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Holiday Ornament Rice Krispie Treats

Rice Krispie Treats might already be your go-to when you need a quick treat for a kid’s birthday party or snack for the class, but this holiday season, dress them up a bit for a brand new take on the old classic. They’ll look just as good in your kid’s lunchbox as they will on the buffet table at your holiday party. I made red and green Rice Krispie ornaments, but you could easily adapt to make them match the color scheme of your holiday decor — blues or purples. Leave some without food coloring for an all natural golden ornament look. I sprinkled in some golden sugar sprinkle for extra shine, but the photo doesn’t pick up on it well. Add sprinkles in the colors of your choice for extra customization.  I could even see them decorated with piped white chocolate for more fun and flavor. The Rolos were…

Pineapples are this year’s hottest carving trend: Here’s how you do it

After a lifetime of carving pumpkins, maybe you just need to mix things up a bit this year. Pineapples might not scream Halloween, but the tropical fruit works really well as an alternative to traditional gourds. Here are a handful of examples people have shared on social media: https://www.instagram.com/p/Barc8BoDVrd/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/BayOahpDPE9/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba6rZ_Oll4H/?tagged=pineapplecarving This one even brings a bit of original Halloween back into the picture by using an orange glowing light in the middle. https://www.instagram.com/p/BacnvTjg9h4/?tagged=pineapplecarving Pineapples certainly do have more of a festive feel when fruity drinks are being served: https://www.instagram.com/p/9hXhBgsMpO/?tagged=pineapplecarving https://www.instagram.com/p/Ba7YPd5gFVd/?tagged=pineapplecarving Pumpkins have the advantage of smooth exterior skin, meaning you can get more detailed with your design. With pineapples, the prickly skin means your options are a bit more limited. But they’re easier to cut and carve than you might think. If you haven’t sliced many whole pineapples in your life, once the center fruit is removed, the exterior…

The uncertain origins of the Christmas Pickle ornament

When it comes to holiday traditions, the Christmas pickle can be kind of a big dill — depending who you ask. Some families forgo hiding the odd ornament, yet in other homes it’s the most sought after item in the whole house. But where did this custom come from? Most people believe that hiding a pickle ornament somewhere in the tree is an Old World tradition that came to the United States with German immigrants in the 1800s. It’s said that whoever finds the pickle in the tree on Christmas morning will have good fortune in the coming year. In some families, the finder even gets a special present or gets to be the first to open his presents. But as it turns out, most Germans have never heard of the Christmas pickle, and you’d be hard pressed to find a German’s tree adorned with this garish green, sparkly decoration. Other stories of origin make…

8 Foods you can carve that aren’t pumpkins

Be original this year and forget about pumpkin carving. There are other fun foods you can turn into jack-o-lanterns just as easily. You could start with an unusual looking squash — one of those green and bumpy ones you see at the farmers market, or you could take it totally weird and think citrus. Here are eight creative carving ideas for Halloween. Apples Apples are another symbol for fall, so why not give them the jack-o-lantern treatment? Their firm flesh and thin skin make them a perfect candidate for going under the knife. If you plan on keeping them around for longer than a few hours, try spraying with a bit of lemon juice to keep from turning brown. Bonus points for turning your creation into the best fall apple of them all — candy apples. https://www.instagram.com/p/BMO8G07jQfy/?tagged=carvedapple Oranges A grapefruit spoon will help you tackle the delicate job of gutting an orange. Carve…

Add flavor to your meals with flowers

Edible flowers are a fun way to add color to a cocktail or a meal — just be sure what you’re grabbing for in your garden won’t make you sick. Denise Schreiber, edible flower expert and author of Eat Your Roses… Pansies, Lavender and 49 Other Delicious Flowers, has been a flower-as-food fan for decades. On a trip to England’s Mottisfont Abbey in 1999, Schreiber discovered rose petal ice cream and her interest blossomed from there. “They had this little cup of of the ice cream, and once you put it in your mouth, it was the aroma of the rose on your tongue and in your mouth. It was fantastic,” said Schreiber. “When I came back to the States I started looking for recipes.” The edible flower trend has recently been on the rise, largely thanks to social media — but harvesting flowers as food is nothing new. Flowers have been included in the human diet as far…