Seasons Blog

Heart Shaped Napkin Fold for Valentine's Day

 

Add a romantic touch to your Valentine Table with a heart-shaped folded napkin. It is also perfect for any heartfelt occasion, such as Mother's Day or a wedding reception.

 

Directions:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Bring the top and bottom edges of the napkin to meet in the middle.

Now bring the bottom edge almost up to the top, leaving about 1⁄2 inch exposed.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Place your finger at the center bottom, and fold both sides up to meet in the middle.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Turn the napkin over, keeping the point toward you.

Fold in each of the four top corners to form the top of the heart, pressing the final folds helps keep the shape.

Flip the napkin over.

 

 

 

Take a Bough

During the holidays we tend to decorate our home the same way every year... so this time why not change it up a bit. Here are some beautiful and creatively decorated staircases to give us all a little inspiration!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Candy Corn Inspired Tricks and Treats

No other candy reminds us of Halloween quite like Candy Corn. Those triangle-shaped yellow, orange and white candies seem to find their way into every home and trick-or-treat bag... they are a true Halloween classic.

Here are a few tricks and treats that were inspired by this iconic candy.

 

Sparkling Candy Corn Shaped Cookies by Land o' Lakes

 

Spray painted gourds

 

Candy Corn added to the bottom of a glass hurricane for a festive touch

 

Candy Corn Colored Icing - The Curvy Carrot

 

Candy Corn Colored Pom Poms - Martha Stewart Living

 

Candy Corn Cheesecake Mousse - Glorious Treats

Happy 4th of July 2012!

Celebrate St. Patty's Day With The Best Corned Beef & Cabbage Recipe

When I was a teenager, the yearly and very popular St. Patrick's Day Parade would be held on the boulevard where my family owned a bar/restaurant. I was recruited (forced) to help out in the kitchen, making 'complimentary' corned beef sandwiches for all the customers attending the parade and buying green beer. With our hair held back in ponytails and bandanas on our heads, my mom and I would be in the kitchen toiling over the boiling caldrons of corned beef for hours on end. When the day was over, I could not look at (or smell) another corned beef sandwich.

We would often laugh about the shenanigans that went on that day, and I eventually (years later) regained a craving for corned beef on St. Patty's Day. After pouring over cookbooks and tweeking various recipes, I believe this recipe is a winner! It's not your soggy old cabbage, and I think adding the beef broth and Guinness really do the trick.

 

Corned Beed & Cabbage Recipe
Total Time: 5 hours, serves 6-8

Ingredients

• 5 pounds corned beef
• 5 garlic cloves, pealed and lightly smashed
• 10 peppercorns
• 4 sprigs fresh thyme
• 2 bay leaves
• 12 ounces stout (recommended: Guinness)
• 1 cup beef broth or stock
• Water, for simmering
• 4 yellow onions, cut into wedges, plus 1 medium yellow onion, sliced
• 3 carrots, peeled and cut into large chunks
• 6 medium red potatoes, scrubbed
• 1 medium head green cabbage, cut into quarters, core removed
• 4 tablespoons butter

Directions

Rinse the corned beef and put it into a large Dutch oven or heavy soup pot. Make a bouquet garni with the garlic, peppercorns, thyme and bay leaves and add to the pot. Stir in the stout, stock and enough water to cover the corned beef by 2 inches. Bring to a boil over medium heat, then reduce the heat to a gentle simmer and cook for 4 hours, covered, stirring occasionally.

After 4 hours, add the onion wedges and carrots, and cook for a 1/2 hour. Add the potatoes and the cabbage wedges and continue cooking until the cabbage is tender, but not limp, about 20 minutes. Remove the cabbage to a plate and allow the corned beef and other vegetables to continue cooking until the meat is tender.

In a separate large saute pan, heat 4 tablespoons butter over medium heat. Add the sliced onion, and a pinch of salt and saute until tender and just beginning to brown, about 8 to 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, slice the cooked cabbage thinly, gently pressing with a paper towel to remove excess water. Add the cabbage to the onion mixture and toss to coat well with the butter. Cook over medium heat until the cabbage begins to brown.

Remove the meat to a cutting board, let it rest for 10 minutes, then slice. Arrange the sliced meat down the center of a serving platter and pour a little broth over the meat. Arrange all of the vegetables around the meat. Enjoy!

An Irish Blessing:

For each petal on the shamrock, this brings a wish your way,
Good health, good luck and happiness, today and every day.

Holiday Bucket List

With the holidays fast approaching, it's easy to get overwhelmed by all the things we need to do - shopping, baking, decorating...

This year, let's all keep in mind what is important to our heart and soul, and make sure that those things are on the top of our 'To Do' list.

Here is my Bucket List for the Holidays - create one of your own and enjoy the magic of the season!

 

 

Happy Holidays!

