I gathered some oranges, ginger, cinnamon sticks and whole allspice for my simmer pot.

I sliced one half of an orange and placed it in a small pot on the stove top.

I added 1 tablespoon of whole allspice, 1/2 cup of sliced ginger, and two cinnamon sticks.

Add 3 cups of water.

Bring to a full boil.

Reduce the burner to low for a slow simmer. Enjoy the fragrance.

Tips for a Great Simmer Pot:

• You can adjust the amounts of each ingredient depending on your preferences. I will add more oranges next time for a stronger citrus scent.
• Keep a close eye on your simmering pot and add additional cups of water as needed. I set a timer for 30 minutes and check the water level.
• Store your ingredients in a glass jar overnight and reheat the next day. You can reuse your simmer pot for 3 days.

Additional Simmer Pot Ingredients:

• cranberries
• apples
• pears
• nutmeg
• rosemary
• lemon
• lime
• pumpkin spice

These are just a few suggestions. You can add any items that appeals to you.

You can also enhance the aroma by adding your favorite essential oil. There are so many possibilities. Start with your favorite combinations and vary the scents to find your favorite!

I would love for you to share with me your favorite simmer pot recipe!

If you enjoyed this post, you might like these:

The post DIY Simmer Pot – A Homemade Holiday Gift appeared first on Shop at Blu.

This has become a tradition.  He likes to have the same color as me and Mr. Blu but can never decide on which flavor since he likes them all.  Do you remember bomb pops?  I was always so mesmerized by the tri color  So, I decided to make some homemade red, white, and blue popcicles.  

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping  convenience.  As an Affiliate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases.

When my kids were small, I purchased these popcicle molds.

Of course, I still had them in the garage.  A few weeks ago, Gbaby Blu and I made some orange Gatorade popcicles.  He said, “Wow, Mom Mom?  You can drink the juice with these!” 

So I decided to go patriotic and bought 3 small bottles of Gatorade-one red fruit punch, one white, and one blue raspberry.

Remember that your liquid will expand as it freezes so only add about 1/2 of what you want the final level to be.  I started with the blue, forgetting that when the popcicles are removed this will actually be the top of the popcicle.  So I guess these are technically blue, white and red popcicles???  Anyway, I let them freeze for 2 hours. 

Then I added the white.  And allowed that to freeze for 2 hours.  Finally I added the red and placed the stick holders into the juice.  Two more hours in the freezer and they were ready.

Be sure to allow the layers to freeze completely or the liquid will fall under the previously frozen layer and cause it to float to the top!  Although the taste will not be affected, popcicles are popcicles, they won’t have the pretty separated colors.  I did have to practice this! 

Aren’t they just the cutest??  And the Gatorade makes tasty popcicles too!

I can’t wait for Gbaby Blu’s reaction to these.  He will surely want to make some of his own so we will definitely improve on the process.

Stay cool my friends!

Here are some other Red, White and Blue Patriotic posts:

The post Easiest Red, White, and Blue Popcicles! appeared first on Shop at Blu.

This post contains affiliate links for your shopping  convenience.  As an Affiliate, I earn a small portion from qualifying purchases.

I selected some vintage dessert cups for my red, white and blue dessert.   

I also wanted to make a parfait like treat and found these drinking glasses with handles at the Dollar Tree. 

To make the bright Jello colors visible, I selected clear glass.  But, I’m a vintage lover so I couldn’t resist the milk glass variety as well.  Why not make a big batch?  I mean, can you ever make enough Jello?

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Make the Jello!

Start with the blue jello as it is the bottom layer.  Follow instructions and fill your dessert cup about 1/3 full.  Move the dessert cups to the refrigerator to chill for 4 hours. 

Add the Layers!

Remove the dessert cups from the freezer and add one layer of Cool Whip.  Spread it around to completely cover the previous layer of Jello ensuring the Cool Whip extends around the entire cup.  I placed these in the freezer for 2 hours.  This allows the Cool Whip to harden.  This way the Cool Whip stays put when you add the last layer of red Jello.  In my first attempt, the Jello sunk below the Cool Whip.  Since the Jello was heavier, the Cool Whip to floated to the top. 

