Hoosier Homemade hosts a weekly link up called cupcake Tuesday that I often link my cupcake creations to. Over the last month she has been hosting a Holiday Cupcake Challenge in which I entered some of my cupcake creations from both last year and this year.

Each week has had a theme:

Week 1 – Holiday Flavor

Week 2 – Thanksgiving Cupcake

Week 3 – Christmas Cupcake

Week 4 – New Year’s Cupcake

Here are the cupcakes I entered…

Week 1 Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcake

Week 2 Thanksgiving Cupcakes

Week 3 Santa’s Crew Cupcakes

Week 4 Almond Champagne Cupcakes

It’s been so much fun to see all of the creative holiday themed cupcakes entered by the participants. People are just so awesomely creative and inspiring.

I haven’t bothered soliciting any votes from my readers for any of the individual cupcakes, but this week YOU CAN VOTE FOR ME ONCE, as “Overall Winner.” So if you’ve got literally ten seconds to throw my way, click here, and leave a comment on the Hoosier Homemade post saying that you vote for MommyTopics.

I sure would appreciate it!

Merry Christmas and Happy Baking!

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Here are the boxes of Cookies we are giving as gifts to our family tonight!

I just love the windows in them so you can get a peek at what’s inside.

Let’s take a closer look at some of the cookies shall we?

I love making these face cookies. These are what inspired my idea for the cupcakes I entered into the “Hello, Cupcake Challenge.”

This is my own design, and it comes from little faces I’ve drawn my whole life. If you could see any of my notebooks from high school where I was supposed to be taking notes, they are covered with doodles like this.

The eyes are made out of mini marshmallows cut in half. We made the mouths by putting  holes in the dough with a straw before baking the cookies.

Here’s Santa and an Elf.

My mom made this one. She says he’s a Christmas Caroler with Earmuffs. He looks Italian to me. I picture him singing on a street corner in New York City outside of his Pizzeria.

Speaking of New York City…

Here’s a NYC Snow Globe. I’ve never been to New York, but if I ever go, I’d love to go at Christmastime.

Merry Christmas NYC!

Here’s another Santa.

This is probably my favorite Cookie out of all of them. Remy made this all by herself. She saw how we were making our Faces with the marshmallow eyes, and she made this one completely on her own. It looks just like all of her little characters she draws. So cute!

Here Remy is decorating a Christmas Bulb Cookie… I’ll show you those further down the page.

And here is another Cookie Remy made. Again… just like one of her little characters. I’m such a proud Momma.

Here’s Leo hard at work making a Snowman Cookie he saw in one of the many books we had on hand for inspiration.

Leo made this one too. He says it’s a portrait of the Professor.

We made sure to put it right in the window of the Professor’s Cookie Box!

He’ll be flattered I’m sure.

My mom and her sisters made these ones. They are Ginger Cookies filled with Lemon Butter-creme. Yum!

My Aunts are great Cookie Decorators.

They made all kinds of fun Cookie designs.

They are also great bakers.

My Aunts provided these delicious little Cookies to add to our boxes. They are called Anzac Bicuits and the recipe is from my cousins in Australia. They taste like Chewy, Buttery, Coco-nutty, goodness. You can’t eat just one!

Speaking of Australians…

This is Daniel. He’s from Australia too. He is one of my cousins friends and he’s been staying with my Aunt while visiting California.

He made several very good looking Santa Clause Cookies. We thought he was doing a great job. But then…

He made this.

He couldn’t explain it… He just made it… and left it with us.

Kind of reminds me of one of the stores I did some of my Christmas Shopping at. Also reminds me a bit of a certain hat… worn by a cat.

Everyone contributed to the production of Christmas Tree Cookies.

In addition to making Sugar Cookies, we made some Chocolate Sugar Cookies by replacing 1 Cup of the flour in our recipe, with one cup of Cocoa Powder, and reducing the vanilla content down to only 1 tsp.

These Chocolate Cookies make a nice contrast for the Frosting and add another look to the designs.

They taste really good too!

Speaking of delicious! Don’t these look yummy… if you like candy… which I do.

