DIY Christmas: Keepsake Ornaments & Cinnamon Crafts

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DIY Christmas

My new favorite gift to make and give | Keepsake Ornaments

Keepsake Ornament

If you have attended any weddings recently and still have the invitation or any party favors from the wedding this is a must do! Quick, simple and memorable. I had the pleasure of attending two amazing weddings this year and now I get to give a gift to my friends that they can have forever.

What you need:

  • Clear, empty round ornaments (Michael’s sells them in packs or singles in all different sizes)
  • The invitation and glitter or any other fillings you would like to add.

Keepsake Ornamanets

Start by cutting the invitation into very thin pieces. Depending on the material of the invitation you can curl it around your finger or with scissors. Fill the ornament with the sliced paper. Add glitter or any other decorations you would like. For one of the ornaments I added a couple of the matches that were given away on their special day. Add a hanger or a pretty piece of decorated string and gift. I guarantee this will be a gift they will cherish forever.

Make It A Cinnamon Christmas

Cinnamon Candle

In under 5 minutes, create a decorative holiday candle that is not only festive but fills the air with holiday cheer!

What you need:

  • Long cinnamon sticks
  • Glass candle holder / cup
  • Tea light or candle
  • Holiday string and decorations of your choice

Simply hot glue gun the cinnamon sticks and decorate with holiday string. Insert candle and light. The aromas of cinnamon will begin to fill the air with holiday cheers. Give as a homemade gift to your friends or family or decorate your home with this easy do-it-yourself holiday craft.

Holiday Cinnamon Banner

Butternut Squash with Pancetta, Pomegranate Seeds, Arugula, Pears and Asiago Cheese

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Butternut Squash with Pancetta, Pomegranate Seeds, Arugula, Pears and Asiago Cheese

One of the benefits of where I work is the opportunity to work with some exceptional chefs. The below recipe shared by  the Executive Chef at Kenwood Vineyards, Robin Lehnhoff-McCray, has it all. The sweet and nutty flavors from one of my favorite winter squashes married with tart pomegranate seeds (I’m on a pomegranate kick right now), crispy pancetta to add richness and texture, spicy arugula,  sweet pears and Asiago cheese for added complexity makes this recipe  the perfect winter dish. Serve it as your main entrée or as an accompaniment on the side.

1 large Butternut squash, peeled, seeded and diced 1 inch
2 T olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
½ cup apple cider vinegar
½ cup extra virgin olive oil
1 cup pomegranate seeds
8 ozs. pancetta, sliced thinly or cubed and cooked crisp
2 cups fresh baby arugula
2 large Bartlett pears, sliced thin
4-6 ozs Asiago cheese, grated
Butternut Squash Salad How To

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large bowl, toss the squash, olive oil and salt and pepper to coat. Place this on a sheet pan and cover with foil. Bake until tender, 15 – 30 minutes (mine took about 20 mins). Uncover and continue to bake until the squash starts to turn brown on the edges. Sprinkle with the cider vinegar and extra virgin olive oil. Set aside to cool.

In another bowl, combine the remaining ingredients and add in the squash. Gently toss together and serve immediately.

Serves 6-8 as main entrée.

Wine PairingWine Pairing

A Merlot or Pinot Noir would be a perfect match to the flavor profiles in this dish. Some personal favorites are Creekview Vineyards Santa Clara Valley Merlot, Benovia Winery Pinot Noir or Jack London Vineyards Merlot.

Perfect Pomegranate Libations

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It’s pomegranate season and with a tree in the backyard producing several of these exotic fruits, we decided to experiment a bit. Sure, the deep red seeds are a wonderful accessory to salads and soups but today we’re bringing them to the cocktail world. Deseeding and juicing a pomegranate sounds intimidating, but we have some easy tips below to get you started.

Happy Thirsty Thursday.

Pomegranate Manhattan

1 ½ ounces Rye Whiskey or Bourbon (you can use brandy if other options aren’t available)
1 ½ ounce fresh pomegranate juice 
1 tsp. superfine sugar
2 – 3 dashes of Angostura bitters

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a shaker with a handful of ice. Shake vigorously until sugar has dissolved and strain into a cocktail glass. Garnish with fresh pomegranate seeds or maraschino cherry.

Pomegranate Margarita

1 ½ ounces silver tequila
1 ½ ounce fresh pomegranate juice 
½ ounce triple sec
2 ounces fresh lime juice
½ – 1 ounce simple syrup or agave nectar
Course salt for rimming (optional)

Preparation:
Rim glass with course salt. (optional) Place all ingredients in a shaker with a handful of ice. Shake and pour over ice. Garnish with fresh pomegranate. Tip: to make salt stick to the rim of your cocktail glass,  wipe rim with lime wedge.

Aprons & Stilettos

1 ½ ounces vodka
1 ½ ounces  fresh pomegranate juice 
Juice from ½ blood orange, about 1 oz  (navel orange is fine, but if used I would decrease the amount of triple sec)
½ ounce Triple Sec
¼  ounce elderflower liqueur 
Sugar Rim

Preparation:
Place all ingredients in a shaker with a handful of ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a cocktail glass rimmed with sugar.  Tip: to make sugar stick to the rim of your cocktail glass,  wipe rim with orange wedge.

Pomegranate Tips: 

What’s the best way to deseed and juice a pomegranate? First, fill a large bowl with water, cut the pomegranate into quarters, submerge the fruit and begin removing the seeds underwater. The membrane will float and the seeds will sink. Remove the membrane and drain water with a colander.

Next, you have two options for juicing. The first method, and the method I prefer, is to quickly pulse the seeds in a blender and strain using a sieve in order to remove the seeds / pulp. The second method, which my sister shared with me, is to cut the pomegranate in half and juice on a juicer as you would with a lemon. Be careful and make sure you have your APRONS on as the seeds have a tendency to pop and stain.