News From the Nest, December 8
Good morning, friends!
How are the Christmas and holiday planning coming along?
I’m in an odd spot this year, as we will be out of town for much of the holiday. We figured it would be more space-saving to wait and wrap all our packages when we get to Cleveland, leaving boxes folded flat and gifts in bags for travel. So far, I haven’t wrapped one gift, which is actually starting to stress me a bit. 😮
And, I’m not doing much decorating for the same reason. On top of that, shortly after we return at the start of the new year, we will have some work done in the house that will require us to move everything out of the first floor. So, it’s rather silly to decorate when we won’t be here to enjoy it, and then it will just add to all the stuff that needs to be packed and moved as soon as we get home.
Lest you feel we’ve gone all Grinch this year, I’ve pulled out two boxes of ornaments and decorations to take with us, and we will make our Airbnb merry in no time! We will get a tree up there, and I’ve tucked in several ornaments and strands of lights. And I always have Christmas music piping through the house now, and we will be in Cleveland. Here’s the playlist I have on repeat now. In fact, put it on now and you can listen to what’s playing as I write today’s newsletter!
Table of Contents
Hot Off the Press!🔥
Want a showstopping dessert that is also surprisingly simple to make? Well, of course you do! These Profiteroles and a Christmas Profiterole Wreath are one of those desserts that look like you spent hours in the kitchen, but come together much easier than you’d think. Light, airy cream puffs are filled with homemade whipped cream, dipped in chocolate, then arranged into a festive wreath shape and decorated with cranberries and rosemary. The choux paste isn’t nearly as intimidating as it sounds—you’re making a thick batter on the stovetop with four standard ingredients, and the mixer does most of the work incorporating air. This wreath serves 10 to 15 people, depending on whether it’s the star dessert or one of several options, and you can make the unfilled puffs ahead and freeze them for up to a month.
A Few Fun Finds
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- It’s been quite a while since I’ve needed/asked for mixing bowls, but nevertheless, these simple glass bowls with lids made it on my wish list this year.
- Red velvet bows for your Christmas tree or mantle.🎀
- Make cookie baking easier, neater (no more messy hands), and cookies more uniform.
- I know it sounds very Diva-ish, but I do love a silk pillowcase, if for no other reason than it’s a cool surface to lay my head. But the benefits to skin and hair are also big pluses!
From the Knit + Crochet Studio …Quick Projects!
You still have time to whip up a few gifts!
- This super simple washcloth/dishcloth uses the garter stitch, meaning you just keep knitting…no purls involved, no need to keep track of what stitch is next, it’s just knit! You can start and finish one in a day, just pop on your favorite holiday movie and get those needles going.
- Another quick start-and-finish-in-a-day project is these crochet socks that use chunky yarn.
- You could crochet a whole garden of floral bookmarks in a day, a welcome gift for all the readers in your world. I know I’m always reaching for a bookmark.
From the Kitchen
This Christmas Salad makes a lovely addition to your holiday table, balancing out heavier dishes with crisp greens, fresh, juicy pears, bright red pomegranate seeds, crunchy pistachios and sunflower seeds, salty gorgonzola cheese, and chewy dried cranberries. The combination creates a festive salad in red, green, and white that comes together in just 10 minutes. You can remove the arils from the pomegranate (or just buy the arils) and prepare the maple salad dressing several days ahead for easy assembly right before dinner.
🍸With all the holiday festivities, having a few festive cocktail recipes in your back pocket makes gatherings that much easier. These drinks range from quick shaken cocktails to big-batch options you can prep ahead, so you can spend less time playing bartender and more time enjoying your guests or your family.
- Pomegranate juice spiced with ginger, cloves, cinnamon, and cardamom pairs with vodka and herby, citrusy B & B in this festive Spiced Pomegranate Cocktail. Steeping the pomegranate juice with warming spices gives the cocktail a lovely winter vibe, and you can easily make the spiced pomegranate juice ahead of time and chill it. Come cocktail time, you mix it with vodka, B & B, and a splash of seltzer. For a crowd, mix a pitcher of all the ingredients except the seltzer so guests can pour their own and add the splash of bubbly. Freeze whole fresh cranberries and small rosemary sprigs in your ice cube tray for festive ice cubes.
- This Winter Sangria combines a rich Rioja wine with apples, oranges, and lemons, enhanced with the warmth of cinnamon and a touch of bubbly Prosecco. The cinnamon sugar rim adds an extra special sweet touch, adding one more level of flavor to this drink that goes fast at parties. Sydney shared that it’s her “go-to holiday party drink” and “all my guests ask for the recipe.” This beverage benefits from advanced preparation—the flavors need at least three hours in the fridge to meld. It’s perfect for a buffet-style setup where guests can rim their own glasses, add ice and cinnamon sticks, pour the sangria, and top it off with Prosecco.