My husband always makes fun of my affinity for candy. He thinks it’s weird to still like candy as an adult. He says it’s because I wasn’t aloud to have much of it as a young child. My Mom preferred to give me Carob Chips, raisins, and sugarless gum when I was little. Now I prefer candy over most any other sweet treat.

Aren’t these cool? We made the cord with Black Licorice Rope… strictly for photographing purposes. Then we divided them up and put them in the boxes.

Another Snow Globe.

These kind of look like Snow Globes too.

Gifts.

A Wreath.

And a partridge in a Pear Tree!

Merry Christmas!!!

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Christmas is coming soon, and one of my favorite things about the season are all of the fun activities leading up to the big day! I love the shopping, and Christmas music everywhere, the lights, the decorations, ice skating outdoors, picking out a Christmas Tree, the warmth, the loveliness, the whole feel of the entire month of December, and… I love the baking!

More specifically I love decorating the baked things! Cookies, pies, cakes, cupcakes… it doesn’t matter. Set it in front of me and I’m sure to smother it in holiday cheer.

Just like these cupcakes I came up with last year…

It’s the Big Guy Himself. Santa!

His eyes and hat pom-pom are made from mini marshmallows. Everything else is cupcake and frosting.

This is Frank. He is the most stable of all the Elves.

Frank’s hat is rimmed with mini M&Ms and his hat pom-pom is a mini marshmallow.

This is Kissy. She’s a sweety. Harmless. Basically stable as well.

Frank is proposing to her on Christmas Eve….. shhhhhhhh! Don’t let the secret out.

This is Howard. He’s a good guy… just a little paranoid. He’s always freaking out and lives in a perpetual state of shock.

“Prancer’s a girl?!

“Santa’s my uncle??!!!

“No trans fat” doesn’t truly mean, NO trans fat???!!!

And this is Bucky. Clearly… not stable.

And I like to try and stick to that rule from Bambi about how, “If you can’t say something nice, don’t say anything at all,” so… we’ll move on.

And last but not least, a reindeer who needs no introductions, the guiding light to Santa’s sleigh even on the foggiest of nights….

Pinnochio!

Doh!

I mean… Rudolph. Rudolph!

Sorry about that buddy. Honest mistake. No hard feelings I hope.

Rudolph’s antlers are made from gummy bears covered in frosting and stuck on toothpicks, inserted into the cupcake. They are also adorned with mini M&Ms.

And that’s the crew.

*Post Update – 11/16/2010*

To get some more fabulous ideas for Christmas, and Thanksgiving cupcakes, head on over to Hoosier Homemade’s Holiday Cupcake Challenge 2010, for great recipes, designs, and inspiration.

And… I’d love your vote if you love my cupcakes!

Vote for my:

“Pumpkin Spice Latte Cupcakes” (Vote NOW – click here)

“Thanksgiving Cupcakes” (Vote NOW – click here)

“Santa’s Crew Cupcakes” (voting not open yet)

“New Year’s Cupcakes” (voting not open yet)

Merry Christmas!!! And Happy Cupcakey! (Not a real phrase.. but it should be.)

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As promised, the Christmas Cookie Baking Extravaganza in my family did begin today… but we’re not finished. We spent a good half of the day pouring, mixing, flouring, rolling, cutting, baking, cooling, mixing, food coloring, and preparing piping bags. We did manage to get some of the cookies decorated, but rather than show you only some of this year’s designs, I thought I’d save all of them for later this week when they are finished.

So today I’m just teasing you with some glimpses into the Chaos, and preparing you with some helpful tips we’ve learned over the years.

Find a well recommended Sugar Cookie Recipe and Frosting Recipe and test them before the big day. One night when you’re watching TV and you want a little snack, make up a batch and see if it’s a good fit for all your Cookie Baking Goals. I did a Dress Rehearsal for the big day and ended up finding a great recipe for the Cookies and the Frosting.

Find some designs you’d like to try. This book has some FANTASTIC ones and it will help you prepare by providing info on the kinds of decorating ingredients and tools you’ll need to accomplish each particular design.

Set up a separate table where at the end of the day, everyone involved can pack up boxes and bags of cookies as gifts for friends and family. Prepare the table with gift boxes, bags, twisty-ties, ribbon, blank labels, and pens and markers.