Yes, this was my mistake on the first batch.  You can see that the Cool Whip in the photos of the finished clear vintage dessert cups aren’t as pretty.  But it was just as delicious!! 

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After 2 hours, remove the dessert cups and add the red Jello.  Place the dessert cups back in the refrigerator for 4 hours. 

Garnish and Serve!

The final step is to garnish with your choice of toppings.

This is a fun little dessert that is quick and easy if you don’t mind the multiple steps.  I can’t wait for Gbaby Blu to try these on Friday!  

I don’t know about you but these bright and vibrant colors make me so happy.  And the bonus is that it is a sweet refreshing treat!  You can even use low sugar Jello!  

Do you have any quick and easy dessert recipes?  Share them over on my Facebook page!  Or tag me on Instagram.  I’d love to try your recipes too!

The post Easy and Patriotic Red, White, and Blue Jello Dessert appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Last month, in the middle of my “I want to bake an apple pie” stupor, I asked my SIL for two of my MIL’s cookie recipes that I remembered oh so clearly.  They were the best cookies.  One was a rolled sort of cookie with a sugary walnut filling.  The other was a pecan shortbread type cookie.  Tracie gladly emailed me the recipes.  So what better holiday cookie recipes to make than what Mr. Blu and his sister remember as Hunky Cookies!  

My Holiday Cookie Recipes

I’d never heard of Hunky Cookies and I smiled when the recipe came through.  Handwritten in my MIL’s beautiful cursive writing, the sight of this recipe made my heart light up.

The actual name is Hungarian Cookies.  And I snickered at the thought of Mr. Blu and his younger sister as kids trying to pronounce that word.  I can only imagine that the cookies fondly adopted the name Hunky as a shortcut or meme for Hungarian.  Seems logical, right?  Unfortunately, the two women who would know for certain are unavailable for questions.  But somehow, I am sure that my sweet MIL and her dear mother were watching with smiles from the other side of the clouds as my episode of Great Cookie Baking Failures unfolded in my kitchen.  

Commence the Mess

I carefully read the recipe and actually had almost all of the ingredients on hand.  Here is when the first warning alarm exploded in my head…when I read the word YEAST.  Hmm…just that word made me think that I am not remotely qualified to master this recipe.  But, if you know me and my DIY can-do demeanor…nothing is sacred or off limits.  Nothing is in any way, shape, or form remotely impossible for me to attempt.  And so, I gulped the alarm away and assembled the ingredients.  I needed to purchase walnuts and yeast.  After a quick trip to my local Publix, I was ready to go.

Warning number two went off when the recipe called for 1.5 lbs of ground walnuts and I had purchased three 6 oz. bags of chopped walnuts.  Now this is really just a simple conversion.  The amazing iphone in conjunction with Google makes such conversions nearly effortless.  Except that they make me nervous and something inevitably falls through the cracks (walnut shell pun not intended).  I was never a wiz though I always did well in math.  I still have nightmares of Trigonometry from my senior year in high school  I feel like I plowed through that entire class without any real comprehension of what I was doing.  Am I the only one?  Anyway, I thought I had made all of the conversions properly but who knows???  I do know that I did my best.  I used my small food processer to grind the walnuts. 

Exploration into Yeast

I did some Googling on yeast.  Activated yeast, quick yeast, self rising flour, wheat flour.  What’s the difference in all of these yeasts and flours, and how do they affect one another?  Better yet, why are there even several types of yeast?  And what in God’s green earth is a yeast cake, as noted as an ingredient in my MIL’s recipe?  I mean, really?  I did find a jar of bread making yeast in my cupboard.  But, it expired in 2015.  Yikes. 

More Googling revealed that it’s probably ok but should the fact that I’d even considered using this ever got out to my 5 kids, my life would be ruined.  I could picture the expression on #1’s (the attorney) face.  I’d just seen it on Thanksgiving as he stood at my new fridge with a cup of expired yogurt in hand.  “I’m further wondering how you can have a cup of yogurt that expired in 2019 in your fridge when you just bought a new fridge in 2020???”  Fear not, I had an answer.  Funny, nonetheless.

This photo is from Red Star Yeast’s website.  You can read about yeast cakes and conversions here.

