Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2023

It's Christmas Eve, and while you're waiting on Santa Claus, you know you can count on The Harris Sisters to deliver our annual 2023 year-in-review in the form of a 'Twas the Night Before Christmas parody (directly to you via social media so there's still room in your stocking for other goodies).

For new readers, this is a Harris Family tradition that dates back to the "late 1900s" as the kids would say (before technology like computers, and blogs, and social media, and the interwebs). The original Harris Family Christmas parodies were handwritten by putting pencil to paper while sitting at the kitchen bar on Christmas Eve night.

We always enjoy looking back and sharing the best parts of our year with you, parody-style. We hope that you enjoyed keeping up to date with us throughout the year on our our blog and on social media.

'Twas the Site by Three Sisters - 2023

'Twas the site by three sisters, Twenty Twenty-Three

We started off the year by spilling the tea;

We brought you a menu and decor ideas right away,

To host your very own Spring Soiree.

As April rolled around, we joined the craze,

Keeping up-to-date with the trends always!

We showed you how to Create Your Own Barbie Meme

In three easy steps (nothing extreme).

And then in September, we shared apple recipes,

Just like our good friend, ol' Johnny Appleseed.

More rapid than eagles, these recipes we named,

And we mixed, and stirred, and shared them again!

"Now, APPLESAUCE! now, APPLE BUTTER! now, CAKE and JAM!

On, BAKED APPLES! On, FRENCH TOAST! On, JELLY! OH, MAN!

From our kitchen to yours, the best recipes for fall.

The Harris Sisters really know some good recipes, ya’ll! 

And then in December, we threw a big bash,

Our Carolina Christmas Party - it was a real smash!

In the wink of an eye, it’s easy to plan,

Hometown Christmas fun for the fam. 

And as yet another year departs,

We wanted to tell you we appreciate you, Dear hearts!

To all who have followed, shared, commented, and liked,

"HARRIS CHRISTMAS TO ALL, AND TO ALL A GOOD NIGHT!"

Merry Christmas from Misty, Deanna, and Donna! (And Daddy!) 

Make sure to take a look at our previous year's Christmas Eve parodies too!

If you're only following us on one social platform or the other, remember you can connect with us here on the blog, on Facebook, on Pinterest, and on Instagram. And make sure to share us with your friends to help us grow The Harris Sisters family! 

We look forward to seeing all of you in 2024.

Holiday Peppermint Cake

If you're looking for a new dessert to try this Christmas, look no further! This classic scratch-made white cake is infused with peppermint, topped with creamy peppermint buttercream frosting, and decorated with crushed candy canes.

This festive Christmas candy cane cake is perfect for the holidays! Why? Because Santa's favorite candy is peppermint! Just ask Louis Armstrong: 

"And you gonna flip when Old Saint Nick takes a lick on the peppermint stick." (from Cool Yule)

Holiday Peppermint Cake

Cake Ingredients

3/4 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 1/2 cups sugar

3/4 cup sour cream, room temperature

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 Tbsp peppermint extract

6 large egg whites, room temperature

2 1/2 cups all purpose flour

4 tsp baking powder

½ tsp salt

3/4 cup milk, room temperature

1/4 cup water, room temperature

Peppermint Buttercream Ingredients

2 cups unsalted butter, softened

5-8 cups powdered sugar

4 tsp vanilla extract

¼-½ tsp peppermint extract

1 tsp salt

2-4 Tbsp heavy whipping cream (optional)

Garnish

broken candy canes 

To Make the Cake

1. Prepare three 8 inch cake pans with parchment paper circles in the bottom and grease the sides. Preheat oven to 350°F.
2. In a large mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar together until light in color and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes. 
3. Add sour cream, vanilla, and peppermint extract and mix until well combined.
4. Add egg whites in two batches, mixing until well combined after each. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
5. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl, then combine the milk and water in a small measuring cup.
6. Add half of the dry ingredients to the batter and mix until well combined. Add the milk mixture and mix until well combined. Add remaining dry ingredients and mix until well combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed to be sure all ingredients are well incorporated.
7. Divide the batter evenly between the cakes pans and bake for about 21-23 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs.
8. Remove the cakes from the oven and allow to cool for about 2-3 minutes, then remove to cooling racks to cool completely.

