Cranberry & White Chocolate Scones

Sometimes people make decisions you don't agree with, and you either have to support them anyway or do everything you can to thwart their efforts. Because you know what's good for them.

My mom has decided to give up sugar.

Even during Christmas.

Even when I'm around.

Even if I kick and scream and make lots of cookies.

It has become clear that I can't talk her out of it. My only option is to negotiate narrowly acceptable foods and make them for her immediately, which is why these scones happened. Scones aren't high on my list of favorite baked goods, but if they'll work for my mom's new "alternative lifestyle" then I'll break out the dough scraper and get started.

This cranberry & white chocolate scone recipe only uses 1/4 cup of sugar, which is pretty impressive! The cranberries and white chocolate chips add more sweetness, and drizzling some melted white chocolate over them adds a nice touch. These would also be great with variations like lemon zest or cinnamon!


Cranberry and White Chocolate Scones
Recipe from Food.com

1 3/4 cups flour
1/4 cup sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
5 tablespoons chilled unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 tablespoons half-and-half
1 large egg, beaten
1/2 cup fresh or frozen cranberries or 1/2 cup dried cranberries (craisins)
1/2 cup white chocolate chips (or pieces)

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
2. In a bowl by hand or using an electric mixer, blend together the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and butter.
3. Add the half and half, beaten egg, cranberries (I like the dried ones), and the white chocolate chips, and stir until the dough holds together.
4. Turn out onto a lightly floured board and knead for 2 minutes.
5. Form into a 1/2-inch thick round, then cut the round into 8 wedges (you can also make two smaller rounds of smaller wedges, if you like).
6. Spray a baking sheet with vegetable oil, then transfer the wedges to the sheet.
7. Bake the scones at 400 degrees F for 14 minutes or until golden brown.

8. While they cool, melt leftover white chocolate chips in the microwave. Put melted chocolate in a zip-lock bag and use scissors to snip off one corner, making a small hole. Drizzle chocolate over scones.

DIY Boxwood Wreath

Merry Christmas, everyone! We've officially reached the point where Grinches can't say "it isn't even Thanksgiving yet" when complaining that we're starting Christmas too early.

Here's a really quick project to try if you're in the spirit! DIY boxwood wreaths. You can make them any size you want, and they're MUCH cheaper than buying from the store. I wish I could show you more of the process in photos, but I don't have a sidekick to take pictures while my hands are busy! If the instructions below aren't detailed enough, feel free to ask questions.

You will need:

• Boxwood sprigs - fresh or faux
• Wire - thick and thin! (You can also use a bent wire hanger as your frame)
• Wire Cutters
• Ribbon (optional) 

Instructions:

1. Cut your thicker wire to whatever size circle you want. Bend & shape it into a nice circle, or be fancy and try an oval or a heart. Secure the ends by wrapping them around each other.
2. Pick out your larger boxwood sprigs to use as the foundation. Lay them around your wire circle to see how you want them to be arranged.
3. Start attaching! Cut small pieces of your thinner wire (about 1 inch long) and use it to attach one end of your first boxwood sprig to the wreath. Repeat this along your sprig until it is fastened to the wreath in a curve (I fastened both ends & the middle of each sprig).
4. Repeat step 3 for each sprig until your whole wreath is covered. 
5. Look for blank spaces or areas where the wire is too visible and attach smaller sprigs to fill them in! You can add thicker pieces if you want a fuller wreath. 
6. Add a bow if that's your thing! Hopefully it is. I used a 1-inch cream colored satin ribbon and tied it into a simple bow with long "tails." Attach it by looping a piece of wire through the back of the bow (pictured below) and wrap it around the top of your wreath.

Push a piece of wire through the back of your bow.

DIY Gifts: Chalkboard Mason Jars

Christmas just plain rocks. That's how I feel about it. If there is one thing I like, it's Christmas. Because CRAFTS, because FOOD, because FREE STUFF. How could anyone not like that?!

Oh yeah, because it's stressful, time-consuming, and expensive.

Today's craft is here to save you from all that nonsense. I made these as quick & easy Christmas gifts for my coworkers, but they'd be great for any age and any occasion! The best part of this DIY project is that your total costs come out to roughly:

$2 per person!

These jars are cute and functional with the chalkboard "label" painted on so friends & family can reuse them for storage purposes (pencils, coffee creamer, fingernail clippings, I don't care), but they will absolutely love the cake-in-a-mug mix that you fill it with! 

The 3-2-1 Cake Mix

Making the cake mix is the easiest thing you will ever do. Buy one box of Angel Food cake mix (this should be a "just add water" mix, like Betty Crocker's) and another box of whatever flavor cake mix your little holiday heart desires. I used chocolate because they why on Earth wouldn't I? Pour the dry mixes into a bowl and mix them up - JUST the dry mix - do not add any ingredients.

The Chalkboard Jars

Start off by using your blue tape to make the shapes you want to paint on each jar. I wanted to make this as easy as possible by painting squares, but you could definitely spice these up with different designs. Stripes could be fun, too!

Once that's done, paint a thin base layer onto the jar and make sure to let it dry completely, about an hour. You'll need to repeat this a few times until you're happy with it - I painted four layers to get the results I wanted. After painting your final layer, let the jars sit overnight so the paint can cure and become chalkboardy. That's a word, right? Ta-da, your jars are done! Fill them with the cake mix and any add-ins you choose, like M&Ms or crushed candy canes. 

Obviously you'll need to provide people with instructions for the mix, unless they really like a good riddle. The instructions will be at the bottom of this post. I typed up the recipe on Microsoft Word and printed out 12 copies on one page. Then, I cut them out and glued them onto some scrapbook paper I had laying around and tied them around each jar. To make sure everyone could use the chalkboard aspect of their gift, I taped a piece of chalk to the top of each jar. I'm pretty in love with how they turned out!

3-2-1 Cake Instructions

In a mug, mix 3 tablespoons dry mix with 2 tablespoons water. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Add any toppings, and enjoy!

Things I Have a Thing For

Santa knows when you're sleeping, he knows when you're awake, and he knows when you've been up all night staring at clothes on the J. Crew website. He also knows that, despite the wonderful Black Friday promo codes (COLOR25 for free JCrew shipping), you are not spending that kind of dough on yourself this time of year.

That's where he comes in.

Santa wants to give you those work clothes you've been needing all year long. He wants to give you those comfy moccasins to slip on when you're running late to class. Santa wants you to look good.

These are the items I'm coveting this year, and they might make great gifts for somebody you know, too!

Sequin polka dot tee, $98. Saddle peacoat popover, $199. Red mini, $45. Sequin draped tee, $46.50

 Tartan button-up, $49.50. Chambray, $49.50. Lodge moccasin, $39. Petite pinspot skinnies, $80.

What are you asking for from the big man in red? Whatever it is, remind him that the best sales are happening right now! ;)