At any rate, I determined that 2 1/4 tsp of activated yeast is similar to a yeast cake.  It needed to be added to warm water to soften.  So that’s what I used.  

Moving On

The actual mixing of the dough went smoothly as I’ve made cookies and dough before.  Eventually everything blended although initially the dough seemed dry.  

When I went to roll out the mixture, there were small but noticeable bumps in the dough.  I’ve seen similar bumps in homemade rolls, etc. so I’m pretty sure this was the yeast, at least I hope so!   Therefore, I continued on even though the dough wasn’t smooth like dough I have previously made for cookies.  

The recipe called for powdered sugar to be sprinkled on the work surface so that the dough could be rolled.  In rolling out the dough, it became increasingly more gooey.  I liberally sprinkled the powdered sugar on the rolling pin many many times to prevent the dough from sticking and ripping.   Eventually, I switched to a flour and powdered sugar combo thinking that this alternative would better prevent a sugar induced coma in any individual trying these Hunky cookies.  Next time I will use the flour and sugar mixture from the beginning of the rolling of the dough.  In retrospect, I realize the powdered sugar contributed to the gooeyness…sometimes I’m my worst enemy.

Placing the filling in the center of the squares was by far the easiest part of this process.  But I did use too much filling in some cookies.  I figured I would vary the amount and see how they turned out.  

There is also, apparently, an art to rolling the cookies into shape.  This art definitely entails the process of ensuring you have rolled your dough to the proper thickness, or in this case thinness.  My first section of rolled dough was obviously too thick.  Consequently, the size of some of these hunky cookies resembled small croissants or Crescent rolls.  Okay, lesson learned.  The second section of dough was rolled thinner.  But, as time progressed, the dough was harder to roll because it was warming to room temp.  This caused the dough to stick to the rolling pin and the table surface.  So, of course, more powdered sugar and flour was sprinkled.  

At this point, let me pause to give my seasoned baker friends complete and humble permission to laugh at my experience.  I know that the learning process is very humbling.  I also know that you have to make mistakes to improve.  It’s okay…enjoy the show!  I did!  Mr. Blu and I were laughing the whole time!

What the ?????

I successfully loaded all of the baking sheets, lined of course with parchment paper, into the oven and carefully watched the cooking process so as not to over cook my hunky masterpieces.  

This is probably a good time to mention that this is really my first actual true baking experience with my new oven.  I updated my kitchen earlier this year.  As part of My Tuscan Inspired Kitchen update, we replaced all of our kitchen appliances.  I absolutely love my new Samsung oven!  It has a convection option and the result is a more even cooking of your food.  A convection oven also cooks faster so I was cautious to watch my cookies carefully.

When the timer went off, I was disappointed at what I saw on the first tray.  My hunky cookies looked like sausage rolls!  The filling didn’t darken in the cooking process and it resembled, well…sausage!  Some of the cookies were very large, which I expected.  And some were odd shaped due to my amateur rolling skills and inconsistent loading of filling.   Though disappointed in the appearance of my masterpieces, I am wise enough to know that the proverbial proof is in the pudding…rather in the taste of the pudding.  So…

Eureka!  They were delicious!  Scrumptious!  Flakey and sweet!  The dough was incredible, almost like a shortbread.  The filling was sweet but not overpowering.  There was a faint hint of lemon rind.  Absolutely incredible.  Holiday cookie recipes success!

Family Treasures

You know I can’t do a blog post without sharing something vintage and special.  While I was working on my Dining Room Reclaimed project for the recent ORC, I found this treasure in the bottom of my sideboard.

It was in the original box.  And here is the tag…

This beautiful 3 tiered vintage glass server was apparently a gift from my Dad’s sister, my Aunt Kathleen, and her family for Christmas!  Such sweet memories of visits with my aunts, uncles, and O’Brien cousins during the holidays.  I’m so glad I decided to clean out the sideboard!  And I’m even more glad that I’m a saver just like Mom.  

