LilSugar

How Do You Celebrate the Holidays: jessie

LilSugar — Thu, 25 Dec 2008 05:00:24 PST

The holidays are finally here! A few lilsugar readers shared their holiday plans, traditions, and pastimes with us. Thanks to jessie for today's read!

jessie is a stay-at-home mom and mother of three. She and her husband Mike have been married for 12 and a half years and live in Oregon with their children, Jimmy, 9, Jason, 7, and Isabella, 5. Since they moved from Indiana last February, this will be their first Christmas without extended family.

lilsugar: What is the most magical part of the holiday season for your family?
jessie: Everything about Christmas is magical to us. Every time any of us sees or hears anything Christmas related it never fails to make us smile.

lilsugar: What is the hot wishlist item in your household this year?
jessie: The Wii.

To get jessie's recipe for sand tarts and find out if her kids still believe in Santa,

read more. lilsugar: Please share your family's favorite holiday recipe and the story behind it. jessie: I actually found this recipe in Guidepost. My whole family LOVES it. I've passed the recipe on to my Mom and sister and they have shared it, too. Sand Tarts 2 sticks butter 1 teaspoon vanilla 2 1/4 cups flour (sifted) 5 tablespoons powdered sugar 1 cup chopped pecans Cream butter, add vanilla, and stir. Sift flour and powdered sugar together and add to mixture, then add pecans. After mixing all ingredients together, form into long rolls, wrap in plastic, and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes. Slice into thin cookies and place on a cookie sheet. (I use parchment paper) Preheat oven to 300°F. Bake for a 10-15 minutes. Roll cookies in additional powdered sugar and cool. Makes about 5 dozen cookies. lilsugar: Do your children still believe in Santa? jessie: Jimmy does not, but he knows that if he wants gifts to say "yes" he does. And, Jason and Isabella do believe in Santa.

How Do You Celebrate the Holidays: macgirl

LilSugar — Wed, 24 Dec 2008 06:00:09 PST

The holidays are finally here! A few lilsugar readers shared their holiday plans, traditions and pastimes with us. Thanks to macgirl for today's read!

macgirl is the proud mama of two sons, Dylan, 9 and Grayden, 11 months. She and her husband own an Apple authorized service and sales business. Since the techs are both fairly geeky, she says there's always a lot of gaming going on in their house. And, this year they added to the excitement by moving into their dream home.

lilsugar: What is the most magical part of the holiday season for your family?
macgirl: The holidays are nice as things slow down and we get a little bit more time off and can take a break from the daily grind. This year is especially magical as we are in our new home and ready to start our own traditions. One of the things we like to do on Christmas day is just have an open house invite. Food and drinks are served all day long and people can come and go as they please. It's a nice way to take away some of the pressures of having to be places by specific times. Our guests seem to enjoy it.

To hear about the hot items on macgirl's family's wishlist and a favorite festive recipe,

read more. lilsugar: What is the hot wishlist item in your household this year? macgirl: Well, we cheated a bit and bought the big family gift on Black Friday. A nice flat screen Samsung TV for the living room. The boys have wishlists of their own though. Dylan is hoping to get a PSP and Grayden loves the Elmo Live. I'm sure I'll regret that one soon enough, but he just gets so excited when we visit Elmo at Target. lilsugar: Please share your family's favorite holiday recipe and the story behind it. macgirl: My husband makes these amazing Apple Pancakes. They are so rich and heavy you can only eat a few before you think you're going to die. 1.5 cups self rising flour 1/2 sugar 1 tsp ground cinnamon 1 egg 1 cup milk 2 apples peeled and grated 1tsp butter Mix the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in a bowl. Beat the egg and milk together and then pour into the flour/sugar/cinnamon bowl. After you mix the dry and wet ingredients together stir in the grated apple. Make them on the small side as they are incredibly dense and filling. lilsugar: Do your children still believe in Santa? macgirl: Dylan actually asked me a few weeks ago if Santa was real. I asked him what he thought and he got a bit flustered and said, "I just want to know the truth." It broke my heart a bit that he's growing up. Luckily I get to start this whole process over again with Grayden.

How Do You Celebrate the Holidays: schnappycat

LilSugar — Mon, 22 Dec 2008 09:00:41 PST

The holidays are finally here! A few lilsugar readers shared their holiday plans, traditions and pastimes with us. Thanks to schnappycat for today's read!

schnappycat is a stay-at-home mom to 11-month-old, Evan, but in a former life, she worked in corporate marketing, She now fills her spare (barely there) time as a competitive synchronized figure skater. She and her husband Dave are both proud University of Michigan grads and remain true to their roots, even though they live outside of Denver.

lilsugar: What is the most magical part of the holiday season for your family?
schnappycat: I have always thought the anticipation of Christmas was magical. There is something beautiful and exciting about the few days leading up to the big day, with the preparations, traditions, and discussions about the fun things to come. I especially find myself in a state of perpetual breathlessness on Christmas Eve, eager to have morning come, but at the same time savoring each moment of anticipation. This year, I think this will be especially true because I’ll also be looking at the holiday through my son’s eyes. It will be lovely!

