Sugarfoot Eats

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Watching: Made for TV Christmas Movies 2015

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It’s the most wonderful time of the year!

My love of cheesy Christmas movies has not wavered.

I have scoured ABC Family, Lifetime, and the Hallmark Channel to bring you my 3 recommendations to watch this year.

Tis the Season for Love TV movie

‘Tis the Season for Love — Girl returns to her small hometown, always a classic Christmas TV movie storyline.

Ice Sculpture Christmas TV movie

Ice Sculpture Christmas — The female lead is a chef, which is what drew me in. She learned how to do ice sculptures in culinary school. Is that really taught in culinary school?! DON’T OVERTHINK IT. That’s not the point of TV Christmas movies.

A Gift Wrapped Christmas TV movie

A Gift Wrapped Christmas — Personal shopper helps young widowed father. The widowed father seems to be a popular storyline this year. This movie wins Julie’s Best Made for TV Christmas Movie of 2015!

Happy Holidays!!

Made for TV Christmas Movies 2013

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It’s that time of year again!! Okay, sorry, yes, Thanksgiving hasn’t happened yet. ABC Family’s 25 Days of Christmas hasn’t started yet.

But is it my fault that Hallmark Channel is already playing Christmas movies morning, noon, and night??! Thank you, Hallmark Channel.

It’s no secret that I heart cheesy Christmas movies.

My DVR is already full of them.

Today, I’ll share 3 new (or new to me) Christmas movies that I’ve enjoyed this season so far.

1. Christmas with Holly

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2. Christmas Magic

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3. Snow Bride

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PS…not recommended: The Thanksgiving House, A Very Merry Mix-Up, The March Sisters at Christmas

Slice of Life: Christmas 2012

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For Christmas this year, I stayed in Austin. My parents came down to spend the holiday with me and my aunts & uncles.

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Haley loves visitors!

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Family brunch at Kerbey Lane Cafe. Everyone loved it!

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My aunt & uncle at the Armadillo Christmas Bazaar

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Every arts & crafts fair should have a live band!

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Shopping at the Domain

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Dad & I taking a break from shopping to sit outside & enjoy a beer.

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Love this new dish towel that my aunt Ann got me!

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My Dad asked if we were going to have our breakfast date at Whole Foods to get coffee and a muffin like when they visited this summer. Yes yes! A new tradition! 🙂

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Brunch at Magnolia Cafe

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I made Christmas Eve spaghetti & meatballs!

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New owl nightlight lamp from my parents! My owl obsession is going strong!

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My cousin Kristy has had a great 2012….getting fit! I’m so jealous proud of her!

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My cousin-in-law makes a great turkey!

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Mom & Ann

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I made fudge for the first time!

Thanks again Mom & Dad for making the long drive down to spend Christmas with me. But next year…leave the flu at home. 🙂

Pecan Waffles

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Do you leave your Christmas decorations up through New Years?  Or do you take them down right after Christmas?

I’m in the “leave them up!” camp.  I think of the Christmas season lasting from the day after Thanksgiving through New Year’s Day.

Although, it is a little depressing staring a tree with no presents under it.

And mostly, this decoration debate is a way to justify why there is a reindeer in my waffle picture.  I made these waffles weeks ago and didn’t blog about them before Christmas.

Oops!!  I swear, keeping to a blog schedule and some semblance of consistency with blogging needs to be my New Year’s resolution.

And maybe making waffles every weekend should be a resolution.  That sounds like a great one!!

This waffle recipe is a copy cat recipe  from Waffle House’s pecan waffles.  They are the BEST waffles that I’ve made to date!!!

Pecan Waffles

Recipe from Food Network Magazine–Dec 2011

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 egg
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup buttermilk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted & cooled
1/4 cup vegetable shortening, melted & cooled

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Spread pecans onto a cookie sheet.  Bake about 5 to 7 minutes until toasted.  Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.  Set aside.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the egg, milk, buttermilk, and vanilla.

Stir the egg mixture, melted butter, and melted shortening into the dry mixture.  Stir just until combined.

Preheat a waffle iron.  Brush heated waffle iron with some melted butter.  Ladle about 1/2 cup of batter onto your waffle iron. Sprinkle about 2 tablespoons of the toasted pecans onto the batter.

Cook until golden brown.  Repeat until all of your waffles are cooked.

Serve immediately with butter and syrup.

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

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What do you remember about Christmas when you were young?