Each year buy a couple new cookie cutters and build a collection.

Finding unique and inexpensive cookie cutters throughout the year and stashing them away until Christmas is a great idea. Look at these cute ones I got last May…

They make these cute cookies that fit on the edge of a Coffee Cup. This is a Christmas Cookie Gift that can keep on giving long past Christmas… like every morning when you have a cup of coffee and every time you serve Coffee to guests.

Buy a lot of piping bag tips and lots of different food coloring, so you can use several at once.

Make lots of Piping Bags. This way you can create any design your little heart dreams up. It’s like having a crayon box of colors at your disposal.

Acquire lots and lots of different sprinkles each season, hang on to the leftovers, and watch your collection grow. Unique sprinkles bring about all kinds of design inspiration.

Lay down an inexpensive disposable plastic table cloth… things can get pretty messy and this makes for easy clean-up when you’re done. Just wrap up the mess inside, and toss it.

Put out trays of veggies and dip, crackers, cheeses, and fruit right there on the table where everyone is working. This will allow you to munch whenever you get the urge, but avoid making yourself sick by nibbling on cookies and candy all day.

Enlist the assistance of a good floor cleaner. Someone you can depend on to quickly snatch up whatever falls off the table.

Here’s a final Sneak Peak… More designs to come this week! Stay tuned!

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When it comes to Christmas Cookies… we don’t play around.

My mother and I take it quite seriously and each year we try to up the anty with superb designs and taste.

You may have seen my post about our planning session that took place… in NOVEMBER.

I told you… we aint playin’.

This year we have been considering two new Sugar Cookie recipes.

The first one is from this spectacular little book called “Cookie Craft Christmas.”

The other recipe we’ve been considering is from this blog I stumbled upon a couple weeks ago.

So last week when I knew “A Charlie Brown Christmas” and Disney’s “Prep and Landing” were coming on abc, I thought it would be a good night for a trial run of making Christmas cookies, to see how the recipes taste.

It would also be a good trial run to give my 3 and 7 year old some practice for the big event… the real event… the Cookie Baking Extravaganza!

I told you… we don’t play around.

We plot, we plan… we even practice… and then… We Attack!

You can see all of it here next week.

So for our cookie making practice we made some dough, used some cookie cutters, and tossed on some random sprinkles hiding in the cupboards.

We also left some un-sprinkled so we could try a new icing recipe and get some icing practice.

We baked, we decorated, we tasted and we decided…

We will be using some of the inspirational ideas from the “Cookie Craft Christmas” book. Very Cute!

And… we will be using the Sugar Cookie and icing recipes from “i am baker”.

The cookies were delicious and so was the icing. We liked the taste and texture of these cookies better than the ones made from the recipe in the book. The “i am baker” recipe was also much easier to work with. The dough was soft enough to roll out easily, but the cookies all still held their shapes perfectly. They were also easy to cook all the way through, without ending up with any browning on the edges whatsoever.

The finished result was soft, fluffy, a bit chewy, and lightly sweet in a way that is complimented perfectly by lots of icing. That is EXACTLY what we need because  we’ve got a lot of fancy decorating to do!

Thank You Amanda for generously sharing your delicious Sugar Cookie recipe with the world!

If you want Amanda’s Sugar Cookie and Icing recipes, check out this cute Christmas post on her main blog  here.

Stay tuned next week for my post that will be titled “Christmas Cookies – The Main Event.”

It’s going to be… really… very…. super…. completely…

Just come back and see!

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I got the idea to make these from this book about the life and times of Shakespeare.

The book includes 21 activities, and making Pomander Balls was one of them.

According to the book Pomander Balls were used in Elizabethan times and in generations before them, to ward off plagues and other diseases which were believed to be caused by bad smelling air. It was traditional to carry these aromatic balls in hands, boxes, or pockets, for protection. People also attached them to chains and wore them around their necks or waists.

Happily today we know that diseases aren’t caused by icky smelling air, but making Pomander balls is still a fun thing to do and they smell AMAZING!

If you’re planning to hang your Pomander Balls on a Christmas Tree, or on wrapped gifts, you should go with a smaller citrus fruit like these medium size Clementines. Pomander balls made from larger oranges can be used as decorations on side tables, mantles, or in a centerpiece on your Christmas Breakfast table.

