THALOOTI-official blog

Buttermilk biscuits for  breakfast

These can be adapted in a lot of ways. You can use (unleavened) cake flour for a more delicate biscuit, add herbs or a little grated cheese for a different flavor profile, and the sugar can be dialed up or down (the original calls for 1 1/2 tablespoons, but I use as little as 2 teaspoons when I want a savory biscuit). You can make your own buttermilk (like so) or whisk together yogurt or sour cream and milk for a similar effect. They can be dropped from a spoon or cut into shapes.

The original recipe has a larger yield (12 standard), but for our weekend needs, but I’ve taken to scaling it to 3/4 of its original volume (shown below), which will yield 6 very large breakfast biscuits (think: egg sandwich, and then invite me over, please) or 9 standard ones, the kind you’d serve alongside other things (although they will totally, unapologetically hog the spotlight).

2 1/4 cups (280 grams) all-purpose flour 2 teaspoons to 1 1/2 tablespoons (10 to 20 grams) sugar (to taste, see note above) 1 tablespoon (15 grams) baking powder 3/4 teaspoon (5 grams) table salt 3/4 teaspoon baking soda 9 tablespoons (125 grams) chilled unsalted butter, cut into small chunks 3/4 cup (175 ml) buttermilk

Heat oven to 400 °F and cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large, wide bowl. Using fingertips or a pastry blender, work butter into dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a coarse meal, Add buttermilk and stir until large, craggy clumps form. Reach hands into bowl and knead mixture briefly until it just holds together.

To form biscuit rounds: Transfer dough to floured counter and pat out until 1/2 to 3/4-inch thick (err on the thin side if uncertain, as the tall ones will literally rise and then tip over, like mine did the day I photographed these). Using a round cutter (2 inches for regular sized biscuits, 3 inches for the monstrous ones shown above), press straight down — twisting produces less layered sides — and transfer rounds to prepared sheet, spacing two inches apart.

To make drop biscuits: Drop 1/4-cup spoonfuls onto baking sheet, spacing two inches apart.

Both methods:Bake until biscuits are golden brown on top, about 12 to 15 minutes. Cool slightly, then serve warm, with butter/jam/eggs/bacon/sausage and gravy or any combination thereof. Happy weekend!

A Tropical Tiki Cocktail to Warm Up the Holidays

Tips for New Year's Eve Entertaining

Food:

For us, good food is the cornerstone of every gathering, especially one for the holidays. Fortunately, holiday gatherings are a great time to catch up with friends and family and with the exception of Christmas dinner, appetizers and tapas flow a-plenty. The best things about appetizers and tapas: easy to eat, can be made before hand leaving you to mingle with your guests and quick and easy clean up!

Baked Brie Some simple baked brie topped with caramelized garlic and onions, a drizzle of balsamic reduction and some crunchy slivered almonds is quick, easy and delicious. Baked in a brie baker leaves no-fuss, no-muss cleaning up.

Charcuterie & Cheese A cured meat & cheese plate is the absolute easiest way to put out different flavors and allow your guests to mix and match as they please. A mix of cheese and complementary  cured meats that pair well with your bubbly of choice is a great way to begin. We recommend having at least three kinds of cheese: salty (like a parmesan), creamy (gouda or harvarti) and strong (gorgonzola or a sharp white cheddar) and a mix of cured meats such as salami, garlic sausage and Serrano ham.  Add some cornichons, olives and crackers and you are set.

Skewers Easy-to-eat appetizers’s are essential for any holiday party. Simply because they’re easy doesn’t mean they can’t be pretty! Some bamboo skewers spiked with prosciutto, fresh mozzarella and melon is quick, easy, delish and very pretty to look at.

Dessert:

Let’s be honest, one of the biggest indulgences over the holidays in all the delicious baked goods. Cookies, cakes and tarts cover tables as far as the eye can see, beckoning you closer to indulge. Treating yourself over the holidays is an absolute must in our humble opinions. It takes a lot of willpower to say no to tables of treats so having one or two (or three or four) isn’t that bad of thing. Homemade treats combined with special orders from your favorite bakery (Kien’s cookies and macaroon photo) are a great way to spread the love of all things sweet.

We loved this white cake topped with a DIY cake topper of small gold ornaments and some glittery star stir sticks It was a fun and playful way of putting a personal touch on a simple, yet, very tasty cake that looked great with our décor and desserts.