Life Lessons Learned

And so my friends, here is what I learned from this baking experience:

• From dry to gooey, life is like dough.  You must constantly adapt and add a little less sugar and a little more flour. 
• You must adjust your recipe if you desire a different outcome.  If nothing changes, nothing changes!
• Things don’t always go well on your first try.  The next time, you will use what you learned from the first go around and things will progress more smoothly with better results.
• Sometimes, even though you follow the recipe, your cookies still might look like sausage rolls.  But the important thing is that they taste like incredible hunky cookies and not like sausage rolls!
• Look at how pretty my 3 tier display is!  Remember, the process may be messy but the end result can still rock!
• Most importantly, though your loved ones may be gone, they have left you incredible memories and reminders that you will find at special times when you need them the most…just like Mom and Pop, Aunt Kathleen and Uncle Bill McCloskey, and my sweet MIL Flo. 
• And finally, though you carefully follow the recipe and are quite pleased with the end result, your version of your MIL’s cookies will never ever ever ever be as tasty, as delicious, or as treasured as hers!  

Here’s to Flo and her Hunky Cookies!  

Print

Flo's Hunky Cookies

Prep Time 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time 20 minutes minutes

Servings 3 dozen

Author Florence Edinger

Ingredients

Dough Ingredients

• 4 cups flour
• 3 egg yolks
• 1/2 pint sour cream
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 pound butter
• 2 tablespoons sugar
• 1 yeast cake can substitute 2 1/4 tsp dry activated yeast

Filling Ingredients

• 1 1/2 pounds shelled walnuts ground
• 1 cup brown sugar
• little lemon rind
• 3 egg whites stiffly beaten
• 2 tsp 4X sugar confectioner's or powdered sugar

Instructions

Dough Instructions

• Add first 6 ingredients to a bowl.
• Add 1 yeast cake softened in 1/4 cup lukewarm water.
• Mix just enough to hold together, Do not knead.
• Divide into 3 parts for easy handling.
• Set aside for 15 minutes

Filling Instructions

• Mix together all filling ingredients.
• Roll out dough on 4X sugar very thin.
• Cut in squares and put filling on each square.
• Roll each square from corner to opposite corner.
• Place on parchment paper lined baking sheet.
• Bake for about 20 mins. at 375 degrees.

Please join my friends Juliet at A Loverly Life

The post Holiday Cookie Recipes and Flo’s Hunky Cookies appeared first on Shop at Blu.

I Found it on Pinterest!

This recipe was found on Pinterest from Two Sisters.  I was particularly impressed with the time they took to explain the importance of butter to the recipe.  And if it is possible, I believe I have found the perfect sugar cookie recipe.  This is my new favorite recipe.  The dough is manageable and not sticky or crumbly.  This is important for a sugar cookie.  It’s a nightmare when you’ve painstakingly followed the recipe only to have the dough ripping and sticking to your rolling pin.  That’s the worst.  And that did not happen with this recipe!  Nor did I have to chill the dough.  I don’t mind chilling the dough.  But if I’m ready to make cookies, I want to keep the process moving and not delay for 3-6 hours while the dough cools.  Alot can happen in my household in 3-6 hours.  If we are baking cookies, we need to get at it now!

And so, I crown this the BEST sugar cookie recipe ever!

Mixing was easy.

Rolling was easy.

Baking was easy.

I do believe this really is the BEST sugar cookie recipe. 

But my favorite is still my moms!  Try it and let me know what you think…it’s really good!

12 Days of Christmas Treats

Here are the recipes Juliet from A Loverly Life and I are sharing for the 12 Days of Christmas Treats.

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Fleur de sel Honey Caramels

Unexpected Toffee Cookies

Peppermint Merangue Wreaths

Cranberry Orange Martini

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Caramel Chocolate Covered Pretzel Logs

Mama’s Eggnog

The post The BEST Sugar Cookie Recipe – Really! appeared first on Shop at Blu.

A Brief History of Eggnog

Eggnog screams Christmas like cookies for Santa!  Eggnog is known as an American term introduced in 1775 in Maryland.  But the origins date back hundreds of years and most agree eggnog originated from the early medieval British drink called posset.  According to Wikipedia, records show that the first US president, George Washington, “served an eggnog-like drink to visitors” which included “rye whiskey, rum, and sherry.” President’s recipe called for a variety of alcoholic beverages along with the dairy and egg ingredients: “One quart cream, one quart milk, one dozen tablespoons sugar, one pint brandy, 1/2 pint rye whiskey, 1/2 pint Jamaica rum, [and] 1/4 pint sherry.” The recipe instructs cooks to “mix [the] liquor first, then separate yolks and whites of eggs, add sugar to beaten yolks, mix well. Add milk and cream, slowly beating. Beat whites of eggs until stiff and fold slowly into mixture. Let set in cool place for several days. Taste frequently.”

