Christmas*treats?

I have found a great web site for all things that are Christmas It is northpole.com You can write/send santa a letter, it has story that you can personalize and have them read or listen to. They have Mrs. Clause kitchen that you can see different recipies, like cookies, cakes and yes fudge, it is a fun site, Good luck and have fun

Hi M.,
We have a drink which is family tradition. English Wassil which I found out over Thanksgiving from my mom that she has had for 60+ years! Got it directly from an English person!:) I like this because it has no alchol and the kids love it. You can add the fun stuff to yours later. I will give you the recipe I have but I have cut the sugar and lemon juice. This is the half recipe.
English Wassil
4 1/2 c. sugar (I do about 3 or whatever you like)
2 quarts water
1 tbsp. whole cloves
6 sticks cinnamon
3 tbsp. candied ginger
1 c. lemon juice (I use about 1/2 c.)
2 quarts orange juice (best with fresh not canned concentrate)
1/2 gal. apple cider
The night before bring sugar, water, cloves, cinnamon and candied ginger to a boil. Once boiling turn off, cover and let sit all night. Makes the house smell wonderful. Next morning remove spices, add juices, reheat and serve. The kids love to suck on the cinnamon sticks. My kids are now all grown but when they come home for the holidays they always look for the Wassil.

Peanut Butter Balls
1/2 c. Peanut Butter (good brand like Jif or Skippy)
3 tbsp. butter
1 c. powdered sugar
8 oz. almond bark chocolate
Combine the peanut butter and butter. Mix until well blended. Slowly add the powdered sugar until smooth. May want to sift powdered sugar if at all lumpy. Shape into balls and place on wax paper sheet. Let dry for an hour or so. Meanwhile melt the chocolate almond bark and when the balls are dry dip into melted bark and place back on wax paper sheet. Balls are best if kept very small (bite size). Makes about 30 balls. This is very easy and you'll be amazed at the taste! Yum.

I have two great recipies that I like to give out at the holidays. Crispix Mix and Hot fudge!

Crispix Mix

6 cups Crispix
1 pkg 9oz pretzels
1 jar peanuts and/or cashews

1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup Karyo corn syrup

Boil butter, brown sugar, and Karyo syrup for 1 1/2 minutes.

Mix dry ingredients and spread onto 2 cookie sheets with sides.

Pour boiled mixutre over dry ingredients on cookie sheets.

Bake at 350 for 8 minutes. Remove from oven and stir.
Bake another 8 minutes. Remove and continue stirring until pieces cool so they don't stick together.

Hot Fudge

3/4 cups choc chips
1 1/2 cups evaporated milk
1 stick butter
2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla

Mix ingredients in sauce pan. Boil until thick ~ 5 minutes. Serve over ice cream. For gifts, I put it in small jelly jars.

I have also made Gifts in a Jar...cookies, muffins, soups etc. You can probably order the books online. They are fun to make.

Here is a great Fudge recipe my Mom gave me. Enjoy! :)

Million Dollar Fudge
by Jan Briggs

4 Large Hershey bars - Milk chocolate or Special Dark depending on preference (these bars are around 4.4 oz each) (so make sure you get enough to measure at least 1 lb) - Chop very fine, so it melts easy, MAKE SURE IT IS REAL CHOCOLATE - Not immitation/chocolate flavored
2 12-oz pkgs chocolate chips - semi sweet or milk chocolate depending on preference - again MAKE SURE IT IS REAL CHOCOLATE
**The fudge will go greasy if you use immitation or chocolate flavored chocolate
1 large jar of Marshmallow cream (can use the small jar, depending on how creamy or dense you like it)
1 lb of walnuts or pecans chopped coarsely (as fresh as possible, these can make or break fudge)
4 1/2 cups sugar
1 12-oz. can evaporated milk
1/2 lb butter (2 sticks)
Optional: 1 tsp vanilla

Boil below ingredients together exactly 4 1/2 minutes (time it after it comes to a full boil) turn down heat to medium and stir constantly or it will burn
4 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 lb butter
12 oz can evaporated milk

Put Chocolate and marshmallow cream in a large bowl, after above is boiled together, pour over chocolate and marshmallow cream, then stir until smooth. (nuts stirred in after, so you know if the chocolate all melted, if you put the nuts in before you wont' know if it is unmelted chocoalte or nuts) Stir in nuts and pour into pan (9x13 or larger depending on how thick you want the fudge pieces) that has been greased with butter or sprayed with Pam. Let set to cool and harden, then cut into small squares.

Yield: 7 lbs of fudge

I haven't tried this recipe yet but it sure looks yummy; I'm going to try it this Christmas Season!

RICE KRISPIES FUDGE SANDWICHES

1 (12 oz.) pkg. butterscotch chips
1 c. peanut butter
8 c. Rice Krispies
2 tbsp. water
1 (12 oz.) pkg. chocolate chips
1 c. powdered sugar
4 tbsp. butter

Melt butterscotch chips and peanut butter over low heat. Remove from heat. Add Rice Krispies; mix well. Press half of mixture in 9"x13" pan. Chill while preparing fudge mixture. Set the rest of the cereal aside. Combine chocolate chips, sugar, butter and water. Melt over low heat. Spread over chilled cereal mixture. Spread remaining cereal over the top. Press gently and chill for a few hours. Cut into small squares. This also works well in the microwave.

dipping things in chocolate can make them a little more festive.

