CROP NIGHT!

It's Crop Night in the Workshop!

It's been almost 2 months since the last Crop Night, due to a hefty traveling roadshow of retreats and crops this fall. I'm so happy! It's great to be back home and have the store put back on the shelves and racks.

If you're not on the guest list yet, it's not too late. Email me if you want to come and hang out from 6-midnight tonight. Crop Nights are FREE and potluck. Just bring a snack or dish to share and the cold drinks are on me :)

Well, it's pretty much December, which means the holidays are right around the corner. Are you prepared? Is your shopping done?

Hot Topic:
Do you shop on Christmas Eve or Boxing Day? Add your reply in the comments for a chance to win some festive scrappy treats from me. If 10 or more people respond, I'll do a draw for over $20 worth of Christmas themed paper crafting goodies!! Reply deadline is December 5.

Previous Draw:
Unfortunately, there weren't enough responses to the last Hot Topic about recipes, so there was no draw. THANK YOU to everyone who shared their recipes, because they are all awesome! I have a weakness for home made holiday goodies and I know I'm going to be trying out a few of them very soon (but not too soon...I DO NOT need a head start on the holiday binge eating!)

And remember...if there's a prize draw attached to a blog post, you can't win if you don't play!!

Sandra

You can't win if you don't play!

Don't forget to post your holiday recipes before the deadline! You can't win if you don't play. We need at least 10 participants so encourage your friends to play along too.

I'm sharing another holiday recipe that is a MUST in our house. Butter Tarts. I have taste-tested many butter tarts, and experimented with a handful of recipes and this one takes the prize. A really good butter tart is gooey, not dry or sugary. It has plenty of filling and is almost runny, but not quite. For my American friends who've never tried butter tarts, imagine individual pecan pies. Except with raisins. Or coconut. Or all 3!

The Greatest, Gooey-est Butter Tarts Ever

1/2 c brown sugar, packed
1/2 c corn syrup
3 tbsp butter, softened
1 large egg
1/2 c raisins or currants
1 tsp white vinegar
pinch of salt

optional - add 2 tbsp finely chopped pecans or fine coconut to raisin mixture. You may also substitute pecans or coconut for all of the raisins. (I make a few of each kind)

12 unbaked, unsweetened pastry tart shells (your own or store bought)

Cream brown sugar, syrup and butter well in medium bowl. Stir in rest of ingredients. Add pecans or coconut if using. Divide mixture between tart shells. Bake in 375F oven (arrange individual tart shells on baking sheet or use muffin tins for home made pastry) for about 20 min.

Holiday Recipes

{and a draw winner. Scroll to the bottom of the post for details}

Its that time of year again. Time to break out those dog-eared, tried and true holiday recipes. Do you have a favourite? A dish you're "slightly famous" for? One of those fool-proof crowd pleasers?

Sharing recipes is a wonderful tradition. Recipe books or cards make great hostess gifts any time of year. We all have certain foods that have an amazing way of waking up memories of significant events and people of our past. Keep those memories alive!

• Bring your hostess a batch of something tasty, tied up with a pretty bow and a recipe card on top.
• Compile grandma's recipes in a mini album or rolodex and give copies to family members at Christmas or any occasion.
• Do a baking and recipe card swap with friends.
• Make a layout about your favourite recipe, including the recipe and photos of the finished dish and the recipe in progress.
• Make a layout about someone else's recipe and why it's special to you.
• Start a recipe circle journal, where each participant adds their recipe and forwards the journal on to the next person in the circle, eventually ending up with their own journal full of recipes and special notes from everyon else.

I'd love it if you shared one of your recipes here! If 10 or more people post recipe's I'll enter everyone's name in a draw for a grab bag of ribbon. Deadline is midnight, Sunday November 24.

I'm including a super easy one that never fails and never goes unfinished. Its a perfect potluck dish.

Fruit Dip
1 jar marshmallow cream topping

1 8oz tub spreadable cream cheese at room temperature (can be 'light' but not low- or no-fat)

fruit cut into bite sized pieces for dipping.

Mix the 2 ingredients together with a fork or spatula. It sometimes takes a minute to get going, but eventually will become completely smooth. Serve with fresh cut fruit. Apples, mango & strawberries are favourites in our house.

And the winner is...

Donna!
This is for the Hot Topic on tools from last week. The draw was done by my assistant Todd, under the watchful eye of Chirpy the Cricut.

Be sure to post your recipe for your chance to win the next draw!

Can't live without it??? Top Tool Picks

Hot Topic:

What scrapbooking tool -- right now -- can you not live without?

Post your Top Tool Pick here. If 10 or more people post a reply, I'll do a draw for a sheet of Thickers. (have you seen the new felt and vinyl Thickers???). Posting deadline is midnight Saturday, November 17.