The first  step is to use a marker and make a grid creating four quarters on the fruit. You can use a black permanent marker, because your grid will be covered up by your ribbon later.

The next thing to do is to use a wooden skewer, toothpick, or sharp pencil to poke holes in the orange and make a design. If you skip this step and just try to push the cloves through without making holes first, you’ll end up with a lot broken cloves.

The holes that you poke for the cloves can be done randomly, in stripes, in the shape of letters, or in patterns.

Here is a design for a swirl.

And there’s this one that looks like a snowflake or a star.

Both my three year old and seven year old were entertained… for a little while…. doing this. It was easy for them to do and they both liked poking the holes and filling them with the cloves.

The next step is to cut a piece of ribbon.

I’ve found that wired ribbon is the easiest type of ribbon to work with because it can be easily manipulated and bent into the form you want.

I wanted big, beautiful, wide ribbon for my bows, but I didn’t want the ribbon to cover up my orange so…

I cut the wired edges off the ribbon into strips for wrapping.

Wrap one of the thin ribbons over one of your black grids and tie it with a double knot.

Next tie the second ribbon on over the other grid line, and again tie a double knot.

And then you cut an additional piece of ribbon to form your bow.

Now don’t freak out about this part. Even if you’ve never tied a fancy bow in your life… you can do this. You don’t attach the ribbon and then try to tie a bow. You tie the bow first and then when it looks how you want it, you attach it to the orange.

And this is why we’re using wire ribbon… so we can pretend we are master bow tyers when we really aren’t.

All you have to do is make a small loop at one end of the ribbon and wrap the long piece of ribbon around it tightly to hold it in place.

Then form a second and a third loop, knotting, and tucking, and bending them together however you can to form something similar to the picture above. It’s not an exact science and the wires really help you be able to bend and tuck and knot without things slipping. And don’t worry about things getting crumpled as you try and tie them… you can fluff all of it out at the end.

Next attach your free formed bow to your orange by tying it on with a double knot from one set of the ribbons already sticking up off your orange.

And then twist and curl your loose ends into pretty little Curly Qs.

Viola!

But wait… we’re not done yet.

Just to add a bit more AMAZING SCENT and a bit more SPARKLE you can dust on some spices mixed with very fine glitter.

I used this Baker’s Blend from the Spice Merchants – It’s a mix of cloves, allspice, nutmeg, ginger, cinnamon, anise, coriander and cardamom.

If you don’t have a blend like this you can make your own from any of the spices mentioned… pumpkin pie spice is also a good one to use.

Then, mix in some very fine glitter. The best kind to use is what you find at the craft store for use with stamps and embossing.

Just mix the spices and glitter together in a small dish and then using a dry paintbrush, lightly dust the mixture onto and around the cloves.

Seriously… I can’t express how good these smell.

They make beautiful gifts, centerpieces and decorations.

You can even put some on your tree or hang them by a string on some very specially wrapped Christmas presents.

Here’s what you need…

Oranges or Clementines

Permanent Marker

Wide Decorative Ribbon

Scissors for cutting Ribbon

Whole cloves – one large sized spice jar from your grocer’s aisle should make about 8 Pomander Balls.

Spices – A Baker’s Blend, or your own mix of any of the following: Cinnamon, Cardamom, All-Spice, Nutmeg, Pumpkin Pie Spice, Coriander, Anise, Ginger, and Cardamom

Toothpicks, Wooden Skewers, or Sharp Pencils for poking holes

Fine Glitter – Embossing kind seems to work best and white or clear looks best. A gold, silver, or orange glitter tends to make the orange look dirty.

Happy Pomandering! (So not a word.)

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An hour north of San Diego, California, surrounded by mountain ranges in a quaint little valley, is the pituresque shopping and dining delight of Old Town Temecula.

I first started visiting Old Town Temecula as a very young girl. Twice a month my parents would take my brother and I to visit our grandparents in Ontario, California. One of my favorite things about making the trip from San Diego was stopping in Old Town Temecula on our way and getting an ice cream cone from the Corner Deli. That particular shop closed down years ago, but Old Town Temecula has continued to grow and develop into a popular Southern California destination.