To hear more about her holiday and get a festive peanut butter brownie trifle recipe,

read more. lilsugar: What is the hot wish list item in your household this year? schnappycat: Evan is still too young to know what the hot toys are this season and I prefer to keep my house “Elmo free” as long as possible. But my husband and I have talked about breaking down and buying a Wii for us. I’m a bit technologically inept, so I’d also love a Flip camcorder to easily record and upload videos of Evan. lilsugar: What is your family's favorite holiday recipe? schnappycat: Since this is our first holiday with a child, we are still creating new traditions to share with our son. One dessert that my husband and I have made during the past few holidays is a Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle. Sadly, there is no great story behind this tradition, but it’s certainly a delicious addition to the season. I plan to continue including it in the holiday festivities each year. Hopefully Evan likes chocolate as much as his mom! Peanut Butter Brownie Trifle Ingredients: 1 (21.4-oz) pkg. chocolate brownie mix, chocolate peanut butter brownie mix, or peanut butter brownie mix (any type of mix is acceptable) 1 (5.1-oz) pkg. vanilla instant pudding ½ c. creamy peanut butter 1 c. whipping cream, whipped 3 c. milk 2 tsp. vanilla extract 2-½ c. coarsely chopped peanut butter cups candies (Reese’s or other) Garnish (opt.): additional peanut butter cups candies, sliced Brownie Preparation: Bake brownies as indicated on box. Cool completely. With sharp knife, cut brownies into ¾-inch pieces. Pudding Mixture Preparation: Combine vanilla pudding mix and milk in a large mixing bowl. Beat at low speed for 2 minutes or until thickened. Add peanut butter and vanilla extract. Beat until smooth. Gently fold in ½ of whipped cream. Set remaining whipped cream aside. To Complete: Place ½ of brownies in bottom of 3-quart trifle bowl. Top with 1-¼ cups chopped peanut butter cup candies and ½ of pudding mixture. Repeat layers with remaining ½ of brownies, 1-¼ cups chopped peanut butter candies, and pudding mixture. Pipe or spoon reserved whipped cream over trifle. Garnish, if desired. Yield: Approximately 12 servings. Notes: *This dessert is best served after chilling in refrigerator overnight. The flavors mix together the longer it remains in the refrigerator. *Since this is layered, it probably doesn't matter if brownies and candies are more or less liberally layered. lilsugar: Do your children still believe in Santa? schnappycat: Evan has no concept of Santa yet, and was a bit confused and scared as to why he was forced to sit on a strange bearded man’s lap at the mall. Next year will probably be much more Santa focused. I’m looking forward to him getting excited about Santa!

How Do You Celebrate the Holidays?: meandtheo

LilSugar — Thu, 04 Dec 2008 13:00:47 PST

Why wait to celebrate? This month a few lilsugar readers will be sharing their holiday plans, traditions and pastimes with us. Thanks to meandtheo for helping us kick off this festive feature!

Prior to parenthood, meandtheo and her husband vowed to travel the world and spend time enjoying one another. They lived in Europe and taught at an international school before settling down in San Francisco to start a family. They are now the proud mom and pop of Stella, 1. meantheo is a former kindergarten teacher turned stay-at-home mom and she said there are plans to give her daughter a sibling!

To see what makes the holidays special for meandtheo and her family,

read more. lilsugar: What is the most magical part of the holiday season for your family? meandtheo: "The most magical part of the holidays for us is getting to be with all of our family and friends. We are transplants to San Francisco from Colorado so every year no matter where we are in the world we head "home" for the holidays. All of our family (my husband's and mine) and friends from back in the day are there and we get to spend good quality time with them. We always stay for at least a week and my mother-in-law hosts a holiday party for all of our friends and their families. We spend the time playing with nieces and nephews, laughing with old friends and staying up late catching up with our families. I wouldn't trade this time for anything. It is so special to us and I am so happy to take Stella back this year so she can really enjoy the holiday season with everyone. She made the journey last December but was just over two months old; this year she will start to understand what makes it so "magical"." lilsugar: What is the hot wish list item in your household this year? meandtheo: "The adults in the family rarely exchange gifts...the loot goes to all the kids. This year I am planning on giving Stella the Kettler Air Happy Bike, which our neighbor has and leaves parked in the driveway teasing poor little Stella...she heads for it every time we walk past their house, now she will have her own!" lilsugar: What is your family's favorite holiday recipe? meandtheo: "Monkey Bread...we have monkey bread every Xmas morning (yes oh so nutritious). after all the gifts have been opened and we sit down to our Xmas breakfast everyone is looking forward to the monkey bread that my mother-in-law has to make four loaves of... The recipe is as follows: 2 Cans of BUTTERMILK Grands biscuits, 1 3/4 cup sugar, 3 tbs cinnamon, 1 full cup of butter, 1/4 cup brown sugar. Mix one cup of sugar & the cinnamon - dip cut up biscuit sections in this and arrange in a heavily greased bundt pan. Pour remaining cin sugar mix on top. Melt the butter and add the last 3/4 cup sugar and 1/4 cup brown sugar - bring to a light boil. Pour over biscuit pieces. Bake at 350 for 45-50 minutes. *If I make it I always layer in a can of Apple Pie filling with the biscuits before baking, as well.*" lilsugar: Do your children still believe in Santa? meandtheo: "Stella is just starting to understand who Santa is, so the simple answer is yes."

