| How to Make a Candy Cane Reindeer Posted: 25 Dec 2020 12:00 AM PST Candy canes and reindeer can both get you into the Christmas spirit, but do they go together? They sure do! Making your very own candy cane reindeer is one of the easiest holiday crafts you can find. All you need are some candy canes, glue, pipe cleaners, and pompoms, and you're all set to get into the Christmas spirit. Whether you want to decorate your home for a Christmas party or do an activity with your kids, everyone will love your candy cane reindeer. [Edit]Attaching the Antlers - Wrap a brown pipe cleaner around a pencil. This is a simple trick to get twisty antlers. Take a brown pipe cleaner and twist it all the way around a pencil or pen, like a snake crawling up a pole. Then slide the pipe cleaner off and it will be all twisted, like a spring. This is perfect for a quirky antler design.[1]
- Brown pipe cleaners will look more like a real reindeer's antlers, but you can use any color you want. Green or red can fit the festive holiday mood.
- If you want your reindeer to have straight antlers, you can skip this step. Straighter antlers give your reindeer a more realistic look.
- Line up the pipe cleaner with the top of the candy cane. Hold the candy cane upright so the curve is pointed up. Take your pipe-cleaner antler and center it just under the bend in the candy cane hook.[2] Since you'll be bending the pipe cleaner in half, make sure there's an equal amount of pipe cleaner on each side. Otherwise, your antlers will be uneven.
- Twist the pipe cleaner around the top of the candy cane. Bend each side of the pipe cleaner up above the candy cane so they're touching. Then twist the 2 ends around each other to keep them in place. Fold each end back down about halfway for 2 perfect antlers.[3]
- You could use other angles for the antlers too. Pointing them up looks more like real antlers, while curving them down looks like your reindeer has big, silly ears.
- If the pipe cleaner won't stay in place, you can put a dab of hot glue on top of the candy cane to hold it down. Press the pipe cleaner onto the glue for a few seconds so it sticks.
- Fold the pipe cleaners in different directions to shape the antlers. You can keep your reindeer's antlers straight or fold them into different shapes. Try bending the pipe cleaners up and down in a few different spots to give the antlers some shape, just like on a real reindeer.[4]
- If you want your reindeer to look more realistic, bend the pipe cleaners up and mold them into a boxy shape.
- This works whether or not you twisted the pipe cleaner at the start.
- If you didn't twist the antlers from the start, you still can! Just wrap them around your finger for crazy, twisted antlers.[5]
[Edit]Decorating the Reindeer's Face - Put a dab of hot glue on the tip of the candy cane's short end. Hold the candy cane so the short end is facing you. Take a hot glue gun and squeeze a little bit of glue right at the tip, on the bottom of the hook. This is the spot where you'll put the reindeer's nose.[6]
- Work quickly after you squeeze out the glue, because hot glue dries fast.
- You could also use a different type of glue like white glue. This doesn't dry as fast, though, so make sure you hold each piece down so it sticks.
- Be careful with the hot glue gun. Don't touch the tip or you could get burned.
- If you're doing this activity with young kids, do this step for them. They could hurt themselves if they're playing with a glue gun.
- Stick a pompom on the tip for the reindeer's nose. You can use any color pompom you want to. Take one and press it gently onto the hot glue. Hold it for a few seconds so its sticks right.[7]
- Small pompoms, just about as thick as the candy cane, will work fine for a nose. For a wackier design, try using a big pompom for a really pronounced nose.
- Don't press down too hard or you might break the candy cane.
- You could also use a rhinestone for the nose, if you want it to be shiny like Rudolph's. Some rhinestones have sticky backs, so you won't need the hot glue. Colored beads also work.[8]
- Squeeze 2 dabs of hot glue halfway up the short end. Find the point about halfway up the short end of the candy cane, which is the perfect spot for the reindeer's eyes. Squeeze 2 small dabs of hot glue at that spot right next to each other.[9]
- You could put the eyes higher or lower if you want, it's up to you.
- Put 2 googly eyes on the hot glue. Googly eyes are perfect to give your reindeer some personality. Press 1 onto each dab of glue and hold them down for a few seconds. Now your reindeer has eyes![10]
- You can easily find googly eyes at any arts and craft store. They come in all different sizes. Try to get eyes slightly thicker than the candy cane for a cute, big-eyed look.
- Some googly eyes have a stick back, so you won't need hot glue for these.[11]
- If you don't have googly eyes, then you could also cut out 2 white paper circles and put dots in the middle with a marker for your reindeer's eyes.
