30 Days of Gratitude

Sailor Bar - Fall 2012

Gratitude is something that is very important to me.  I do my best to think about things that I am grateful for daily.  I find that this brings a lot of happiness, calm and peace to my life.  It’s really wonderful to be able to stop for a moment each day and think about the things that you are grateful for … from the big things like life itself, to the small things like warm socks on a rainy day.    

Last year, my friend Kim inspired me when she started sharing things she was grateful for daily on Facebook during the whole month of November.  This year, I was inspired to do the same and have looked forward to reading her daily log of things she’s grateful for.  It has been refreshing to take a moment each day and reflect on the things I am grateful for in that moment. 

Today I read a post from my friend Jennifer at Hybrid Rasta Mama, Counting My Blessings … a beautiful post about gratitude.  After doing my last gratitude post on Facebook and reading Jennifer’s post on gratitude, I was inspired to do my own post here.    

As we wrap up the last day of November today and move forward into December, I feel inspired to share some of the things that I am so grateful for.

Gratitude …

1.    Everyday the first thing I am grateful for is life.  I am grateful to be alive, to wake up every morning next to my loving hubby-to-be and my Little Love when she climbs into bed for morning cuddles. 

2.   I am grateful for my Little Love.  She is such a blessing, I love her more than words can express.  Her spirit is so beautiful, so sweet and full of life.  She is full of joy, grace and love.  Little Love brings so much happiness to my life.  

 

My Little Love - Nimbus Dam/Fish Hatchery, Fall 2012

3.   I am grateful for Big Love, he has brought so much love and happiness to my life and our little family.  I love and adore him.  He is so supportive, has so much drive and is dedicated to our family.  I am so proud of him. 

4.   I am grateful for my pregnancy - our baby (and grateful again to Big Love, without him, there would be no Tiny Love growing inside me).  I am grateful everyday for her little kicks and punches inside me.  I am grateful for the joy, love, excitement and anticipation that she has brought to Little Love.

Picture by Little Love of our family, she is holding her baby sister.

5.    I am grateful for my family - my parents, my future mother-in-law, my grandma, my aunts, uncles and cousins.  I am especially grateful for my mom.  She has been so supportive of me throughout my whole life.  I know I can always count on her.  I am grateful for our relationship, the bond we have formed over the years and her dedication to Little Love.

6.   I am grateful for my amazing friends.  I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, caring, supportive circle of friends.  I am grateful for all of my friendships - childhood friends, holistic mom friends, old friends, new friends, virtual friends, blogger friends … they all hold a special place in my heart. 

7.   I am grateful for nourishing food, Real Food.  This time of year I am especially grateful for bone broth, Elderberry and Rose Hip Syrup, honey-sweetened hot chocolate, herbal tea infusions, soup, anything made by Big Love, kale, pumpkin, sweet potatoes, kiwis, and healthy treats. 

8.   I am grateful for Mother Earth for grounding me.  The moon for her beauty, strength and hearing my intentions.  Our beautiful oceans, rivers, and lakes for their peacefulness, cleansing/recharge and beauty.  Trees for their beauty, old wisdom, and for cleaning our air.  Sunshine for bringing happiness and vitamin D.  Rain for it’s beautiful sound, ability to cleanse the air and for nourishing nature and our bodies. 

Sailor Bar - Fall 2012

9.   I am grateful for a home - a roof over our heads, a place where we can come together and feel comfort, joy, love and connection. 

10. I am grateful for health and my body for giving me signs – it’s so important to listen to what our body is trying to tell us.

11. Last but not least, I am so grateful for all of my loyal readers.  Thank you for your time, your suggestions, your support and your kind words. 

What are you grateful for?  I would love for you to share.

Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting

There are two kinds of people in this world.

Those who love eggnog...

and those who don't.

If you fall in the latter category, these Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting
just may convince you to switch sides.

They are full of yummy eggnog flavor, 

topped with nutmeg cream cheese frosting.

These cupcakes are so delicious...WOW!
I need to give some away quickly, before I eat them all!