4 Things Not to Discuss With Co-Workers

SavvySugar — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 05:07:05 PST

Friendships with your co-workers are inevitable - and a great way to connect to your workplace - but it's important to set a few conversation boundaries. Avoid these four topics to maintain a sense of professionalism and keep your office relationships work-appropriate.

Dollars and cents: It's no secret that salary talk should be avoided, but it's not just paychecks that ought to remain private. Debt, mortgage, and loans - yours or anyone else's - are a personal concern, and if money matters come up, the best thing to do is sidestep the subject and steer the conversation elsewhere.
Office rumors: There will always be cubicle gossip, but that doesn't mean you need to participate. You want to be known for your work, not your rumor radar. Even if you trust a co-worker and your intentions are good, there's still a chance that you'll be misunderstood, overheard, or otherwise caught up in the drama. Use your wit to comment on last night's TV highlights instead.

Keep reading for more topics to avoid with co-workers

Pumpkin: A Savory Flavor That Spans Seasons

Padma Lakshmi — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 11:40:09 PST

We've got a new partnership with Padma Lakshmi! The host of the Emmy-winning Top Chef, writer, and designer started Padma Lakshmi, a social-networking site that celebrates our favorite topics including food adventures, recipes, and party planning. She'll be dishing up goodies for us here on YumSugar monthly. Today Padma offers creative ideas for cooking with pumpkin during the Winter months.

Pumpkins, or winter squash as many people call it, has many more uses beyond a traditional jack-o'-lantern or filling for pumpkin pie. Aside from a delicious, mellow flavor, pumpkin provides really significant levels of potassium, vitamin A, and beta-carotene making it a healthful, wintry addition to hearty meals and more.

A delicate slice of pumpkin pie or pumpkin cheesecake flavored with allspice, nutmeg, clove, and cinnamon tastes like a nostalgic slice of home for many people this time of year. While a pumpkin puree most definitely lends itself to dessert very well, it’s also great as an appetizer and main course.

It’s very common to see pumpkin ravioli in Italian cooking or a pumpkin tempura or sushi with kabocha, which is the Japanese variety. In parts of India, you see pumpkin in vegetarian stews or chowders called sambar that is made with pigeon peas and tamarind. Keep reading for Padma's favorite pumpkin preparations.

Katie Lee Shares Her Secrets For Throwing a Simply Chic Holiday Cocktail Party

Lindsay Miller — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 16:00:34 PST

The holidays are always a little hectic, and there's definitely some added pressure for those of us who volunteer to play host for a Hanukkah celebration, Christmas dinner, or New Year's Eve party.

We caught up with entertaining expert Katie Lee as she toasted her role as Clos du Bois wine ambassador in LA, and couldn't resist asking for some advice on how to make throwing a successful seasonal soiree less stressful. Over a wine pairing lunch at the Sunset Tower Hotel, we snagged her tips on everything from whipping up the perfect deviled egg to her favorite unexpected spot for finding party decor - as well as her food trend predictions for 2012. Katie also dished on some of her favorite easy-to-make recipes for cocktails and appetizers and gave us ideas on how to simplify and save money when playing host for friends and family.

YumSugar: You've got so many great recipes for appetizers. What will you be serving at your house this season?
Katie Lee: On Christmas Eve, I’m cooking a really big dinner. I have 20 people coming, so for the appetizers I’m doing more assembly, because I’m focusing on the main course. So, I like to do multiple crostinis. I get a baguette, slice it up, toast it. One that is a big hit is gorgonzola cheese with a dollop of fig jam. It’s excellent. I also will do some fresh ricotta. I pick it up at an Italian specialty store, [and add] really good extra-virgin olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt. And then, I’ll do just a store-bought olive tapenade on a crostini . . . The one hors d'oeuvre that I always, always make at every party are my deviled eggs. It’s not a party at my house without deviled eggs!

