As we all know, chocolate is enjoyed in many different forms the world over. I think it is probably the most celebrated and enjoyed food ever, but that is just me. I also believe chocolate is one of the food groups too. As you know, we spent Christmas Eve with Priscilla and her family, My Fun Christmas Loot and as always, making the meal is a combined effort. We all make portions of the meal and desserts, sharing our recipes and sharing the love with everyone. Priscilla had requested my green beans with caramelized shallots Video #19 – Green Beans with Caramelized Shallots and a salad, so I made my Christmas salad with pomegranate seeds, spiced candied pecans and lemon vinaigrette Add a Little Lemon. But I also brought my cashew brittle Video #21 – Cashew Brittle – Part 2 and a fun Christmas bark with both white and dark chocolate, toasted almonds and dried cranberries as well. Priscilla had made a fabulous roast, sweet potato gnochies, and a variety of desserts as well. Our friend Laura brought a variety of delicious pies and desserts. Everything was scrumptious, and only a little decadent. 🙂

Chocolate is often made into a “bark”, which once set is broken apart and enjoyed piece by piece. It is called a bark because the chocolate is layered in a flat sheet pan and usually has nuts, fruit, candies or other toppings embedded into the top “layer” of the chocolate. It is a figurative use of the “tree skin” kind of “bark,” based on the vague resemblance of the confection to very rough tree bark.

Chocolate barks are very easy to make and are also very colorful and festive. The sky is the limit to what you can use as toppings. This time I used toasted almonds and dried cranberries and topped the bark with them.

Toasted Almond and Cranberry Chocolate Bark

1 1/2 cups semi-sweet or dark chocolate (or chocolate chips)

1/2 cup white chocolate (or chcolate chips)

1/4 cup dried cranberries

1/3- 1/2 cup toasted almonds

Toast the almonds until they are lightly golden and set aside.

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

Melt the dark chocolate completely. I used chocolate chips and melted them in the microwave, but you can also melt them on the stove in a double boiler too. Spread the melted chocolate evenly over the parchment paper in a thin layer.

Melt the white chocolate in the same way and add dollops of white chocolate onto the dark chocolate.

Take a knife and carefully swirl the white chocolate into the dark chocolate.

Sprinkle the toasted almonds and the dried cranberries over the top of the chocolate while it is still soft.

Refrigerate for at least 1 hour or enough to let the chocolate set and harden. Once it is set, carefully break it apart with your hands and enjoy.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

I have been busy with the 25 Days of Christmas Challenge, and haven’t been posting too many things from my almost daily walks. But I’ve still been walking, and there has still been a lot to see. Christmas Day we were very lazy indeed, and the only thing we did was take Vinnie for a long walk through our fields. We walked him about 4-5 miles. It was a much needed walk for all of us.

The prairie dogs were out in droves, running all around the fields. I caught this little guy checking out the scene, making sure it was safe to go out.

There was a bunny laying low, hoping not to be seen.

This red-bellied woodpecker was hard at work trying his best to get all the insects from the tree.

Some geese all lined up, flying in formation.

And these squirrels were just having the time of their life, without a care in the world.

Look at me, I’m upside down in the tree.

When life gets you down, take a walk. Let all your stress just melt away. Don’t worry. Be happy.

Right after Christmas, we went out of town for just a couple of days, so I haven’t had a chance to post anything until now. I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and Hanukkah holidays. Hang in there. We are almost done with 2020. I think ALL of us will be glad to see it GONE, GONE, GONE; the sooner the better too!

We spent Christmas Eve with our friends Jonathon and Priscilla and Laura, and their families. Our Christmas Day was very quiet. It was just Larry and I and all we did was take Vinnie out for a long, much needed walk. Then we left early Saturday morning to drive to Hays, KS, to have a Christmas celebration with Larry’s family.

The presents under the tree are not big or numerous, but the ones we do get are always a lot of fun. There was most definitely a theme for my presents this year. For some reason, I received gifts that were either food or wine related. HMMMMM! How did they know???? 🙂

This fun little book of quotes from Julia Child, was actually a present to myself. You all know how much I love and idolize her. She was most definitely the Hostess with the mostest. I could not agree with this quote any more than if I had said it myself. 🙂

Janet and Bob got us some gourmet olive oil and balsamic vinegar. I already have some real good ideas of how to use these too. You will just have to wait and see what I create with them. 🙂

Priscilla gave me some gourmet chocolate shaped like a wine bottle.

