Annual Christmas Candy Making Day

A couple weeks ago we had our annual candy making day. This year we had a new idea...candy mice! There are several videos online that we found.

They were really easy. All it takes are cherries with stems to dip in chocolate chips, Hershey's Hugs, and sliced almonds. 

After you dip the cherry, lay it on its side and place the Hug. Then place the almonds between the two for the ears. The chocolate acts as the glue to hold it all together. 

 Then dip a toothpick in the chocolate and  give them eyes and a nose. They turned out really great!

We also made lots of other things, but I guess the only picture I got was of the peanut butter balls.

 

Simple Cinnamon Rolls

I love homemade cinnamon rolls but have only made them from scratch a couple of times. My mom has been getting some leftover dough from a business in town. She gets it in a big bag, but she divides it into smaller packages and puts it in the freezer. This way she just gets out what she needs and has fresh rolls. I was able to get a couple of packages from her over Christmas.

They're so simple to make. Start by pressing out the dough into a rectangle with your hands or a rolling pin on the counter or a pastry sheet. Melt some butter and spread on the dough (be generous). I put brown sugar,cinnamon, and raisins on mine, but you could also use pecans.

Roll up the dough and pinch the edges together.

Cut into 1 to 1.5 inch slices and place in pan.

Cover and let rise in a warm spot until double in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes or until golden brown. Make some frosting and drizzle over rolls. Yummo!!

I went ahead and baked all of the rolls at once and then put the pans in the freezer to take out as I want them. Another option would be to put all of the slices on a cookie sheet and freeze them. After they're frozen, you could put them in a freezer bag and just take out the number you want.  Put them in a pan to thaw and raise and then bake.

One of these days I'm going to use my new Kitchen Aid mixer to make the dough myself!

Chocolate Covered Cherries

Another Christmas favorite is homemade chocolate covered cherries. I remember standing at the stove helping (watching??) my Mom dip these when we were growing up. 

The dough is wrapped around maraschino cherries and then dipped in chocolate.

 The dough works best when it's chilled so I usually take a small batch at a time out of the frig as I'm wrapping. This year I was having quite the time keeping my hands free of warm, sticky dough. I could only do about 5-6 balls and then have to wash my hands. After a lot of frustration over the course of two days and only having half of them finished, I realized I should just add more powdered sugar. That did the trick! The dough needs to be soft, but not so soft that you can't handle it.

These look the same as peanut butter balls so I make sure I keep them in separate containers.

Since I wrote my last post, I happened to see a double boiler in the store on sale for $79. I'm sure there are less expensive ones, but that definitely wasn't the price I would have guessed.

Recipe:

2 lbs. powdered sugar

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 stick melted oleo

2 tsp. vanilla

Mix together and chill. Wrap around whole maraschino cherries. Chill again before dipping.

Chocolate coating:

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 oz. Hershey candy bar

1/2 stick parafin

The longer these sit, the more the dough liquifies. Keeping them at room temperature rather than in the frig also helps.

Peanut Butter Balls

I got this recipe from a former co-worker a couple of years ago, and it is now my favorite Christmas candy. There is nothing better than peanut butter and chocolate.

 After mixing up the dough, you roll it into balls.

 Then it's time to dip them in chocolate. I have my own version of a double boiler that I use so the chocolate stays thin enough. All you need is a sauce pan and a bowl that fits in it. I use the edge of a paring knife along the handle of the sauce pan so the bowl doesn't make a tight seal. Otherwise, when the water boils, it splatters all over. Sometimes you have to improvise in the kitchen...especially for an item that would only get used once a year.

 The finished product. I actually dip them twice so there's just a bit more chocolate!! Who doesn't think that's a great idea.

Recipe:

1 stick melted margarine

1 lb. powdered sugar (start with less)

2 cups creamy peanut butter

3 cups rice krispies (measure, then crush)

Mix by hand until smooth. Roll into 3/4" balls and dip. Cool on wax paper. Makes 6 dozen.

Thru trial and error, I have found that you want to start with a little less powdered sugar. If the dough is too dry, you'll have problems keeping the balls together.

Chocolate coating:

6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

4 oz. Hershey candy bar

1/2 stick parafin

Peach Pie

I got a new recipe for a fabulous peach pie a few days ago.

4-5 medium sized peaches - slice into graham cracker crust

Cover with glaze:

1 box sugar free lemon jello

1 box sugar free cook vanilla pudding mix

2 c. water

Cook until it boils. Cool and then pour over peaches.

Chill and serve with cool whip.

Strawberry Pie

Strawberries have been on sale for about a dollar a pound that past few weeks, and I've really been taking advantage. I could eat a pound a day if I let myself. They aren't quite at peak sweetness, but they're still delicious. 