*A quick and easy home made tart recipe that is a crowd pleaser and pretty to boot: Bake some tart shells in the oven according to the package directions until golden and allow to cool as you make the filling. Combine one pack of softened, room temperate cream cheese and one can of sweetened condensed milk.  Beat the cream cheese until smooth, adding the full can of sweetened condensed milk, a dash of vanilla (and the juice of half a lemon and the rind of one. Combine all together until creamy and smooth, not too runny and flavored to your preference. Refridgerate for at least an hour before spooning a bit into each tart shell, topping with a spoonful of pomegranate seeds and a small spring of rosemary. Beautiful, simple and delicious. A few chocolate-y Ferreo Rocher chocolates and no guest could turn down a treat.

Champagne & Bubbles

We are firm believers that no party is complete without libations, both of the alcoholic and non-alcoholic variety. We found these gorgeous gold and rose gold champagne bottles and stocked our bar cart with some Martinelli sparkling apple juice making sure we had enough for all our guests’ preferences.

We served our bubbly with some sparkling cranberries and a rosemary stem placed atop the glass. Visual appeal is always important ;-).

*The sparkling cranberries were such a simple way of adding a statement to both our bubbly and as a decorative element surround our cake.  Simply soak some fresh cranberries in some simple sugar (equal parts sugar and water melted together) overnight, drain and pat dry (make sure the cranberries are still tacky). Coat the cranberries first in turbinado sugar (we love Trader Joe’s fair trade turbinado sugar) and then in regular sugar. The combination of the different sugar crystals is what causes them to sparkle. You’ll need to let them dry for no less than an hour so the sugar will adhere to the cranberries. Perfect to make the day before or morning of your evening event. If you are in a rush, you could freeze them quickly but careful biting into them!

Décor:

We are firm believers in décor making a statement without costing an arm and a leg. We love to mix vintage pieces found in flea markets such as a mirrored tray as a cocktail tray or a vintage cake stand, with some modern pieces, adding a personal touch to our table scape.

A favorite entertaining tip of ours is to beautify a simple bar cart (ours is from Target) with sparkly lights, holiday decorations and fun bar ware. We love a mix of stemware, combining vintage champagne flutes, highballs and stemless wine glasses.

Simple white and gold plates adored with decorative ornaments as a take home favor for your guests or used as place cards is a beautiful way to dress up your table. Mix and match ornaments in clear vases or apothecary jars as centerpieces really brings a touch of playfulness and holidays to your table beyond reds and greens typical to the holidays. And be sure to add some candles in different lengths and sizes. It really adds a beautiful ambiance to the table.

And flowers, flowers are an absolute must! Our color scheme was rose gold, white and shimmering silver and gold. A gorgeous bouquet of light, creamy pinks and white looked so lovely with the rest of our table.

Cheers to the holiday season and happy entertaining!

An Elegant Champagne Cocktail for Every Occasion

Rhubarb Rosewater Sparkler Serves 1

- Rhubarb Rosewater Syrup (recipe follows) - champagne, for topping - dried lavender and rosebuds, for garnish

Place 1 tablespoon rhubarb syrup in each champagne flute. Top with champagne. Finish with dried flowers.

Rhubarb Rosewater Syrup - 2 cups sliced rhubarb (2 large stalks) - 1 ½ teaspoon dried lavender buds, plus more to garnish - 1 cup sugar - 2 cups water - 1 teaspoon rosewater

Breakfast Indulgence: Orange-Caramel French Toast

Orange-Caramel French Toast

Serves 6–8

1 loaf peasant bread

3 eggs

1 cup milk

1½ teaspoons orange-flower water

6 tablespoons butter, divided

½ cup raw sugar

Cut the loaf into ⅝" slices. In a large bowl, combine the eggs, milk, and orange-flower water. Pour the mixture into a shallow bowl. Quickly dip the bread slices into the batter and blot any excess batter with a paper towel. The bread should be slightly moist, not soggy.

In a large frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Add a couple of slices of the moistened bread and cook for about 3 minutes, until golden brown. Before flipping the bread, sprinkle each slice with 2–3 teaspoons of the raw sugar. Cook until sugar is lightly caramelized. Repeat with remaining slices.

DIY RAFFIA COLLAR NECKLACE

You need: – Around 2m of plaited raffia. I bought mine in a craft shop in a big roll. – Some coloured string. I chose some red dip dyed cotton.

