Danish Tea Ring - A Family Favorite!

Every Christmas season, my family would bake warm, doughy, gooey, goodness, called a Danish Tea Ring. 

This pastry is easy to make, just a little time consuming. As I have previously mentioned, yeast has never been my friend, so I use a bread machine to make my dough. I use the Basic Sweet Dough recipe from the Cuisinart Recipe book that comes with their bread machine. You can find the recipe on page 63 at this link: Cuisinart Bread Machine Cookbook. 

If you are one of the humans that yeast favors, you can make a standard sweet bread as the base without a bread machine. 

I use all organic ingredients for a tastier treat.  

I made the giant ring you see in the picture to the left  for my co-workers so I made a 2 lb loaf. It made a huge tea ring that easily fed 25 people. 

When I make it for home, I use a 1 lb loaf. 

If you are using a bread machine, make sure to use the dough setting or you will end up with a nice loaf of sweet bread. Tasty, but not what we are going for. 


While the dough is rising, get a stick of butter and 8 oz of cream cheese out of the refrigerator and let it come to room temperature. 

Filling Ingredients:

• 1 stick of real butter
• 1 block or tub of cream cheese (8 oz)
• 3/4 - 1 cup brown sugar (depending on size of ring you are making)
• 2-4 Tablespoons cinnamon (depending on size of ring and how much you like)

Optional:

• Fruits like dried cranberries, blueberries, or raisins
• Nuts of choice

Making the Ring

Regardless of method you are using (machine or manual) let the dough go through it's first rising and then dump onto the countertop so you can roll it out (I layout 3 sheets of plastic wrap over my countertop to make it easier to clean up). 

Punch down the dough (get all the air out of it) and then let it sit for 10 minutes to rest. 


Roll the dough out until it is about 1/4" thick. 

Spread butter over the entire dough surface, making sure to get all the way to the edges. 

Do the same with the cream cheese, over the entire dough, all the way to the edges. 

Sprinkle with brown sugar or succanut until butter and cream cheese are covered. Then sprinkle the cinnamon. Make sure you put on a good amount of cinnamon or the flavor will be more bland. 

Roll the dough from the long end. Do not roll from the short ends or you will get a thick roll that is too short to turn into a circle. 


Cut off the rough ends so you have a nice smooth end to join.  Press the ends together to join the dough so no filling will leak out when you bake it. Transfer this ring to a baking pan lined with tin foil and sprayed with a no-stick spray. I use "Air Bake" pans to keep the bottoms of my baked goods from browning too much. 



Using a sharp, serrated knife, cut 3/4 of the way through the dough every 1". Cut the whole way around the ring. Be careful not to cut through the tin foil on the pan. 

Twist each cut section clockwise so that you can see the filling inside. It looks best if you pull each piece towards the outside of the ring slightly as you twist. Twist every section in the ring. 


Put the ring into a warm area, free of drafts and let rise until almost doubled in size. 

Bake at 350' for 15-20 minutes, until the ring turns golden brown. 

While the ring is cooling slightly, you can make a glaze or a cream cheese frosting. 

The best cream cheese frosting recipe I have found is from that same Cuisinart Bread Machine Cookbook on page 62. 

If you want to use a simple glaze, mix a cup and a half of powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon almond extract, and then add water or milk one tablespoon at a time until its at the desired consistency. Drizzle over the warm Tea Ring. 

My frosting is slightly beige colored because I used vanilla extract instead of almond. If you want a whiter frosting, be sure to use a clear extract. 

I hope you enjoy this Danish Tea Ring as much as my family does! 

Enjoy! 
Laureen 

Parlez-vous français ?

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DIY Healthy Beauty Products! All homemade!

This Christmas, my family and I agreed to make things for each other. I went through old recipes, thinking Pumpkin bread, flavored vodkas, or spice combinations. Last year I made fresh bread with  blueberry, red wine compote, and jalapeno jelly honey butter. They were yummy! 

I wanted to do something new this year. Something I hadn't tried before. I figured worst case scenario, I could fall back on flavored vodkas and olive oils. 

So I decided on skin products and lip balm. I use organic ingredients so they are high quality products. I made a lip balm, antibacterial hand cream, and soothing skin salve. 

