The charm of an old-fashioned Gingerbread Man

I sat about on a task of making Gingerbread men this season for my husband who adores them.  My sister-in-law makes them for Christmas Eve each year and he mentions them fondly throughout the year so I decided to whip up a batch he could call his own this season.  I couldn't find my mom's recipe for them, so I dialed up my lovely friend Kimberley *who is an amazing baker in her own right.  She lovingly shared her family recipe and I set about the task.  As I began, I immediately felt my mother's presence.  She was a bright light and made every celebration the best. She loved to dress for the holidays and I could always find her buzzing about the house in some sparkly or luscious velvet frock.. I can smell the Christmas tree she so lovingly decorated.  The goodies baking in the kitchen... fudge or little shaped sugar cookies with red and green sprinkles oh and pralines with massive pecans-mmmm..  *Sigh..I can hear the Christmas carols playing throughout the house with mom singing or humming along.

The one thing I hear her say clearly regarding the task of gingerbread men.. 

I'll share in case you haven't been privy to this information or like me simply didn't hear it before... 

The holidays are NOT about the tasks of the season.. the writing and addressing of Christmas cards, decorating, baking, buying, wrapping, shipping.. The holiday season is truly all about LOVE and ALL about the memory you create in the hearts of those you truly love..

I digress.. but my heart is full. 

On to the task at hand!  In one hour, I had a batch of cookies ready to eat.. in two, they were iced and ready to charm my family.  If it wasn't midnight, I may have given more imagination to their clothing... (the upside is that I'll actually get to see them one more day).

Since my friend's recipe is a family secret, I'll share one similar in ingredients that is rated five stars for ease and taste:  Gingerbread Men Recipe.

 Half the fun was rolling out the dough and cutting the little shapes!

For frosting/icing,  my old tested tried and true recipe is as follows:  Beat two egg whites and one teaspoon of vanilla until frothy.  Next, add three cups of powdered sugar.  That's it!  Beat for about five minutes or until super shiny, add food coloring or gel to the icing to give it your desired color and pipe on your decorations!  

That's it.  So easy.. I'm certain these will be a tradition in this house for years to come.  

Thank you for sharing in my walk down memory lane.  I hope you are making beautiful memories with those you love my friends.. 

I wish you & yours a very Merry Christmas! 

The Annual Ruderman Family Christmas Card 2015

The Annual Ruderman Family Christmas Card 2015

I have been a huge fan of Norman Rockwell since I was old enough to remember.  We started making these family "fun" Christmas cards in 2010 and I've always wanted to remake the Norman Rockwell painting depicting "I Saw Mommy's Kissing Santa Clause."

Unfortunately, Our son was already too old to remake this one.  As we were batting around ideas this year, I couldn't help but thinking what he would "text" his friends if we tried to remake that one!  Ha!  The idea was born.. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause in the year 2015! Perfect...

Some of the behind the scenes fun:  HA HA.. these guys are such good sports!!  You really have to pay attention to their expressions.. most of them are NOT because they are posing!   

Wishing you and yours all kinds of family fun this holiday season!! 

Merry Christmas to all and to all a goodnight!!

Oh, how I love Jack O'lanterns!

With a name like Jack O'Lantern, I bet you could guess who brought the tradition of carving them to the U.S. and you would be right, it was the Irish! Did you know the original Jack O'Lantern was not a pumpkin?  Pumpkins didn't exist in Ireland, so the Irish carved turnips on All Hallow's Eve, and placed an ember in them, to ward off evil spirits.

Since we don't want tricks, we want treats.. the tradition continues here in the good old U.S.  My best guess is that since it's a fun tradition to pass on to generation to generation, that doesn't hurt either..

I think I can say this.. if you don't receive sainthood for this in Heaven, you certainly will in the they eyes of some little one you share this fun afternoon with!  

Notes for carving:

I like to start with a quick vinegar bath.  I started using little trick just a couple of years ago and I've noticed that not only does this make them bright orange and lovely, it seems to make them last a tad longer.  After I towel them off, I begin with cutting off their top. 

Some people despise the scraping out of the seeds, but I love it!  I roast the pumpkin seeds as I'm carving so I'll have a fabulous little treat when I'm all done.  