How to: 1. Cut two equal lengths of the cotton string. 2. Wrap the lengths of string around each end of the raffia, making sure to completely cover the last inch and leaving around 10 cm of cotton at the end of the raffia.

Gucci Inspired Tassel & Rope Dress

DIY There are two parts to this DIY – the making of the basic capsule of the dress, then the addition of rope and tassels. You’ll need a big thrifted black dress and some rope and tassels.

For the Capsule 1. I turned the sack dress inside out, and overlayed a bodycon dress to get the correct shape – then I pinned it where I wanted to take it in.

2. I cut the sleeves off and the hem of the dress quite short.

3. I took the dress in using the sewing machine and also sewed up the hem.

4. I cut the neckline off completely so I had a tube top style with a kind of cut off triangle neckline. Below is the finished capsule of the dress.

I then pinned and hand sewed 40 tassels on each side of the dress, layering them up for a block effect.

I hot glued two strips of rope together and then sewed them onto the neckline – attaching at the back as straps

Happy DIYing!

RECIPE 5: Any-Way-You-Like-'Em Biscotti by Stacy Adimando of

Ever Hungry

and Every Day with Rachael Ray

STACY'S RECIPE STORY: All of the women in my family are pretty solid bakers, so our holiday dessert spread is always impressive (at least, so say the men in our family!). The tricky thing about the dessert course is that it doesn't vary much from year to year: The fam likes what they like, and it can be touchy to take away an old classic to replace it with something new.

When I was developing recipes for my cookbook The Cookiepedia: Mixing, Baking and Reinventing the Classics, I was lucky to have my sisters there to cross-test some of the recipes. If I could make fans of them, I knew I had invented a winning cookie. Just before Christmas, I shot my sister the recipe for Almond Biscotti for a trial run. She called me back that night with a review I was shocked to hear: She said they were the best biscotti she'd ever eaten, and her husband had a new favorite snack she would have to keep around! My original version used almonds and vanilla—a classic recipe, which we served that year at Christmas to rave reviews. For holidays since, we've taken it to the next level and begun improvising. I've added lemon zest, orange zest, changed the nuts to pistachios or hazelnuts. She's played with dried fruits and all kinds of chocolates and extracts. There's no bad way to make this biscotti! The only thing we could do wrong at this point would be not to serve a batch every year.

INGREDIENTS: 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1/4 cup cornmeal 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon salt 2 eggs 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted 1 cup almonds, coarsely chopped

DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 350º F. Beat together the flour, cornmeal, sugar, baking soda, and salt. Add the eggs, working them in one at a time until fully incorporated.

2. Add the vanilla and butter, mixing well until the dough begins to form. It will not come together completely. Add the almonds and stir to evenly distribute.

3. Turn out the dough onto a cookie sheet with lightly floured hands. Divide it in half and shape it into two logs, each about 1∂ inch thick and 2 inches wide.

4. Bake the biscotti for 20 minutes (this is the first of 2 times you’ll be baking them), rotating the sheet halfway through baking. Take it out and let the logs rest on the sheet for 20 minutes. They’ll still be slightly spongy to the touch, kind of like dense bread. Lower the oven temp to 250°F. After 20 minutes more, transfer the logs to a cutting board. Cut them into 1/2-inch slices using a serrated knife. Finally, move the slices (cut slice biscotti inside up for any ends) back to one sheet and bake one quick motion—no sawing. for 40 minutes more. The biscotti will still be slightly soft while warm but will harden fully once they’ve cooled.

More to try! Add flavors, chocolate, fruit or nut mix-ins—or dip baked biscotti in melted chocolate.

Lemony Biscotti Add the zest of 1 lemon when you add the vanilla.

RECIPE 4: Gingerbread Pound Cake with Peppermint Frosting by Clara Artschwager of

Channeling Contessa

CLARA'S RECIPE STORY: My family is all about classic flavors and homemade food during the holiday season—especially my mom. She's the queen of un-fussed around with desserts. With gingerbread being, perhaps, one of the most classic holiday flavors, we always have some sort of dessert featuring this spice profile around the holidays. Some years it's in the form of a cookie Christmas eve, or a decadent gingerbread coffee cake Christmas morning. But most recently it's been this velvety pound cake topped with a vanilla infused peppermint frosting. The cake really represents the coming together of generations as the cake part is totally my mom, and the frosting is totally me! My mom may or may not scrape some of that frosting off and put it on my plate—but I personally think it's better that way. And besides, I'll always take more frosting!

