Christmas Cookies To The Rescue!!!

So this week I decided that I would make dinner for two of my new friends, and just as I was finishing dinner, I realized: I FORGOT DESSERT!!! Now that is just a complete crime and how I ever forgot that is beyond me! It's just criminal! I thought quick and hard about what to bring, what I had made, what was in the fridge or what was in my cupboards that could pass off as dessert without them thinking that I had forgotten the best part of any meal. Then it hit me: I still had some Christmas goodies left that my family and I had made.

 

Now, traditionally in my family growing up, we always made our treats and cookies before Christmas just like everyone else. Here's the catch: Mom wouldn't let us snack on them until Christmas and after Christmas. We'd make a cookie tray for family events and to snack on at home. We'd eat them long into January as we kept them cold and frozen until they were ready to be placed on the cookie tray. Her reasoning behind this was that there was so much candy being given and bought before Christmas, that we would save the cookies until afterward so that we could enjoy them throughout January when the inflow of other goodies ended. Now that I'm all grown up, I see her point. As a kid though, it was rather difficult to wait.

 

Back to my horror story of forgetting the best part of the meal. Quickly I grabbed two kinds of goodies and threw them into a Tupperware dish and went on my way. They were a hit!! And yes, one of my friends did go for dessert first, so I was glad I'd remembered before I got to my destination (which is a half hour from my apartment, so no turning around!). Here's what I brought: We call them Haystacks or Chocolate Drops. I know other people call them different things, but whatever they're called, they're amazing! Don't they just look good???

 

Chocolate Drops:

1 c. (6 ounces) semi sweet or milk chocolate chocolate chips
1 c. (6 ounces) butterscotch chips
1 c. shoestring potato sticks
1 c. salted peanuts
Waxed paper
Vegetable oil (if needed)
That's really easy to remember, right? One cup of everything!
 
 
 

 
 

Start off by measuring your one cup of butterscotch chips. Then add them to a microwavable bowl. Since this is going into a microwave, please make it a microwave safe bowl. Trust me from experience: It's not good to put a dish in the microwave if it's not supposed to go in there!

 
 
 
 

 

 

Then measure out your chocolate chips and put them in the same bowl as the butterscotch chips.

 
 
 

 

I find it easiest to mix the two chips together as the butterscotch melt slower than the chocolate chips. If they are separate, it's harder to mix them when the chocolate starts to melt. If you need to add some vegetable oil to help the chips melt so that it is creamy rather than chunky and sticky, add as much as is needed, but not too much.

 

 

As you can see, when it's creamy, it looks divine! I could almost eat it just like that.

Then you can add your 1 cup of peanuts and 1 cup of shoe string potato sticks. I find it easier to put the peanuts in first, as the potato sticks are much harder to stir in. The potato sticks will crunch a bit and break into shorter pieces, but if you fold them in and not stir, less seem to break and it's easier to get them all coated.

Once it is all mixed together, it should look a bit like the below picture. It might be a bit messy, but it sure tastes good!

So now it's all mixed together. Now you use a teaspoon, and place teaspoon size drops onto waxed paper, like this:

I like to make them smaller so they are more bite size. The smaller the piece, the more you have to go around. Although bigger pieces are pretty good too. Now let them cool for at least 15 minutes. I like to put mine in the fridge if I'm in a hurry. They also seem to harden better that way.

Aren't they just looking so yummy!

 

Now that they are complete, they are ready to be enjoyed by all! What I like about this recipe is that it is so easy, even kids can help with it. It may be messy, but letting them stir in the peanuts and potato sticks wouldn't be too bad. Maybe they could dip out the pieces when it's mixed. It's also a nice treat for any time of the year. My family just makes them at Christmas because it became a tradition.

 

I hope you enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!! 

 

So, Christmas Is Over?...Maybe Not!

Gunney as a puppy playing in the snow.

WELCOME TO JANUARY!!! Aka the most non-Christmas month of the year. Christmas is over, the decorations are put away, and winter has sunk in...quite possibly to stay for the duration of time, at least it feels like it. This winter especially seems to be going into a deep freeze.

The snow was almost as deep as he is tall! There's a lot more this year.

January is a lot like Monday to the Mon-Fri working people. You wish you could skip it to get on to the rest of the week, or the year in this case. Nothing is happening and for most of us in North America, you won't go outside unless you have to for fear of freezing to death. OK, a little overboard, but it's cold. And very uncomfortable. Unless you're a furry Pomeranian who was built for the snow.

If someone has a no-fail way to keep the Christmas spirit going throughout January, I would love to hear it. The Christmas carols are no longer played, which is a sure way to get into the spirit of things. The tree is gone. And the gift giving is over. How else can we keep in the spirit of Christmas, without Christmas stuff???

One way for me, is the pictures. I'm not talking about those embarrassing pictures that you wish to burn that your family will one day use against you as blackmail (you know which one!). I'm talking about the memories, the cherished pictures that showed what Christmas was all about, the things that you forget from year to year and from Christmas to Christmas.

 This is one of those memories. Christmas 2009, the Christmas after Melanie got Toby. The poor dog is afraid of his shadow! But he looked so cute with those jingle bells on. He wouldn't move an inch while they were on him. Needless to say, they didn't stay on long.

 Then, there's me and my daddy on Christmas morning of 2009. This is one of my favorite pictures with him. It's so festive! This was the year that Christmas "Threw Up" and "Blew Up" in Mom and Dad's house! It was the year we graduated from college and put all of our Christmas decor up...my poor mother! There wasn't room to put up one more thing! Needless to say, it was awesome!

 

And the last memory from Christmas Past I'd like to share, is how Toby got his "House". From the very first time he saw it and stepped in, Toby was in love. In '09 Tasha made Toby his own house. It is utterly adorable, and crafted with love. That is one of the most memorable gifts from that Christmas, and Toby says, "Thank you, Aunt Tasha!"

Christmas pictures and their memories sure do have a way of bringing back the Christmas spirit. They make the feelings you felt come alive again, and though January may seem drab, boring, and many times like it takes forever, trying to keep that same spirit in your life can make all the difference.

Merry Christmas!!!