease and flour a 9 inch cake pan. In a medium size saucepan, bring the syrup and butter to a boil, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat and add the chocolate. Stir until completely melted. Add the sugar, eggs (one at a time), vanilla, flour, and nuts. Stir to mix all ingredients. Pour into the prepared cake pan and bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

The tip that I found on many cooking sites suggests that to make really good brownies is to make sure you don’t over cook and to remove them from the oven immediately to cool. This help enhance the chocolate flavor.

Chia Pet Rescue

I just updated my lens on Creative Gift Giving for the holidays.

Chia Pet Rescue