We love bringing you something different and new to make your holiday celebrations special and unique.  You can start your Chanukah off right with these yummy and fun cupcakes, courtesy of BrightIdeas.com.  Your little darlings will love them and and the adults will marvel at your delicious creativity!  Enjoy the festival of lights and Chag Sameach!!!

Ingredients:

1 yellow cake mix
2 cups chopped MILKY WAY® Bars
Vanilla frosting (Try our our Heirloom Buttercream Frosting from last week!!)
Blue and yellow food coloring
White candy glitter
24 pieces TWIX® Brand Caramel Cookie Bar Minis
24 pieces M&M’S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies
2 12-cup cupcake pans
Cupcake liners

Prepare cake batter according to directions on box. Add MILKY WAY® Bars to batter before filling paper lined cupcake cups. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for approximately 21 to 24 minutes. Cool completely.  Tint 1/2 cup frosting yellow, set aside. Tint remaining frosting blue and cover the cupcakes. Sprinkle frosting with candy glitter.  Press one TWIX® Brand Caramel Cookie Bar Minis, standing straight up, into the center of each cup. Dot the top of each TWIX® Brand Caramel Cookie Bar Minis with yellow frosting and attach a yellow M&M’S® Brand Peanut Chocolate Candies.  Arrange nine cupcakes into a line, creating a menorah. Lift the center (fifth in line) cupcake slightly.

Thanks to our faithful reader, Aura, for this delicious Latka recipe.  It’s perfect for your Chanukah celebration or just because they are oh so easy and oh so yum!

Potato Latka Cookies
8 medium potatoes boiled and mashed
4 eggs
3/4 c. oil
1 c. flour
4 sauteed onions
salt and pepper to taste

Mix and drop by the spoonful on a greased cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees until golden brown.

Celebrate the Festival of Lights with class and sparkling glass!

Build a luminous menorah throughout the eight nights of Chanukah using sherry glasses. Fill each vessel with about a handful of clear glass beads and stand a dripless silver menorah candle in each glass.

The ninth candle, the shamash — the one used to light all the others — should stand at center in a slightly larger goblet. Display in a staggered line atop a white lace cloth, blue-tipped matches at the ready.

For more ideas to make your Chanukah shine, visit www.MarthaStewart.com.

Idea and Image courtesy of www.MarthaStewart.com.

Today is the big day!  Anyone curious who the big winner for our MEMBERS ONLY SWAG, the Phil&Teds Vibe Double Inline stroller is???  Drum roll please!  Congratulations to subscriber Yasmine O. who by referring her friend won an EXTRA ENTRY that is snagging her some SERIOUS SWAG!!! Thanks to everyone who entered for participating, and be on the lookout for the next big thing coming up soon!  Also, please make note that we’re changing the name of this huge quarterly giveaway from “Members Only” to “V.I.P.” since you are all so very V.I.P.!!!

Enjoy the new stroller Yasmine, Happy Holidays and thanks so much for reading and referring your friends to Bellaziza’s Favorite Things!!!

The Holidays are busy enough with gift wrapping and parties galore, so how about some quick and easy tips that you can use to glam up your dining room table or to bring to the next holiday party as a lovely hostess gift?  Your welcome!

Fruitful Holiday Tree

What You Need:
- plate/platter
- foam floral tree from craft store
- lettuce leaves
- star shaped cookie cutter
- toothpicks
- assorted fruits: kiwi, cranberries, grapes, strawberries and melon

Lime Berry Tree

Fragrant Cloved Oranges

Ideas and images courtesy of www.safeway.com

Congratulations to subscriber, Lisa C., who is the winner of $200 Schylling SWAG for girls, and commenter #83, Kristy V., to  who is the winner of $200 Schylling SWAG for boys!  We are doubly happy for you both!

Please stay tuned for more of the best just for you including another great SWAG ALERT from Plan Toys, another one of our fabulous Holiday Gift Guide sponsors!  The Holidays are here and we have a lot to SWAG you with!!!

Also, check out our Definitive 2008 Holiday Gift Guide to get lots of EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS, on all of your holiday shopping this season!

Here’s a fun idea for a unique gift for someone special or for yourself!   This gift wrapped topiary of fresh greenery and/or flowers would make a lovely gift for your child’s teacher or bring just the right touch to your holiday decor.

Materials and Tools:  flower pot, paint, 3 boxes, gift wrap, tape, ribbon, cut flowers, floral foam, plastic tray, scissors, paint brush

The sweet and creative Katie Brown brings us this great idea on her website www.KatieBrown.com.  This project looks exquisite but is oh so simple!  Let us know how yours turns out!

So is anyone excited about next week’s big drawing for the Phil&Teds Vibe Double Inline Stroller?!?!?!  We KNOW you are.  We have seen the HUGE response over the past 3 months and all of your fantastic comments, so here’s an encore for you a week before the big day when one of you will stroll away in style!!!