Old Town is a wonderful place to visit for unique shopping, fine dining, and a quaint small town atmosphere reminiscent of the Old West. Some of the fabulous vendors include: The Temecula Olive Oil Company, the Rancho Fruit Market, The Farmer’s Wife Gifts, Cafe Bravo Coffee House, The Gambling Cowboy’s Chophouse and Saloon, the Dog House Hot Dogs, Sweet Lumpy’s Western BBQ, Saturday morning Farmer’s Market made up of locally grown produce and products, several antique stores, the Temecula Cheese Company, Cactus Flower Apparel, Rosa’s Cantina Mexican Food, The Rootbeer shop,  Palumbo’s Italian Bistro, the Swing Inn Cafe, The Edge Fine Dining Restaurant, and among many, many more vendors, one of my personal favorites… the Spice Merchants.

This is one of my favorite places to shop. Every time I visit I always find something new and amazing!

At the Spice Merchant you have a chance to experience a sensory journey through the spices of the world!

Over 350 fresh, high quality spices, herbs, and blends.

A variety of rices from around the world.

Here is a perfect example of the inspiring ingredients you’ll find that you never even knew existed.

At least, I never knew green bamboo rice existed.

Unique gifts including unusual utensils, spice racks, grinders, mortar and pestles.

A variety of honey.

I bet you never thought about Honeys having different flavors based on the different flowers bees who make them, retrieve pollen from.

Orange Blossom Honey, Clover Honey, Mountain Sage Honey, and by golly out here in good ol’ California we even have Avocado Blossom Honey.

Who knew?

Not me… that’s who… er… not knew…. I mean….

Never mind!

A wonderful assortment of loose-leaf teas and accessories.

And beautiful gift boxes for all occasions.

And speaking of gift boxes…

The generous Spice Merchants are offering this great gift box, to one of YOU!

Let’s see what’s inside shall we?

Oooooooh! Aaaaaaaah!

Want to see more?

I knew you would.

Now let’s take an even closer look.

This is a bottle of Tahitian Vanilla extract. I used some (not out of this bottle… I have my own Baker’s Gift Box) in my Christmas sugar cookies, and it was wonderful. You might think Vanilla is Vanilla is Vanilla, but you are mistaken. This Vanilla tastes and smells wonderful. It makes you sit up and take notice.

Yum, yum, yummy!

You also get a bottle of Dutched Cocoa and Allspice. I’ve been experimenting with these two in a recipe for New Year’s. I can’t give you the details now, but it’s gonna be GOOD.

This is Vietnamese Cinnamon. It’s much stronger than most… perhaps all… cinnamons you’ve dealt with before. This bottle will last you quite a while and the taste and smell is wonderful.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least is this magical stuff.

Cinnamon Sugar.

It’s pure cane sugar in a raw crystal form that has been infused with cinnamon flavor. Just imagine this sprinkled on whipped creme in your coffee, gracing the surfaces of Snicker-doodle cookies, or beautifying the top of an apple pie, crumble, or crisp.

Flavored sugars are one of the most inspiring things I’ve seen at the Spice Merchants.

Cinnamon Sugar, Lemon Sugar, Lime Sugar…

Raspberry Sugar – recommended for sprinkling on cookies, cupcakes, and cakes. Also can be used to coat the rim of a glass of lemonade or other beverage. Try mixing some into a green salad with Raspberry Balsamic Vinegar Dressing.

Hello! Are those awesome ideas?

And check out this one…

Sweet Onion Cane Sugar – I knew I had to have this the moment I laid eyes on it. I love savory with sweet dishes and this one opens up a whole new realm of possibilities. Some of it’s suggested uses are to sprinkle it on buttered popcorn, cooked asparagus, or grilled prawns.

Now these last two lovely sugars – raspberry and onion – are not part of the giveaway. But… don’t worry your pretty little head.

Anything mentioned in this post that has caught your attention can still be yours.

Just call the Spice Merchants and place an order – Mon – Sat 10am – 5pm and on Sunday until 4pm: 951 587 2223

Mention that you saw the Spice Merchants on MommyTopics.com and get a 10% discount on your order when you call or stop in!

