(How to) Tangerine Candle

 This past week my Mamaw past away. This past weekend was her funeral, and it was filled with tears, laughs, and memories.

While it is a difficult time, being in the mountains of North Carolina brought back many Christmas memories.

Someone brought clementines and tangerines to my Mamaw's house for people to eat between services and hugging family members.

The smell of that old house and the aromas of citrus brought back childhood memories of Christmases past in the mountains. I was glad to bring some of the winter fruit north with me as I returned to Pennsylvania Sunday night.

I briefly saw this idea on pinterest sometime a few weeks ago, and was reminded of it as my efforts to capture the scent of the holidays continued.

Start with a citrus fruit. Orange, tangerine, clementine. You could try with a lemon too, I suppose.

Cut in half. Focus on that white center. You want to find at least one string in the middle to leave as your wick.

Using a grapefruit spoon (or a regular one) spoon out the meat. Again, try not to touch the white center yet.

See how that one white string of pulp is emerging? Don't cut that out!

This is what it should look like. 

You can do the other half too, if you'd like a top for your candle. Dry off your wick by squeezing with a paper towel to get rid of juice. Not doing this will result in it taking longer for your wick to catch flame.

Try and even the bottom out with a knife so it doesn't roll around. But be careful not to poke a hole in it! Fill fruit with olive oil, until it's about half an inch or so to the wick. 

Light your candle. This takes some patience, but it will work! Keep trying to light it until it works.

Your flame may be delicate at first, but it will take off!

See?

You can cover with your other half of fruit to provide some additional scent. But cut a hole in the top first. Your flame does need oxygen.

Pretty right? And it smells awesome. I love the natural detail that the pores of the fruit provide.

You could even add some cloves to your rind, to give it even more seasonal scent. 

Just remember it's not safe to leave any candle unattended!

Wouldn't it be beautiful to do a line of these across your mantle? This is a great cheap alternative to those smelly, artificial seasonal candles. I can't take credit for this idea, here's where I found the idea for olive oil. 

Award Winning White Chicken Chili

Chili is essential for cold weather.

But sometimes the same old red bean chili gets old.

I got this recipe from my Dad several years ago, and I have made it at least 5-10x a season ever since.

I say it's award winning because my dad used it for several chili cook-offs and it won every time.

So, as the weather begins to get cold, cook this up for your friends or fam, they will be impressed for sure.

First you'll need 1 lb of chicken breast, 1 medium onion, 1 tbl of olive oil, and garlic powder. I was all out, so I used garlic salt and then just cut down on salt later. 

Chop up your onion and cube your chicken (about 1/2"). I hate touching chicken, and I am a super germ freak when it comes to the kitchen. So make sure you wash your hands and keep your counter clean! 

In a large pot over medium-high heat, add olive oil and sauté chicken and onion until no longer pink. Added garlic powder (see why it's called white chili?).

Here's what you'll need for the next step: 2 cans of Northern Beans, 1 cup of chicken broth, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp ground cumin, 1 tsp dried oregano, 1/2 tsp pepper, 1 small can of chopped green chilis, 1/4 tsp of cayenne pepper. 

Here's where you can control the heat. If you aren't a big fan of spiciness, cut down on the green chilies and cayenne. If you love the spice, add more. Add all ingredients and bring to a boil. Then reduce to a simmer and leave uncovered for 30 min.

This is what separates this chili from other white chili you may have tried in restaurants. After 30 min are up, add 1 cup  of sour cream and 1/2 cup of whipping cream. This creates a great tangy, southwestern flavor. It also cuts down on some of the spice. 

Let new ingredients simmer for another 5-10 minutes.

Serve with some rustic bread. We chose whole wheat sourdough. 

This yields 6 bowls, but somehow Shawn and I are able to pretty much finish it off. You will definitely want more!

YUM! Now I'm hungry.

Over the years we've made this for TONS of people, and I've never had a complaint except for people wanting more!

White Chili

Saute:

1 lb. chicken breast 1/2" cubed

1 medium onion chopped

1 1/2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tbl. oil

Saute until Chicken is no longer pink, about 15-20 min

Then add:

2 can Northern Beans (rinsed and drained)

1 cup chicken broth

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. pepper

1 small can chopped green chilies

1/4 tsp cayenne pepper

Bring to boil then let simmer uncovered for 30 minutes

then add:

1 cup sour cream

1/2 cup whipping cream

Let cook for another 5-10 minutes

Yields 6 bowls

Repurposed Christmas Decorating

It's that time of the year! Christmas decorating. We put our tree up a few weeks ago actually, but I am just getting around to adding some additional touches to our home.

Being that my internship isn't paid, things are a little tight this year. That means, getting creative when it comes to my home decor.

Decorations can be ridiculously expensive, so I decided to cut corners by repurposing some old decorations.

Oh, and when it comes to being creative, I honestly lack in this area. If I see something I like, I can usually copy it. But to come up with a crazy idea out of the blue, well, I struggle with that.

Also, I don't like things that take hours and hours to do. I'd rather throw something together and have it look awesome, than slave over a glue gun and some felt to decorate.

If you can relate to anything above, read on.....

I posted pictures of my Fall/Thanksgiving centerpiece, and here is my Christmas one. Super simple, just decorate with the color balls you choose. This looks really awesome when the candle is lit and the lights are dim.

Coffee table decor. I used a plastic planter thing from a centerpiece. 

I took some leftover garland and spread it around the bottom. Then I added some silver ornaments. I love the gold and silver combo, definitely glam.

I got this glass candy holder a couple years back from Walmart. I think I spent like $5 for it. 

Later in the season it will probably hold candy, but for now, it adds some shimmer in my kitchen.

Inside I added 1 silver ball and about 5 purple ones. I like the odd number combo.

So for the past few years I've wanted to buy a nice wreath. The only thing is, they tend to be like $40! I bought this wreath plain (w/o bow) for $5.99. 

I had the red and gold ribbon left over from gifts from past Christmases. I used regular ornament hooks instead of wire to create the bows. If you don't know how to make bows, I'm sure you can find a tutorial online. :) I then took some red balls and bent the ornament hooks around the loop and twisted them onto a wreath branch. 

He still needed some color, so I took some shiny fake poinsettias that I got several years ago from the dollar store (I'm sure they still have something similar) and just stuck them up around the balls.

Now our door is no longer bare! And I only spent $6!

Welcoming, isn't it?

Okay, I have a problem. Old Christmas cards. I never throw them away! So if you've sent us one since we've been married, we still have it. Still unable to part with them, I decided to get a little crafty. My kitchen is definitely lacking in Christmas decor, so I needed something for in there. I decided to take the cards that have images that can be cut out (i.e. the cards cut out on the left) and make ornaments. I then took some beaded garland ($2.99 for 60 ft) and strung my card ornaments by punching holes in the center and using regular tree hooks.

This took a little while to do, but I think it is fun and different. 

Now I can enjoy old cards and get some use out of them. :)

Well that's it for now. We have some huge pine trees at the side of our house and I'm thinking about trimming some of the branches and making impromptu garland. That'll have to wait until the weekend though. Here's a website that has some great ideas for repurposing old Christmas items. 

On Tuesday there will be a new post featuring White Chicken Chili. A super delicious winter chili that I bet is unlike any white chili you've ever had.

:)