Your Fun Family

German Pfeffernuesse Cookies are a lot like Russian Tea Cakes but they have a very unique taste. These cookies have added spices and a hint of licorice flavor from the ground anise. This is the second year that we are making them ourselves. From what I have seen the name of the cookie means "pepper nuts".

Every year we would buy them at the store during the holidays. It seemed kind of silly when I thought about it. We make so many cookies and treats over the holidays we might as well make these too. We had soooo many people asking for our recipe so we knew that we had to make them again and share the recipe. Here is our recipe...

Ingredients

2/3 cup softened butter
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/3 cup molasses
1/3 cup water
2 1/2 cups flour
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon anise seed
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon cloves
1/8 teaspoon cardamom
1/8 teaspoon pepper
1 cup chopped nuts
1 cup powdered sugar

Directions

This recipe for Pfeffernuesse Cookies makes 5 dozen cookies.

As we get ready for the holidays we also start to go through recipes and decide what to make. There is just something about this time of year that makes me want to get in the kitchen and make things.

My youngest daughter loves pie. She is very picky though. I think she gets that from me. We both insist on our pumpkin pie being served warm and with lots of whipped cream. We both love pecan pie but prefer ones that are mostly pecans and less of that sugary stuff.

For a long time I have been meaning to find a recipe that combines pumpkin pie with pecan pie so we can enjoy it all together. I have been lazy though and have not actually looked for a recipe. Finally I have found a recipe that I really must make.

The My Pecan Pie Recipe website has a Pumpkin Caramel Pecan Pie that is just screaming for me to make it. I have not mentioned it to Neona yet because I know she would be hounding me nonstop to make it.

I hate cold weather! Many people love winter but I hate every minute of it. I would move back to Arizona in a heartbeat. Since I can't I will just hibernate on the couch all winter under a blanket.

There is one plus to the cold weather though. This is the time when I start making "cold weather" food. At the top of my list is chili. Who doesn't love chili?

There is just something about chili that just feels warm and comforting on a cold winter day. The best part about chili is that you could make it different every time and never run out of recipes to try.

I came across a pretty cool website dedicated to just chili recipes. Chili Recipe 4U has a lot of interesting recipes that I want to try. I am really interested in the Coca-Cola Chili. Our family has a kind of love affair with Coke. Our kitchen even has a Coke theme.

There are a lot of recipes on there that I am interested in. I am sure that winter will be way too cold and way too long so we will get the opportunity to try quite a few of the recipes.

Now that we have actually stayed in the same house for almost 2 years we are starting to get excited about decorating again. We have not really done any decorating in 4 years. That was the last time we lived somewhere this long. Usually we are either packing or unpacking so who cares what anything looks like then!

I have always loved huge wall clocks but ours broke somewhere between Arizona and here. I still remember how excited I was when James brought it home. We had a very high ceilings in that house and there was a peak between the livingroom and dining area. A huge wall clock was the perfect thing for that peak area.

Now we have another strange wall to cover. I would not even know how to explain it. The wall is like a huge T where the middle is visible from the livingroom, kitchen, and a staircase. We have never put anything there because whatever goes there must be very large scale and match with the other rooms.

I am thinking that a wall clock like this would work out nicely. It is very large and it has the red that is in all of the rooms.

How cute are these things? This is a great project for a cold snowy day just like today. Marshmallow snowmen can be made with just about anything you have on hand. Arms can be made out of things like chow mein noodles or pretzels. I think we have plenty of things left in the cupboards from decorating birthday cakes so the rest will be easy. We use decorator frosting spray cans as "glue" to adhere everything but you could melt some chocolate chips or use anything you have around the house.

Marshmallow snowmen are a cheap and fun winter craft that your kids will love making and eating. I find some of the best kids crafts are edible. You can also make some of these snowmen when you make a gingerbread house. They would make an adorable addition.

When are cable companies going to step up and start offering as many channels as Direct TV? When I look at the channel guides I always find channels that I wish we had on cable.

DirectTV has channels like the Nasa Channel. That would be a really fun and educational channel that my girls would love. There are a ton of other cool channels from around the world that cable channels just do not show.

I also wish our cable company had more On Demand programs. Directv has almost all of the major shows available On Demand. Our old cable company in Arizona had a better selection of shows than the one here but it still did not compare. Why does cable cost so much more and give you so much less?

It is time to start getting ready for Christmas! These cute and wonderfully smelling ornaments are a great addition to holiday crafting and decorating. They are simple to make and kids love them. They also add a great homemade touch to gifts if you use one or two to decorate a wrapped present.

