Cocktail Wienie Wreath

This is a totally simple appetizer recipe that only takes about 10 minutes to prepare.

Cover a 14 inch pizza pan with parchment paper. Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Take one roll of Pillsbury Garlic Bread Sticks and unroll. Section off into 3 inch strips. Wrap each cocktail wienie with a 3 inch strip of dough and place on the pizza pan near the edge. Place each wrapped wienie next to the previous one, touching slightly. Prepare an egg wash with one egg and a tablespoon of water. Brush over the tops of the wrapped wienies. Sprinle the tops with poppy seeds. Bake at 350 for 8-10 minutes or until golden.

When done, let sit for five minutes. Remove the wreath by sliding the parchement onto a large platter. Then carefully slide the parchment out from under the wreath.

I garnished my wreath with jalapeno-jack cheese and a dipping sauce (I chose Green Goddess Dressing of course, but only because I ran out of honey-chipotle BBQ sauce). Then I chopped some fennel fronds that I had on hand (you could use any type of green herb that you have available).

Totally easy and quick to make for a party.

Last Minute Christmas Cookies

I decided to make my Christmas baking as simple as possible this year. Aside from purchasing a chocolate bundt cake and tossing some festive Christmas sprinkles on it (which really looks quite pretty), I purchased a pre-made sugar cookie mix. I followed the package instructions to make cut out cookies (reduced the butter, added a tablespoon of flour) and baked until barely golden. Ok, actually, I burned the first batch to dark brown crisp, but whatever.

I even used a pre-made frosting and added some food coloring and sprinkles. Ya, I cheated, ok? Sue me. Christmas time is hectic and who has time to do everything from scratch?

Bada bing, bada boom, Christmas! Enjoy.

Cream Waffer Cookies

For this coming holiday season, I wanted to make cookies. But what kind? I have recipe after recipe for holiday cookies and they all look good. I asked some friends to make the decision for me by sending me their favorite holiday cookie recipes. Here is the first.



Cream Wafers (originally published in the Betty Crocker Cookbook)

This recipe was sent to me by Jennifer Smith-Righter of Wearable By Design.

Cream Wafers

1c soft butter
1/3 c whipping cream
2 c sifted flour

Cream butter, cream, flour. Chill dough.
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Roll dough on floured surface to 1/4" thick. Cut with 1 1/2" round cookie cutter (I used a 2" snowflake shaped cutter). Transfer to wax paper covered with granulated sugar (any color). Coat both sides and set on an ungreased cookie sheet. The original recipe says to prick the unbaked cookies with a fork to let steam escape. (Truthfully, I skipped the fork on the second batch of cookies because I didn't like how they looked after they were baked.) Bake until set, but not browned. Transfer to cool.

Blend 1/4 c soft butter, 3/4 c confectioner's sugar, and 1 tsp vanilla. Tint with red or green food coloring if desired. Spread on one wafer and top with another wafer, creating a cookie sandwich. Enjoy!

These turned out delicious, if not completely picture perfect for me. I have been enjoying these with my coffee in the morning. They are light and buttery and have been a perfect kick off to my holiday cooking. Thanks Jenn!

Please take time to not only make these terrific cookies, but check out my feature on Jenn and her jewelry at my blog The Little Brown Bird, as well as Jenn's incredibly beautiful shop at Wearable By Design.

Handmade Glass Wine Stoppers by Combustion Glassworks

These are so cool, I just had to share them. They are wine bottle stoppers from Combustion Glassworks out of Sonoma, California.




These wonderful winestoppers are hand made by artist Tara Chabot, a self-described "Louisiana transplant who brings a little bit of funk to the world of glass."

Along with Tara's wine stoppers, you can set the mood with her hand made glass votive holders.

Tara has many other wonderful glass items available like dishes and plates, jewelry, even the occasional sushi set! She offers shipping to the US and Canada and currently is offering 25% to 50% off select items. All of these are one of a kind, so you better hurry to get your hands on one!

Please check out her shop, Combustion Glassworks .

Natalie MacLean's Drinks Matcher

Natalie MacLean's Drinks Matcher

Check out the newest addition to All Up in My Kitchen. A nifty lil' widget that takes the guess work out of pairing great wines with any food. You can find this in the side bar on the right. Try it out and see what pairings you come up with!

Weekend Cocktails: Pink Fizz

This is a no-brainer for the Memorial Day long weekend. And it couldn't be more simple to prepare. Take an icecream scoop of raspberry sorbet, slightly softened, and blop it into a glass. Then pour pink "champagne" over the top of it. Its fun to watch the sorbet foam up in the bubbles, and with the sorbet slightly softened, it melts into a creamy, dreamy froth. MMMMMMMM!