Homemade Peppermint Marshmallows

Butter for greasing

1/3 cup powdered sugar

2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin

1/2 cup cold water

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 cup water

1 teaspoon pure peppermint extract

8 to 10 drops red food color

Generously grease bottom and sides of 11x7-inch (2-quart) glass baking dish with butter; dust with 1 tablespoon of the powdered sugar. In bowl of stand mixer, sprinkle gelatin over 1/2 cup cold water to soften; set aside.

In 2-quart saucepan, heat granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup water over low heat, stirring constantly, until sugar is dissolved. Heat to boiling; cook without stirring about 30 minutes to 240°F on candy thermometer or until small amount of mixture dropped into cup of very cold water forms a ball that holds its shape but is pliable; remove from heat.

Slowly pour syrup into softened gelatin while beating on low speed. Increase speed to high; beat 8 to 10 minutes or until mixture is white and has almost tripled in volume. Add peppermint extract; beat on high speed 1 minute. Pour into baking dish, patting lightly with wet hands. Drop food color randomly onto top of marshmallow mixture. Pull table knife through food color to create swirl pattern over top. Let stand uncovered at least 8 hours or overnight.

Dust cutting board with about 1 tablespoon powdered sugar. Place remaining powdered sugar in small bowl. To remove marshmallow mixture, loosen sides from dish and gently lift in one piece onto cutting board. Using kitchen shears greased with butter, cut into 1-inch squares (11 rows by 7 rows). Dust bottom and sides of each marshmallow by dipping into bowl of powdered sugar. 

Store in airtight container at room temperature up to 3 weeks.  

Dip in melted dark chocolate chips and crushed candy canes and add to a cup of hot cocoa for an extra special Christmas treat!

The Peppermint Bark Martini

Don't let this drink's festive appearance fool you.  I think it's nickname will be "Jingle Juice" cuz it's guaranteed to ring some bells!

1 oz Vanilla Vodka

1 oz Godiva White Chocolate liqueur

1/2 oz Peppermint Schnapps

Splash of cream

Corn syrup

Crushed candy canes

Rim martini glass with light coat of corn syrup.  Dip in crushed candy canes.  Put in freezer.

Fill cocktail shaker with ice, add vodka, white chocolate liqueur, peppermint schnapps and a splash of cream or half and half.

Shake until shaker begins to frost on outside, pour into chilled martini glasses.  Garnish with mini candy cane.  Enjoy!

Oh Deer...

I was scrolling through Etsy because while I like to make things on my own, let's face it - there are lots of people out there who have amazing talents and sometimes, I'd just rather have them make one for me...  Then I saw it.  The cutest little girl in the MOST adorbs reindeer hat that I have ever seen!!!  A photo came to mind with four sweet little girls, each with a matching hat.  There were two options: the pattern or I could purchase the hats themselves - but that was proving to add up into "cost prohibiting numbers" - so I bought the pattern and BEGGED my knit talented sister to oblige me with 3 -- no, make that 4, reindeer hats.

Let me preface the rest of the story by admitting that the pattern sounded complicated and used knitting needles and techniques that I had never heard of.  My sister was very clear when she accepted the challenge, "I only knit.  I DON'T crochet."  So when she went through the pattern and saw not only the techniques but the fact there was crocheting involved, she said, "I don't know, Aim..."  I giggled, handed her the bag of supplies and said, "You've totally got this.  Easy Peazy.  Either you'll figure it out or find a way around it."  So she did.

I had a hard time finding enough (or ANY) of the right color of yarn suggested by the pattern.  All I could find was much softer and less structurally supportive so she fought her way through that challenge, too, and the results are so stinkin' cute that I added on a 4th order for the girl's cousin!  She's likely a little too grown up for a reindeer hat but maybe she can wear it around her cousins over the holiday.

When you add on the fact that both families are big hunters, the little twist of irony makes it all even sweeter!  I can't wait to see the girls dressed in their gear!  

The pattern or individually sold hats can be found on Etsy by Two of Wands if you are interested in your own.

Define Naughty

I saw a sign last year and I should have bought it at that moment - but the size was wrong, the color was off and seriously, I'm not paying nearly $40 for an old, beat up piece of wood with some witty words scribbled on it.  I knew I could make it and do it exactly the way I wanted it for about $6.  I stopped at the craft store on the way home.  I found almost everything I needed except for the board.  No problem, I'll pick one up later, right?

My bag of craft supplies sat on the counter for days.  It got moved to "the mail pile" and then to the top of the bar.  Around St.Patty's Day or Easter, the same bag was then stashed into one of the cubby spots IN the bar and there it has sat for the remainder of the year.  Oh yes, friends.  For every project that finds it's way to fruition, there are at least 10 others in various states of non-completion stashed somewhere waiting for the right moment of inspiration and energy to connect.  I'm terrible.  I hate that I'm terrible but my 4th decade has brought with it a new level of self-acceptance.  

I found my bag of craft supplies a few days ago and couldn't help but giggle.  I had been to the craft store for a totally different project and a little chalkboard caught my eye.  I didn't know what I was going to do with it but I knew it would work for something so I brought it home.  Wouldn't you know?  It was exactly what I needed to complete the sign I wanted to make 12 months earlier!

You see how life tends to circle back to things unfinished?

So I finished making my sign, finally.  And the timing was perfect.  Not only did I find a matching sticker but I had recently received a shipment from the wine club and everything came together so perfectly, I couldn't help but forward on a photo to Naked Winery, which you will understand better after seeing the photo...

