Tiny Prints - It's Christmas Card Season!

This year has been flying by! My lack of posts recently has been due to our crazy and hectic schedule. I have been applying for jobs right and left, and going on lots of interviews. Nothing has panned out yet but I have a good feeling that it will very soon! I've been so caught up in the craziness of life lately that I feel like I haven't gotten much of anything accomplished on my personal to-do list. Now that the weather has cooled off though, I'm really starting to feel the excitement of the holidays and I'm ready slow down a bit and work on some fun holiday projects.

One thing about the holidays that always seems to slip my mind until the last minute is Christmas cards. After all, I really don't even start to send them or receive them until mid-December. Now that I am a mom though, it's not as easy as just running to the store, grabbing a box of cards, and quickly popping them in the mail. No, now we have to think about what kind of photos we want to use, where we are going to take those photos, decide where we are going to order the cards from, getting them designed and ordered, and finally getting them signed once the card order comes in the mail. Whew! By the time you factor in all that time, you really need to start thinking about it months in advance!

This year I knew for sure that I wanted to do a professional family photo. We haven't had pro photos of the 3 of us since Sam was a tiny newborn, and I really wanted some photos for the family album and for Christmas cards. Thankfully my friend Tessa of Grin and Share It Photography is an amazing photographer, and she announced that she would be doing photo shoots this fall. I quickly snagged one of her sessions so that we would be sure to have some awesome photos this Christmas. I can't even begin to explain how goofy excited I was over this photo session. I put so much thought into trying to pick the perfect outfits for us all! In the end, it was really quite simple and I can't wait to see how all the photos came out.

On to the next step: where to get cards printed? Over the past several years I have noticed that a LOT of the cards and invitations I receive from friends are from a company called Tiny Prints. I never really had occasion to use them, but it was a name that stuck in my head. When I attended BlogHer a few months ago, I was fortunate enough to sit in on a panel that included Jessica Rosenberg, who was the Social Media Marketing Associate at Tiny Prints, and I decided then and there that I had to give them a try. I have been looking at their site and I am blown away by the adorable Christmas card designs that they have! The site is so easy to navigate. There are filters on the left hand side of the page that make it easy to narrow down the selections. And boy oh boy are there some CUTE choices.

Now comes the design selection. It is so hard to narrow it down to just one! Since we haven't seen all of our photos yet I'm not quite sure which design will work best with our family photo. I have an idea of what they are going to look like though, so I found a few cards that I think are gorgeous. Take a look at these:

Cute, right?! I can't wait to see which photo we choose so I can see how it looks on these adorable cards.  Which Tiny Prints Christmas card would you choose? Tiny Prints also offers holiday address labels and holiday party invitations so you can easily coordinate all of your holiday mailings.

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Once Christmas cards start coming in, the hard part begins. Where on earth am I going to display them all?! In the past we've always put them up on our mantle and then they end up overflowing onto the entertainment center nearby.

Well, now we don't have the entertainment center anymore and the mantle is already full of decorations. I am thinking about maybe displaying them somehow on this empty beam between our living and dining rooms. Any suggestions on how to hang them there so they look nice and uncluttered?

All this Christmas card talk has me excited for the holidays now. I can't wait to see all the cute cards my friends and family send out! How will you be preparing for Christmas?


This post was sponsored by Tiny Prints. I will be receiving complimentary Christmas cards in exchange for my post.

A Very Daring Yule Log

Daring Baker's Challenge - The Yule Log

This was my first Daring Bakers challenge. Yikes, what a big one! Not only was I swamped with other Christmas baking, but now, I find out I have to bake a Yule Log, complete with Marzipan mushrooms. And, we found out that we got approved to move into a new house NEXT weekend! It's been a busy but exciting month.

My finished Yule Log - I love it!

My little Marzipan mushrooms

My buttercream - not too bad for my first try! And SO rich and yummy!

I decided to make my buttercream in chocolate flavor, since, while my husband LOVES coffee, he's not such a fan of coffee flavored sweets for some reason. I followed the idea from fellow DBer, The Caked Crusader, to add dark chocolate bars to flavor the frosting. I chose to make the marzipan mushrooms as well, rather than the meringue.