Eggnog Cupcakes with Nutmeg Frosting

by Bird On A Cake

6037273

Ingredients

Eggnog Cupcakes (Yield: 22-24 cupcakes)

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1 cup eggnog
• 1 teaspoon rum extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Nutmeg Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese (room temperature)
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
• 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 2 tablespoons eggnog
• 3/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line two cupcake pans with paper liners.

In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar together. Beat in the eggs. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and nutmeg. In another bowl, mix the eggnog, rum extract and vanilla. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures to the butter/sugar/eggs until thoroughly combined.

Fill cupcake liners 2/3 with batter and bake for 18-20 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese and butter until creamy. Mix in the eggnog. Mix in the confectioners' sugar a little at a time, until thoroughly combined. Add the nutmeg.

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Maybe Santa would like one of these cupcakes on Christmas Eve? :0)

Enjoy!

 I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

Cranberry Cherry Apple Sauce

Cranberry sauce is one of my favorite things to make for the holidays.  I love how it fills the house with its sweet aroma.  

I have been making this cranberry sauce for many years.  It reminds me of the one that my mom would make (with apples and orange juice) when I was growing up.  I love the flavor combination and the addition of the extra fruit.  I’ve tried to mix it up over the years and add different things like fresh ginger, cloves, fresh apple juice, more honey, etc. but I always come back to this recipe, it’s my all time favorite. 

Cranberry Cherry Apple Sauce

{Affiliate links included help support this blog}

Make this sauce the day before your holiday meal.  It keeps well in the refrigerator and tastes even better the next day. 

Equipment: Medium-Size Saucepan w/ Lid, Cutting Board, Microplane Zester or Standing Grater with Zester, Optional Food Processor

·      1 ½ cups fresh organic cranberries (frozen is fine)

·      1 cup frozen organic sweet cherries

·      1 medium-size organic apple (I use Fuji), peeled and finely diced

·      Zest of organic orange

·      1 organic orange (I use Valencia), halved and juiced

·      2 organic cinnamon sticks (I buy cinnamon sticks here)

·      ½ cup honey (I use local raw clover honey)

1.    Wash cranberries, apple and orange.  Peel and finely dice apple.  Zest orange with microplane zester/standing grater zester.  Cut orange in half to juice. 

2.   Place cranberries, frozen cherries, diced apple, orange zest, cinnamon sticks and honey in saucepan.  Squeeze/juice orange halves over fruit, any pulp that falls into the saucepan is fine. 

3.   Cover saucepan and bring to a boil.  Once boiling, remove lid and reduce heat to a simmer.  Simmer about 30-35 minutes or until the sauce has thickened.  [Note: Sauce will thicken more as cooled/refrigerated.]

4.   If you prefer a chunkier cranberry sauce, remove cinnamon sticks and leave as is.  If you prefer a smoother sauce, remove cinnamon sticks and add contents to a food processor.  Pulse to combine until smooth. 

5.    Transfer to a glass storage dish, cover and refrigerate for later (you can serve immediately if you prefer a warm/hot cranberry sauce).  Store in the refrigerator.    

Yield: Makes about 3 cups.

Note: If you prefer a sweeter sauce, add another ¼ - ½ cup honey.  I use Valencia oranges because they tend to be sweeter than Navel oranges this time of year, they also tend to be juicier – Navel oranges tend to be more tart and have less juice.  I prefer using a sweeter apple, Fuji is usually the least expensive at my local co-op, but any sweet apple would work fine.

Vegan-Option: Coconut palm sugar or organic maple syrup grade B could be substituted instead of honey. 

Amazon and Mountain Rose Herbs links are affiliate links, prices are the same for you.  Should you decide to purchase through my blog, thank you in advance and much gratitude for supporting Recipes to Nourish. 

This post is part of Fat Tuesday @ Real Food Forager, Real Food Wednesday @ Kelly the Kitchen Kop, Hearth and Soul Hop @ Premeditated Leftovers, Allergy-Free Wednesdays @ Laura's Gluten Free Pantry, Slightly Indulgent Tuesday @ Simply Sugar and Gluten Free, Real Food Holiday Recipe Link Up @ Hybrid Rasta Mama, Pennywise Platter Thursday @ The Nourishing Gourmet, and Fresh Bites Friday @ Real Food Whole Health.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake

 
So, I was daydreaming about delicious holiday sweets...

and how I could create them in cake form.