And my friend Andrea shipped me this wine kit from Artiste Wines that came with a dipping sauce from Santa Ynez, part of California wine country.

Is it just me, or is everyone else getting hungry? I think I need a glass or two of wine to hold me over until dinner is ready. Anyone care to join me? 🙂

Thank you all for the fun goodies. You all know I will have a good time with all of them. You know me well. Love you all lots. ❤ ❤ <3.

Stay safe and stay well Everyone. 2020 is ALMOST DONE! ‘Til next time.

Merry Christmas Everyone. I hope Santa brought you everything you wanted. I wish you all the best and hope for a much better 2021 for Everyone.

Merry Christmas and a Happy, Healthy New Year to all.

A Visit from St. Nicholas

BY CLEMENT CLARKE MOORE

‘Twas the night before Christmas, when all through the house
Not a creature was stirring, not even a mouse;
The stockings were hung by the chimney with care,
In hopes that St. Nicholas soon would be there;
The children were nestled all snug in their beds;
While visions of sugar-plums danced in their heads;
And mamma in her ‘kerchief, and I in my cap,
Had just settled our brains for a long winter’s nap,
When out on the lawn there arose such a clatter,
I sprang from my bed to see what was the matter.
Away to the window I flew like a flash,
Tore open the shutters and threw up the sash.
The moon on the breast of the new-fallen snow,
Gave a lustre of midday to objects below,
When what to my wondering eyes did appear,
But a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer,
With a little old driver so lively and quick,
I knew in a moment he must be St. Nick.
More rapid than eagles his coursers they came,
And he whistled, and shouted, and called them by name:
“Now, Dasher! now, Dancer! now Prancer and Vixen!
On, Comet! on, Cupid! on, Donner and Blitzen!
To the top of the porch! to the top of the wall!
Now dash away! dash away! dash away all!”
As leaves that before the wild hurricane fly,
When they meet with an obstacle, mount to the sky;
So up to the housetop the coursers they flew
With the sleigh full of toys, and St. Nicholas too—
And then, in a twinkling, I heard on the roof
The prancing and pawing of each little hoof.
As I drew in my head, and was turning around,
Down the chimney St. Nicholas came with a bound.
He was dressed all in fur, from his head to his foot,
And his clothes were all tarnished with ashes and soot;
A bundle of toys he had flung on his back,
And he looked like a peddler just opening his pack.
His eyes—how they twinkled! his dimples, how merry!
His cheeks were like roses, his nose like a cherry!
His droll little mouth was drawn up like a bow,
And the beard on his chin was as white as the snow;
The stump of a pipe he held tight in his teeth,
And the smoke, it encircled his head like a wreath;
He had a broad face and a little round belly
That shook when he laughed, like a bowl full of jelly.
He was chubby and plump, a right jolly old elf,
And I laughed when I saw him, in spite of myself;
A wink of his eye and a twist of his head
Soon gave me to know I had nothing to dread;
He spoke not a word, but went straight to his work,
And filled all the stockings; then turned with a jerk,
And laying his finger aside of his nose,
And giving a nod, up the chimney he rose;
He sprang to his sleigh, to his team gave a whistle,
And away they all flew like the down of a thistle.
But I heard him exclaim, ere he drove out of sight—
“Happy Christmas to all, and to all a good night!”

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night.

Larry had the smoker out again and smoked some ribs, a beef roast and some pork. Everything came out so good. He really outdid himself this time. I made a creamy Southwestern yellow tomato sauce to top the pork. It came out so good. I was making it up as I went along, something I do on a regular basis.

I had some delicious yellow heirloom tomatoes that needed to be used. They are too good and too expensive to just let go to waste, and they were getting a bit soft. So I made them saucy. The sauce went so well with the smoked pork.

Creamy Southwestern Yellow Tomato Sauce

2-3 large yellow heirloom tomatoes, stems removed and diced

1-2 roasted Hatch chillies or peppers, diced fine

1 shallot, minced

1 TBSP garlic

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

1 tsp sage

1 tsp thyme

2-3 TBSP olive oil

Saute the shallots, peppers and garlic together for about 2-3 minutes in the olive oil.

Add the tomatoes and seasonings and thoroughly combine. Then add the cream. Mix everything together well. Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to a simmer, and continue to cook for about 10 minutes, stirring frequently.