I sliced strawberries into a graham cracker crust and made a filling. I had to wait for the filling to cool.

 The finished pie, chilled just in time so I could eat with my supper.

Christmas Cookies

They're finally finished.  This is one of many things Mom and I accomplished today.

Holiday Happenings

I've been busy with a lot of different things in the past few days.  Last Sunday Lisa and I went to Mike's for our annual Christmas candy making day.  Since then I've baked the cookies that I had actually mixed up several days ago, made chocolate covered cherries and fudge.  I needed a good supply for potluck at work tomorrow.

A few days ago I was off from work while I got a new furnace.  That was a good day to accomplish something.  I got my wallhanging basted.....slowly but surely I'm one step closer to actually getting started on the quilting part.  I've been working on a knitting project and started a puzzle.  I guess I don't want to get too bored with just one thing!!

.....and I'm still waiting for the first snow!

Christmas Decorating

I was busy putting up my Christmas decorations last week.  I had to find a new spot for the tree this year as the couch is now in front of the window, and I really wasn't in the mood to move it.  Sorry the picture is a bit dark.  I can't seem to get a decent one with or without flash.

I've been baking too. Last night I made peanut butter balls dipped in chocolate. They are fabulous!! Tonight I'm mixing up the cookie dough so it can chill overnight, and I can bake on my day off. I need to get the dough mixed up for chocolate covered cherries so it can chill too. I love this time of year!

I'm still waiting for the first snow.

Caramel Corn

I needed to do some baking tonight. It's a co-worker's birthday (one of those that ends in a zero) and tomorrow is treat day. After looking through the cookbook, I finally decided on caramel corn since I had all of the ingredients on hand. Even had an air popper in the basement.  Thanks, Lisa!

I've already snitched some while it's cooling, and it's delicious.

Rhubarb Pie

Last weekend we had our annual rhubarb pie making day. This year Mom, Lisa and I made 14 pies for the freezer.  The first step was to clean and cut the rhubarb.  We ended up with about 58 cups.  What we didn't use for pie, we put in freezer bags for use throughout the year.

My job is to make the crusts.  I use a recipe I learned in high school home ec. 

1/2 cup shortening

1 1/2 cups flour

1/2 tsp. salt

Mix the above with a pastry cutter until it's crumbly.  Add 4-5 tbsp. ice cold water a couple at a time until the dough holds together.

Between Mom and Lisa they made the filling.  Honestly, I've never made it.  Noboby else wants to learn how to make the crusts, so I'm stuck doing it. 

2 eggs

1 cup sugar

1 tbsp flour

Mix and add in 2 1/2 cups rhubarb.  Pour into crust and dot with butter.

After putting on the top crust, rub a small amount of milk on crust and sprinkle with sugar.  Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes.

Here are some of the finished pies.  The rule is that if you help make them, you get to share in the pies throughout the year.  Mike has helped in the past but wasn't home this year to help.  But I'm sure if he's really nice to me, he might get one.

Enjoy!!

Pumpkin Cookies

I got a recipe for pumpkin cookies from my friend Ann today.  They are fabulous.  The recipe doesn't call for walnuts, but they would be a great addition.  I didn't have any on hand tonight, but I will definitely add them the next time.

Cream

1/2 c. butter, soft

1 1/2 c. white sugar

1 c. pumpkin

1 egg

1 t. vanilla

And then add:

2 1/2 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. baking soda

2 t. cinnamon

1/2 t. nutmeg

1/2 t. cloves

1/2 t. salt

Bake at 350 degrees for 15-20 minutes.

Baking Day

Yesterday was our Annual Baking Day!  Lisa and I got an early start down to Mike's with Christmas music in hand for the car ride.  Lisa is great at making the Ritz cracker and peanut butter sandwiches which would later be dipped in chocolate.  We sure enjoyed the warm sun shining in too.

Mike was in charge of dipping the marshmallows in caramel for bunny tails.  These require quite a bit of patience to make.  Lisa and I then dipped them in rice krispies.  I made some notes on the recipe for next year so we remember what works and doesn't work.  The consistency of the caramel is key. 

Caramels are one of my all-time favorites.  I got the recipe from my aunt Darlene several years ago.  We made two batches this year.  Not sure what's going on here.  He's supposed to be wrapping them.  Hmmm....wonder what's in that Casey's mug??

A picture of the finished product. The three of us have lots to share with family, friends, and co-workers.  We'll take a few containers home to share with Mom too.

We had our list and got everything made on it. The cookies still need to be baked and frosted, but they are on the list for another day.