THIS WEEK ONLY: We are opening it back up for daily entry but to MEMBERS ONLY!!!  This is MEMBERS ONLY SWAG and you need to be subscribed in order to enter.  CLICK HERE to subscribe and become a member of Bellaziza’s Favorite Things!  No funny-business we promise, just one fabulous email per week to keep you on track for all of the Favorite Things that we are working on here!

To enter, go to www.PhilandTeds.com and take a look at their products. THEN simply comment on this post saying what you love most about their products, their website or their company. 

Entries without suitable comments will not be counted out of respect for our fabulous readers and our wonderful sponsor. Entries such as “wow”, “I would love to win this” and “very nice” do not make the cut.  We are looking for your opinion on our sponsor’s product.  Your feedback is valuable to our sponsors and is one of the reasons we are able to provide such amazing info and prizes for you!

You may enter once per email address per day as usual and EXTRA ENTRIES are available as always for blogging about us, referring new confirmed subscribers, and/or adding our button to your blog or website. Just leave a comment telling us how you earned that extra entry (plus any relevant info like your blog address or referral’s email address).  Please do leave separate comments for each, as your comments are your actual entries.  All entries must be received by Monday, December 15th at midnight, PST.  Winner will be posted on Tuesday, Dec. 16.  GOOD LUCK TO ALL!!!

P.S. – You won’t believe what’s coming up next for MEMBERS ONLY!!!  Just when you thought it couldn’t possibly get any better, it always does!!!

Merry Christmas to you from Schylling Toys!  This week’s SWAG will have TWO lucky winners!  We are giving away two gift certificates that can be used online at Schylling.com!  (1) $200 for Girls and (1) $200 for Boys!  DOUBLE ENTRIES THIS WEEK ONLY, as we have 2 separate prizes!!!

The rules for entry are a little different this time since we have double the SWAG, so please do read carefully.  We’re giving you more chances to win, but you need to submit your entries correctly for them to count!!  MAKE SURE TO MENTION “GIRL SWAG” OR “BOY SWAG” IN YOUR COMMENT SO WE KNOW WHICH IS WHICH.

To enter, go to www.Schylling.com and take a look at their products. THEN simply comment on this post saying what you love most about their products, their website or their company.

Entries without suitable comments will not be counted out of respect for our fabulous readers and our wonderful sponsor. Entries such as “wow”, “I would love to win this” and “very nice” do not make the cut.  We are looking for your opinion on our sponsor’s product.  Your feedback is valuable to our sponsors and is one of the reasons we are able to provide such amazing info and prizes for you!

You may enter TWICE per email address per day as there are two individual prizes.   Mention “GIRL SWAG” or “BOY SWAG” in your comment.  (One GIRL and one BOY entry per day per email address.)  EXTRA ENTRIES are also available as always for blogging about us, referring new confirmed subscribers, and/or adding our button to your blog or website. Just leave a comment telling us how you earned that extra entry (plus any relevant info like your blog address or referral’s email address).  Please do leave separate comments for each, as your comments are your actual entries.

With Christmas just around the corner, our search for the very best toys has kept us just as busy as the big man in red and his pointy eared elves. We are proud to add Schylling Toys to our list of the crème de la crème in toy companies. And can we just tell you that they are giving Santa’s Workshop a run for their money! Schylling Toys offers a huge variety of things that your Christmas morning will not be the same without!

Schylling is known for their classic vintage toys but also offer fun new ideas for your little ones as well. Boys will flip over their great selection of toys featuring classic characters like Thomas the Train and Curious George. Our favorites are the Thomas Humming Top and the Curious George Jack In The Box.  These two toys are timeless classics made with exceptional quality.

The Small Miracles dress up costumes are something every little guy must have and the quality is everything us Moms want!  The Firefighter costume in particular caught our eye.  The quality is so amazing that we think it could even be used as a rain jacket!  Check out Schylling’s website for even more durable dress up costumes at great prices.  Even the big guy in your family will appreciate their vintage die cast toys! From the assortment of airplanes to the good ol’ Ford Woody Wagon, the die cast vehicles that Schylling sells are a great gift for the collector in your life…no matter what his age!

Don’t think for a minute that Schylling forgot the girls either!  Just as their boys collections are fabulous, they leave the girls without any room for disappointment.  We adore their tea sets and classic Flatsy Dolls the most.  They make a great variety of tea sets – surely an appropriate set for any child from the Curious George tin set to the Madeline porcelain set and even the elegant silver-plate set that looks like something that absolutely every little princess ought to have.  They have a lovely little line of jewelry boxes complete with music and pirouetting ballerina inside, just like we used to have when we were little moms!  We also loved the play cooking set in blue enamel which again, has a real retro feel, and the vintage baking set – absolutely perfect for any little June Cleaver in the making!!!  The products themselves are super cute at Schylling, but the packaging is so special too, keeping with the vintage look of almost everything.  Details, details, DETAILS!!!