My Recipe – sort of

My recipe is super simple.  I jotted it down years ago from a tv show and have been making it ever since.

Turns out my recipe is Paula Deen’s Mama’s Eggnog.  Apparently, I was watching Paula when I wrote down the recipe.  Of course it was Paula!

The recipe is super easy.  You make three small batches and then combine them. 

Whip the egg yolks with sugar, the whites with sugar, and whip the heavy cream. 

Then add the milk.  Set in the freezer to chill.  Super simple. 

You can add bourbon or whiskey or simply drink it plain.  It is delicious either way.

Remember to sprinkle some nutmeg or cinnamon on top for some extra flavor.

Some folks like their eggnog warm.  But I’m a fan of thick and frothy.  Sometimes I even allow the eggnog to freeze and I eat it with a spoon.  Have some fun trying it different ways.  

If you have time, check out all of our recipes for the 12 Days of Christmas Treats!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Fleur de sel Honey Caramels

Unexpected Toffee Cookies

Peppermint Merangue Wreaths

Cranberry Orange Martini

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

Caramel Chocolate Covered Pretzel Logs

Mama’s Eggnog  (You are here!)

The post How to Make the Best Eggnog appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Making Pecan Rolo Pretzels Video

This recipe is so easy.  Place the pretzels on a parchment lined baking sheet.  Place a Rolo on each pretzel.  Bake in 300 degree preheated oven for 3 minutes.  Remove from oven and push a pecan into the Rolo.  Allow to cool.  Enjoy.  It’s that simple!

These treats are the perfect size…one small bite.  They combine the savory pecan with the salty pretzel and the sweet chocolate in a delightful burst of flavor.  

When I ran out of Rolos, I substituted milk chocolate chips and they worked perfectly!

Not only is this a delicious treat, it is super fast!  

Here are the links to the previous days 12 Days of Christmas Treats!

Cranberry Orange Shortbread Cookies

Fleur de sel Honey Caramels

Unexpected Toffee Cookies

Peppermint Merangue Wreaths

Cranberry Orange Martini

The post Rolo Pretzel Turtles appeared first on Shop at Blu.

• 1 shot orange vodka
• chilled cranberry juice
• add a touch of seltzer if desired
• garnish with fresh cranberries and an orange slice

Keep in mind that the true martini, the classic martini, contains gin and vermouth.  Seems to me the trendy and contemporary martini more likely than not contains vodka and a fun additive like chocolate, peppermint, etc.  Thus, my twist with this cran-orange martini. 

The traditional liquors of gin and vermouth see a bit lost in today’s contemporary society.  The likes of Dean Martin and Sammy Davis Junior, Frank Sinatra and Marilyn Monroe mastered the smooth ambiance of the martini.

Who knows, maybe we can bring them back.  

Video:  Cranberry Orange Martini

Whether traditional or contemporary, it’s a nice fruity cordial to sip on after a long day.

Enjoy!

The post Cranberry orange Martini appeared first on Shop at Blu.

Three ingredients!

No eggs.  No mixer.  No fancy gadgets.  Just simple.

Dump. 

Mix. 

Heat.

Pour

Spread.

It’s a little messy at the end.  Once the sugar sets, it is difficult to get a straight cut on the cookies.  So I just break them.  It’s so much easier.  

And that’s that for another easy cookie recipe!

Oh, and it WAS Center Church Cooks!  McMurray, Pennsylvania!

This is still probably my favorite decadent treat.  I try not to make these toffee cookies often because, well, I simply eat them all.  They are irresistible.  I’ve seen this recipe on Pinterest labeled as Crack Cookies.  Enough said.

Enjoy!

Here are links to the previous days of 12 Days of Christmas Treats in case you missed them.

The post Unexpected Toffee Cookies appeared first on Shop at Blu.