Recipe makes one 9x5 inch loaf cake.

CAKE INGREDIENTS: 2 c cake flour (or all purpose) 1 tblsp ground ginger 2 tsp cinnamon 1 tsp cloves ½ tsp nutmeg 1 tsp baking powder ¾ tsp salt 12 tblsp unsalted butter, softened 8 oz cream cheese softened 4 eggs ½ c sugar ¾ c packed lighted brown sugar 2 tsp vanilla extract 1/3 c molasses

CAKE DIRECTIONS: 1. Preheat the oven to 325°. Butter and flour a 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Whisk together the flour, spices, salt, and baking powder and set aside.

2. Place the butter and cream cheese in the bowl of a mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat on medium high speed until smooth. Add in the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Scrapes down sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Pour in the molasses and vanilla and beat until smooth. Add in the eggs, beating well after each addition, for a total of two minutes. Add in the dry ingredients and beat on low until jut combined. Pour batter into the pan and bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes, or until the cake is a dark chestnut brown, the top is cracked, and a cake tester inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool completely before frosting.

FROSTING INGREDIENTS: 5 oz cream cheese, softened 5 tblsp unsalted butter, softened 1 c confectioner’s sugar 1 tsp vanilla extract seeds scraped from half of a vanilla bean 2 candy canes, crushed

RECIPE 2: Gingerbread Cake with Coffee Glaze by Heather Baird of

Sprinkle Bakes

HEATHER'S RECIPE STORY: My grandmother was famous for the gingerbread she made at Christmastime. I’d love to share her recipe, but she didn’t have one! She measured everything by “feel." She’d scoop flour and sugar with her hands (can you imagine?!) and magically, it was perfect every time. Sometimes we ate as much of the dough as we did the baked gingerbread. It was that good!

The flavor of this cake reminds me so much of her gingerbread. The recipe is delightfully unfussy and if you’re a coffee lover like me, you’ll love the added depth and sweetness the coffee glaze gives the cake. A slice makes a good Christmas morning breakfast, or you can bake it in loaf pans to give as gifts. I love to bake it in the Bundt pan my mother passed down to me.

CAKE INGREDIENTS: 2 ½ c all-purpose flour 2 tsp baking powder 1/2 tsp salt 1/4 tsp baking soda 2 tsp ground ginger 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon 1/8 tsp freshly grated nutmeg ¼ tsp allspice 1/2 c molasses (not blackstrap) 1/2 c strongly brewed coffee 1 ¼ c unsalted butter, softened 1 ¼  c light brown sugar, packed 3 large eggs plus, room temperature 2 large egg yolks, room temperature

CAKE DIRECTIONS: Preheat oven to 350F.

Grease a 10 cup Bundt pan with vegetable shortening and flour.  Tap out excess flour and set pan aside.

Sift together the flour, baking powder, salt, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and allspice.

In a small bowl, combine the molasses with the brewed coffee.

Cream the butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Add the brown sugar and beat until lightened, about 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs and yolks, adding one at a time and scraping down the bowl intermittently. Add the flour and coffee mixture alternately, beginning and ending with the flour. Mix until smooth.

Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth top with a rubber spatula. Gently drop the pan onto a work surface two times to remove any air pockets. Bake for 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let cake cool in the Bundt pan for 10 minutes.  Turn cake out onto a wire rack and allow to cool until just barely warm.

COFFEE GLAZE INGREDIENTS: 1 c confectioners' sugar 1-1/2-2 tblsp strongly brewed coffee

RECIPE 1: Mince Pies by Emma Gardner of

Poires au Chocolat

EMMA'S RECIPE STORY: Along with most of Britain, I can’t imagine Christmas without mince pies. Together with their cousins, Christmas cake and Christmas pudding, they’re an integral part of our festive culture. There’s no meat involved in modern mincemeat – it started being phased out in the seventeenth century (meaty mince pies had been around since the twelfth century and associated with Christmas since the sixteenth). In my family we’ve always made the mincemeat filling and pastry from scratch and the yearly ritual is one of my favorite parts of the holiday – especially the smell that fills the kitchen and the spoons that somehow end up in my mouth from the mincemeat tray.

The recipe does have quite a few steps and takes time but it’s not very labor intensive. You could use your favorite pastry recipe if you prefer–I use this recipe as it’s plain in contrast to the rich, spicy, fruity filling.