FRAGRANT CINNAMON ORNAMENTS

You will need:

1/3 cup ground cinnamon

1/3 cup applesauce

1 tablespoon white school glue

Optional: puff paints

Instructions:

1. Mix ingredients together.
2. Knead dough in hands for several minutes until a ball is formed.
3. Dust work space lightly with additional cinnamon.
   
4. Roll dough 1/8"-1/4" thick with a rolling pin. Cut dough into a variety of shapes using cookie cutters. Suggestions: gingerbread men, hearts, stars, Christmas trees, bells, wreaths, etc.
5. Poke hole through top of dough using a straw or toothpick for hanging later.
6. Air dry for several days, turning twice a day until completely dry. They can also be baked in a 225 degree oven until dry.
7. Decorate with paint if desired and allow to dry before hanging.
8. Hang from fancy ribbon or cording.

I am starting to become addicted to online shopping. The economy has forced stores to lower the inventory that they have on hand so it can be really hard to find what you want. Online stores allow you to look through the full inventory. The inventory that online stores carry can be much greater than any physical store.

Recently we headed to a home improvement store looking for a new lights. I was very disappointed by the selection. You do not want to settle for something that you do not really like when it is something that will last for years! I found a kitchen light that I liked but I decided to keep looking for a bathroom light fixture.

I have checked out a few sites already. One of the best parts of online shopping is that it is like window shopping without annoying sales people following you around. I was checking out home lighting at LightingSale.com and found a few bathroom lighting fixtures that I love. Now I just have to decide if I want a more elegant feel or a more modern feel. My bathroom could go either way. The one pictured is my favorite though I think. I love the look if it!

Thanksgiving is over and you still have a ton of leftovers. That is the problem many families have this time of year. Everyone loves the Thanksgiving dinner and most people like the sandwiches later in the night. Once it gets to the next day people tend to have no interest in the leftovers.

My family HATES leftovers and I HATE wasting things. This means that I am very good at looking at a fridge full of leftovers and creating something that they will eat.

I thought it would be fun to share with you some of my families favorite dishes made out of Thanksgiving leftovers. The list is in the order that I would normally make them in. The Thanksgiving Casserole uses most of the leftovers. The other two I do when I just have turkey to use up.

• Thanksgiving Casserole
• Turkey Pot Pie
• Turkey Asparagus Bake

I love finding different ways to use up leftovers but these are my families favorites. Does your family have a favorite way to use up your leftovers?

As the year comes closer to an end we find ourselves looking back on the year. At the beginning of the year we have such big plans. More often than not we made New Years resolutions that we did not follow through on.

A big resolution that I keep making... and breaking is to find time to get away and relax. My life is always so crazy and stressful. I really could use time away but I never can find the time.

Just once I would love to just forget about everything and get away. I would love to take a month long trip like my old friend Glenna did. She just dropped everything and went backpacking through Europe. The trip sounded awesome. She did not plan anything ahead. She just hopped on trains and buses through the UK. Then like many people in the UK she took a Ferry to France.

This incredible trip was possible for her because she did not have any children yet. I guess I will have to wait until all of my kids leave home before I can make a trip like this. I still need to plan some time away though. Everyone needs to take a break from everything once in awhile.

It is time for a new giveaway! This giveaway is for a 16x20” Rolled Canvas. How awesome would it look to have your favorite photo enlarged and printed on canvas? I have been anxiously waiting to do this giveaway. I can not wait to get one of these. I think I will buy some stretcher bars and do a galley wrap with my rolled canvas.

Giveaway Prize: (1) 16x20” Rolled Canvas for One Lucky Winner

Size: 16x20 rolled canvas

Shipping: FREE UPS Ground Shipping in the US

Eligibility: Limited to US Residents due to shipping costs.

This giveaway ends December 6th. Feel free to check out more info on Canvas Printing. You can also check out Printing Reviews. The Canvas Print for this giveaway and a free Canvas Print for us is provided by our sponsor Online Poster Printing.

HOW CAN YOU ENTER?

Your main entry will be to comment about what photo you would like enlarged and printed on canvas.

EXTRA ENTRIES

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Each one counts for one entry so each should have a separate comment. It must include the link where it can be found to count. I will be deleting comments that do not follow the rules so others get a fair chance.

We have a winner to announce in the 18x24 Photo Enlargement Poster Print Giveaway!

The winner is Erica Rooks! Congrats!

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