Gearing Up for Holiday Baking

Right before I start my holiday baking, I pull all the recipes together. If they are in a cookbook, I scan the page in and print it off so that I can clip them all together and get through each recipe without having to search for them. I keep them from year to year so that I am not reprinting anything but new recipes I am trying that year.

After pulling all the recipes together, I go through and write down the ingredients. Making note of how many sticks of butter, how much milk/cream or how many eggs so I can keep a general count of it when making my shopping list.  

Here is a general list of baking supplies (ingredients and gear) that I keep handy around the holidays. There are of course some other things that I end up needing for a few recipes such as: wheat flour, peppermint extract, cream cheese and so on.  This is just a list of the basic list of ingredients and gear to help you get started in gathering your supplies.

INGREDIENTS

* all purpose flour

* baking  powder

* baking soda

* butter

* brown sugar, confectioners’ sugar, and granulated sugar.

* pure vanilla extract

* eggs

* milk or half-n-half

* sweetened condensed milk

* chocolate – bittersweet as well as semi sweet and milk chips, baking squares, cocoa powder

* nuts – pecans and walnuts

* spices – cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger

BAKING GEAR

* mixer – hand or stand mixer

* mixing bowls

* measuring cups and spoons – more than one set during the holidays is always nice when baking

* rubber spatulas  - to scrap bowls

*plastic or metal turners – to lift cookies off baking sheets and on to cooling racks

* pastry bush

* rolling pin

* cutting board – to roll out cookies

* cookie cutters

* pans – muffin pans for cupcakes, baking sheets – both rimmed and rimless sheets, cake and loaf pans – regular size and mini

* cooling racks

* parchment and wax paper

* cupcake liners and candy wrappers

* tins and containers to store baked goods

Printable PDF of Baking Supply List

Remember during the holiday some gift-recipients or guests might have food allergies or are just trying not indulge in all the sweet treats being offered.  Substituting healthier ingredients and trying to do some recipes that fit a special diet are always a nice idea. When I am sending a goodie tray to someone for the holidays, I like to list each sweet treat and their ingredients so that people know exactly what they are eating.   

March Question Month: To-do Lists

Anonymous asks: When you can't keep your focus or get overwhelmed by the endless to-do list, what helps on stay on track to get it all done?

For me, it helps to break those overwhelming lists into smaller lists. Instead of focusing on the big picture and ultimately throwing in the towel because it seems an impossible task, I rewrite the lists into manageable portions. You can divide daily tasks into morning and afternoon tasks. Do one weekly task a day. You can assign bigger projects to one afternoon a week, or one weekend day.

Prioritize things with the help of the ones who care. For instance, I might think that it's a huge deal that I don't dust every single day, when Master only thinks it's necessary to dust once a week. I can then scratch dusting off of the daily chore list, guilt-free. If you've really just got too much on your plate, sit down and figure out which things have to go. There really are only so many hours in the day, and so much energy to go around. Maybe that 3 acre garden needs seriously downsized. Maybe the artsy side business needs to be shelved for a few years. Maybe every night home-cooking organic and creative meals can wait until the mandatory overtime at work is cut out. Maybe hiring a once a week/once a month maid service is feasible and opens up time to rejuvenate.

Find out what makes things go a little more smoothly. If shopping day is Monday, then Sunday night means going to bed with morning chores completed; then Monday doesn't feel so rushed. If certain days of the week run later and making dinner is stressful on those days, choose another day that has more time and make a meal ahead of time, or make a double batch a few nights (which is barely any extra work at all) and pop them in the freezer.

Sometimes I use a timer to help. I can set the timer for 15 or 30 minute intervals and spend that much time tackling one huge task that I find overwhelming, like organizing a closet or storeroom. Looking at it in terms of minutes rather than completion helps me to find the gumption to go at it. I can do anything for 15 minutes. If I want to work at it longer, I do, but I don't allow myself to quit until the timer goes off. And if it takes me several days to complete it, that's okay. I AM completing it and that's the bottom line, plus I'm not crabby, tired, frustrated or irritable in the process. Nor am I doing it at the expense of ignoring other necessary chores.

Delegate, delegate, delegate. Got kids? Use them. My 2 yr old granddaughter loves to put the silverware away when I unload the dishwasher. She likes matching the spoons and forks and she loves to help. Win-win. My older kids do their own laundry, which cut down significantly on my loads. When my son walks to the bus stop, he takes the garbage out with him. When my daughter goes to take a shower, she scoops the litter box. Streamline it for them, too, and there is less balking.

Good luck!

Holiday Prep: Nov. 16-22

This is what I would like to get done this week in preparing for the holidays...but I am sure it won't all get done as we have to go out of town for business for 3 days. But here is it anyway...

1. Finalize Thanksgiving menu (I would normally do this earlier but we were unsure if we would have an oven for Thanksgiving - but we will. It is delivered today.)
2. Make out shopping list for Thanksgiving
3. Start watching grocery store sales to see what I can start buying for Thanksgiving but also holiday baking and party needs.
4. Make a list any more supplies needed to make Christmas gifts (I did a budget last week to know how much I can spend)
5. Start updating holiday-card mailing lists (We have 2 lists - business holiday cards we send out and then personal)
6. Get holiday cards out (I bought them last year - if I hadn't I would start making them or buy them now)
7. Get Thanksgiving linens out - make sure laundered and pressed
8. If making any table decorations for thanksgiving, get started on those.