You can also view available products at www.spicemerchants.biz, then make the call to place your order from the Old Town Temecula, California Store.

They love it when people call and place orders… really… they do. They are waiting for your call.

The Spice Merchants products make fantastic Christmas presents and of course will add flavor and flair to any of your holiday dishes.

Now… back to the GIVEAWAY.

All this can be yours.

All you have to do is place a comment at the bottom of this post telling me how your Christmas shopping and gift wrapping is going. Inquiring minds want to know… Have you been done with all of it for weeks and is it all neatly placed beneath the tree? Are you still in need of some last minute gifts? Are you like me and haven’t even started yet? Are you completely stuck wondering what to buy for that one person who already has everything? Or, are you someone who doesn’t purchase Christmas gifts… if so, tell me what you’ve been doing with yourself lately, instead!

This GIVEAWAY is open to all U.S. residents and runs now through Thursday, December 17 at 9pm Pacific Standard Time.

Only one comment per person please.

One winner will be chosen randomly and announced in the GIVEAWAYS section of this blog on Friday, December 18, 2009 at 10am. Please check back then to see if you won and to exchange information so I can get this lovely Gift Box to you before Christmas.

Happy Commenting! And shopping… and baking…. and wrapping… and shipping…. and…. all the craziness that is your life during this wondrous holiday season!

Happy, happy, happiness to you!

And by the way….

If you can make it to Old Town Temecula this weekend you wont be disappointed!

Outdoor Ice Skating in the New Town Square begins this Friday the 18th and runs through Dec 31. The whole street is decorated in Christmas Cheer and when the sun goes down, Old Town is all aglow with Christmas lights everywhere. Take a horse drawn carriage ride, enjoy the music of strolling Dickens Carolers, Visit Santa’s Cottage and take a family picture, shop till you drop, and enjoy dinner out… in Old Town Temecula!

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I decided to show my kids how to make a snowflake with scissors and paper. This is the only picture I have of the snowflake because as you’ll see soon enough… the focus did not stay on the snowflake for very long.

As I was cutting the snowflake, I remembered how fun it also used to be to cut out paper accordion people. So, while my kids were “Ooooohing” and “Aaaahing” over my snowflake, I decided to make a link of accordion ballerinas.

Yep. My kids were seriously impressed.

I cut it out and then I asked Remy to color the ballerinas and give them faces. She did a good job.

With a snowflake and ballerinas on the table I of course thought of the Nutcracker. But then, looking at the ballerinas all linked together I thought of the Four Little Swans from Swan Lake. True… there are five ballerinas in my link and only four in the Swan Lake piece, but hey… I was close.

If you have no idea what the Four Little Swans piece is, here’s a video.

Next I needed some trees.

The stage was set!

But of course Remy… ( I say “of course” because this is so typical of her) said…

“Make some Bad Guys Mommy.”

This is what I came up with.

I know, I know… they aren’t attached. I got lazy. What can I say?

Remy drew their faces. She did a great job! She’s really got the concept down of angling the eyebrows just right to convey EVIL!

What?

You don’t think “Bob” and “Frank” look evil?

Now that is creepy.

These poor ballerinas are surrounded by psychos peeking through the trees.

Naturally the next request from the kids was for some Super Heroes.

Ta-daaah!

If you can name all four Super Heroes correctly in the comments section of this post you get a GOLD STAR. If you have one… to give yourself. Maybe add a little “pat-on-the-back” while you’re at it.

I have to admit… I’m pretty proud of those Super Heroes.

Did I mention I’d like to become a Children’s Book Author and Illustrator?

Zondervan, Random House, Thomas Nelson… If you’re reading this… which I’m sure you just must be… Call Me!

Let the Marvel Comic Ballet begin.

Imagine the lovely Swan Lake music playing as the ballerinas happily frolic by the trees.

Enter the menacing Bob and Frank with their EVIL Villain eyebrows.

It wasn’t long before they decided to cut the Super Heroes apart from each other.

Ah! That’s better.

“You’re goin’ down Bob!”

“No! Bob will be victorious!”

I think this is the part where Bob got crushed by a Giant Snowflake.

