The Scent of Christmas - Cinnamon Ornaments

OK, so this is not food, but it sure smells like it.  Mom use to make these when we were little.  Though we never decorated them, we simply hung them on the tree and enjoyed the scent.

As an adult, I thought it would be cool to decorate a Christmas tree with cookies one year.  It really didn't work all that well.  All the cookies became stale and drew moisture. Then they started to get kind of soggy.  Eventually, the ribbons pulled through the holes in the top... It was just a big mess... So I now do what my mom did and make cinnamon ornaments that "pose" as cookies.  With a little Fabric Paint for frosting, your good to go!  No fuss, no muss...  And as an added bonus... They smell awesome!  Kind of like Gingerbread, though the cinnamon is the predominant aroma.

This is a great "Christmassy" project for kids too.... (OK, adults like it too... Though from my experience, adults tend to make a bigger mess with the paint) LOL

Cinnamon Ornaments

1 1/2 cups (6 oz) ground Cinnamon
2 TB ground Ginger
1/2 TB ground Clove
1 cup (8.5 oz) Applesauce
1/2 cup (4 oz) Elmer's Glue (Not the School glue, get the good ol' "Glue-All" with the blue label)

Place all the spices in a bowl and whisk them together.

Add Applesauce and Glue....

Then mix thoroughly with your fingers (just like making pasta).....

Until it all comes together into a stiff dough. (Yep, it's that simple...)

If the dough is REALLY stiff, you can add about 1 TB of water to soften it a little.

Knead the dough until it's smooth... Careful, cause it's a little sticky.  I mean, it does contain glue after all. ;)  Then wrap in plastic wrap and let it sit for about an hour to meld. (this gives the spices a chance to absorb the liquids)

Roll out between sheets of parchment paper to about 1/4 inch thickness. (it protects your rolling pin, cause you cannot use flour and using more cinnamon would only make the dough too dry to work with.)

Cut out your gingerbread man shapes..... and re-roll the scraps.

I did mostly Gingerbread men but I threw in a couple of Ginger-bears...

OK, since it's traditional, when we make gingerbread cookies, to make a Ginger-goats (I WAS raised on a goat dairy after all) I went ahead and cut out 1 goat.... And since this is Hunter's first Christmas, I made a Ginger-poodle so I can put the date on it. (though he doesn't have the foofy haircut that the cookie cutter has)

Move to a baking sheet, lined with fresh waxed paper.

Poke a hole in the top with a straw or a toothpick so you will be able to hang them on the tree. (a stir straw from your local coffee shop works best)

If you are using "other" cutters than a standard "gingerbread man/bear" you may need to place the hole in a slightly different spot, to ensure it hangs properly with out tilting forward or backwards on the string.

Place the sheet pan in a warm dry place and allow the ornaments to dry for 3 -5 days. You will need to turn them at least twice per day (every 12 hours) to ensure even drying, or the edges will begin to curl.

They will slowly dry from the edges towards the middle... This is day 2.... They are almost ready since the center is only slightly darker than the edges. (They have lightened in color significantly)

Now take them to your niece's and nephews, along with a bunch of "puff" paints, and let them go to town....  LOL

Ginger June and Ward Cleaver...  (Erica and Myself)

Ginger-Santa and his army of Zombie Soccer Players..  courtesy of Erica and Blaine.. Respectively

Marshall is in a "Jackson Pollack" phase.....

 

Fun for kids and a wonderful addition to your Christmas tree. (once you run a ribbon or string through the hole)

As delicious as they smell, please, please, please refrain from licking or biting them.

Mangia!!  er, well... Not literally.
~~

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree... I'm Cold and Need Hot Chocolate

Ah, it's that time of year again. Chestnuts roasting on an open fire, Jack Frost nipping at your nose, and time to get in touch with my inner Lumber Jack and chop down a Christmas tree. Woo Hoo!!!

I find it ironic that during the Yule festival, which celebrates the beauty and wonder of the evergreen that lives through the winter while all deciduous have lost their leaves and started hibernating. Here I go and callously mow one down in cold sap and unceremoniously plop it into the living room to watch it slowly die over the next month... But I like to believe that this tree is following it's Christmas destiny. After all, it was from a tree farm and I shall adorn it in twinkling lights and shiny baubles, and in it's demise shall it be all the more glorious. LMAO

I know, I have a warped sense of humor. ;)

Back to topic... I went and cut down a Christmas Tree today, up on the chilled slopes of Larch Mountain with the slightly frozen ground crunching beneath my feet. I could not help but try and find all the patches that has raised up slightly with crystals of ice and jump on them, just to hear the crunch sound... OK, not only do I have a warped sense of humor, but way down deep, I am still just a kid.

So... the perfect tree was eventually found and loaded into the truck where, upon returning home, the bottom branches needed trimmed and the stand needed to be mounted so it could be moved into the house and placed in the bay window, where it shall be crowned with an Angel and draped with many, many, many, many lights... Did I mention many lights?

All day today the temperature remained a balmy 30 degrees... Yeah, it's cold... So after being outside for what seemed like an eternity, it was finally time to come inside and enjoy that fresh fir tree smell that can ONLY occur when you have a fresh Christmas tree in the house... Regardless of what "Glade" and "Renuzit" try to tell you, it does not come from a candle or a cute little oil containing gizmo that occupies one of your household outlets so you have no place to plug in your vacuum cleaner, but have a handy little light so, in the dead of night, you can SEE where you cannot plug in your vacuum cleaner. :)

And what better way to enjoy that fresh evergreen smell and remove the chill from your bones than with a delicious cup of Hot Chocolate... Not Hot Cocoa mind you, but Hot Chocolate... Oh yeah baby, THAT'S the stuff. I usually use Scharffen Berger 62%,

but I just happened to have a Chocolove bar lying around and hey, any chocolate that you would eat, is gonna make GOOD Hot Chocolate... What would have really set this off, though, would have been either a candy cane or a peppermint stick to stir with. Alas, I could not find mine.

Hot Chocolate

8 oz Whole Milk (or Half & Half if you want it REALLY rich)
2 oz Chocolate at 60% - 68% Cacao Solids
a tiny pinch of Salt (Trust me, just a tiny one though)
a tiny pinch of Cayenne (unless you are using a peppermint stick)
2 oz Heavy Cream

Simply begin heating the milk in a saucepan over low heat.

Break up your Chocolate bar.

Add it to the milk along with the Salt and the Cayenne.

Use a whisk to stir the mixture until the chocolate has completely melted (this is kind of like making a runny ganache)

Whisk a little bit of Heavy Cream, just until it becomes frothy but not thick.

Pour the Hot Chocolate into a mug.

Spoon the slightly whipped cream over the top. (This acts as an insulator to keep it hot and prevent a scum from forming on the top)

Sit down on the floor, stare at your Christmas tree (which is still a little crooked), fill your lungs with the intoxicating scent...

and take a sip.... YUM!!!

Oh, I found my Peppermint Sticks, about 3 hours later... LOL
They would have made a wonderful addition (just drop the cayenne)

Cin Cin!!
~~