MINCEMEAT INGREDIENTS: 3 cups mixed dried fruit (raisins and sultanas with a few currants or cranberries) 1 cup of brown sugar (dark or normal) 1 stick of unsalted butter, cubed 1 large sour or cooking apple, peeled and chopped into very small chunks ¼ cup whole almonds, chopped into small pieces 1 tsp ground cinnamon ½ tsp ground ginger ½ tsp ground nutmeg ½ tsp ground cloves 1 orange 1 lemon 3 tbsp brandy

MINCEMEAT DIRECTIONS: Place the dried fruit, brown sugar, cubed butter, chopped apple, chopped almonds, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg and cloves into a medium sized roasting tray. Zest the orange and lemon, add to the tray and stir it all together. Juice the orange and lemon then pour into the tray with the brandy. Stir well then cover with foil and leave overnight, stirring occasionally and breathing in the amazing smell.

The next day preheat the oven to 225F/120C. Stir the mixture again (it will look quite different – browner) then place the foil-covered tray into the oven for 2 hours. Leave to cool, stirring occasionally. Spoon into clean jam jars.

PASTRY INGREDIENTS: 2 tbsp clementine juice (approx. 1 fruit) 3-4 tbsp cold water 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour (spooned into the cup) big pinch of fine sea salt 6 tbsp cold unsalted butter, cubed

PASTRY DIRECTIONS: Juice the clementine and place the juice in the fridge to cool. Put the water in to chill too in a separate container. Measure the flour into a big mixing bowl. Tip the cold cubed butter into the bowl and start to rub it in, squishing the butter into the flour (if you’d like some tips on this look at this guide - http://www.poiresauchocolat.net/2012/05/foundations-no1-rubbing-in.html). When there are no big lumps of butter left and it looks a bit like breadcrumbs pour in the clementine juice and three tablespoons of water. Use a knife to mix the liquid into the buttery flour until it starts to clump together – if you need to, add an extra teaspoon (up to three) to the mixture. Use your hands to bring it into a ball, squishing it once or twice to combine any loose bits. Flatten into a thin disc and wrap with cling film. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes (you can leave it up to 24 hours).

ASSEMBLY: Lightly grease the cups of a muffin tin with a little bit of butter. Dust your work surface with flour then roll half of the pastry out, turning it regularly to make it even– it needs to be thin, about 2 mm. Use an 8-9cm (approx. 3.5”) round cutter (or a glass of a similar dimension) to stamp out as many circles as you can. Place each one into the muffin tin, pressing gently into the sides and bottom. Repeat with the other half of the pastry. Spoon about three teaspoons of mincemeat into each pastry case. Use the pastry scraps to cut out any decorative touches and put them on top. Don’t worry if they look a bit rustic – they’re meant to look homemade. Chill the whole tray for at least 20 minutes and up to 24 hours.

Preheat the oven to 375F/190C. Bake the mince pies for 20 minutes (turning halfway if your oven has a hot spot) until the pastry is golden brown and cooked. The mincemeat may have bubbled over in a few places – I think these bits are particularly tasty. Remove from the muffin tin to a wire rack immediately (those spilled caramelized bits go hard quickly, making them difficult to remove) and leave to cool a little. Serve warm with pouring cream. Reheat the pies in the oven for a few minutes if you want to serve them later. They keep in an airtight box for 3-4 days.

Net een zak sla gekocht en is het een dag later alweer te oud? Of een stuk kaas dat binnen een paar dagen volledig is uitgedroogd? Dit zijn alledaagse problemen die iedereen kan overkomen, maar ook die iedereen kan voorkomen!

Met deze simpele tips zorg je dat het merendeel van je boodschappen minstens een paar dagen langer houdbaar is.

1. Bewaar appels en aardappels samen, zo voorkom je dat er kiempjes uit je aardappels groeien.

2. Bewaar nooit uien samen met aardappels, de uien zullen door het vocht uit de aardappels een stuk sneller bederven. Als je ze bewaard op een plek met goede luchtcirculatie kunnen uien 2-3 maanden goed blijven.

3. Wanneer er ook maar een klein beetje schimmel in je koelkast zit, is het einde meestal niet ver te zoeken. Zorg er daarom voor dat je bijvoorbeeld eens in de maand je koelkast schoonmaakt.

4. Staat een deel van je fruitvoorraad op de schaal op het punt om te bederven? Haal het er snel uit, want het kan de rest van je nog houdbare fruit aansteken.