“Now to take care of Frank.”

Seriously… this kept both my kids entertained for over an hour.

“It’s a bird, It’s a plane, It’s… ” (Nope… that’s all the hint you get for the comments section.)

“You’re done for Frank.”

Curtain

This year has been a tough one for us financially. I’ve been feeling a little guilty about how little we have to spend on Christmas presents for the kids.

Something tells me they’re going to be just fine.

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These do not go on your Christmas tree.

These DO go in your mouth.

These DO go best in your kids mouths due to the amount of frosting, sprinkles, and candy… with a little bit of cupcake.

These DO make adorable gifts, great centerpieces, and fantastic Christmas Party treats.

I decided to start off with Red Velvet Cake!

I made mine from scratch by following the recipe in “The Pioneer Woman Cooks.”

If you don’t DO “from scratch” you can still DO Red Velvet.

It’s the perfect festive Cupcake for these pretty little Ornaments.

This totally looks like icing.

It’s not.

This is my cake batter…. in a Ziploc.

Snip the corner off…

And pipe your batter into your cupcake papers.

I’ve found this to be the best method for getting equal portions into each cup, and avoiding a mess… well… almost.

Just look at these gorgeous little things!

The next step is to frost each cupcake with an even smooth layer, using a butter knife, and then roll the tops in bowls of colored sprinkling sugar.

If you want to get really fancy you can make different color frostings to match your sprinkles.

I didn’t have any food coloring on hand, so I just used white frosting for all of mine.

Store bought frosting, Homemade frosting, Creme Cheese frosting, Butter-creme Frosting, …. pretty much any thick, white, frosting will do.

What these cupcakes absolutely require, is a great candy supply for decorating.

I bought my sprinkles and dragees (the shiny ball sprinkles) at a JoAnne’s Fabrics and Craft Store.

The other great place to get AWESOME decorating candy for Cookies, Gingerbread Houses, and Cupcakes, is at your mall Candy Store.

You know… the one with all the bins you can scoop from.

It’s so convenient to be able to dish out just the perfect amount for your project.

Staring at all those bins of goodies is sure to spark all kinds of new decorating ideas.

What you absolutely must have for these cupcakes are:

Mini M&M’s

Smooth thin Licorice Rope in black and red (other colors too if you can find it)

Spice drops

Have you seen these before?

These are chocolate and candy coated Sunflower Seeds. Basically Sunflower Seed M&M’s… but not made by the M&M company.

These are also available at some mall candy stores… That’s where I got mine.

I love these for decorating Christmas treats because they are shaped just like Christmas lights. They look adorable on Christmas tree cookies, lining the roofs of Gingerbread houses, and on these Ornament Cupcakes.

Here are your ingredients for making the Cupcake Ornament Toppers.

Spice Drops, Black Licorice Rope, and Pretzels.

Poke a hole in the rounded top of a spice drop using a toothpick.

Insert the pretzel.

Make two more holes; one on each side of the top of the spice drop, with a toothpick.

Cut a small piece of black licorice rope, and insert it into the top holes so that it forms a rounded loop.

See?

Cool huh!

The pretzels allow you to insert the toppers into the cupcake and make them stick in place just where you want them to.

I ended up breaking my pretzel sticks in half so they didn’t poke out the bottom of the cake.

Next you need some good ol’ Fruit by the Foot.

These red ones were already cut in perfect ornament, decorating, shapes.

You can also use Starburst Chews for this and just flatten them out with a rolling pin.

The blue Fruit by the Foot was not already cut into shapes.

This nifty little Fondant Cutter that I found at the craft store came in handy for making elaborate edges.

You can also use fancy edged scrapbooking scissors, or if you’re really talented… a sharp kitchen knife and your own imagination.

There aren’t any rules.

Just cut some fun and frilly shapes to put on your cupcakes.

When you make (or buy) your frosting, set some aside in a Sandwich Bag. This will be the glue that holds all your decorations onto your sugar coated cupcakes.

Using your spice drop tops, bag of gluing frosting, candy, and Fruit Snack strips… start decorating.

They look really cute too if you put some of the spice drop tops on the edge, and others right in the middle of the cupcakes.

It gives a perspective that each one is laying differently.

