Little Glimpse of Christmas

Well, I went a little MIA on the blog-front last week. I'm back and ready to Countdown to Christmas!

As far as exterior Christmas decorating goes, we put "candles" in our kitchen window and twinkle lights along the ledge of our living room window. I also made a big evergreen container with branches, boughs, and multi-coloured balls. I have a pack of outdoor lights to string around it, if I ever manage to dig around in the basement for an extension cord! :) I also put together a festive little wreath.

We sell local undecorated wreaths at work, so I purchased one and put together some design elements to match our door. Chocolate brown, silver and turquoise is a bit non-traditional, but it's fun and can stay up for as long as the wreath lasts. It's a good "winter" decoration! Have a look at what I came up with:

I made a bow out of brown and turquoise sinemay mesh and layered it with loops of silver ribbon. I wired a turquoise poinsettia to the centre and attached to whole concoction to the wreath. I love how it turned out!  It matches our entrance quite nicely:

Have you decorated the exterior of your home? Do share!

Happy Monday!

Easy Appetizer

The Countdown to Christmas continues!

I don't know about you, but when I need to bring an appetizer to a Christmas get-together, I usually panic. I brought a dip to Dan's work party on the weekend, and it wasn't the most popular choice, that's for sure. With pineapple and pomegranate salsa and stuffed shrimp on the buffet table, who can compete? :) It's hard to tell what people will go for - spicy, sweet, hot, cold, salty, or savoury. Sky's the limit when it comes to appetizer choices. This recipe isn't really a recipe at all - it's more of a guide to an app. 


Here's how to get started:

Summer Rolls with Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce

Rice paper

Rice vermicelli noodles

Matchstick carrots

Bean sprouts

Green onions

Bell peppers

Chicken

Cilantro, basil, or mint (or a combo of all three!)

To start, cut up all ingredients into long, thin pieces - similar to the size of the matchstick carrots. Heat oil in a pan, add chicken. Season with black pepper and Chinese 5-spice powder. Cook until browned on both sides. Remove from heat.

Boil a pot of water. Add noodles and boil for one minute. Remove noodles from pot and remove the pot from the heat. Use the hot water to submerge the rice paper for five seconds. Place on a plate or cutting board and add your ingredients (layer by layer, in a 3" x 1.5" section near one end). Make one roll, then fold in both ends and continue rolling. Place seam side down on a serving platter.

Peanut Hoisin Dipping Sauce

3 tbsp peanut butter

1.5 tbsp brown sugar

2 tbsp hoisin sauce

2 tbsp hot water

1 clove garlic, minced

dried ginger

red pepper flakes

Combine all ingredients and heat until smooth. Serve with spring rolls.

The spring rolls can be made with virtually any veggies that you have in your fridge. We were brainstorming other ways to use the rice paper, too - fill the rolls with Nutella and strawberries, or sliced bananas and honey. 

Let me know if you try this recipe - we ate these rolls as an afternoon snack. They make a great appetizer, but you could make a meal out of them, too!

Happy Monday!

Countdown to Christmas: Etsy Treasury

Are you wondering what to bring as a gift to your favourite house maker? Got a baker or chef in the family? Is there anyone that's a foodie? I've created an Etsy treasury of gifts that would be perfect to bring as a hostess gift, or to give to your favourite kitchen-ista. Every item, as with all items on Etsy, is either handmade or vintage. I've chosen items that have a nice natural feel to them as well. 


Take a look:

To view my Etsy treasury, just click here. From there you can check out the items more closely, as well as purchase. Have fun looking!

Happy Friday!

Countdown to Christmas

How about a little holiday spirit around here?!

Countdown to Christmas is exactly what it sounds like: a countdown to Christmas! 

Between now and December 24th, I'll be featuring: 

holiday recipes

tutorials

DIYs

sneak peeks

decor ideas

pins and more!

Stick around, Polka Dot Soup is where it's at for the month of December. 

Ready or not, here comes the Countdown to Christmas!

Happy Thursday...

Happy December 1st!