My Christmas Survival Kit

I was recently introduced to Man Crates, a company who puts together great gift boxes for men that are packaged in a crate to be opened with a crowbar.  How different is that!  It's seems, for me, that the Men in my family are the hardest ones to shop for these days, but with this idea... there may be a solution that I can use long into the future.

It got me thinking of what I would like to receive in one big box to help me get through the busy christmas season.  For me, christmas is by all means about family, quality time and making memories.  So I thought about what essential items I would like to have in that big box as a survival kit for my Christmas.  At first my list was quite large, but I took it down to the bare bones of the items I always seem to fall back on and, here it is;

1. Brown paper

For any wrapping emergency, all I need is a big roll of brown packing paper.  The possibilities are endless with brown paper as the backdrop.  Get the kids to decorate the gifts with hand print santas and reindeers.  Or use colourful markers to add limitless designs.  Add some curly ribbon and a fancy gift tag and the bottom of the tree is stunning.

2. Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

The base of all things yummy! Melt them to drizzle on a simple batch of sugar cookies for an unexpected party (Ps. Sub brown sugar for white for a delicious twist).  Or mix 1/3 cup with 2 cups milk for two cozy cups of decadent hot cocoa to share with a friend.  And to get through those midnight madness shopping trips whip up a batch of No Bake Energy Bites for a healthy but effective boost.  With chocolate chips in hand, (sometimes literally by the handful) I can conquer anything this crazy season can throw at me!

3. Christmas Music

Just what every power shopper needs to get into the spirit of the season.  Or to fuel creativity for a gift wrapping marathon, everyone needs that cheerful glee of listening (or loudly singing along) to the good old faithfuls.  Luckily the radio is packed full of great christmas hits for the full month of December, but maybe there's a favourite CD to play over and over and annoy the family.  No matter the circumstance, having some good Christmas music close at hand is a must have for all those Christmas preparations and parties.

4.  A Christmas Movie

Who doesn't love a good christmas movie!  There's something about curling up on the couch with the kids on a cold evening and watching a festive movie that puts a smile on my face.  Maybe a new animated Christmas movie to watch for the first time, or a tradition of watching White Christmas with Nana and Papa every year.  I look forward each year to pulling out that basket of heart warming christmas tales and watching my kids light up with reminiscing excitement.

5.  Camera

My last item, a camera.  It must be a reliable one, and fully charged at all times at that matter.  But the only thing that warms my heart more than making cherished memories with my family is being able to capture them.  I have several cameras in my stockpile to use in different situations, but hoping to add newest to my collection is a mini Polaroid camera!  How great it will be to capture these moments and have them instantly to share in a scrapbook.  Or organize a fun photo shoot with the kids for a unique christmas card.  For me, time flies by so quickly, so it is so necessary to make it possible to look back at those special moments shared with loved ones and friends.  

So, that's my list.  Peculiar, maybe but that's what makes Christmas for me, and helps me make it a special memory too cherish years to come.

Hope you enjoyed!

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Baby's First Birthday Cake

So who says you have to give your One year old a regular cake filled with tons of sugar and whatever else?  No One!  Why not make a healthy cake for your little one!

One of my favourite site that is full of great home made baby food recipes is Wholesome Baby Food by Momtastic.  They also have a great page the has a whole bunch of great healthy First Birthday Cake Recipes and icing ideas.

I prefer to make a Basic Rice Flour Cake.  I've had the recipe for a couple years and don't remember where I found it.  But here's how I make it.