Once again this idea orginated from my favorite Cupcake Book – “Hello, Cupcake.” (Which by the way would make a FANTASTIC Christmas Gift!)

When you’re done, line them all up and marvel at your masterpieces.

Here’s What You Need…

Red Velvet Cupcakes

Thick white frosting – store bought or homemade (Food Coloring if you want to use Colored Frostings)

Cupcake Papers

Pretzel Sticks

Fruit by the Foot

Fondant Cutter or Scrapbooking scissors

Colored Sprinkling Sugars

Spice Drops

Thin, smooth, licorice rope in red and black (more colors optional)

Mini M&M’s

Candy Coated Sunflower Seeds – optional

Dragees – Shiny ball sprinkles – optional

Whatever else your heart desires.

Fa – la – la – la – la…. la – la…. la…. la!

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Just before Christmas when I was twelve, I found a T-shirt at a Christian bookstore that had a picture of a manger scene on it and a statement on the back of the shirt read, “Put Christ back into Xmas.” I had never thought about the word “Xmas” as being insulting before, but when I saw that T-shirt I immediately got offended at the idea of people mentioning a day that is supposed to celebrate the birth of Christ without actually mentioning Him.  I bought a shirt for myself and a few more for three of my friends.  We proudly wore them to our school Christmas party and I felt like we were waging the war against secularism.

Years later someone mentioned to me that “Xmas” was not an offensive word because X is the Greek symbol for Christ.  When I heard that, I was done being offended.  That made sense to me and I was proud to know a deeper detail about the issue than most other Christians.  From that point on I proudly corrected others who made comments about taking offense to the term “Xmas.”

But one Christmas I realized…

“Wait a minute… do I even know what I’m talking about?  I have been telling people for years that “X” is the Greek symbol for Christ, but I don’t actually even know if that is true.”

It wasn’t until I did some study and investigation that I could speak more truly informed on the matter. I still am no expert of the Greek language, but here is what I have learned.

The term “Christmas” predates the twelfth century and comes from the Old English Cristes Masse, literally, Christ’s mass. There are documented variations of the word “Xmas” having been used as a non-offensive abbreviation for the word “Christmas” that date back as far as 1021 A.D., long before it became a word used merely to save space in electronics ads. In the distant past, “X” was also commonly used as an abbreviation for “Christ” in the word Christian, then written as “Xian.”

One early and common symbol used in the Christian Church, referencing Christ and his followers, is known as the “Chi Rho”.  The New Testament of the Bible which is the portion containing the history and documentation of the life of Christ and his church was originally written in the languages of Greek and Aramaic. In the Greek alphabet, X is the letter “Chi” and is used for the “Ch” in the beginning of Christ’s name.  In Greek, P is the letter “Rho” and is used for the “r” in Christ.

The X and P of Chi Rho were superimposed over one another and placed on jewelry, coffins, coins, armor, shields and other wares as early as the third century. The above photo is of a reproduction of a Roman Fresco found in the Villa at Lullingstone, containing the Chi Rho flanked by the Greek letters Alpha and Omega which God calls Himself in the book of Revelation.

Modern critics of the abbreviation”Xmas” typically feel that the X is replacing Christ, who is the reason for the holiday.  It is felt by many that “Xmas” further secularizes what is supposed to be a sacred celebration.

It is possible that the use of “Xmas” has become offensive to Americans in recent years, partly due a massive decline in knowledge amongst English speaking westerners of the Greek language and alphabet. For this reason, even once Christians understand the origins of “Xmas”, they may still prefer the use of the full word “Christmas” because an X no longer represents the name of Christ, in our modern American culture.

When so many Christmas traditions are being attacked and erased from the public square, and big business is trying to use alternate labels such as “Happy Holidays” and “Season’s Greetings” Christians are doing everything to try and keep the name of Christ on people’s lips and in their hearts.  “Xmas” may have it’s origins in being a holy and acceptable representation of Christ, but today it has lost that meaning and in most cases is used only to aid advertisers in saving letter space in ads which focus on commercialism, materialism, and selfish desires.

What’s your opinion?

Are you still offended?  Were you ever?  How do you feel about it now?

Leave a comment.

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