 The lip balm was included shea butter, sunflower oil, cocoa butter, peppermint extract, raw honey, and a little bees wax. The raw honey doesn't mix well with the oils so I might omit it next time. If you want to include the honey, add just a little. I have to admit that it does make the lip balm taste really good. And this stuff stays on your lips for hours! That is, if you don't lick off the honey. Click here for the recipe.



The natural antibacterial moisturizing lotion was a bit of a cheat in that it started with lotion. I added in vitamin E, coconut oil, eucalyptus essential oil--which is the natural antibacterial, and almond oil. This one needs a mixer so you can whip it together. At first I didn't whip it and the coconut oil didn't mix well with the lotion. 

I scooped the product back out of the containers and whipped the ingredients and it came out looking like it does in the picture...fabulous!

The final healing salve is made of olive oil, coconut oil, vitamin E oil, bees wax, lemon essential oil, orange essential oil, tea tree oil, and a little lavender essential oil.

This one is my favorite. It is fabulous for dry skin. It stays on the skin and is absorbed slowly so don't touch anything for a while until it soaks in. But it also works better than pure shea butter to soften and soothe skin. 

You can find many recipes for these items on Pinterest but I will post my recipes here soon. I plan to continue to work on them to pack in as many healthy and healing ingredients as possible into future versions. 

To a Healthy, Happy New Year! 
Laureen

Feathered Thanksgiving Wreath - SUPER EASY!

This year with Thanksgiving being so late I wanted to create decorations that I can easily change out to Christmas decorations.

The wreath I made for Halloween was so easy that I decided to make something similar.

Feather wreaths are so darn easy to make. And they last amazingly well in weather. Mine is lasting through wind storms, rain, and sun. My front door is a bit protected by a porch but I am amazed at how well it holds together.


You need 4 items:

• Styrofoam wreath form
• White Feather Boas (I bought 3)
• Upholstery pins 
• Wired ribbon of your choice

I purchased the wreath forms and feather boas at Save On Crafts. If you have never been to this website, you are in for a treat. This site is packed with everything you need to create any craft, and the prices are fantastic.

Start by pinning an end of the wreath into the styrofoam form. Wrap the boa around the form until you run out of boa. 

Overlap the end of the second boa with the end of the first boa on the form and pin it. 

Wrap the second boa and repeat the process with the third boa until the wreath form is covered. Pin the final end. 

I find it easiest to tie a bow if the ribbon is first tied around the wreath. I tied  the ribbon  around the top of the wreath, then tied a bow. I chose a copper colored ribbon for Thanksgiving. I plan to change it out and add Christmas balls to it after Thanksgiving is over. 

But for now, I have my Thanksgiving wreath that makes me smile each time I approach my front door.

Celebrate Thanksgiving with easy decorations that make an impact.

Happy Thanksgiving! 
Laureen

Gifts of YUM

I love getting together with people during the fall. It seems like the best time of year to gather with friends and have good food and drinks. This season, for me, the parties are already beginning. 

As an aside, I have had folks ask me where I purchase the items I use for the things I make so I am going to include links to items that I love. I hope this makes it easier for you to duplicate the items you see here.
 
When I am invited to a get together at someone's home, I like to bring them a little something that they can enjoy the next morning. We all know what it feels like to get up the morning after you have hosted a party. There are dishes to be done, floors to clean, and you really aren't in the mood to cook yourself something good. 


For the first parties of the season, my hostess gift is Mini Pumpkin Muffins with Spiced Honey Butter.

I posted the recipe a couple of weeks back: Taste of the Season-Pumpkin Bread and Spiced Honey Butter. I used the same recipe that I made in the post linked above but scooped the batter into my new mini-muffin pan instead.

Wilton 24 Cup Mini Muffin Pan - Black
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This pan is so easy to use and to clean! I spritzed it with a bit of coconut oil cooking spray to grease the pan and when I was done cooking, the residual spray washed off with water! There was no sticky yellowish mess that you get with other pans. Needless to say, I was thrilled. Anything that allows me to clean up more quickly is great and I will be sure to share it. 

So back to the cooking. The recipe for the pumpkin bread will make 2 and a half pans of mini muffins so you will have plenty for your breakfast too. If you prefer, you can divide the batter and make one mini-muffin pan and a bundt cake, loaf, or 3 mini-loafs out of the remaining batter. 