My sheet pan is 12x17, so I increased the recipe by 4/3, as suggested by another DBer. I used 4 eggs, 4 yolks, a pinch of salt, 1 C sugar, and 1 C combined cake flour and cornstarch. I also flavored it with Frangelico, a hazelnut flavored liqueur. SOOO tasty! I also increased the buttercream recipe by 4/3, using 6 egg whites, 1 lb of butter, and 1 1/3 C sugar. I melted 7 little dark chocolate sticks into the butter, and used 2 T of Frangelico in place of the rum or brandy.

I had no problems with the genoise. It was super easy, and I rolled it when it was about halfway cooled, with a sheet of parchment on both sides. I let it cool overnight, wrapped in saran wrap. It was super moist the next morning. The butter cream was NOT what I remembered making as a child...it did curdle a bit, but not as bad as I was afraid it would. It spread easily inside the cake. The hardest part was frosting the cake, but luckily the wood texture hid any funny spots! I decorated it with the marzipan mushrooms, rosemary, and cranberries.

The Yule Log came out great. It was hard to frost...it kept trying to pull pieces of the cake off, and the icing was melting fast. But, I overcame it, and it turned out beautifully! :)

Here is the basic recipe, before the substitutions I made:

Yule Log

Plain Genoise: (I added Frangelico to mine)

3 large eggs
3 large egg yolks
pinch of salt
¾ cup of sugar
½ cup cake flour - spoon flour into dry-measure cup and level off (also known as cake & pastry flour)
2 Tablespoons cocoa powder if desired
¼ cup cornstarch

one (1) 10 x 15 inch jelly-roll pan that has been buttered and lined with parchment paper and then buttered again

1.Set a rack in the middle of the oven and preheat to 400 degrees F.

2.Half-fill a medium saucepan with water and bring it to a boil over high heat. Lower the heat so the water is simmering.

3.Whisk the eggs, egg yolks, salt and sugar together in the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Place over the pan of simmering water and whisk gently until the mixture is just lukewarm, about 100 degrees if you have a therm ometer (or test with your finger - it should be warm to the touch).

4.Attach the bowl to the mixer and, with the whisk attachment, whip on medium-high speed until the egg mixture is cooled (touch the outside of the bowl to tell) and tripled in volume. The egg foam will be thick and will form a slowly dissolving ribbon falling back onto the bowl of whipped eggs when the whisk is lifted.

5.While the eggs are whipping, stir together the flour, cocoa and cornstarch.

6.Sift one-third of the flour mixture over the beaten eggs. Use a rubber spatula to fold in the flour mixture, making sure to scrape all the way to the bottom of the bowl on every pass through the batter to prevent the flour mixture from accumulating there and making lumps. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture and finally with the remainder.

7.Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top.

8.Bake the genoise for about 10 to 12 minutes. Make sure the cake doesn't overbake and become too dry or it will not roll properly.

9.While the cake is baking, begin making the buttercream.

10.Once the cake is done (a tester will come out clean and if you press the cake lightly it will spring back), remove it from the oven and let it cool on a rack.

Coffee Buttercream: ( I used chocolate buttercream instead, see recipe below)

4 large egg whites
1 cup sugar
24 tablespoons (3 sticks or 1-1/2 cups) unsalted butter, softened
2 tablespoons instant espresso powder
2 tablespoons rum or brandy

OR:

Chocolate Buttercream
4 Lg egg whites
1 Cup sugar
3 sticks softened butter
1/2 Cup melted chocolate chips

1.Whisk the egg whites and sugar together in the bowl of an electric mixer. Set the bowl over simmering water and whisk gently until the sugar is dissolved and the egg whites are hot.

2.Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Dissolve the instant coffee in the liquor and beat into the buttercream.

Chocolate Buttercream directions:
1. same as above number 1
2. Attach the bowl to the mixer and whip with the whisk on medium speed until cooled. Switch to the paddle and beat in the softened butter and continue beating until the buttercream is smooth. Slowly stir in melted chocolate.

Marzipan Mushrooms:

8 ounces almond paste
2 cups icing sugar
3 to 5 tablespoons light corn syrup
Cocoa powder

1.To make the marzipan combine the almond paste and 1 cup of the icing sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer and beat with the paddle attachment on low speed until sugar is almost absorbed.

2.Add the remaining 1 cup of sugar and mix until the mixture resembles fine crumbs.

3.Add half the corn syrup, then continue mixing until a bit of the marzipan holds together when squeezed, adding additional corn syrup a little at a time, as necessary: the marzipan in the bowl will still appear crumbly.

4.Transfer the marzipan to a work surface and knead until smooth.