To Make the Frosting

1. Add butter to a large mixing bowl. Beat butter on high for 1-2 minutes, scraping down sides and bottom of bowl with a rubber spatula.
2. Add powdered sugar one cup at a time, starting mixer on low speed. Slowly increase speed to high, mixing until smooth after each addition (about 30 seconds or so for each cup). Scrape down bowl every 2-3 cups. If mixture looks grainy, add a small splash of cream when you scrape the bowl.
3. After adding 5 cups powdered sugar, add vanilla, ¼ teaspoon peppermint, and salt and mix until fully combined. Taste, adding more peppermint if needed. (Do so cautiously, as the flavor intensifies with time, especially in the refrigerator.) Depending on your brand of peppermint, you may need to use more than ½ teaspoon.
4. Taste your frosting and keep adding sugar, this time ½ cup or less at a time, until it reaches your desired thickness. Add cream as needed, in small splashes, to smooth out the frosting. 
5. Once you’re happy with the taste and thickness, scrape down the bowl again then beat on high for 3-5 minutes.
6. Once the frosting is light and fluffy and fully blended, use a rubber spatula or wooden sppon to stir vigorously by hand for about a minute, or until you no longer see any air pockets as you stir.

To Assemble the Cake

1. Once cakes have completely cooled, use the frosting to generously frost in between layers, the sides, and the top. 
2. Sprinkle frosted cake with chopped candy canes before serving. (Candy canes can sometimes soften when exposed to moisture, so make sure to add them close to the time you are serving the cake.)

This Peppermint Buttercream Frosting Also Pairs Well with These Recipes

Some of these recipes will help you either make this cake faster (they're doctored recipes) OR will change your final cake with a different flavor. Give these recipes a try with the Peppermint Buttercream Frosting and crushed candy canes for a whole new Christmas dessert!

• Yellow Doctored Box Cake Recipe
• Chocolate Fudge Cake (Doctored Box Cake) Recipe
• Yellow Scratch Cake Recipe
• Vanilla Cupcake Scratch Recipe
• Hershey's Perfectly Perfect Scratch Cake Recipe
• Scratch Brownie Recipe

How to Plan a Christmas in Carolina Party

There’s no better way to kick off the holiday season than with a festive gathering. Over the past few years, we've brought you a few different ideas for Christmas parties: Vintage 1950's Theme and National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation Theme.

The idea we landed on this year is a "Made in North Carolina" themed Christmas party. You can easily duplicate this idea with the details below if you live in NC or you can tweak the same idea for your own area. Here are the details you'll need to get started:

Christmas in Carolina

Start with an invitation that matches your NC theme. Because people's calendars tend to fill up around the holidays, make sure to send your invitations well in advance of your party date. If you'd like for guests to come dressed a certain way, add that to the invitations. (That will add to the fun of the party!) We chose to all dress in red - the color of North Carolina's state bird, the cardinal. Where can you find NC-themed invitations? Check out Etsy or Amazon for your best options.

Made in NC Christmas Party Menu

You'll have lots of fun planning a menu for this party. We opted to serve foods and drinks that are made in North Carolina, and after a bit of research, we were surprised to find so many items to share at our party table! With just a little research, I bet you can find a lot of menu items that are made in your area too! Some of the items we used as-is, and some of them we used as ingredients to make party foods. If you have guests coming from different areas, ask them to sign up for a food item to build your menu.