5. Bewaar kaas in een stukje kaas- of bakpapier in plaats van plasticfolie, hierdoor blijft het een stuk langer goed. Bang dat het uitdroogt? Smeer een beetje boter op de snijkant.

6. Vries verse kruiden met olie in ijsblokjesvormen in, de smaak van de kruiden zal in de olie trekken en blijft zo vele malen langer houdbaar. Dit werkt het best met stevige kruiden als rozemarijn, salie, tijm en oregano.

7. Leg een stuk keukenpapier op je sla en sluit af met een laagje huishoudfolie, het papier zal het vocht opnemen waardoor je sla vele malen langer houdbaar blijft.

8. Heb je een blikje met bijvoorbeeld bonen of mais geopend, maar maak je niet alles gelijk op? Bewaar het dan niet in hetzelfde (open) blikje, maar in een afgesloten bakje. Doordat er zuurstof bij komt krijgen de producten een bliksmaak, en dat wil niemand hebben…

9. Tot slot: bewaar tomaten nooit in plastic of in de koelkast! Onrijpe tomaten moeten met het kroontje naar beneden in een papieren zak of in een kartonnen doos worden bewaard op een koele plek (buiten de koelkast). Wil je dat ze sneller rijpen? Bewaar ze samen met wat fruit.

Zijn je tomaten al helemaal rijp maar wil je ze nog even bewaren? Leg ze dan op kamertemperatuur, weg van zonlicht en zonder dat ze elkaar aanraken met het kroontje omhoog.

Overrijpe tomaten mogen wel in de koelkast worden bewaard, maar zorg wel dat ze eerst op kamertemperatuur komen voordat je ze eet.

Holiday Week: 12 Easy & Affordable Tips to Bring the Holidays into Your Home

No Christmas tree? No problem! Whether space, money, or time is the issue, there are always alternatives for bringing the spirit of the season into your house, apartment, studio, or rented room. Here are twelve easy and affordable tips for incorporating holiday cheer into your home—wherever that may be this December.

1. Hang stockings. Don't feel like you can't have a stocking just because you don't have a fireplace mantel to hang it on. Door knobs, bed posts, or even a dining chair will do the job just as valiantly.

2. Place ornaments in containers (bowls, trays) that you usually have out. Do you keep trays, bowls, vases around for decoration? Holid-ize them by filling them with colorful ornaments!

3. Spruce up a spot you often sit at. Many of us have our go-to spot at home. Whether it's the sofa, the bed, or the desk chair, it's the one seat we spend more time in than anywhere else. Place a lil' something festive near that spot—a Santa figurine or snow globe—so you'll be sure to see it every day.

4. Create your own DIY banner. On an ultra-low budget? Feeling crafty? Simply want something that is all your own? Grab some colorful or patterned paper, your trusty scissors, and a piece of twine, and create a banner of your favorite holiday word. A few we love? MERRY. TWINKLE. FESTIVUS.

5. Hang twinkle lights. A single strand of 200 lights cost $2.99 at Target. Why shouldn't you do this?

6. Light a holiday scented candle. Considering this gets us feeling spirited in June, there's no doubt it does the job in the weeks leading up to the big day (or days, depending on what you're celebrating). We recommend Nest's Holiday and Archipelago's Black Forest.

7. Watch your favorite Christmas movies. Whether you use Redbox, Netflix, OnDemand, or have your own personal DVD collection, bust out your favorite holiday flicks.

8. Play holiday tunes and dance around the living room. Yes, we've had our favorite holiday hits playing around the clock since mid-November (don't judge), but this just sounds fun.

9. Make hot cocoa. Or cider. Or pick up a peppermint mocha latte

10. Bake Christmas cookies and other traditional holiday treats. Most people have a few recipes reserved for this special time of year. Ask your mom or grandma or coworker for their favorite holiday recipes and take a stab at them yourself. We have a few great options here!

11. Display holiday cards. The easiest way to fill your home with love. And it's free.

12. Get a mini tree! This works too.

all photos by Danielle Moss unless otherwise indicated // twinkle lights photos by Victoria Smith for sfgirlbybay //  hot cocoa photo by Ilenia Martini for Rue Magazine Holiday 2012 Issue // cookies photo by Loreta of All the Beautiful Things // holiday card photo by In Haus Press // mini tree photo by Jennifer Bartoli for Style at Home