For me, it was the anticipation!!  We always had our Christmas tree in our basement.  It would have been too cramped in our upstairs living room with the Christmas tree plus presents.  On Christmas morning, I wasn’t allowed to go downstairs until my Mom got up though.  And I had to wait until 11 am to wake up my Mom.  I kid, I kid.  I probably only had to wait until 7 am. But on Christmas morning, it felt like I was waiting until 11 am.

Now, my brothers’ bedroom was in the basement though.  They were already down there!  Taunting me!!  Me, lip quivering at the top of the stairs.  Brothers, downstairs and yelling up the stairs….”Oh!!  Wait until you see what Santa got you!!!  We’re going to start playing with your presents!!”

Anticipation is killer.

That’s how I feel when I make cakes.  I will always prefer to make cupcakes, cookies, brownies, or dessert bars.  Baking actual whole cakes freak me out!  You can’t eat a piece for quality assurance ahead of time.  It rattles my nerves.  What if I did something wrong? What if it doesn’t taste right??

Anticipation is also awesome when it works out well in the end though!

Gingerbread Pumpkin Cream Cheese Bundt Cake

Recipe from PromiseMe2

Ingredients:

For the cake:

1/2 cup butter,  at room temperature
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup dark molasses
2 eggs, at room temperature
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/2 cup half & half
1 & 2/3 cups flour
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
3/4 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon nutmeg

For the cream cheese filling:

1 cup cream cheese, softened
1 tablespoon flour
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease and flour a Bundt cake pan.  Set pan aside.
To make the bundt cake:
In a large mixing bowl,  combine the butter and granulated sugar. Mix well.  Add molasses and mix.  Add eggs one at a time and mix.  Add pumpkin puree and half & half, mix.
In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and the remaining dry ingredients.  Mix well.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet, mixing well.  Set aside.
To make the cream cheese filling:
In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese, flour, vanilla extract, and powdered sugar. Set aside.
In your prepared Bundt cake pan, fill it with your gingerbread pumpkin mixture. With a knife, carve a well in a circle through the Bundt pan.  Pour the cream cheese mixture into the well.  Use your knife to swirl the cream cheese mixture with the pumpkin mixture.
Bake for 1 hour.
Top Bundt cake with powdered sugar or cream cheese icing.

 

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

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You know those people that listen to Christmas music before Thanksgiving???

GUILTY!

I started listening to Christmas music before Halloween.

I can’t help it.  It makes me happy!  It makes me smile!  It makes me want to eat Christmas cookies.

Julie’s Top 5 Favorite Christmas Songs:

5.  All I Want for Christmas is You; Mariah Carey
4.  Last Christmas; Wham
3.  Silent Night; Michael Buble
2.  O Holy Night; Celine Dion
I’m not afraid to admit it!  Celine is fab!  Celine can BELT out this wonderful song.
1.  O Come All Ye Faithful; Josh Groban & the Mormon Tabernacle Choir
This song!  This song!  THIS SONG!  Love!  You NEED to get Josh Groban’s Noel album from iTunes if you don’t have it already.

Christmas music is great to listen to whilst baking too.

Let’s bake!  Shall we?

Peanut Butter Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

Recipe from Mel’s Kitchen Cafe

Yields approximately 26 cookies

Ingredients:

For the Chocolate Cookie Dough
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup smooth peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 large egg plus 1 large egg yolk
Turbinado sugar, for rolling

For the Peanut Butter Filling
3/4 cup smooth peanut butter
3/4 cup powdered sugar

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.  Line baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside.

To make the chocolate cookie dough:

Whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt in a medium bowl.  Set bowl aside.

Beat together the sugars, butter, and peanut butter in a bowl until smooth. Add in the vanilla, whole egg, and egg yolk.  Beat until combined.  Stir in the dry ingredients to the wet.  Blend well.

To make the peanut butter filling: Stir together the peanut butter and powdered sugar until smooth.  Using your hands, roll the filling into 26 small balls.  Place flour on your hands if they become sticky.

To shape the cookies: Using a cookie scoop, scoop out 26 balls of chocolate cookie dough.  Make an indentation in the center of the chocolate ball with your finger.  Place one of the peanut butter balls into the indentation.

Bring the chocolate cookie dough up and over the filling to cover the peanut butter inside.  Roll the cookie in the palms of your hand to smooth it out. Repeat with the remaining dough and filling. Roll each rounded cookie in turbinado sugar.  Place prepared dough on baking sheets.  Use a flat surface to flatten each cookie to about 1/2 inch thick.

Bake cookies for 7 to 9 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool on a wire rack.

