To make this yourself is very easy.

Pour a gallon of cider in the crock pot.

Add 1/2 cup of brown sugar, a teaspoon each of allspice berries and whole cloves, stick cinnamon (about 3), one whole orange sliced thin, several slices of ginger root (2-3), and a hint of nutmeg.

Leave this on the lowest setting to enjoy sunup and sundown!

Now if your guests stay a while, as they’re often wont to do, you can put together a fun little treat and get them to help with it.

Everyone go to the kitchen and grab a small glass.

In the bottom of the glass have each guest crumble up a favorite cookie.

While they pick out their cookie (and eat a few) you make up a

vanilla pudding

using 1.5 cups of milk,

1/4 cup of flour,

1 egg,

1/2 cup of sugar

and two capfuls of vanilla extract.

Beat this thoroughly together then warm them over a low flame.

Keep stirring until the pudding comes to a rolling boil (it will thicken now) and pour a little into each person’s cup.

On top of that first layer add some jelly or crushed fruit, and another layer of pudding.

Let your guests top the last layer with another cookie!

TaDa! A great group project and tasty too.
Cheers!

The practice of making sweet flavored snacks took quite some time longer to come about, and the savory more spiced ones even longer.

Today there is a trend toward more savory snacks, cheesy or spiced to go with wine or ales being drunk to go along with them.

We introduce variety by adding different flours or grains such as oats, cornmeal and sometimes nuts for flavor and texture.

very often flavored with hers or spices, or topped with sesame seeds or items such as chives it is very versatile, going with anything from processed meats to soups or cheeses.

At Christmas we get a chance to shine and explore with the colours and the presentation of a cooked meal. A colour scheme, table cloth, card placements, table mats, napkins, plates and cutlery are the main characteristics of any table dinner. Nevertheless, these things come at an expense. An expense that can seem high for this time of year due to the need to buy gifts and other necessities on the run up to Christmas. As with many things, you can reduce this cost by creating minor things at home that can help towards the needs of the event.

I recently hosted a dinner party for a group of friends and I stunned my guests with the things that I had made personally and things that were so easy to make. The main eye catcher of the night was my napkin rings which I specifically made for the event. They took me no longer than three quarters of an hour to make 14 of them. It was simple and cost me as little as $8.

napkin ring example

Tools

Glue gun (recommended) or PVA glue

Scissors Shower curtain rings, the colour of your choice – I recommend them to be the same colour as your chosen colour scheme (as many as necessary for the number of guests) Satin ribbon, the colour of your choice

Green artificial leaves

Artificial leaves, the colour of your choice

Preparation

Step 1: Take a shower curtain ring and place on your work surface.

Step 2: Arrange the leaves and ribbon onto the curtain ring until you are satisfied with the arrangement.

Step 3: When you are completely satisfied, take your glue and glue each piece into place ensuring to hold the pieces in place until they are secure.

Step 4: Leave to dry.

Step 5: Repeat the steps for each napkin ring you desire.

And there you have it. As simple as one, two, three, four, five. A perfect and simple way to make your Christmas dinner look stylish and leave a positive impact on your guests. This process can be re-enacted to make napkin rings for any occasion simply by changing the decorative tools used for the design.