         
Archive for the ‘Holidays’ Category
Monday, December 12th, 2011
| Here’s another one of those recipes that is so minimalist in both ingredients and preparation, I’m a little embarrassed to post it. Much like my Honey Dill Dipping Sauce Recipe, it may be simple and easy, but it’s a hometown memory for me.
I always enjoy exposing people to “new” ideas – even if only new to them!
Clodhoppers are a very well known candy back home in Canada. One Winnipegger wanted to market his grandmother’s candy, got together with a childhood friend of his, and got to work. Within a few years, the candy was selling all over Canada.
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The candy is apparently no longer made in Winnipeg, having been sold to a company on the West Coast – and I’ve since become allergic to gluten, rendering these treats toxic to me – but I’ll never forget em. Super, super addictive stuff.
Was thinking of them, the other day. I’ve never seen them here in the USA, so I decided to create a homemade version for my husband. The proportions turned out beautifully!
Clodhoppers have only 3 simple ingredients – white chocolate, cashews, and graham crackers – and they whip up in no time. Have bowls of this out at holiday parties, or package them up for a hostess gift, stocking stuffer, or “Thank you” that your friends and family will love!
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Posted in Canadian, Candy, Chocolate, Ethnic, Guy Food, Holidays, Kid Favorites, Recipes, Snacks and Appetizers | No Comments »
Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
| When I was a kid, my mom used to make peppermint patties… out of mashed potatoes. I thought it was the weirdest thing in the world, but they sure were tasty! I don’t know what got me thinking of this recently, but I decided to use that information, and come up with my own peppermint patties recipe.
Knowing that I’d only need a small amount of potato, I got a bit lazy .. Err.. CREATIVE, and picked up a couple “sour cream and chive” baked potatoes at Wendy’s! |
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It only took a minute to scrape off the chives, and voila! Tons of time saved. Suck it, Martha Stewart!
Knowing that my husband hasn’t been fond of peppermint patties – but was willing to have his opinion changed over homemade ones! – I picked up some good dark chocolate to dip these in. You can dip them in whatever chocolate you want – chocolate chips, a few good chocolate bars, or baking chocolate. Also, feel free to play with the flavoring in this! If you’re not a fan of mint, ANY extract can be used! Add a little food coloring, and you can make an assortment of cherry, orange, maple… whatever fillings you can imagine!
This recipe works up quickly. It only takes about 5 minutes to mix it up, another 5 or so to roll/flatten, and probably 10-15 to dip them. SO worth it.
Enjoy!
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Posted in Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Gluten Free, Holidays, Kid Favorites, Recipes | 1 Comment »
Tuesday, November 22nd, 2011
| If you’re looking for a little pre-Thanksgiving dinner treat, a hostess gift to bring along with you, an after dinner sweet…. or just want to get your chocolate on – here’s a great recipe for you!
These truffles are based on our famous Chai cake flavor. The warmth of the spices – cinnamon, cardamom, cloves, and nutmeg – pair fabulously with creamy milk chocolate, for a super satisfying sugar rush.
Truffles are easy to make – much easier than their retail cachet would have you think! Even a novice cook can turn these babies out, with very little effort, stress, or cost.
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While chocolate chips may be a highly unusual medium for truffle making, they are easy to find, and lack the sticker shock that comes with the more traditional chocolate options. Anyone can make these truffles at home, with common ingredients, for only about $4.00/30 truffles!!
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Posted in Candy, Chocolate, Desserts, Entertaining Ideas, Gluten Free, Holidays, Recipes, Truffles | 4 Comments »
Monday, November 21st, 2011
| So I was reading a story last week, about how BPA – a toxin – was found in cans of cranberry sauce.
My first reaction was “Whatever!”, seeing as how I learned the joy of homemade cranberry sauce YEARS ago. I’ve been making my own since… jeez, maybe age 16? Once you’ve had homemade, you just can’t bring yourself to eat the canned stuff.
Then I thought something along the lines of “OMG… people still eat canned?!”. After I mentally smacked myself for thinking so elitist and snotty, I realized that this would be a great subject for a blog entry! |
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Cranberry sauce is super easy to make. If you follow the basic recipe on most bags of cranberries, it only costs about $1 more than canned, and takes less than 10 minutes. Trust me, TOTALLY worth the effort!
My recipe takes only slightly longer than the basic recipe, and an extra dollar or two in ingredients. Again, that slight investment is a HUGE improvement, even over basic homemade sauce! If you haven’t tried making your own yet, maybe this is the year?
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Posted in Condiments, Gluten Free, Holidays, Recipes, Thanksgiving | No Comments »
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