Hi M.,
I just finished making peppermint fudge. It is really easy.

2 bags chocolate chips (milk &/or semi-sweet)
1 can sweetened condensed milk
dash salt
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
1/4 c. crushed candy canes

Cook chips, milk & salt on LOW, stirring until melted. Remove from heat. Add extract. Stir. Spread in foil lined 8" or 9" pan. Sprinkle with candy canes. Cool completely. Tip ont cutting board. Remove foil. Flip back over. Cut into desired size squares. Keep in airtight container at room temp for 1 week, or in fridge for 3 weeks. (ours NEVER lasts that long!)

Good luck & have fun!

PS. I also have some other fabulous recipes for peanut brittle, caramels and almond toffee. Message me if you want the recipes.

Shellie

I have found lots of good ideas on this blog - http://www.ourbestbites.com/ So many cute ideas, and more posted all the time...today's was easy and yummy looking.

I believe you might be thinking about Puppy Chow -

if not the chex mix recipe is on the box

Ingredients
9 cups crispy rice cereal squares (Rice Chex)
1/2 cup peanut butter 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/2 cups confectioners' sugar
Directions
In a saucepan over low heat, melt the chocolate; add peanut butter and mix until smooth.
Remove from heat, add cereal and stir until coated.
Pour powdered sugar into large plastic bag, add coated cereal and shake until well coated. Store in airtight container.

The fudge - if you want a really easy fudge
prepare a dish that is buttered - I use a small pan
pour 1 cup of chocolate chips in a 1 cup container (set aside)

In a sauce pan over medium heat add:
6 T Butter
1 1/2 cups sugar
6 T milk
whisk continuously
let it come to a boil - BUT ONLY 30 Seconds count them out.
Remove from heat

Then put in the chocolate chips and stir until they are completely melted

When it has kind of lost its shine (you can add nuts and a little 1/2 teaspoon vanilla) - not necessary though

pour in your pan and put in the fridge.
This is the easiest recipe for fudge I know of and it is so good.

The easiest fudge recipe is on the cans of Eagle brand condensed milk. It takes something like 3 ingrediants and the microwave- no candy thermometer! It's very tasty, too. And you can make variations on the original, such as replacing 2/3 of the chocolate chips with peanut butter chips for chocolate-peanut butter flavor, etc. Have fun!

M.,

Here is the recipe for one of my favorite treats to make at Christmas. The original name didn't fit so we renamed it "Evil Chex Mix"...it's so tasty its addictive, therefore it's evil. Enjoy

J.

Evil Chex Mix
1 large box Rice Chex
1 large box Corn Chex
2 lbs. pecan halves
1 lb. butter (no substitutes)
2 lbs. brown sugar
1 cup white corn syrup (or ½ cup white corn syrup & ½ cup dark corn syrup)
2 tsp. vanilla
1 large bag M & M’s

In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, bring butter, brown sugar and corn syrup, to a boil, stirring constantly. Reduce heat. Simmer, uncovered, for 5 minutes or until a soft ball stage, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla. While the syrup is cooking, in a very large bowl, mix the cereal and pecans. Pour the simmered syrup over the cereal mix and stir until well coated. Divide onto 2 or 3 large cookie sheets that have been greased and bake at 350° for 45-minutes - 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and immediately spread contents on parchment or waxed paper to cool. Add M & M’s for a splash of color. . Store in airtight containers. Makes approximately 2 gallons.

I have not ever made "real" fudge, but wanted to share this recipe because it is the strangest fudge recipe I have ever heard. We did try it and were pleasantly surprised at how good it is, and it is VERY easy. Horrible on the health front, but that's why we don't make this stuff very often, right?!

The recipe is from Paula Deen and can be found on the Food Network website.

Chocolate Cheese Fudge
1/2 pound Velveeta cheese, sliced
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 cup chopped nuts, pecans, walnuts
2 (16-ounce) boxes confectioners' sugar
1/2 cup cocoa powder
Directions
Spray lightly the bottom of a 9 by 2-inch square pan with a nonstick spray.

In a saucepan over medium heat, melt the cheese and butter together, stirring constantly until smooth. Remove from heat and add the vanilla and nuts.

In a large bowl sift together the sugar and cocoa. Pour the cheese mixture into the sugar and cocoa mixture and stir until completely mixed. The candy will be very stiff.

Using your hands, remove candy from bowl and press evenly and firmly into pan. Because of the amount of butter in this recipe, pat the top of the candy with a paper towel to remove the excess oil. Place pan in refrigerator until candy is firm.

To serve candy, cut into squares.

We use the recipe on the jar of marshmello cream. It's the best. Just be mindfull of the heat, the chocolate will crystalize easly.