Here are some good links for holiday prep...
Plan-it Thanksgiving from Ocean Spray - the site not only has a printable calender but it has tips for stress-free prep, menu planning, a serving calculator, table setting help and other helpful tips in planning Thanksgiving.

Free Thanksgiving Planner - this is lovely. It is a pdf file that you print out - it has a place for shopping list, recipes, menu planning, guest list, a calendar, seating arrangement and then just a place for notes and ideas. It looks prettier then the one I have for my holiday planning folder so I am going to print this one out for this year. And try to create one just as pretty for next year.

From Real Simple 10 Tricks to a trouble-free Thanksgiving - it has problems with solutions.

Real Simple Thanksgiving Timeline

(meant to post this yesterday but of course the internet went down just as I was going to)

Friday Favorites

Last weeks Friday Favorites was Autumn and Thanksgiving type links and now this will be the next big holiday push....

7 Thanksgiving into Christmas Planning Tips - On my browser this one starts half way down the page. But some just tips on creating decorations that work from Thanksgiving to Christmas.

Holiday Planning Notebook - I have one of these. I might take pictures of it and do a whole post on it. But for now this link will get you started if you want to do one. I like it to keep track of things I might not ever remember if I didn't write it down. Such as last year I used Yukon Gold potatoes for my creamed potato recipe for Christmas Eve dinner. And they turned out better then they ever have so I made a note and actually stuck the label of the potatoes in there. I like keeping track what gifts I give because at times I repeat a craft. So if I gave them a decoupaged picture frame last year I really don't want to give them one again this year.

Organized Christmas or (also here Christmas Planner mirror site) - lots of articles on how to organize your Christmas....printable forms, recipes, craft ideas, decorating ideas and so on.

10 Things to do before the Holidays - quick list of tips to prep for the holidays

Christmas Checklists - has quite a few checklists from get a head start on the holidays to printable gift lists

To Do List for Christmas - same place I listed for Thanksgiving last week but this one is for Christmas. It starts 2 months ahead up until Christmas day

The 5 Holiday Senses - This is really important to Master. He wants me to create an environment that touches all his sense. He loves to just sit and take it all in. And of course that makes me happy to see him so pleased and happy.

Photo from: 7 Thanksgiving into Christmas Planning Tips

Friday Favorites

Sesame Chicken - yes another recipe from Sugar Crafter (had one last week on Friday Favorites). I have made Sesame chicken before but this is a slightly different recipe that I want to try. It looks easy.

Pottery Barn's Party Planner- I really like Pottery Barn. I don't buy a lot there because it is out of my budget often. But have gotten some great things on sale. In (online) window shopping I found the party planner. And if this link doesn't work for you, go to potterybarn.com and then search for party planner. The Party Planner has videos, recipes, tips, printable invitations, music play lists, printable lists and guides for download. It is broken down into different sections such as cocktail party, dinner party, bridal shower, movie night and several other. Of course it is Pottery Barn so they are trying to sell their products and some of them are great. If you have the budget, indulge. But if you don't, think about about ways to do it within your budget and things you have around your home already.

Pottery Barn Design Tips - Again found this while (online) window shopping. It has so many wonderful tips covering virtual room tours, color, wall decor and then has design tools and videos too.

Teacup Card - I think would be a great Thank you card.

What Would Emily Post Do? - The great-great granddaughter of Emily Post, Anna Post has a blog titled "What Would Emily Post Do?" Just a blog that I enjoy every now and then with good etiquette advice for this modern age.

Friday Favorites

Chicken Piccata - not quite how I make it but it still looks like a good variation and also looks easy.

Etiquette, Ceremony & Tea - lots of information and links on all things Tea.

8 Free Amy Butler Patterns - "FREE" patterns that I would actually use. Napkin rings and napkins, ties for packages, snow mum pillow, Christmas stocking, tree skirt and several others.

Martha Stewart's Cleaning Checklists - I think these are a great for someone who doesn't know where to begin or just needing reminders or even just a fondness for lists.

Natural Beauties - This year for holiday gifts I have decided I am going to make scrubs, frizzes and other homemade bath and beauty products. I have been checking out lots of books to get different ideas. But this list of labels, how-to and information on MarthaStewart.com is really good start.

Houseworks Holiday Plan (yes, in August!)

So, I surfed over to one of my favorite sites (organizedhome.com) to get ready for one of my favorite seasonal events- Fall Cleaning. I usually print out their seasonal checklist and start from there. Even so, I'm feeling a little self congratulatory and ahead of my game because it's still over 100 degrees here in Texas, and we are definitely still in summer mode.

Except this is what I found greeting me: a headline reading Get Ready for Christmas with the Houseworks Holiday Plan

Reading on... "It's time to kick off the Houseworks Holiday Plan at sister site Organized Christmas! Working week by week, we'll deep-clean, declutter, and prepare for the holiday season in small, sustainable bites.... The fun starts Sunday, August 30! Will you be ready?"

Granted, I'm usually done with all holiday prep a week or two before Thanksgiving. I don't like last minute shopping/planning and the holidays are usually crunched for time as it is. But seriously... where does one fit in Fall Cleaning if the holiday prep starts before Labor Day???