JEN SEVERN'S BLOG

Classic tips on decorating your tree from the Green Family. 1. Make sure your lights follow the branches.  They go on the inside and out side of the tree. 2. Small ornaments at the top.  The ornaments get bigger as you move down the tree.  Biggest ornaments at the bottom. 3. Ornaments go on the inside and outside of the branches and, of course, all the way around. 4. Lots of ornaments. If you are choosing a fresh tree, don’t forget to check out the Balsam Pines.  They are gorgeous. At first when I heard these guidelines I thought it was a little crazy.  We always just grabbed an ornament and hung it where ever.  Now we implement the guidelines and I must say I think our tree looks more beautiful and balanced. I have two trees.  One that is covered in child friendly ornaments.  The child friendly tree was made after my daughter at 2 bit into a football glass ornament, my sons repeatedly throwing glass balls and I gave up.  One yea...

These are amazing.  Another recipe I am hooked on from Stacey.  Thanks for sharing friend! 1 bag Snyder’s Butter Snaps pretzels, square or round Large bag of Rolo’s About 55 M&M’s (holiday colors are always festive)   Preheat oven to 215 degrees. Place a Rolo on top of a pretzel. Place on a cookie sheet lined w/foil. Bake 5 min. Take out of oven, top Rolo w/M&M, push down on M&M until Rolo spreads slightly.  Cool in refrigerator for 15 minutes. Variations:  The same basic recipe but you can change up the toppings.  Candy Cane Kisses (instead of Rolo).  Only bake for 3 minutes. Top with M&M’s. Rolo topped with Pecan (tastes like chocolate turtles) Rolo topped with Almonds (the nut of choice for me) Hershey’s Hugs (instead of Rolo). Only bake for 3 minutes.  Topped with M&M’s. The original is my favorite, but the Candy Cane Kisses are YUMMY and very Festive!  The nut variation is great f...

Snowflake Crunch   You just can’t stop reaching for another bite of this!  It’s a great Christmas time gift!  The recipe’s from Stacey Mahaffee, who I got to know while waiting at our childrens’ Elementary for our girls to be dropped off or picked up from Kindergarten.  Thanks for sharing Stacey!  You are always generous! 1 lb. white almond bark 3 cups Cheerios 2 1/2 Cups rice Chex 2 1/2 Cups Corn Chex 2 Cups Pretzel Sticks 2 Cups dry-roasted peanuts 2 Cups M&M’s (I always choose the holiday colors) Mix cereal, pretzel sticks, nuts and M&M’s in a very large bowl.  Melt almond bark according to directions.  (I melt mine for 3 minutes at half power and it seems to be great, but all microwaves are different).  Pour over mixture of cereal, pretzels sticks, nuts and M&M’s.  Mix to coat well.  Spread on Waxed paper.  Let stand until  cool.  Break into sm...

Grandma’s Toffee from Hilary Whiton 1 lb.  Unsalted butter  at  room temperature 1 lb. Sugar (2 Cups) 1 lb. Almonds (3 Cups) 9oz. chocolate (I use more!) Chopped Almonds Put two cookie sheets into a 200 degree oven to warm.  In a  dutch oven , melt butter over medium high to high heat.  Add sugar and almonds.  Stir occasionally.  It will be boiling.  After 10 minutes or so you should begin to hear the almonds “pop”.  It is usually ready at this point.  I use a  candy thermometer  and remove the candy from the heat at 302 degrees, which is “hard crack”.  Pour the toffee onto the heated cookie sheets and spread it as quickly as you can.  (TIP:  I put my cookie sheets over the sink, because the butter will pour off and make a mess of your counter.)  After the toffee cools completely, melt chocolate and spread it on top.  Sprinkle with the chopped almonds while the chocolate is still stic...