Last Minute Appetizers

Tortilla Pinwheels are visually appealing, easy to make and you can't eat just one! Image courtesy of appetizerrecipes.blogspot.com

Tortilla Pinwheels are visually appealing, easy to make and you can’t eat just one! Image courtesy of appetizerrecipes.blogspot.com and the Frugal Gal’s own recipe is below.

 

 

We’ve all been there…more people show up at our party or the food is going quick. Maybe it was a last minute effort to have a party. No matter which reason fits your scenario, you can make a fabulous spread quickly.

The Biggie: Asking for Help

No matter what, it won’t help you feel any better if you’re frazzled with stress because you’ve done it all yourself. At least one of those friends and family members that are at the party or coming can help. Understandably, some of us have more pride than others, but swallow it and face reality that you deserve a good night too.

You can also avoid everything on your shoulders by asking people to bring a dish to pass. Yet, this doesn’t always solve the problem since not everyone gets that a dish to pass means one large enough for a crowd. So here are some last minute appetizers that can save the night. Continue reading

DIY Noise Makers for New Year’s Eve

This beautiful vintage inspired noise maker can really wow your party crowd. Image courtesy of vintageimagecraft.com

This beautiful vintage inspired noise maker can really wow your party crowd. Image courtesy of vintageimagecraft.com

What could be more fitting than to add a nostalgic popper to the night we often look back on as we sing the Scottish poem of Auld Lang Syne? A soda can has never looked better and the tutorial is easy to follow.

You can also let 2014 go out with a bang by making a bunch of noise makers with the recent leftovers of gift wrap, basket fillers, candies and more!

Continue reading

Make Gingerbread Houses Without Gingerbread!

Pretzels work great for building a "gingerbread" house. Image courtesy of The Pretzel Eater's Club.

Pretzels work great for building a “gingerbread” house. Image courtesy of The Pretzel Eater’s Club.

 

 

If you’re hankering to make a few gingerbread houses but don’t really want to buy the pre-fab house parts or make your own gingerbread  pieces, there are so many other ways to build a “gingerbread” house.

The Rules of Gingerbread House Making

Most people agree, there are a few “rules” to making a gingerbread house or village. 1) It should be made of all edible ingredients – anything else is sorta cheating. 2) You need a great Royal Icing recipe in order to secure things quickly.

There are recipes that are eggless and can still do a good job “gluing” your pieces together well. In fact, there are at least 10 different varieties of recipes that can work well as “cement.” Icings that have any fat (margarine, butter, shortening), usually will not harden enough, so they will not be appropriate.

Building Supplies that are not Gingerbread

Continue reading

Part 4: Let the Baking Begin

If you have a love for sweet and salty together, you'll love Butterscotch Haystacks. Image courtesy of verybestbaking.com

If you have a love for sweet and salty together, you’ll love Butterscotch Haystacks. Image courtesy of verybestbaking.com

 

 

This is part 4 from the series Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin! This is the final installment in the series, where you’ll find the recipes for Butterscotch Haystacks, Coconut Balls, and a Truffle recipe that can be used in many variations.

 

 

 

 

Butterscotch Haystacks Continue reading

Part 3: Let the Baking Begin

Neapolitan cookies have multi-layers of flavor: Almond, raspberry, apricot, and chocolate. Image courtesy of thehopefulhestia.wordpress.com

Neapolitan cookies have multi-layers of flavor: Almond, raspberry, apricot, and chocolate. Image courtesy of thehopefulhestia.wordpress.com

This is part 3 of the series: Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin. These next two holiday favorites are easier to make than expected. Both goodies run about $9 a pound at your local bakery and this frugal gal knows that you can go broke trying to purchase a nice platter of these delightful morsels. With that in mind, I offer you two great gift-worthy recipes:

 

 

 

Italian Neapolitan Cookies
*Coming from an Italian family, I can tell you this recipe is authentic in nature. Other recipes call for other flavored fillings, but most bakeries use these ingredients.

Supplies: Continue reading

Part 2: Let the Baking Begin!

Italian Chocolate Balls that appear to have chocolate frosting instead of white in our family recipe. Image courtesy of Applecrumbs.com

Italian Chocolate Balls that appear to have chocolate frosting instead of white in our family recipe. Image courtesy of Applecrumbs.com

This is part 2 of Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin.Today, I’ll be adding three more recipes:
Italian Chocolate Balls (our own family recipe), Peanut Butter Balls (some call them buckeyes, but they really taste like a Reese cup), and
Almond Sugar Cookie Cutouts (my very own recipe that has been acclaimed by many).

 

 

Italian Chocolate  Balls

*This batter takes a fork and a strong arm for mixing or a heavy duty mixer. Yet, the results are so worth it.

Supplies: Continue reading

Get Ready for the Christmas Baking to Begin!

Homemade Christmas cookies warm just about everyone's heart.  Find your favorite recipe that you can pass on for generations. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

Homemade Christmas cookies warm just about everyone’s heart. Find a favorite recipe that you can pass on for generations to come. Image courtesy of Debbie Morrow, All Rights Reserved.

The days are ticking quickly by and if you are anything like me, you already have your supplies on hand. No? Well, I can offer you my most requested cookie/candy recipes that have been pleasing people for over 35 years. Since some directions are longer than others, multiple posts will be needed as follows:

Part 1:                                    Part 2:  Chocolate Italian Balls
Spicy Gingerbread Cookies               Peanut Butter Balls
Italian Butter Balls                                 Almond Sugar Cookies
Rum Balls

Part 3:                                    Part 4:  Butterscotch Haystacks
Chocolate Fudge                                 Coconut Balls
Italian Neapolitan Cookies                  Truffles (multi-flavored)

Part 1: Spicy Ginger Bread Cookies

Gingerbread man image courtesy of What Ronronia Wants

Gingerbread men image courtesy of What Ronronia Wants @ blogspot.

Continue reading