(What, you don't do that?)

My mind wandered to chocolate covered cherries...
because I really, really love them...
then inspiration hit me!

I realized if I made my Maraschino Cherry Cake and covered it in chocolate,

it would taste like a giant chocolate covered cherry!

   
Fabulous idea, don't you think??

This cake is full of maraschino cherry chunks, covered with whipped chocolate ganache
and topped with homemade chocolate covered cherries.

Chocolate Covered Cherry Cake 
by Bird On A Cake

6036662

Maraschino Cherry Cake

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter (softened)
• 1 1/2 cups sugar
• 3 egg whites
• 2 cups flour
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1 cup sour cream
• 1 teaspoon cherry extract
• 10 oz. bottle of maraschino cherries - reserve the juice and cut the cherries in eighths
• 2 tablespoons flour for sprinkling over diced cherries

Whipped Chocolate Ganache

• 1 (12 oz.) package mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup whipping cream
• 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (softened)

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottom of three 6 inch cake pans (or two 8 inch) with wax paper. Grease the sides.

In a large bowl, beat the butter and sugar together until creamy. Beat in the egg whites. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, salt and baking powder. In another bowl, combine the sour cream, cherry extract and reserved maraschino cherry juice. Alternate adding the dry and wet mixtures to the butter/sugar/eggs until combined.

In a small bowl, sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of flour over the diced cherries and stir until the flour has been completely absorbed. Stir the cherries into the batter.

Pour batter into prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes. Remove from pans and allow to cool completely on a wire rack.

Microwave chocolate chips and whipping cream in a microwave-safe bowl on medium power, 2 1/2 to 3 minutes or until chocolate begins to melt. Whisk until chocolate melts and mixture is smooth. Whisk in butter; let stand 20 minutes. Beat at medium speed with an electric mixer 3 to 4 minutes or until ganache forms soft peaks. Spread on cooled cake.

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How to make Chocolate Covered Cherries

• Drain maraschino cherries with stems and pat them dry with a paper towel.
• Melt chocolate chips in a double boiler or microwave.
• Dip the cherries in the melted chocolate, then place on wax paper to harden.
• Arrange on top of your cake immediately after spreading the whipped ganache.

This cake would be a showstopper at any holiday party or family gathering!

Enjoy!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!

Thanksgiving Pilgrim & Indian Cupcake Toppers

Poor Thanksgiving.

It seems to get forgotten in the mad rush to Christmas!

And Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday...

I love that we Americans dedicate a day to being thankful!

We gather our families together and focus on what is really important in life.

Remember the people who started it all?

To celebrate them, I used candy melts to make some cute
Pilgrim & Indian Cupcake Toppers.
 (I know we say "Native Americans" now. You may call these whatever you like!)

These toppers would be fun to make with your kids.

You can use my template to make the heads,

and let your little ones draw on some faces with frosting.

Then you can enjoy eating them together!

Start by copying or downloading this template:

• Tape the template to a cookie sheet or piece of cardboard. Tape a sheet of wax paper over the template.
• Heat your candy melts on 50% power in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted and smooth.
• To make the Indians skin color, I used peanut butter candy melts.
• To make the Pilgrim skin color, I used white candy melts mixed with a tiny drop of yellow and a tiny drop of orange food coloring gel.
• I used decorating bags fitted with Wilton #3 (small round) tips.

Want to know my secret weapon for getting straight lines and smooth edges

when working with candy melts?

Toothpicks!

First I fill in the outline without trying to reach the edge.

Then I use a toothpick to push the melted candy to the edge

and fill in any empty space or corners.

See before and after in the pics below:

 When your toppers are done, put them in the refrigerator to harden.

Then carefully peel them off the wax paper and turn them over.

Time to pipe on some faces!

You can use more candy melts or frosting.

Tip: A ziploc bag with the corner snipped off works well for little hands.

I want to say how thankful I am for all of you, my wonderful readers!

I love hearing from you and getting to share my cake obsession with you. :0)

You make this blog SO much fun for me!

Happy Thanksgiving! 

Would you like to see another fun tutorial using candy melts?
Check out my Autumn Leaves Cake!

I share my recipes & tutorials at these fun link parties.

This post was featured!