- Add a bowtie for more decoration. This is totally optional, but can be a perfect addition to your reindeer. Take ribbon of any color and wrap it around main part of the candy cane about halfway down. Then make a knot with the ribbon to give your reindeer a classy Christmas bowtie.[12]
- You can also use 2 different ribbons in the knot to give it more of a Christmas feeling.
- If you don't have ribbon, then there are tons of other things you could use. String, shoelaces, or another pipe cleaner will all work.
[Edit]Displaying Your Candy Canes - Hang the reindeer from your Christmas tree if you want an ornament. Who doesn't love a homemade Christmas ornament? You can take your candy cane reindeer and loop them around the branches on your tree for a festive Christmas decoration.[13]
- If you have a Christmas party, you can let your guests go and take candy canes off the tree for a snack.
- Tape the reindeer to the top of a gift for an extra treat. You've heard of putting a bow on a gift, but a candy cane is a nice, unique idea. After you wrap a present, try taping one of your reindeer down for an extra treat.[14]
- Put a bunch of reindeer into a jar for an easy decoration. If you make a group of reindeer, display them together for an easy, decorative candy jar. Take a glass jar and fill it with your candy cane reindeer so they're all peeking over the side.[15]
- You can leave the jar by your door or living area so guests can help themselves to a candy cane around the holidays.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Candy canes
- Pipe cleaners
- Googly eyes
- Hot glue gun
- Pompoms or rhinestones
- You can use pipe cleaners, ribbons, and pompoms of all different colors if you make more than one reindeer so each one has a unique look.
- You can also use candy canes with different colors too.
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Make Chewy Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies Posted: 24 Dec 2020 04:00 PM PST Brown sugar and butter make these cookies chewy and moist. If the perfect cookie is defined as chewy on the inside and crisp on the outside, then chewy chocolate chip oatmeal cookies are perfection itself. [Edit]Ingredients Servings: 36
Prep time: 15 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes - 14 minutes - 1 cup butter, softened at room temperature
- 1 cup packed light brown sugar
- 1/2 cup white sugar
- 2 eggs
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups quick-cooking oats
- 1 cup chopped walnuts
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
- Preheat the oven to 325°F (165 degrees C) and get a baking sheet out.
- Cream together the butter and sugars with a wooden spoon until they're smooth in a medium bowl.
- Beat the eggs in a small bowl with a whisk.
- Add the eggs to the butter and sugar and stir them in until they're blended.
- Stir in the vanilla until it is completely incorporated into the batter.
- Mix the flour, baking soda and salt in a small bowl with a spoon.
- Stir the dry ingredients into the creamed batter until they are blended.
- Mix in the oats, walnuts and the chocolate chips.
- Drop about a heaping tablespoon of dough onto an ungreased baking sheet. Space them about 2" apart because they will spread a bit while they are baking. Most cookie sheets can hold 12 cookies so you'll have to reuse your cookie sheet a couple of times.
- Bake the cookies for 12 minutes. If you bake two sheets of cookies at a time, you may need to slightly extend the baking time.
- Remove the cookie sheet from the oven
- Allow the cookies to cool for at least five minutes on the baking sheet.
- Use a metal spatula to transfer the cookies to a wire rack to complete the cooling process. If you remove the cookies from the baking sheet too soon, they will fall apart.
- Serve the cookies warm with a glass of cold milk.
- These cookies freeze very well and can last for about a month in an airtight, freezer-proof container. When you remove them from your freezer, pop them in the microwave oven for about 20 seconds—they will taste like you just baked them.
- When you remove the baking sheet from the oven, the cookies won't be cooked thoroughly; their centers will be slightly doughy. The centers of the cookies will set as the cookies cool down. Once they are cooled down, they will simply be chewy in the middle.
[Edit]Warnings - Be sure to heap the cookie dough with your spoon onto the baking sheet. If you make the dollops of dough too small, the cookies will get overdone and not have chewy centers.
[Edit]Things You'll Need - 2 mixing bowls
- 2 mixing spoons
- Measuring spoons
- Measuring cup
- Cookie sheets (enough for 36 2" cookies)
- Wire cooling rack
- Metal spatula
- Oven
- Serving plate
[Edit]Related wikiHows [Edit]References |
| How to Keep Steak Warm While Resting Posted: 24 Dec 2020 08:00 AM PST You've probably heard how important it is to rest steaks after cooking them, but do you know why? Resting steaks for a few minutes before you serve them lets the meat reabsorb juice so it doesn't spill onto the plate the moment you cut into the meat. It also gives the steaks a chance to finish cooking—and gives you a few moments to make a quick pan sauce, if you're interested. [Edit]Resting the Steak - Warm up the plate you're going to rest the meat on. It might not seem like a game-changer, but resting your steaks on a hot plate does prevent heat loss. Stick a heat-proof platter or large plate in the microwave and heat it for about 1 minute. Remember to wear oven mitts when you take the hot plate out! Then, set your cooked steaks on the plate.[1]
- If you don't have a microwave, don't worry! Stick the plate or platter in the oven and turn your oven to its lowest setting. It may take around 5 minutes for the plates to warm up, so put them in the oven when you start cooking your steaks.