They sent me a message that they loved it and were posting it on their Facebook Pages.  So tonight I'm celebrating my 10 seconds of Facebook fame with a nice glass of Naked Merlot.  Personally, I think they should find someone to make some signs and sell them as a package deal with wine, wine rack and sign for the holidays.  I have a list of people I'd like to send a gift package like that.  

Hmmm.... Wait, I have an idea.

Christmas Wreath

A glass of wine, a glue gun, a giant container of Christmas ornaments and a styrofoam wreath form = easiest Christmas project ever.  Seriously.  

A New Roost

The best things in life rarely come easy.  There is something about the struggle that embeds meaning, grips our soul and connects us to the parts of life we value most.  Marriage.  Children.  Careers.  None of it is easy but most of us can't imagine our lives without them.

Life has taught me to surround myself with goodness and beauty.  It keeps me alive and feeds my spirit.  I anchor it with truth.  Without the truth, nothing is real, so I cling to it as if it just might be the single thread holding us all together.  These are the goals I aspire to. This is how I want my life to be carved.  Simple.  Real.  Beautiful.  Full of goodness.  Full of love.

I'm not petitioning for sainthood and I don't always live up to my own expectations.  I don't claim to be perfect.  There are days that I don't even feel 'good enough.' We all fall down.  We all have bad days, myself included.  I make mistakes, too.  It happens.  It just means that we can be better or do better next time.  Most of us are able to rise above, endure and find ways to recenter ourselves.  We recalibrate.  We start over.  We pull each other towards goodness. We move on.  We grow into better humans.

I haven't been writing as much lately because I have been very busy with a new job.  I transferred from the first hospital that launched my nursing career to one that is a lot bigger and a little closer.  The truth is, leaving my old job was heartbreaking.  Things had changed to the point that I had begun questioning why I had ever become a nurse in the first place.  I know.  The enormity of that statement is not lost on me.  It was a very big deal.  I needed to recenter myself.  I needed to seek out goodness and a place that supported the ideals that I believe in.  I needed to let go of what once was so I could reach out and find what I needed.

I'm not going to lie, it was terrifying.  I'd been in one place for 7 years and they were the hardest but best 7 years of my adult life.  All established nurses know that nursing school teaches you to pass the boards - all real nursing skills come from "Boots (ah, Danskos rather) on the Ground" action.  Understanding the pathophysiology of multiple disease processes is swell but it doesn't really teach you what you need to do when a doc orders a STAT dose of lasix at midnight on a demented patient with Sundowner's who is suppose to be on full bed rest.

Nursing school doesn't prep you for specialty areas, like emergency nursing.  You learn all of that from your endearing coworkers and supervisors who build your skills and support you like you have your own personal education and cheerleading squad.  Leaving meant letting go, jumping the nest, flying the coop.  Walking away from all of those genuinely wonderful people and that amazing team was one of the hardest, scariest things I've done.  I still can't talk about it without my eyes filling up with tears.  (Crap, tear wipe. Sniff.)

Ok.  Deep breath.  The point of my story is that I did it and it was a great decision.  I love my job again.  I love showing up.  I love being a nurse.  I love working around ER medicine and ER patients.  I love my new coworkers and manager.  It's still a hard job.  It's still scary sometimes.  It's suppose to be.  It's often what we do or don't do that means the difference between someone living and someone dying.  We all take that very seriously and it's that purposeful teamwork that I love most.  I enjoy learning new skills from other nurses that do things a different way.  It feels good to dust off these Danskos and spread my wings a little.  It feels so good and I love it so much, in fact, that I'm picking up many more shifts than usual.  I've been working just shy of what a full time position would be which is why I've been so busy.  I believe those hours will decrease as open shifts become less available in the next few weeks but for now, I'm a little worker bee.

This also means I have a pile of unfinished projects, my house is a wreck, laundry is backed up and all of the hilarious stories I have to share are protected by HIPPA laws and will never get to leave my own head.  Bummer.  There are some good ones!  Did I mention I love my job?!

Nest Management

My sister's Facebook post about her husband asking her if she was going to clean the house before she left to pick the kids up today reminded me of a moment I had last week.

I came home from a quick trip over the hill to find my own husband at the tail end of a cleaning fit; you know, that deep clean that happens after you find something gross, get pissed and freaked out at the same time then gut the house of any evidence of dirt, grime or disarray.

I stood in one spot, overnight bag still hanging from my shoulder, mouth gaped open as I watched him buzz from room to room, in various stages of cleaning, giving me a list of all the things he had done and a long list of things that still needed to be done, in an exasperated tone that well, frankly, I had only heard come out of me before.  

He was like a disheveled Tasmanian Devil on crack-cocaine, talking with his hands, a broom in one hand, a bottle of cleaner in the other, a rag tucked under one arm and a garbage bag hanging from his elbow.  Was that sweat on his brow?

A big smile crept over my face as cardboard and expired food goods began flying out the pantry door and I cautiously, gently and lovingly said, "Oh honey, you are nesting!"  In that single moment, I was both grateful for his efforts and SOOOOO thankful that he wasn't like that very often.  

Now, I don't mind being "the one" with the responsibility of keeping the house in order.  Not only is it my excuse to have a housekeeper come in and help me a couple times a month, but living on the flip side of a cleaning fit is downright terrifying!  Who knew?

I also now completely understand why hunting season and fall cleaning coincide.  Next year, I hope he gets his deer tags.