I used a small scoop to make the muffins the same size. The scoop is easier to use if you spray it with a little of that coconut cooking spray after 4 or 5 scoops of dough. 

The mini muffins bake really fast so give them only 7-10 minutes before you test for doneness. Let them cool completely on a rack before you bag up a few as your gift. I stack 4-5 muffins then roll them in saran wrap. 

The other part of the gift is a small pot of the spiced honey butter. I put this in small ramekins that I purchase a set at a time at World Market. Each Ramekin is less than a dollar so I keep them on hand for easy gift giving.

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Put the honey butter in the refrigerator for at least an hour. Cover the top of the ramekin with saran wrap and it is ready to go. 


 
I stack the wrapped muffins on top of the ramekin and put them into a gift bag. Now the hosts are ready for breakfast in the morning. And another great thing, is that is recipe makes so many muffins, I get some too! I divide both the muffins and spiced honey butter and there is plenty for my breakfast as well! Or a little midnight snack when I arrive home from the party! 


Enjoy!
Laureen

Living Succulent Wreath

Succulents are hot items these days. I love the succulent arrangements and wreaths in the stores but they can be so darn expensive! 

I decided to jump into the deep end and try to make a wreath myself. The succulent clippings that you use in the wreath take 6-8 weeks to root so if you want to give one for a holiday gift, now is the time to plant it.

The cost of these, even when you make them, is not cheap. I suppose you can make it less expensive if you are growing your own succulents but I don't have enough varieties right now. I am going to take some of the clippings from the succulents I purchased and plant them. So maybe next year I will have enough to make a wreath from my own clippings. 
 
The items you need to make your wreath are:

• Wreath form. You can make your own, but I purchased mine and they are fantastic!
• Succulent clippings. Get a good variety. I bought mine off of eBay.
• Living Wreath Pins. These help you hold some of the pesky clippings into the wreath form.

Start by soaking your wreath form. Make sure it is good and wet all the way through. I used the bathtub and let it soak in the water. I  purchased my wreath form from Topiary Art Works. This wreath base is fantastic. It comes with "feet" that will keep the finished wreath away from the wall so it hangs straight, and a chain from which to hang the finished wreath. Since this wreath form will we filled with plants, it will be heavy. You can make this yourself but I highly recommend purchasing your form from Topiary Art Works instead. 

Let the wreath form soak for at least a few hours. Let the excess water drain before you pull it out to work on it. The excess water will drain away but the wreath form will be saturated. I put the soaked wreath form into a box lined with a trash bag to move it outside to my work area.

Next you need to take your clippings and sort through them. Mine sat in the box a little too long (okay, a LOT too long) before I used them so some were a little wilted but they were still fine to put in the wreath. Succulents are forgiving that way. I purchased 150 succulent clippings from SharkoftheGRC on eBay. They have various amounts of clippings you could buy. I am able to make2 wreaths from these clipping and plant some of them. You can also create more succulents from the leaves that you break off and I will show more about that in a future post. 

Start with a focal piece. I chose a large flower shaped succulent and put it in the lower left side of the form. Just poke a hole in the wreath form and shove the stem in. If you have let your clippings wilt like I did, you need to be careful because the stems and leaves are weak and bend. I ended up using my finger to make the holes because I found it easier to get around the metal pieces in the wreath form than when I used a tool. 

Next I used a different type of succulent to add interest next to the focal point. I used one with longer thinner leaves so there was a contract in texture.

If you pick up a piece and the stem isn't long enough to insert, break off a few leaves until you have the stem length you need.KEEP THESE LEAVES! You can grow new succulent plants using them. 




Work your way around the wreath form, poking holes and inserting succulent stems. Vary the type and color so you end up with an interesting piece. 

If you run into a stubborn succulent that won't stay in the wreath, use one of the Living Wreath Pins, which you can also get from Topiary Art Works. Just take the pin and add the pin on top of the stem to hold it in place. 

Hold the succulent where you want it to stay and push the pin into the form over the stem. Don't squish the stem, just attach it firmly to the base. The pins slide into the base easily and are very easy to use. 



Save some long succulent pieces to use as filler at the end. In the picture at right you can see longer brown stems with little green leaves that I used as filler. 