When the sauce is ready, top it over your favorite meat. You can also use this over pasta too if you like. As I said, I served it over smoked pork, and it was an awesome combination. I served it over wild rice with some green beans and mushrooms on the side, as well as some of my Hungarian potato dill bread and a creamy chardonnay to complete the meal. Hungarian Potato Dill Bread

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

Food is always a big part of any Christmas or Holiday celebration. You know I am always going to have quite a spread at any table. Although, you would think I would do all the cooking for the Holidays and Holiday parties, but I actually really like hosting potlucks. I love seeing all the different foods that everyone else makes too.

Holidays and parties are two great things that go great together. This year, there are no parties, but fortunately, I have many happy memories from plenty of parties past. At my house, everyone is always welcome. The more the merrier.

Yesterday, I teased you a bit with my microwave cashew brittle. Cashew Brittle – Part 1 Today, I will actually show you how to make it. It is super easy and only takes a few minutes to make. Now I like mine nice and nutty, but if you want more brittle and less nuts, that’s OK too. Just cut down on the amount of nuts used.

Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukkah and Happy Holidays. Stay safe and stay well Everyone. ‘Til next time.

I love nuts of all kinds and they are very popular around the holidays, in almost every culture around the world. Nuts are very healthy and contain a lot of protein, especially for being packed in such a small package. I handful of nuts is a good pick-me-up at any time of day.

Cashews are tree nuts. Tree nuts include almonds, Brazil nuts, cashews, hazelnuts, pecans, pistachios and walnuts. I love nuts of all kinds, but I have to say, out of all the different kinds of nuts available, cashews are probably some of my favorites, along with pecans.

The cashew was first discovered by Europeans in Brazil around 1558. Because of the irritating shells, they were thought to be inedible at first. Over time it was realized that it was the fruit skin and not the seeds that were irritating. Today, cashews are grown in Brazil, and all throughout South and Central America, as well as Africa, India and Vietnam. They can be grown in the US as well, although their growth is limited to the frost-free tropical regions of the United States, like Florida, Hawaii, and Puerto Rico. There is no commercial production in the US, though cashews are grown in botanical collections and some home landscapes. The “nut” itself grows out of the bottom of the cashew apple that grows on the cashew tree (Anacardium occidentale), which is a tropical evergreen tree. Cashews are expensive nuts to purchase because they are labor intensive to produce. The cashew nut is roasted in the hull to make it possible to crack it. The cashew nut remains, but there is still a skin around it that has to be removed by hand.

I made some cashew brittle for us to munch on through the holidays. This particular recipe is so quick and easy, and only takes about 15 minutes to make. And it is all made in the microwave too. I made it nice and nutty., but if you like it with more brittle and less nuts, just cut down on the amount of nuts used.

Brittle is a popular type of candy that was created by accident. Brittle, is a type of confection, consisting of flat broken pieces of hard sugar candy that is loaded with nuts, similar to toffee. Originally, it was made in the Southern region of the United States and it was made with peanuts. The lady who created it was making taffy and accidentally used baking soda in the mix instead of using cream of tartar and she did not want to throw away all her ingredients, so she decided to continue cooking it to see how it would tun out. The baking soda made the candy into a hard, crunchy candy rather than the softer version known as taffy. And the rest is history. Today, you can use any type of nut you like, or you can mix and match them. Sometimes some of the best creations come from accidents. Believe me, I most definitely have first-hand experience with this notion too. 🙂

Microwave Cashew Brittle

4 cups cashews or nuts of your choice

1/2 cup Karo white syrup

1 cup sugar

1/8-1/4 tsp salt

1-2 TBSP butter

1 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking soda

Mix the nuts, sugar, salt and Karo syrup together and combine well. Put them in the microwave in a microwaveable dish and cook at a high power for 2 minutes.

Remove the nuts and mix everything together again, stirring well. Place the container back into the microwave and cook at high again for 6 minutes. The container is going to be very hot, so be careful.

Remove the nuts and add the butter and vanilla. Mix thoroughly and microwave at high once more, for an additional 2 minutes.

Spread parchment paper over a baking sheet.

Remove the nut mixture and quickly stir the baking soda into the mixture. Then quickly spread it over the parchment paper, in an even layer, covering as much of the pan as possible. This sets quickly, so there is no time to waste, or you will have a big lump of sugary, caramelized nuts which will be difficult to break apart.

Let the mixture cool completely, then with your hands, just break it apart into pieces and enjoy. This is so rich and so good, but it is very hard to stop at just one piece. It is a perfect treat to serve at parties any time of year.

Stay well and stay safe Everyone. ‘Til next time.