Side tip for pumpkin seeds if you decide you'd like to join in my tradition...  line the drain of your sink with a little cheesecloth, put the stopper in, then throw all the pumpkin gush in.  Fill with water and your pumpkin seeds will rise to the top! 

Scoop them out, take out the stopper.  The water seeps through the cheesecloth, but the leftover gush is very easy to scoop out and dispose of. 

 

For baking, line a pan with parchment paper, give a quick spray with Pam, spread out the seeds, salt and bake on 300 for about 30 minutes.. give or take.  Once they are crunchy begin to taste like a hint of popcorn, they are done.  Any longer and they'll burn.. 

So I digress.. back to the pumpkin carving fun. 

Seriously consider buying one of these little pumpkin carving kits.  

They are available at pretty much any grocery store or arts and craft supply and make this task a million times easier. 


If you want something a bit fancier than the usual triangle eyes, nose and mouth, consider printing off a template.  The kits comes with them, but there are thousands of templates available for free online.  A quick google search and I promise you'll hit pay dirt.

 
The only real tips I have for carving are this... if you are using a template, tape it to the pumpkin.  Use a needle or tool from the kit to outline the design.  When you remove the paper, you'll be able to see the holes along the lines you should cut.  Use a sawing motion and a small knife or tool from the kit.  Go slow and if you mess up, go with it!  Jack O'lanterns are not meant to be perfect.  They are meant to be fun!! 

When you are finished, put in a candle.  Slap your friend or family member a high five and dive into those pumpkin seeds.  

This will be one of those memories that will go down in family history.  

 
Here's our results.  Not perfect by any means, but certainly a fun family afternoon.  

Happy carving to you!  I hope you have very Happy Halloween, my friends!

Easiest Birthday Cake Ever...

I know it's been a long time since my last post.  With a teenager in the house who isn't driving quite yet, I find myself more along the lines of chief taxi cab driver than much else... not that I'm complaining!  I truly wouldn't have it any other way.  The years are whizzing by.  Speaking of which, my 15 year old's birthday party is this evening, so with a little time on my hands I decided to make him a chocolate cake.  I wanted it to be a little special, so I did a little digging around on the internet, and thought this cake looked easy enough to make.. Boy, was I right!  I finished so quickly that I even had time to share these simple instructions:

First, make your favorite chocolate cake recipe.. I'll share mine here in case you're interested.

I've found that when decorating cakes, box mixes never fail to create a nice firm foundation.  I make them my own by adding the following ingredients.  My family loves this recipe!

Chocolate Cake
1 box of your favorite chocolate cake mix
1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 cup chocolate chips
4 eggs
1/2 cup coffee (decaf is fine)
1/2 cup applesauce
1 cup non fat plain yogurt

Mix all the ingredients together, saving the chocolate chips for a last minute addition prior to baking.  Bake two round layers according to the box directions.

I freeze overnight or until firm.  This makes icing and cutting a breeze! 

Now, cut off any curved pieces, making sure that both layers are nice and flat.  To hold the two layers together and create a wonderful filling, I've chosen marshmallow fluff.  However my husbands favorite is raspberry jam.  I like the marshmallow fluff because it hold the two layers securely together and kids love it, but you can make it your own with whatever filling you like best. 

Once you've put the layers together with a nice thick layer of whatever filling you've chosen, you'll need to frost the entire outside of the cake with one quick simple layer.  Here's my favorite frosting recipe:

Chocolate frosting
1 cup unsalted butter (room temperature works best)
3 1/2 cups powdered sugard
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons milk

Blend together adding the milk last.. you'll want the frosting to be thick enough to hold the candy in place.

Now comes the really fun part!  

You'll need 4 king size Kit Kat bars as well as a king size bag of your favorite M & M's. 

Break the Kit Kat bars into twos.  Place them side by side along the outside of the cake.  Once they are in place, secure them with a thick width, beautiful ribbon of your choosing.  This will hide the Kit Kat logo giving your cake a very polished finish.

As the final touch, you'll add your M & M's to the top! 

Voila'!  It's that easy and how fun is that? 

Now that you know how easy it is, find any excuse to make one!  You'll be quite proud of yourself. 

Now, off I go to get ready for a birthday party...
Happy summer, my friends!

xoxo