The colorful succulents make a nice change from all the greenery. Place different succulents, grouping them with 3 or 5 of the same ones, then change to a different succulent. 

Look at various wreaths online to see what you like and gain inspiration from your favorites. 

When it is complete move the wreath back to the lined box. I left mine outside in partial sun. I use a watering can to water the wreath every week. As the succulents take hold and start to grow I will add in additional clippings if I see spots of the wreath form that aren't being covered. 

Comment below if you have questions or need information. I am happy to help! Remember, plant now if you want to give as a gift. 

Enjoy!
Laureen

Halloween Decor: Feather wreath - DIY Level: Easy!

I love Halloween. I am a big fan of DIY Halloween. It was always a big deal for us when I was a kid. My Dad was an artist and we would always have our faces painted instead of using masks. Our costumes were always original since we made them ourselves. Halloween was the start of the Holiday Season for us and it meant 2+ months of fun, crafts, and happy times. 

I have already started my Halloween crafts for the year and wanted to share them with you. I love the look of the feather wreaths that are on the market, but I don't want to spend what stores are asking for them. 

I found that by using a couple of good boas, a styrofoam wreath, and some U-shaped upholstery pins I could make one in a matter of minutes. 

Here is the tricky part: these items can be costly to buy by themselves so you need to look for really good deals. I found the styrofoam wreath form online for $3. I saw them at some places for up to $9! Do not pay that much. 



My next tip is to get good feather boas. I found mine at JoAnn's Fabrics and Crafts and used a 50% off coupon to get them. Use the JoAnn's app on your smartphone and there is no clipping or looking for coupons required. When you get them with the coupon they are $4. Some of the dollar store boas are thin and will make for a less expensive looking wreath.

I also found U-Shaped Upholstery Pins for $3 at JoAnn's. Do not get the U-Shaped Hair Pins. Make sure you get sharp pins. 

Instructions:

Take one of the boas and the wreath. Use a U-Shaped pin to pin the very end of the boa to the foam. 

Wrap the boa around the wreath, looping it into the center of the wreath and around. Space the boa so that you can't see any of the styrofoam. 

When you get to the end of the boa, pin down the end. For me, the boa covered half of the wreath form. As shown at right. I like how the full boa makes the wreath really puffy.

There were little bumps at the end of the boa that I purchased and it was easy to pin them into the wreath. Use the second boa to cover the second half of the wreath. 

Pin the ends just as you did with the first boa and the wreath is done! You can add bows, skulls, or other accents if you want. Below is the picture of the wreath on my door.    

I love the look of it and how full and fluffy it is. You don't get the same fullness with cheap boas (although it's not like $4 is a lot). 

I will be showing more crafts and designs for fall and Halloween coming up in the next few weeks. 

And I have big news! I am going to be a guest blogger on a local Wholesale flower Store! Details to come! YAY!

I hope you are enjoying your Autumn. Take a few minutes to create your own feather wreath. Happy Haunting!

Laureen

Teacher Appreciation - Something new

As the school year winds down, many want to show some appreciation for their children's teachers. I see flowers, plants, nick-knacks, that are nice but what about giving a teacher something that can continue to give to them? 

Teachers don't get the salary we would all like them to, and there is much in the news about what is being done to our food supply. Why not give your teacher an aromatic herb pot or container vegetable plant? Make sure the plants are organic or from heirloom seeds and you have given a gift that will continue to give. 

It will save the teacher money on groceries and show how much you really appreciate all the teacher has done for your children. 

Does your teacher often get colds or flues? You can specialize the herbs and make your own pot for much less than $20. Here s a picture of a beautiful herb pot that I found at Home Depot. 

Or give aromatic herbs that will add a nice scent to their home and provide flavor to their meals.

You can also give a tomato plant in a pot, pepper plant, or grow onions and garlic in pots. If you are ambitious you can give tomato, jalapeno, and onion plants so they can make their own salsa.

Give your teacher something that is not only beautiful, but can provide some of the fresh vegetables they can eat during their summer vacation. 

Remember to provide some instructions for how to care for the plant. You can find information on the internet if the plant you buy doesn't come with them. 

With just a bit of imagination you can give meaningful gifts to show your appreciation without spending too much. And while you are at it, pick up one for yourself! 


Happy gardening. 
Laureen