What You Need:

1/2 cup olive oil

1/2 cup pure maple syrup

2 eggs

2 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup brown rice flour

1 tsp baking powder 

Directions:

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 C)

2) Grease and flour one 8" cake pan

3) Cream the butter till light

4) Add maple syrup and whip until well blended

5) Beat in egg and vanilla

6) Slowly add flour and baking powder and beat until thoroughly combined

7) Pour into the cake pan and bake for 20 to 25 minutes or until a sharp knife inserted into the middle comes out clean

8) Let cool and remove from pan

And that's how you make a delicious yet healthy birthday cake.  It's wheat free, dairy free and sugar free!  You can make this cake with butter instead of olive oil.  You can also use regular sugar instead of the maple syrup, but it would be much more sweet and dryer as well.  I find this cake very yummy and just sweet enough... I'm not a big fan of super sweet cakes.  The rice flour also makes a very unique texture, almost a bit like a corn meal muffin.  Which I love but some people would prefer finer flour like tapioca flour which would work for this recipe too.

John Deere Themed Cake

Now to decorate!  With a healthy cake you need a health icing.  My favourite is Maple Cream Cheese Frosting.  Here's how you can make it!

What You Need:

1 cup cream cheese

1/2 cup maple syrup

Directions:

1) Take the cream cheese out of the fridge about 1 hour before you start to soften

2) Whisk the cream cheese until light

3) Add the maple syrup and continue to whisk until mixed thoroughly

4) Cool in refrigerator for about 1/2 an hour

5) Ice your cake

This icing is very delicious and goes great with the Rice Cake.  It is very easy to make and super easy to use.  Once you ice the cake you can decorate with anything you like!  This icing provides a great and sticky surface to decorate!

Disney's Cars Themed Cake

I hope you and little ones enjoy this tasty cake!  And have fun decorating it too... that's always my favourite part!

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Cake Balls

For all you cake lovers out there here is the best way to make and eat cake ever! It is becoming more and more popular and you can now even buy them in cake shops! But they are fairly easy to make.

What you need:

1 box of cake mix in desired flavor

1 tub of premade icing in desired flavor

Coloured chocolate

Sprinkles or other toppings of choice

John Deere Themed Cake Balls

Double Chocolate

Directions:

1) Bake cake as directed on package

2) Once cake cools crumble into a mixing bowl

3) Gently fold icing into crumbled cake until well blended

4) Form mixture into balls about 2 tbsp. in size each and place on wax paper

5) Freeze formed balls for approximately 15 minutes

(Depending on the consistency of the mixture you may have to freeze for longer)

6) Melt chocolate in a double boiler being careful not to burn

7) Use a fork to dip balls into chocolate and swirl gently until coated

8) Carefully remove from fork and place on fresh wax paper

9) Add sprinkles or other toppings before chocolate sets

10) Let chocolate set at room temperature

11) Drizzle or decorate with additional chocolate if desired

Note: Try not to refrigerate. The cake will cool faster than the chocolate and cause the balls to sweat.

Disney's Cars Themed Cake Balls
Chocolate Vanilla Swirl

I have made them several times now and they are quite easy to make and very satisfying to eat. Everyone raves over them when I make them. There are also very versatile, you can make them in any variation you want and decorate them in anyway imaginable.

Flavor Variations:

Double Chocolate

- Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Icing

Chocolate Swirl

- Chocolate Cake with Vanilla Icing

Rainbow Vanilla

- Vanilla Cake with coloured sprinkles with Vanilla Icing

French Butter Pecan

- Butter Pecan Cake with French Vanilla Icing

Spiced Cream

- Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing


Three Tiered Cake Pop Cake
Rainbow, Pecan and Carrot

If you’re looking for a bit of a challenge you can try making Cake Pops. The above picture shows three sizes of foam cylinders which I used as the form to make them look like a three tiered cake. I used BBQ spears in order to piers the styro foam, but for better structure I would recommend using the white paper sticks that you can find at your local bulk or baking store. Once you form the cake into balls, place the stick into the center and reshape. You may have to freeze them a bit longer in order for the cake balls not to fall off the stick when dipping into the chocolate. I recommend that you leave a small amount of the cake uncovered by the chocolate near the stick. If the cake it fully covered the thawing cake may crack the chocolate. Place the sticks into something in order for them to stand upright. Then decorate and let set.

And that’s how you can make your very own cake balls! It's fairly easy right? Give them a try and you'll see. You may never want to make a regular cake again!

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