Here's the menu we used for our Made in NC Christmas Party:

• Our Pride Pimento Cheese and crackers - Roxboro, NC (The Harris Sisters hometown)
• Hoppers Poppers Popcorn - Roxboro, NC
• Sausage Balls (made with Neese's Sausage) - Greensboro, NC
• The Carolina Nut Co. Peanuts - Henderson, NC
• Texas Pete Salsa and chips - Winston-Salem, NC
• Buffalo Chicken Dip (made with Texas Pete Buffalo Wing Sauce) - Winston-Salem, NC
• Mt. Olive Pickles & Roasted Red Peppers - Mount Olive, NC
• Dewey's Bakery Meyer Lemon Cookies - Winston-Salem, NC
• Mrs. Hanes Moravian Cookies - Clemmons, NC
• Krispy Kreme Doughnuts - Winston-Salem, NC
• Cheerwine Pound Cake - Salisbury, NC
• Cheerwine - Salisbury, NC
• Pepsi - New Bern, NC
• Mimosas (made with Biltmore Estate Champagne) - Asheville, NC
• Muscadine Wine (from Duplin Winery) - Duplin County, NC
• Scuppernong Wine (from Duplin Winery) - Duplin County, NC

How to Decorate for a North Carolina Christmas Party

Since the NC-based food items were the star of this Christmas party, we chose very simple decorations. 

We used The Harris Sisters' old Flexible Flyer sled as the centerpiece for the table to add height. We felt like this was the perfect addition to the table because it, too, has seen many a Carolina Christmas (and would even be considered vintage at this point)!

We used a North Carolina shaped cutting board to display other foods on the table. We served small items (nuts, dips, etc.) in vintage Santa mugs. And we chose paper plates and napkins with cardinals on them.

What Music to Play at My North Carolina Christmas Themed Party

Before your North Carolina themed party, make a playlist that includes Christmas songs that are sung by NC natives, Christmas songs about North Carolina, and Christmas songs about the South. Here's a list to get you started:

Christmas Songs by NC Natives

1. Away in a Manger – Emmylou Harris
2. Chilly Winds Don’t Blow – Nina Simone
3. Christmas Lullaby – Doc Watson
4. Go Tell It on the Mountain – Andy Griffith
5. Grown Up Christmas List – Rissi Palmer
6. Jingle Bells – Earl Scruggs
7. Little Drummer Boy – Tori Amos
8. Mary’s Little Boy Child – John D. Loudermilk
9. O Holy Night – Shirley Caesar
10. Santa Baby – Kellie Pickler
11. Silver Bells – Ronnie Milsap
12. The Christmas Song – Fantasia
13. The First Noel – Scotty McCreery
14. The Strangest Christmas Yet – Steve Martin and The Steep Canyon Rangers
15. Winter Wonderland – Randy Travis

Christmas Songs About NC

1. A Carolina Christmas Carol – Charlie Daniels*
2. Carolina Christmas – Squirrel Nut Zippers*
3. Christmas Time – Far Too Jones* (blink and you’ll miss it, but they specifically mention Crabtree Mall, in Raleigh, NC) 

Southern Christmas Songs (these mention various Southern states)

1. Christmas in Dixie - Alabama
2. Merry Christmas, Alabama (Never Far from Home) – Jimmy Buffet
3. Tennessee Christmas – Amy Grant
4. (There's No Place Like) Home for the Holidays – Randy Travis*

*also NC natives

What Gifts Can I Give at My Carolina Christmas Party?

Daddy was the proud recipient of our special Carolina Christmas present this year, and we thought we'd pass along the idea to you too. It's a GIFT CARD-inal TREE!

Harris Sister Deanna put together this tree with three craft supplies, and it would be easy for you to duplicate. All you need is a small Christmas tree from the craft store (ours had cardinals in it to keep with the NC theme), small clothespins, and gift cards from the recipients favorite haunts. Clip the gift cards to the branches and you've got the perfect personalized gift!

I hope we've inspired you to plan your own party to honor what makes your place in the world special.

The Harris Sisters send you warmest holiday wishes and hopes for a very Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

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