December 23, 2012

Marceille's Graham Cracker Cookies

For Christmas, I'm sharing my grandmother's Graham Cracker Cookie recipe with you... Enjoy!




1 box Graham Crackers
1 cup (2 sticks) Butter - substitutes won't work!
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
1 cup chopped pecans (optional and yummy!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Break crackers into desired size (squares are good, but I used quarters since this batch was for a cookie exchange) and arrange flat on an ungreased jelly roll pan.  (Edges on the pan are important here!)


Combine butter, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a saucepan.  Stir and heat on MEDIUM (so it doesn't burn) until caramel mixture boils. 

 
 
 
Boil 2 minutes and then spread over crackers with the help of a spoon. Sprinkle on pecans.

 

Bake 7-9 minutes (only 6 minutes in my extra-hot oven)


Immediately remove cookies one at a time to a cooling rack or well-buttered wax paper.
 



Merry Christmas!

- Erica
 
 
 



December 3, 2012

Christmas Card Wreath and Christmas Projects

I needed a way to get the beginnings of our stack of Christmas cards off of the dining room table, but I didn't have a lot around the house.
No better season to use what we already have, right?
I used a piece of card stock, but I think it would be best with an actual base for a wreath - a flat, wooden circle or even a cool metal one if that's your style.  Also on the list of supplies: scissors, pencil, markers and clothespins.
Using a bowl, I traced a circle and cut it out.  The hole in the circle (below) is what I used to start cutting out the middle of the circle.

I used my daughter's markers and made a candy-cane-looking pattern.  You could use fabric on a hard base, cork, or a flat color.


With the Crayola markers, I made some simple patterns on a few clothespins.  This would be way cool if they were painted with acrylic paint or sprinkled with glitter.  I've also seen some people cover them with a strip of scrapbooking pages.

 
Finally, I clipped my Christmas cards on and hung it on the wall.  As we get more cards in the mail, I'll add them. Because of the way my wreath is constructed, I have to put the cards evenly on both sides or it will spin around on the wall.
 
 
 
 
In other news, we've been busy making Christmas crafts...
 
 
 
...and enjoying some beautiful gifts (the baby AND the sweater).