The Way to Anyone's Heart

One of the best parts of Christmas is gift-giving. And, one of my favorite things to give is food! I'm not a caterer of fine food a or maker of fabulous cakes like the Goddess, but I do enjoy making yummy and pretty food. When Christmas rolls around each year, I get excited about making treats for the special people in our life. 

The popular phrase is, "the way to a man's heart is through his stomach." But I contend that food lovingly prepared and given as a gift is special to anyone (not just men). Here are a few of the items I made and gave this year.

Buckeye Bark: 

I can't think of any better combination than chocolate and peanut butter! I have always loved Buckeyes, and now I have discovered that I can have that same great taste with half the time and effort. For the recipe follow this link.

Cinnamon Pull-Apart Bread:

For several years, I have been making the Pioneer Woman's amaaaazing cinnamon rolls. Her recipe is extremely decadent. The rolls are yummy and unhealthy and yummy and full of butter and yummy! When the Pioneer Woman recently posted a recipe that converted her cinnamon roll dough into Pull-Apart Bread, I couldn't wait to make it. I was not disappointed! In fact, I'm pretty sure I will make them this way from now on.

"Christmas Crack":

I'm not sure where this candy got its name, but I suppose it is because it is hard to say no to the second and third (or fourth or fifth) piece of it. This is homemade toffee and chocolate. Go on over to this blog post and check it out. I found this recipe on Pinterest, but I plan to peruse the whole fabulous looking blog soon!

Peppermint Popcorn:

This treat is often called Peppermint Popcorn Bark. But when I make it, I use less of the almond bark. This ensures that the snack is like a flavored popcorn, rather than a candy bar. It is a special treat and looks mighty cute packaged in storage bags and cardstock (a trick I learned here). For the recipe for Peppermint Popcorn, visit the Plain Chicken.

Need more ideas? Come see me on my recipe blog, Family Favorites. I recently posted some other food gift ideas.

Need still more ideas? You can look at the links I have posted on my Holiday Cooking board.

Happy cooking, y'all! Happy gifting! and Merry Christmas!

'Tis the Season!

The countdown is on - Christmas is coming and that means the next few weeks will be filled with holiday parties. Maybe a few cookie exchanges and perhaps a bit of stress. Whether you have one such sweet treat exchange to attend or need a bit of sugar to calm your stress, these perfectly nutty cookies are sure to fit the bill. 

 

When I was young, elementary age, I lived next door to a very sweet couple. We were close - so close that I called them "Aunt" and "Uncle" despite being of no blood relation. I lived in Oklahoma and my extended family lived in Ohio and these sweet neighbors filled the absence of nearby relatives. I learned so many things from them - how to sheer sheep, milk cows, butcher a chicken and even helped a cow give birth to her calf. Clearly, this was a rural community. Every June I made peanut butter cookies for my stand-in "uncle" on his birthday - they were his favorite cookie and to this day I rarely make these without thinking about him. He was a kind, gentle, soft-spoken, patient man - completely the opposite so many men in my life at that time and I will be eternally thankful for his mild and considerate example. I was pregnant with my second child when he passed - I am certain that he is sitting at the feet of Jesus. I hope they have peanut butter cookies there.

 

Classic Peanut Butter Cookies

 

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

1 1/2 tsp. baking soda

1 cup peanut butter chips

 

Cream together butter, peanut butter and sugars. Beat in eggs. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, baking pwder, baking soda, and salt. Stir into batter. Add peanut butter chips and stir by hand to combine. Refrigerate batter until set - at least 30 minutes - can keep in an airtight container for one week and bake a few at a time for a wam after shcool snack.

Roll into 1-inch ball and put on baking sheets. Flatten each ball with a fork, making a criss-cross pattern. Bake in a 375 degree oven for about 10 minutes or until cookies begin to brown.