Weekend Ramblings: Christmas Movies

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Once Thanksgiving comes and until Christmas, my DVR loads up with Christmas movies.  Helloooooooo, Lifetime & Ion channel Christmas movies.  I never even knew I had the Ion channel until this month.  And ABC’s 25 Days of Christmas….it’s on!

Now, it always happens that I can’t remember which mediocre made-for-TV Christmas movies I’ve already watched.  Often times, I start the movie and 5 minutes in, I remember I already saw that movie.

You have to be a bit choosy about which movies you give a chance.  Anything from ’98 or earlier, pass on them!  These movies do not stand the test of time.  Any movies with Connie Selleca or the mom from Family Ties or any cast member from Facts of Life, pass on them!!

My tips for choosing made-for-TV Christmas movies to watch:
–Stick with movies made within the last 8 years
–Any movie with a former 90’s star, it’s a safe bet (examples: Dean Cain or Elisa Donovan from Clueless).  Someone from 90210 is in it??  Gold!
–Any movie with a former WB TV star, go for that one too!  ( examples: Joanna Garcia or  Carly Pope from Popular).
–And finally, is Nicole Eggert (Charles in Charles, Baywatch) in it?  Go for it!  She seems to be the queen of doing made-for-TV Christmas movies.

So far this season, I’ve watched Dear Santa, Desperately Seeking Santa, 12 Wishes of Christmas and A Very Merry Daughter of the Bride.  Dear Santa has been my favorite.  I still have A Christmas Kiss and A Nanny for Christmas waiting on my DVR.

If you choose a few duds with TV Christmas movies, have no fear!  Sometimes you have to break out the big guns!

Julie’s Top 5 Favorite Christmas Movies:

5.Love Actually:  Who does love a great ensemble cast?  And the scene with Hugh Grant dancing around the house as the Prime Minister?  And when Colin Firth proclaims his love to his Portuguese maid?  I cry ever time I watch this movie.

4.  National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation:  Clark!!!!!!!

3.  Elf:  We elves try to stick to the four main food groups: candy, candy canes, candy corns and syrup.

First we’ll make snow angels for two hours, then we’ll go ice skating, then we’ll eat a whole roll of Tollhouse cookie dough as fast as we can, and then we’ll snuggle.

The best way to spread Christmas cheer is singing loud for all to hear.

2.  Home Alone:  This movie makes me laugh so hard!  When Daniel Stern falls down the icy stairs, hilarious!

1.  The Holiday:  I think I’ve seen this movie at least 12 times.  I just love it so much.  I even love it during the middle of summer.  Can I please do a house exchange and meet a handsome widow??

 

 

Rolo Pretzel Turtles

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When you think of Christmas sweets, what comes to mind??

For me, it’s:

Fudge
Peanut Brittle
Ribbon Candy
Peanut Butter Blossom Cookies

….by the way, I’m suddenly craving all of these.

and

Rolo Pretzel Turtles!!!

If you haven’t had Rolo Pretzel Turtles, well, where the heck have you been?????

You must make them TODAY!

Your life will be changed forever.  No.need.to.thank.me.

What you will need:

Pretzels
Rolos
Pecan halves

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Place pretzels on cookie sheet.  Top with a Rolo.  (The part that takes the longest is unwrapping the Rolos!  It goes faster if you don’t eat every 3rd Rolo.)

Place pretzels in the oven for 3-5 minutes.  You’ll want the Rolo soft, but not melted.  Remove from oven.  Immediately place a pecan half on top of each Rolo and press gently.  Cool completely before devouring.

Weekend Ramblings

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1.  I haven’t blogged in over 2 weeks!!  On Thanksgiving, I was prepping side dishes before heading over to my parents.  Before I left, I did some dishes.  Cut to 8 hours later when I got back home.  Dish water from the morning had gotten into my Macbook Pro.  Uh oh!!  I tried to dry it out and looked on YouTube for tips & tricks.  But yeah, it was fried.  I bit the bullet and bough another MacBook Pro a few days ago though.  Life is better with it!!!  Life is also poorer with it, but better.

2.  Have you seen these seasonal Pop Tarts?  They are kind of awesome!  They helped me get through the stress of my laptop issues.

3.  My Dad got a new cupcake caddy.  I like his better than mine.  :/  He also made Whoppers Cupcakes for dessert after lunch today!  I wish that I would have taken one to go.

4.  I love my new Essie nail polishes.  Buy Me a Cameo is on my toes.  And Chinchilly is on my fingers.

5.  One of my favorite things about Christmas is breaking out my Christmas blankets!  These 2 fleece blankets are so soft and warm, but every thin in material.  I think I got them at Dollar General.  I’m currently huddled under them as I type.  Love!

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