Happy New Years!!!

Photo of Anna Karina via A Cup of Jo

Caramel Popcorn recipe

I made some delicious caramel popcorn using this recipe. It's easy to make and is always a favorite. It also makes good gifts when packaged in a cute way. happy baking.

Ingredients:

1 cup corn kernels (white your yellow, your choice)

2 cups brown sugar

½ cup corn syrup

1 tsp salt

1 tsp baking powder

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

Pop about 1 cup of corn kernels, this should make about 5 quarts of popcorn. I find that using an electric popper is best because it does not burn any of the popcorn and is healthier because it requires no oil. But popping it the old-fashioned way is good too. It's actually random that I even have this popper, I remember being amazed by it as a kid. It's just a giant blow dryer.

The air poppers are idiot-proof. You get nice fluffy popcorn like this. Spread the popcorn on two ungreased cookie sheets, try and remove any seeds that are left.

Now for the caramel:

Preheat oven to 250°. Melt butter in saucepan on LOW heat. It's important to keep the flame as low as possible or the sugar will burn. Combine brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt in the saucepan. Heat this mixture on the stove stirring constantly until it comes to a boil. You may higher the heat in small increments in order to reach a slow rolling boil. At this point, leave the caramel untouched for exactly four minutes.

Remove from the heat and add vanilla and baking soda. Use a ladle to drizzle the caramel over the popcorn. Bake for one hour, and remove every 15 minutes to stir up the caramel so it gets on all the pieces. After an hour, or when the caramel begins to harden and the pieces begin to separate, remove from the oven and move to a bowl to cool. Your popcorn should look golden and tasty like this.

Look at these cute old fashioned popcorn boxes I found. I used them to wrap some for my friends. So cute!

New Year's DIY Projects

I can't wait for New Year's. It's probably my favorite holiday. There's something about the start of the new year that is just so exciting. Me and the boyfriend will be out town for the countdown, we're driving up North with some friends. But if I WERE at home, I would definitely have to try out these awesome New Year's projects. You can find awesome blogger tutorials for all of them at the end.

Love to try this hairstyle for New Year's Eve.

 

DIY Tinsel Banner from Martha Stewart // Pomegranate Champagne Punch  from Martha Stewart // Braided Crown Tutorial from A Beautiful Mess // Gold-Dipped Champagne Glasses

Merry Christmas

There's still so much to do before Christmas, I've barely started wrapping, and I still need to get a few small things. But I'm really looking forward to the festivities, especially the food.

"Camp Christmas" 1952-Vintagraph

Christmas Cookies

One of my favorite family Christmas tradition is cookie decorating. My aunt bakes a TON of sugar cookies and makes her famous cream cheese frosting. She employs me to mix the different colors into frosting, since she says I'm a painter. We get all the kids together and just have so much fun decorating, the adults even join in. We come up with some pretty creative designs!

Here's my aunt's recipe, she's perfected it over the years so it's simple and makes delicious cookies:

3/4 cup granulated sugar

1 cup butter

2 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

3 cups flour

Heat oven to 350° In a large blow, beat the sugar, butter, vanilla and egg with an electric mixer on medium speed. Beat in the flour. On a floured surface, roll the dough flat and thin. Use cookie cutters to create cookie shapes and place on an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10-14 minutes or until bottoms are golden brown, remove immediately and cool on wire rack.

For the frosting, and let me tell you this frosting is so delicious you could eat it straight:

1 lb. powdered sugar

1/4 tsp. salt

1/4 cup milk

1 tsp. vanilla

1/3 cup (2/3 stick) butter, softened

3 ounces cream cheese

In a mixing bowl combine powdered sugar, salt, milk, vanilla, butter and cream cheese. Beat with an electric mixer until smooth and creamy.

Everyone has a lot of fun decorating. You can use sprinkles and candies to decorate with, and use cake decorating tips with plastic bags to create details. 

To create different colors I mixed:

50% yellow + 50% red= orange

Equal parts red + blue+ yellow=brown

90% green + 10% red=dark green

50% blue + 50% green=turquoise

My aunt's dog Rusty had fun scavenging for scraps. 

Enjoy the cookies with some milk, and refrigerate the leftovers :)

Baby it's cold outside...

It was raining at home today, so Chris and I decided to drive up the canyon to higher elevation where it would be snowing. We wanted to drive up to this little restaurant and have lunch but the road was blocked. We took a different road and ended up finding snow. Chris tested his 8mm camera. We had a good time.

Christmas came early!

Look at the early christmas gift Chris gave me! I just love her and M. Ward, and the album has all the classics. Listening to it really puts me in the Christmas spirit :)

I just love this song...

Très Jolie

I just came across this gorgeous women's clothing brand, Petite Bateau, from Paris. Over at Refinery 29 you can find a slideshow from their Spring '12 lookbook. But here are some pieces that I just fell in love with, I'm a sucker for stripes. How wonderful would it be to be living in Paris, with this wardrobe?...

Orange Pomander DIY

Here's a DIY project that is easy and fun to make during the holidays. These orange pomanders are pretty and festive, and they make your home smell so sweet! They make beautiful centerpieces and if you use a small citrus fruit like Cuties they can be hung from the Christmas tree! 

Use the skewer stick to puncture holes in the orange peel. Plug each hole with a clove. You can create pretty designs and patterns on the orange skin and tie with a ribbon. As the oranges dry out the scent from the cloves and citrus blend together and will make your home smell like Christmas!

Vintage travel posters

I came across these really cool vintage travel posters. Most of them I think were ads for the parks department, to rally support for wilderness preservation. I just love their minimalist designs and funky color palettes, so modern.

Vintagraph

What I wore: Thrifted rose pendant

I found this gold rose pendant at this hole in the wall vintage store, Patty's Closet. I usually just stick with silver, but I've been wanting a gold necklace lately. I saw this pendant and I thought it was so lovely and 70's. I paired it with some Western-esque wear.

Jacket: Abercrombie

Dress: Tiny store from my town

Boots: Rachel Roy from Macy's