Diane

 

 

Pumpkin Pecan Cheesecake

For Thanksgiving, we wanted to add a new dessert to our holiday menu, and this recipe from Southern Living Magazine certainly fits the bill. It combines three of our favorite holiday flavors to create a luscious dessert. This alternative to traditional pumpkin pie just might become a new family favorite!

 

 

Ingredients

• 2 cups graham cracker crumbs
• 1/3 cup finely chopped pecans
• 5 tablespoons butter, melted
• 3 tablespoons light brown sugar
• 4 (8-oz.) packages cream cheese, softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 4 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups canned pumpkin
• 1 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
• Praline Topping (recipe below)
• Garnishes: coarsely chopped Pecan Pie-Glazed Pecans, fresh sage leaves

Preparation

• 1. Preheat oven to 325°. Stir together first 4 ingredients in a bowl until well blended. Press mixture on bottom and 1 1/2 inches up sides of a 9-inch springform pan. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until lightly browned.

• 2. Beat cream cheese and next 2 ingredients at medium speed with a heavy-duty electric stand mixer until blended and smooth. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until blended after each addition. Add pumpkin and lemon juice, beating until blended. Pour batter into prepared crust. (Pan will be very full.)

• 3. Bake at 325° for 1 hour to 1 hour and 10 minutes or until almost set. Turn oven off. Let cheesecake stand in oven, with door closed, 15 minutes. Remove cheesecake from oven, and gently run a knife around outer edge of cheesecake to loosen from sides of pan. (Do not remove sides of pan.) Cool completely on a wire rack (about 1 hour). Cover and chill 8 to 24 hours.

• 4. Remove sides and bottom of pan, and transfer cheesecake to a serving plate. Prepare Praline Topping; immediately pour slowly over top of cheesecake, spreading to within 1/4 inch of edge. Garnish, if desired.

 

Praline Topping    (Prep time: 20 minutes)

Ingredients

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1/3 cup whipping cream
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1 cup powdered sugar, sifted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preparation

• Bring first 3 ingredients to a boil in a 1-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring often. Boil, stirring occasionally, 1 minute; remove from heat. Gradually whisk in powdered sugar and vanilla until smooth. Let stand 5 minutes, whisking occasionally. Use immediately.

Enjoy!

4 Halloween Myths Debunked

Halloween is associated with more skin-crawling superstitions and myths than any other holiday. Here are a few that peeked my curiosity...

Spiders
	Historically, spiders were known as the weavers of people’s fates and connecting the past with the future. Legends say if you see a spider on Halloween, it is the spirit of a loved one watching over you.
Black Cats
	“If a black cat crosses your path you will have bad luck.” Black cats were seen as companions of witches, and many Pilgrims believed that witches often transformed themselves into black cats to avoid death. The ancient Egyptians venerated black cats and treated them as royalty. I am an owner of a black cat named “Boo” (or should I say she owns me…) and she definitely leads a royal life!
Number 13
	This number became associated with Halloween because there are 13 witches in a Witches Coven. In many hotels and skyscrapers, there is no 13th floor. Most airplanes have no seat No. 13. In Italy, they usually leave out 13 in numbering the lottery tickets. Thirteen for dinner? Not in France. A party of thirteen can hire a professional quatorzieme, a fourteenth person, from an agency. In some big hospitals, there is no Operating Room 13, to spare the patient added anxiety being wheeled into Room 13.
Broken Mirror
	“Break a mirror and face 7 years of bad luck”. Many cultures believed that a mirror had the power to confiscate part of the user's soul, and their soul would be trapped inside the bizarre world the mirror represented. Personally, I would use it as a great excuse to go shopping for a new mirror for my home!

Fun Halloween Facts

Halloween is one of the most popular holidays in America. The origins of Halloween go back thousands
of years to the Celtic people of Ireland and Britain. The ancient Celts had a different calendar than the one we use today, and on the Celtic calendar the new year started on November 1st. The night before was called Samhain (pronounced "sah-win") - which was a celebration of the end of the harvest season.

It was believed by the Celts that on that night the spirits of the dead would be able to return to the world of living and play tricks and cause havoc on the living and on the crops. The Celts would carve gourds, which are small squashes, into scary faces and put lit candles in the gourds to ward off the evil spirits.

The festival would frequently include large bonfires. It is believed that the fires attracted insects, which in turn attracted many bats to the area. Masks and costumes were worn in an attempt to mimic the evil spirits and to protect the living.

               

Today, Halloween is a fun holiday full of magic and make-believe, and Seasons Gifts And Home has wonderful Halloween decorations to make your holiday spooktacular!

The majority of Americans celebrate Halloween by trick-or-treating or attending costume parties, giving out treats and watching scary movies. How will you be spending your Halloween?

Great Gifts for Mom