Any little musicians out there?  We found a perfect source for great little instruments as well from pianos and xylophones to accordions (our Favorite!!) and slide whistles!  Schylling has it all!  They also have lots of more gender neutral items that any kid would love like their exclusive Sock Monkey Collection, Curious George Collection and of course the ever-useful Thomas The Tank Engine!  What little boy or girl doesn’t just love Thomas?!?! Schylling has it all at prices that will never break the bank (something not so easy to come by around these parts, no:)?!?!?).  Their incredible variety of products is perfect for the Holidays from stocking stuffers to fabulous play tents!  Birthdays for the playdate pals are sure to be a breeze from now on too!!  Whew!

Best of all, you can shop Schylling easily with their Shop Online feature where you can search over twenty categories and quickly order the toys of your choice! You can not compare standing in line to buy cheap toys from the every day toy stores with the easy online ordering of quality toys from Schylling!  Trust us, you’ll LOVE us for finding them!!!

When we say these cookies are the best of the best, please do take our word for it and use this recipe to impress even those with the most discriminating of tastes!!!  They are more of a sophisticated shortbread than a traditional sugar cookie.

They are quite rich but not overly sweet.  The flavor is absolutely perfect when paired with our legendary buttercream frosting which can be spread or piped on.

For the cookies…

Combine the following ingredients in this order:

1/2 pound softened unsalted butter (or salted if you wish)

1/2 cup sugar

1 tablespoon high quality vanilla extract

2 1/4 cups of all purpose flour

Combine sugar and softened butter with paddle attachment in your stand mixer.  Combining the ingredients thoroughly is very important to the final outcome so do combine well.  Next add in the vanilla and again combine thoroughly.  Then add in the flour little by little and mix thoroughly until a doughy consistency is achieved.

Roll out the dough to desired thickness and cut into whatever shapes you like.  Bake for 20 minutes at 325F on parchment, Silpat or a lightly greased cookie sheet.  Let cool, ice and eat!

For the icing…

In your stand mixer combine the following ingredients in order:

2 pounds confectionery sugar

1/2 pound butter

1 cup vegetable shortening or Crisco®

1 capfull of almond extract – to taste

A splash of cream or milk – until desired consistency is achieved.

Mix very well and get ready for the compliments to come in like a flood.  This icing is a trademark recipe of our kitchen and let’s just say that holiday and birthday party attendence is regularly on the rise in part because everyone knows that this icing will be there too!  Enjoy and have a wonderful holiday season!!!

This recipe may not be duplicated or published without express written permission from Bellaziza's Favorite Things.

Need an excuse for a girl’s night?  How about a cozy night in with a good book?  This velvety hot chocolate recipe fits into any cold winter’s night plans!

Makes 2 Servings

3 cups milk

1 cup chopped MILKY WAY® Bars

2 cinnamon sticks

2 ounces vanilla vodka

1 ½ ounces almond-flavored liqueur

Whipped Cream, optional

Shaved DOVE® Milk Chocolate, optional

1. Combine milk, MILKY WAY® Bars, and cinnamon in saucepan and warm over medium heat, stirring. Once hot and well blended, remove from heat and add vodka and almond-flavored liqueur.

2.  Serve in tall mugs with a dollop of whipped cream and a sprinkling of shaved DOVE® Milk Chocolate.

3.  Not intended for creation or consumption by persons under 21 years of age.

Recipe and picture courtesy of BrightIdeas.com.

After all the time and effort we put into our perfectly purchased gifts, we just can’t bare to wrap them in just any wrapping paper or gift bag!  Thanks to MarthaStewart.com we too can be gift wrapping savvy!  Martha and her fabulous team’s ideas are always unique and inspiring.  Here are a couple of our favorites for your gift wrapping delight!

“Wrap goods in vintage napkins, handkerchiefs, or other linens graced with lively patterns, and the packaging itself will serve as an added gift.

Martha’s gift to you, this stack of spirited wrapping paper!  It’s designed by Blueprint, and not sold in stores. Just print out one or all of the five patterns on your own printer.”

Just CLICK on the following PDF files to download and then print Martha’s special holiday gift to you…

- Swirly Wrapping Paper (includes oval frame accents)

- Striped Wrapping Paper

- Cameo Cummerbund Wrapping Paper

- Fancy Cummerbund Wrapping Paper

- Graphic Wrapping Paper (includes ornamental plaque)

For more fantastic ideas like these, CLICK HERE.  Thanks, Martha!

Images courtesy of MarthaStewart.com

Congratulations to subscriber Andy B. of CA who is the winner of this week’s SWAG ALERT: Our Favorite Things From Corolle!!!  Someone’s about to have an absolutely strolling good time!

Please stay tuned for more of the best just for you coming up soon along with our weekly SWAG ALERT!  THIS WEEK ONLY: DOUBLE ENTRIES PLUS an encore appearance of VIBE SWAG from Phil&Teds!!!  The Holidays are here and we have so much to SWAG you with!!!

Also, check out our Definitive 2008 Holiday Gift Guide to get lots of EXCLUSIVE DISCOUNTS, and a fabulous start on all of your holiday shopping this season!