S'mores

A sweet end to the weekend!

♥

Homemade Turtles

This is for my friend Katelyn. :)

Homemade Turtles

1 cup chocolate chips

1 teaspoon vegetable shortening

Pecan halves

1 bag Kraft caramel squares

Melt chocolate and shortening over low heat until

smooth and creamy.  Set aside.

Place three pecans together for each candy, forming a Y,

on parchment paper lined cookie sheets.

Unwrap caramels and place one on each Y.

Bake in 300 degree oven for 7-9 minutes, just

until caramels soften and start to pool.

Remove from heat and let cool.

Chocolate should be easy to stir and thickened slightly.

Swirl chocolate onto each candy.

Don't try to move until everything is set.

Makes 40 turtles.

♥

Chocolate Factory

Swirly chocolate, salty peanuts.  Yum.

Recipe here.

♥

The Weekend

♥

In The Kitchen Today

I spent the day in the kitchen making some yummy things.

As I worked I had Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker Ballet

blasting through the kitchen! ha.

Not only did I have sugar plums dancing in my head,

 I had Sugar Plum fairies twirling around the room! ha.

And even though all the men were gone for the day,

I did have some sweet furry company!

Chocolate Peanut Clusters recipe is HERE.

♥

Just Stuff

I bought some fallish candy today.

Have you tried Reese's Pieces with Candy Corn?  Yum.

 Dove Peanut Butter Cups are a more 

sophisticated version of Reese Cups.  

Just like Dove Cookies and Creams are a more 

sophisticated version of Hershey's Cookies and Creams.  

Double Yum!

And the candy looked even more fallish in bowls

with oak leaves on them. :)

No work in the kitchen today, but the family room 

got paint!  It was royal blue before, so you can imagine

the drastic change!  Samantha seems to think

it's zen and relaxing.  It's a different grey from the kitchen

with a touch of sea foam green in it, kind of like the

Atlantic Ocean...perfect for my nautical theme.

♥

Cadbury Flakes

Back in October when I showed a picture of my Trick-Or-Treat

basket full of candy, Vincent asked where the Flakes were.

Amy said if Vincent knew Flakes, he really was English.

Of course I'd never heard of Flakes, but went to youtube

and watched a few of their adverts, which are very entertaining. :)

Well, look what came in the mail from England yesterday!

A bag of Flake bars!

Maybe they should be called twigs...or branches? Bark? ha.

Seriously, I've never seen such a thing!

They claim to be "The Crumbliest, Flakiest Milk Chocolate"

and yes, they do live up to their name.

They should not be eaten by messy children (or men) indoors.

Outside would be much better! haha.

And they're delicious Cadbury chocolate that melts in your mouth.

There are only 6 left and I refuse to say who has eaten 3 of them.

So, thank you, Amy!  What a sweet surprise!

She made the pretty Christmas card and wrote in it that

she sent the big bag so I'd have plenty to share.

Share?  Um, what?

♥

Candy Corn

It wouldn't be fall without it!

♥

Australian Strawberry Licorice

So, I've been asking where this has been

my whole life and thinking good bye to Twizzlers!

♥

Peppermint Bark

This is a great candy to make for Christmas

and Valentine's Day, too!

I usually crush up candy canes in my food processor,

but look what I found this year!  

Crushed peppermint already done!  Perfect!

The only other ingredient is almond bark!

Melt the bark in the microwave and add the peppermint.

Stir together and spread onto parchment paper.

After it has hardened, break into pieces!

Yum.

♥

Chocolate Peanut Clusters

This is a favorite candy of ours and so easy to make!

You can use any kind of nut you like, too.

First melt 1.5 pounds of almond bark in the microwave.

In a separate bowl, melt 6 ounces chocolate chips 

and 1 square of unsweetened chocolate.

The amounts are different in my photos because I was making 

one and a half batches for gift giving.

Stir 16 ounces of cocktail peanuts into the almond bark.  

Then add the chocolate on top.

If you want them to be totally chocolate, stir all together.

To get a marbled effect, do not stir the chocolate but simply

start spooning teaspoon size candies onto parchment paper.

When the candies are fully hardened they are ready to eat!

Isn't this a sweet vintage Christmas plate?

Yes, I pulled it from the auction trash earlier this year!

I was excited to bring it out and use it this season!

♥

No Bake Sweet Gifts

Here's what's happening in my kitchen today....

Swirly peanut clusters, for that sweet & salty treat...

White chocolate and pstachio dipped pretzel rods..

Packaged up in a festive way, they make

wonderful little gifts.

If you want recipes click here...

peanut cluster recipe

****

dipped pretzel rods

****

I feel like one of Santa's elves! :)

Candy Coated Snack Mix

Coat cheerios, rice chex, peanuts and pretzels with

melted white chocolate or almond bark. Spread on parchment paper

and let cool until firm.

Yum!

Carmel Corn

You guessed it...a holiday family favorite!

~~~~

6 qts popped corn (24 cups)

2 sticks butter

2 c brown sugar

1/2 c light corn syrup

1 t salt

1 t vanilla extract

3/4 t baking soda

~~~~

In saucepan, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup

and salt. Bring to boil, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.

Add vanilla and baking soda and stir to combine.

Pour over popped corn which should be in an extra

large, greased bowl. Mix until completely coated.

Turn into large, greased pan. Bake at 250 for 1 hour,

stirring every 15 minutes.

Peanut Clusters

This is one of our favorite homemade candies.

It wouldn't be Christmas without them!

~~~~

Peanut Clusters

1 and 1/2 lbs almond bark

6 ounces 60% cacao chips

1 square unsweetened chocolate

16 oz. cocktail peanuts

~~~~

Melt bark and chocolates in microwave.

Add peanuts and stir.

Drop by teasonfuls onto wax paper.

~~~~

If you like the marbled look, like I did, then

melt the white and dark separately.

Stir the peanuts into the white and pour the

chocolate on top. Start spooning the candies

without combining so you get the swirls.

Dipped Pretzel Rods

Last Christmas I saw these fancy dipped pretzels in one of those

ritzy mail order cataloges. They sold for $15 for 6 pretzel rods!

I made several flavors and this year decided to make our favorite

for little gifts.

Rods are dipped in melted Ghiradelli White Chocolate and then

rolled in chopped pstachios. Pretty beribboned packages are awaiting their gift labels. These are going to all those special ed teachers, aides, therapists, Sunday School teachers and the bus driver! The baker got to eat any broken ones! :)