Sparkling Pumpkin Flower Holder Centerpiece Recipes

THANKSGIVING CORNUCOPIA

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
• Lightly spray a cookie sheet, at least 17"x 14", with non-stick cooking spray.
• Tear off a 30"x 18" sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil.
• Fold in 1/2 to 18"x 15".
• Roll diagonally to form a hollow cone, about 18" long with a diameter of 5" at the widest end (Cornucopia opening).
• Fasten end with clear tape.
• Stuff cone with crumpled regular foil until form is rigid.
• Bend tail of cone up then down at end.
• Spray outside of cone with non-stick cooking spray.
• Place on cookie sheet.
• Open and unroll first can of breadstick dough on work surface.
• Seperate breadsticks.
• Begin by wraping one breadstick around tip of cone.
• Brush end of next breadstick with Glaze and press to attach to end of first breadstick.
• Continue spiral-wrapping cone, slightly overlapping dough until there are 3 breadsticks left.
• Pinch one end of the 3 breadsticks together, then braid.
• Brush bread around opening of Cornucopia with Glaze.
• Gently press on braid.
• Brush entire Cornucopia with Glaze.
• Bake 45 minutes in preheated oven or until bread is a rich brown.
• (If parts start to darken too much, cover them with poeces of foil.) Remove from oven and let cool completely on cookie sheet on a wire rack.
• Carefully remove foil when cool.
• (If freezing, leave foil in bread for support. Remove when thawed.) Fill Cornucopia with the assorted raw vegetables directly on table and let them spill out of opening NOTE-- To prevent this center-piece from absorbing atmospheric moisture, the baked Cornucopia cone can be sprayed with shellac or clear enamel.
• If treated in this manner, the Cornucopia will be inedible but can be preserved and re-used.

ROSEMARY CHRISTMAS TREE CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Make the Base:.
• To begin, fashion a central trunk from your green floral foam (Oasis). If you want to use a food-based option, try a conical root like carrot, horseradish, or burdock - that way every part of your centerpiece is edible.
• Once you've selected your base material, bore holes with a bradawl or screwdriver. This method will be how the trunk holds the rosemary sprigs.
• After boring the holes, push the woody ends of the rosemary sprigs far enough into the trunk so that they won't fall out. Start with larger sprigs at the base and work your way up the trunk adding smaller and smaller sprigs as you go. You can always cut sprigs in half to create the smaller sprigs near the top of the tree.
• The height of your finished tree will depend on the length of your trunk (Oasis, carrot, etc.), while the width of your trunk depends on the length of your longest rosemary sprigs at the base of your tree. So if you have six-inch sprigs, the width of your base will be double that.
• Once you have worked your way to the top and evenly spaced your branches all around the trunk, your tree will be complete. At this point, take a good look at the shape of it. If it is too wide in places or uneven in any way, don't worry, you can always snip a bit here and there with a sturdy pair of scissors or garden shears.
• Once you are happy with the shape, you can begin the decorating. This is a great time to get family, friends or children involved, although they could, of course, be making their own especially if you want more than one tree to decorate the table.
• Using toothpicks (or gardening wire of the same length), push the ends through the rosemary into the trunk leaving their points exposed. If your base is small, you may need to cut your toothpicks in half. Space them evenly up and down and around the tree. Then push your decorations onto the exposed points. These ornaments can be whatever you want, from marzipan fruits as listed in the instructions to frosted jellies, candied fruits, chocolates, or any sort soft candy.
• Now that you've decorated the tree, you need to finish it off with a star on the top. This can be cut from a candied lemon or orange slice, or as I have used, and listed in the directions, a slice of star fruit.
• Having completed your tree, place it on to a round cake plate or chopping board. If your rosemary sprigs go all the way down to the base of the tree, it should stand easily. However, if you have kept the bottom of the trunk clear of sprigs you may need to secure your tree on to a spike by drilling a hole into your base and putting a nail or screw through it. You could also use a glue-style icing one uses when assembling gingerbread houses.
• After ensuring your tree is stabilized, you can add more sweets, candies and treats around the base. These candies act as the presents under the tree, while also saving your beautiful tree from hungry hands.
• The beauty of this idea is that it can be tailored to your time and budget, and if you don't have a sweet tooth you can always decorate your tree with spices such as cinnamon and star anise to combine with the rosemary and fill the room with Christmas aromas.
• Whichever way you choose, the scent of rosemary will fill the home and fill your guests with wonderment and intrigue.
• Of course, if you want to take your tree to another level, you can always do what I have done here and build a whole landscape of rosemary sprigs pushed into fondant icing that has been rolled over loaves of stale bread. Nuts and chocolate swirls provided the rocks and fence posts, and a blue bulb in an overhead light bathes the scene in moonlight.
• Finally, a dusting of icing sugar over the whole set gives that freshly fallen snow look, creating a feast for the eyes and the imagination at this magical time of year.
• For more inspiration visit www.carlwarner.com.

HOLIDAY SPARKLING FRUIT CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
• Fill one mixing bowl with superfine sugar.
• Keep second one to catch excess sugar.
• Place jelly into microwave safe bowl, heat on high for 2 minutes.
• Stir and microwave another minute or until melted (watch carefully).
• Using the fork, pierce the fruit on the bottom securely.
• Using the pastry brush paint the jelly one at a time onto the fruit (reheat jelly as it cools). Hold the freshly painted fruit over the sugar filled bowl.
• Using the spoon sprinkle the sugar over the fruit until coated.
• Use the empty mixing bowl to shake off excess sugar and not soil the first bowl. Place sugared fruit on parchment to dry about 45 minutes.
• Lightly coat nuts with remaining jelly and roll in the second sugar shake off bowl adding more sugar if needed, remove with fork and dry with the fruit. Arrange fruit and nuts on cake stand or platter, building as high and creative as you wish. Place mint, parsley or your choice of greenery in and around the centerpiece. Lightly dust the tops of the fruit and some of the greenery (mint etc) with powdered sugar as if newly fallen snow.

CHRISTMAS CANDLES CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Put one pineapple slice each onto 2 small plates. Put the cut ends of the bananas in hole of pineapple.
• Place 2 mint leaves on side of each candle. Place 3 cherries at stem ends of mint leaves.

SUNFLOWER CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Make a chocolate layer cake from your favorite mix or recipe. Use 8" round pans.
• Place one layer of cooled chocolate cake in center of 16" pizza pan or platter. You can freeze the other layer for a future use.
• Frost with 1 can of chocolate icing.
• Arrange chocolate chips on top only of cake to resemble sunflower seeds.
• Unwrap Boston Creme cakes and arrange around chocolate cake.
• Note: Preparation time does not include making and baking a layer cake.

SPARKLING PUMPKIN FLOWER HOLDER CENTERPIECE

Steps:

• Cut off the top of the pumpkins, remove the insides, and dry out each Pumpkin thoroughly using a paper towel.
• Cut off the base of each plastic carton 3 inches from the bottom (or small enough so that the base of the carton will invisibly fit into the pumpkin).
• Cover the outside of the pumpkin with Modge Podge using a paint brush.
• Place glitter in a bowl and roll the pumpkin around in the glitter until it is sufficiently covered in sparkle.
• When the pumpkins are dry, place a bundle of cropped flowers in the middle of each one.
• Stagger in the center of your table, or down the center of a wooden tray.