5.Roll one-third of the marzipan into a 6 inches long cylinder and cut into 1-inch lengths.

6.Roll half the lengths into balls. Press the remaining cylindrical lengths (stems) into the balls (caps) to make mushrooms.

7.Smudge with cocoa powder.

Assembling the Yule Log:

1.Run a sharp knife around the edges of the genoise to loosen it from the pan.
2.Turn the genoise layer over (unmolding it from the sheet pan onto a flat surface) and peel away the paper.
3.Carefully invert your genoise onto a fresh piece of parchment paper.
4.Spread with half the coffee buttercream (or whatever filling you're using).
5.Use the parchment paper to help you roll the cake into a tight cylinder.
6.Transfer back to the baking sheet and refrigerate for several hours.
7.Unwrap the cake. Trim the ends on the diagonal, starting the cuts about 2 inches away from each end.
8.Position the larger cut piece on each log about 2/3 across the top.
9.Cover the log with the reserved buttercream, making sure to curve around the protruding stump.
10.Streak the buttercream with a fork or decorating comb to resemble bark.
11.Transfer the log to a platter and decorate with your mushrooms and whatever other decorations you've chosen.

This turkey is decadent. I made it several years ago, and people are still talking about how it was the best turkey they've eaten in their lives. I am definitely making it again!!!!

Apple Cider-Brined Turkey with Savory Herb Gravy

This turkey is a pleasure to offer on your table. It's incredibly moist and flavorful, and it received our highest Test Kitchens rating. Brining is an overnight process, so if you're using a frozen turkey, be sure to thaw it well in advance. Choose turkey-sized plastic oven bags for brining the turkey. Use two bags to prevent brine from leaking, and place the turkey in a large stockpot as another precaution.

Ingredients

Brine:
8 cups apple cider
2/3 cup kosher salt
2/3 cup sugar
1 tablespoon black peppercorns, coarsely crushed
1 tablespoon whole allspice, coarsely crushed
8 (1/8-inch-thick) slices peeled fresh ginger
6 whole cloves
2 bay leaves
1 (12-pound) fresh or frozen turkey, thawed
2 oranges, quartered
6 cups ice

Remaining ingredients:
4 garlic cloves
4 sage leaves
4 thyme sprigs
4 parsley sprigs
1 onion, quartered
1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and divided
1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, divided
1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
Savory Herb Gravy

Preparation

To prepare brine, combine first 8 ingredients in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Cook 5 minutes or until sugar and salt dissolve. Cool completely.

Remove giblets and neck from turkey; reserve for Savory Herb Gravy. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Trim excess fat. Stuff body cavity with orange quarters. Place a turkey-sized oven bag inside a second bag to form a double thickness. Place bags in a large stockpot. Place turkey inside inner bag. Add cider mixture and ice. Secure bags with several twist ties. Refrigerate for 12 to 24 hours, turning occasionally.

Preheat oven to 500º.

Remove turkey from bags, and discard brine, orange quarters, and bags. Rinse turkey with cold water; pat dry. Lift wing tips up and over back; tuck under turkey. Tie legs together with kitchen string. Place garlic, sage, thyme, parsley, onion, and broth in the bottom of a roasting pan. Place roasting rack in pan. Arrange turkey, breast side down, on roasting rack. Brush turkey back with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 500º for 30 minutes.

Reduce oven temperature to 350º.

Remove turkey from oven. Carefully turn turkey over (breast side up) using tongs. Brush turkey breast with 1 tablespoon butter; sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon pepper and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Bake at 350º for 1 hour and 15 minutes or until a thermometer inserted into meaty part of thigh registers 170º (make sure not to touch bone). (Shield the turkey with foil if it browns too quickly.) Remove turkey from oven; let stand 20 minutes. Reserve pan drippings for Savory Herb Gravy. Discard skin before serving; serve with gravy.

Note: Nutritional analysis includes Savory Herb Gravy.

Yield

12 servings (serving size: 6 ounces turkey and 3 tablespoons gravy)

Nutritional Information

CALORIES 338(30% from fat); FAT 11.3g (sat 4.2g,mono 2.5g,poly 3g); PROTEIN 51.3g; CHOLESTEROL 138mg; CALCIUM 45mg; SODIUM 770mg; FIBER 0.1g; IRON 3.3mg; CARBOHYDRATE 4.5g

Diane Morgan , Cooking Light, NOVEMBER 2004