- The Moscow Mule gets a holiday makeover in this Spiced Cranberry Mule, trading the usual lime-and-ginger simplicity for more seasonal flair. Cranberry liqueur brings a tart sweetness that plays beautifully with the spicy ginger beer, while a pinch of cinnamon or nutmeg adds warmth. You’re just building everything right in the mug over ice—no shaking or straining required. For a crowd, mix the vodka, cranberry liqueur, lime juice, and spices in a pitcher ahead of time, then have guests top their own glasses with ginger beer at the party.
- The French 75 is already one of the most elegant cocktails you can serve, and adding cranberry liqueur to this Cranberry French 75 turns it into a showstopper for the holidays. This version keeps everything that makes the classic so good—the bright citrus, the botanical gin, the celebratory bubbles—and layers in the rich, tart sweetness of cranberry liqueur. If you’re serving these at a party, you can batch the gin, lemon juice, and cranberry liqueur ahead of time, then shake individual servings with ice and top with bubbly as guests arrive.
- The classic cosmopolitan gets a festive makeover in this Holiday Cosmo that swaps regular cranberry juice for cranberry liqueur. The liqueur brings a deeper, more complex cranberry flavor than juice alone, with just the right amount of sweetness to balance the lime and vodka. This cocktail is elegant enough for holiday entertaining but simple enough to mix up on a regular weeknight when you want something festive. It takes just two minutes to shake together, and the ruby-red color with floating cranberries makes it look like you put in far more effort than you actually did.
🌶️This Cranberry Jalapeño Dip perfectly balances tart cranberries and spicy jalapeños spread over cream cheese and is ideal for any gathering. With a vibrant mix of fresh ingredients, this dip requires just 20 minutes of prep and a little patience for the flavors to meld in the fridge. You can make the cranberry mixture up to a day in advance and then spread it over the cream cheese right before serving.
This warming and aromatic Mulling Spices recipe is filled with cinnamon, nutmeg, orange peel, allspice, cloves, dried ginger, and cardamom seeds. Add two tablespoons of mulling spices for each quart of apple cider or wine, bring to a boil, then simmer for 30 minutes. The recipe makes almost 16 ounces, so you can divide it between jars and attach labels for easy holiday gifts that anyone who loves spiced cider or mulled wine will appreciate.-minute gift or is handy to have on hand for quick cider or mulled wine.
Gift Giving 🎁
Printable gift tags for a variety of gift-giving possibilities!
- Whether you’ve knit up some gorgeous Christmas stockings, washcloths, a hat, a blanket, or some other handmade knit creation, you’ll want to attach one of these Christmas Knit Gift Tags made especially for your knit project. The free PDF includes four different designs that you can print on cardstock and cut out with scissors or a tag punch. Simple to make and perfect for finishing off all those handmade gifts you’ve been working on.
- Cut letters from red cardstock backed with felt using your Cricut, then paint them with thinned glue and sprinkle them with red and copper glitter to create a gorgeous two-tone jeweled effect for these gift wrap initials that can also double as ornaments. The post also includes a free printable with nutcracker gift tags that you can embellish with gold glitter accents. The combination of copper or gold wrapping paper with these handmade tags creates an elegant, classic look that stands out under the tree.
- When giving cookies, rosemary walnuts, mulled wine jelly, small loaves of cranberry banana apple bread, or fruitcakes, these Food Gift Tags add the perfect finishing touch to the Christmas gifts you’ve baked and cooked for friends, family, and neighbors. The free PDF includes four different designs that you can print on cardstock and attach with ribbon or baker’s twine. Just download, print, and cut out for an easy way to dress up your homemade kitchen gifts.
- If you’ve been busy making candles, jams, baked goods, washcloths, or any other handmade treasures, these Christmas Handmade Gift Tags add the perfect finishing touch. The free PDF includes four different designs that you can print on cardstock and cut out with scissors or a tag punch. These are versatile enough to accompany any handcrafted gift, and you’ll attach them with ribbon or baker’s twine for a polished look that shows you put thought into every detail.
- Whether you choose our three-ingredient dog treats, cheese dog treats, or Milkbones from the grocery store, tuck your treats in a little bag and attach one of these Dog Treat Gift Tags for Christmas to accompany the goodies you bake (or buy) for your four-legged friends. The PDF includes three designs with adorable pawprints that serve as “to” and “from” in dog-speak. Perfect for finishing off gifts for all the pups in your life.
Here are all our gift-giving guides in one place:
Well, my friends, since I’m not wrapping presents yet and I’m not really decorating, I’m at a loss for what to do with my time…🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣 As if!
I was up in the middle of the night last night worrying about where I’m going to stash the breakables from my kitchen hutch, china hutch, and breakfront so that the furniture can be moved in January. There seem to be quite a few moving pieces in my life that are currently stationary, but all of a sudden, they are going to get busy, and I need to have a plan.
Plus, I have one more post to share with you before Christmas. Once again, it’s quite decadent, so a little pre-indulgence waist tightening is in order!
See you next week!
