A follower on my Hallee the Homemaker Facebook page asked me, during my hectic week last week, if I would blog about Kaylee’s birthday party and what I did. The problem is, during party planning, I get immensely busy and don’t stop to take pictures. I have this weird hangup that if I can’t take a picture, then I can’t blog about it because it’s almost like the picture validates what I’ve done. Silly, I know, but nevertheless…
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Tags: Birthday, birthday party, Kaylee, Menu planning, party menu, party planning, sweet 16
Posted by Hallee on Feb 13, 2013 in
Desserts,
Hallee's Galley,
Holiday fare
Every year, I make Valentine’s cookies for gifts for my kids’ teachers (except Kaylee — apparently when you’re in high school, it’s not “cool” to give your teachers cookies – heh). One of the cookies going into the basket this this year, is a a double-decker cookie.
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Tags: Cookies, food gifts, Hallee's Galley, sugar cookies, valentine, valentine cookies, Valentine's Day, valentine's day cookies
Posted by Hallee on Dec 12, 2012 in
Holiday fare
As I write this, it’s December 13th and we have just under two weeks to prepare for our Christmas baking gift giving. This is a tradition my mother taught me, and something I look forward to and plan for every single year.
I love giving my friends delicious homemade treats as a Christmas gift. I used to do it while I worked full time, and would spend and entire Saturday and most of a Sunday baking and cooking and cleaning and mixing. Over the years, I’ve learned how to space the work out so that it’s not so frantic and exhausting.
However, I found myself writing a book during peak holiday planning time instead of planning, prepping, and blogging for/about Christmas baking. So, here it is, a week later than usual, but still on time to make amazing gifts in the coming weeks:
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Tags: baking gifts, Christmas, Christmas baking, Hallee's Galley, homemade gifts
These were so much fun to make. The flavors worked really well together and it looked incredibly festive on the platter. They were gone within minutes at a church potluck dinner. Be prepared, though. It takes a little over 2 hours of regular (20 to 25-minute intervals) working with it.
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Tags: Christmas, christmas dessert, christmas food, festive dessert, food for kids, gelatin, Hallee's Galley, jello
Posted by Hallee on Jun 1, 2012 in
Gift Ideas,
Hallee's Galley,
Holiday fare
Homemade vanilla extract makes a beautiful gift come Christmastime. It’s something most people don’t think to make or know how to make, and the pure, real stuff is expensive. Put it in a neat little jar and you have an easy, loved, homemade gift.
Tags: Christmas, Christmas gifts, Extract, homemade vanilla extract, Vanilla, Vanilla extract
Posted by Hallee on Feb 10, 2012 in
Gift Ideas,
Hallee's Galley,
Holiday fare
One of the reasons I love Valentine’s Day is because there are so many different from-the-kitchen crafty ideas – easy, inexpensive, fun ways to show someone you love them. You can keep it as simple as some construction paper and paper doilies, or go as extreme as cookie flower bouquets.
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Tags: Buttercream, Cakes, Confectionery, Cookie, Cookies, Cupcake, Cupcakes, Desserts, gift ideas, Gifts, Hallee's Galley, hearts, Hospitality/Recreation, Red food coloring, red velvet, Red velvet cake, Sprinkles, strawberries, Sugar cookie, sugar cookies, valentine, Valentine's Day
These cupcakes were so much fun to make. I just put them together with things I had in my pantry.
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Tags: Cake, Cakes, Chocolate cake, Cupcake, Cupcakes, Desserts, devils food cake, Food and drink, groundhog day, Hallee's Galley, miniature chocolate chips, peanut butter chip, Recipes
As much as I enjoy feeding my family, breakfast on Christmas morning always feels like an afterthought to me. We’ve usually been up for hours, opening presents and sipping on coffee and hot chocolate, when suddenly everyone is hungry and I just don’t feel like cooking or dirtying up dishes.
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Tags: Breakfast, breakfast ideas, Brunch, Christmas, christmas morning, Hospitality/Recreation, Meals, Menu, Menu planning
As I write this, it’s December 6th and we have just under three weeks to prepare for our Christmas baking gift giving. This is a tradition my mother taught me, and something I look forward to and plan for every single year.
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Tags: Bread, Cakes, Christmas, Confectionery, Cookie, Cookies, Crunch Candy, Cupcake, Desserts, Food and drink, Gingerbread, Hospitality/Recreation, Sugar cookie
I cooked a big Thanksgiving Dinner for my family, and am excited to share it with you! Everything has its own separate and more detailed post, so I’ve linked each one within the post.
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Tags: Food and drink, Hallee's Galley, Meals, Thanksgiving