- Cover the steak loosely with foil if you're outside and it's windy. There's a lot of controversy about whether or not foil traps heat effectively. Some argue that it doesn't make a noticeable difference unless you're cooking the steaks outdoors when it's cold or windy. It's totally up to you if you want to lay a piece of foil over the steaks.[2]
- Keep in mind that tenting the steaks does soften the crust so you lose the crisp exterior.
- Keep the steak uncovered if you like a crisp crust. While covering steak loosely with foil might keep it a little warmer than if you rest it uncovered, you will lose the crackly crust. If you'd rather have the crust, don't feel like you have to cover your steaks! It's totally fine to rest them uncovered on a warm plate.[3]
- Place the steaks in a oven if you want them to stay really hot. This is another controversial way to rest steaks. While the low heat from the oven will keep the meat warm while it rests, some argue that it can dry out the steaks. You might pop them in the oven for just a few minutes of the rest time so they don't have a chance to overcook.[4]
- If you try this method, leave the steaks uncovered so foil doesn't trap moisture and make the crust soft.
- Let the steaks rest for 5 minutes before serving them. Resist the urge to cut into the meat while it's resting! Just leave it alone and get the rest of your meal finished up so you can bring the steaks to the table the moment they're done resting. Give them at least 5 minutes.[5]
- Set a timer so you don't forget that your steaks are resting or they'll cool off way too much!
[Edit]Re-Heating Steak - Sear grilled steaks for 1 minute after resting to give them a crispy crust. You've taken your perfectly browned steaks off of the grill and rested them only to find that the exterior is soft and your steaks have cooled down. Don't worry! There's a quick fix. Toss a dozen coals onto your grill or turn your gas grill to high. Right before you're ready to serve the steaks, lay them on the grill and sear them for about 30 seconds on each side.[6]
- This quick sear on the grill just gets rid of the exterior moisture that made the crust turn soft and it warms your steaks without making them tough.
- Pour hot pan juices over pan-seared steaks for a crackly crust. If you've rested pan-seared steaks only to find they've lost their crisp exterior, don't worry! It's easy to re-heat them and get that great crust. Heat up the skillet with the pan juices and drippings while your steaks are resting. Just before you're ready to eat, pour the hot juices over the steaks. They'll crackle and bubble as the drippings crisp up the exterior of the meat.[7]
- It's really important to serve the steaks immediately or they'll cool down again and soften.
- Slice the steaks thin and pour hot gravy or sauce over them to warm the meat. If you're worried that you'll overcook the meat by re-heating it, try this great trick. Slice cold, cooked steaks as thin as you can and arrange the meat on warm serving plates. Then, heat up gravy or sauce until it's steaming hot and pour it over the meat. Your steak will be warm and the meat won't be tough at all![8]
- This is a great way to serve steak to a group since you can cook the steak in advance and slice it up right before you're ready to eat.
- Heat leftover steaks in the oven and finish them in a hot skillet. If you have leftover steaks in the fridge, the oven is your best way to reheat them. Set the steaks on a wire rack and place it on a baking sheet. Then, heat the steaks at until they're about . To get that great crisp crust, heat of vegetable oil in a skillet over high heat and lay the warm steak in it. Sear each side for 60 to 90 seconds and let your steaks rest on a plate for 5 minutes before you serve them.[9]
- Don't do this more than once with the same steaks since the texture of the meat won't hold up.
- Cover cold leftover steak with a damp paper towel if you have to microwave it. When you're hungry and have leftover steak, it's tempting to just stick it in the microwave for a few minutes. Unfortunately, microwaving uncovered meat dries it out and makes it chewy—not a pleasant experience. If you have no other way to reheat your steaks, lay a damp paper towel over the steaks and microwave the meat in 30-second increments. Flip the meat over each time so it warms evenly.[10]
- Lower the microwave power to medium, so you're not as likely to overcook the steaks.
- Plan on reheating the steaks for 90 seconds to 2 minutes. The amount of time it takes depends on the size and thickness of the meat.
- It doesn't matter how you cooked your steaks. The resting process is one of the best ways to get a fantastic steak, so don't skip it!
[Edit]Things You'll Need - Serving plate or platter
- Oven mitts
- Aluminum foil, optional
[Edit]References |
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