YS: Do you have any tricks to making the perfect deviled egg?
KL: The secret to a good deviled egg is to not do too much to it. I just put mayonnaise and a little bit of yellow mustard in mine. Not Dijon. Yellow mustard - the cheap kind - and then I dress it up with the garnishes. So that’s where I get more creative, and for Christmas Eve or for New Year's, I’ll do a luxury deviled egg. I get some caviar, and it’s a good way serve a bunch of ingredients and stretch it. One small container of caviar can go on 20 deviled eggs, and then you save money on caviar and [don't have to] spend hundreds and hundreds of dollars.

Keep reading to check out the rest of Katie Lee's holiday entertaining tips.

10 Surprising and Easy Holiday Decorating Ideas From Sabrina Soto

Elka Karl — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 05:00:41 PST

You don't have to spend hundreds of dollars to create an amazing holiday look at your house this year. Sabrina Soto, Target Style Expert for Home and HGTV Designer on The High/Low Project shows us just how easy it is to use everyday objects and materials to create a unique and beautiful holiday decorating scheme. Keep reading for her ideas!

Candy If it’s colorful, festive and/or sugar coated, then food can be one of the easiest ways to fill a pretty bowl or decorate a Christmas tree (think peppermint candy cane garland or wreath).
Food Coloring Gather a small assortment of multisized clear or glass vases and apothecaries jars, like this one, on your coffee table. Fill each with water to various levels to give the display a visual effect. Take red and green food coloring and add a few drops to the mix until you achieve your desired hue. Add a few pillar candleholders with LED Flameless candles around the cluster of vases and jars and let the glow of the candle glisten off the glass and water.
Foliage There’s no better way to bring in the spirit of the season than with some of nature’s own beauty. Pine cones are an obvious find this time of year, but don’t overlook the beautiful berries and leaves that you can gather. After a little maintenance, scattering a few along the table or getting crafty to make a wreath can bring a piece of the outdoors in this holiday.
Books The books on your shelf can serve as one of the easiest decor focal points for the holidays. There are some great ways to take your bookshelf and transform it to a work of holiday art. Start by selecting some of your favorite holiday wrapping paper in either solid, iridescent red or green and mix in patterns, like stripes. Wrap each book as if it were a present and style out the bookcase.
Wine and martini glasses The easiest way to create an elegant centerpiece is to turn the glasses upside down and they immediately become candlesticks. I recommend using LED flameless candles for safety!
Holiday Plates Plates can instantly take holiday decorating from the table right to your walls. A set of four red snowflake chargers like these from Target, would look beautiful in a scattered arrangement on a kitchen wall or leading up a staircase.
Wine Bottles These can serve as nice decorative pieces throughout the home. Remove the label and add a couple of wild berry stems or flowers for a centerpiece. Reuse the corks by carefully cutting a horizontal slit along the top and making your own placecard holders for your next dinner party with friends and family.
Rope and clothespins Holiday cards are more glamourous than ever. An easy way to display them is to create a simple garland out of rope and attaching the cards with clothespins!
Kids' Art In the month between Thanksgiving and Christmas, the kids are creating art, drawings and projects to celebrate the season nearly every day at school. Use their mini masterpieces and give it the attention it deserves by taking it off the fridge and placing it in matted picture frames. The colors and drawings will complement the tree, lights and trimmings.
Fruit A metallic (spray) painted pear with a decorative ribbon and tag could make such a simple, yet elegant placecard for your dining table.

Do you repurpose everyday objects for holiday decor? What do you use?

Lil Links: Are Today's Tots Spoiled Rotten?

Rebecca M Gruber — Thu, 15 Dec 2011 05:36:07 PST

Three out of four parents believe their children are spoiled - Parenting
11 tips to avoid holiday depression - Health
Mother furious over airbrushed class photo - The Stir
Angelina Jolie says the kids love to travel! - Celebrity Baby Scoop
Cozy gray maternity sweaters are a big hit with celeb mamas this season - Celebrity Baby Blog
Which is right for you: an OB or a midwife? - FitPregnancy
How to prep your relationship for a baby - The Bump
Advice for dealing with a picky eater - Momformation
Are we doing enough to protect our kids from sexual predators? - Yahoo! Shine

The X Factor's Ken Paves on the Hair Trend That Needs to Die

Jaime Richards — Wed, 14 Dec 2011 14:13:13 PST

As part of the style team on The X Factor, hairstylist Ken Paves is charged with creating a wide array of hairstyles for each of the contestants. And when he's not working on the show, Ken keeps more than busy working on charitable endeavors, styling his celebrity clientele, and backing his line of hair products and Hairdo clip-in extensions. Ken is in one of the busiest times of his life as part of the glam squad on Simon Cowell's latest American series, but he's loving every minute. Read our Q&A.