Christmas Caramels

Christmas Caramels!!

This is the first year we are going to do neighbor gifts in a long time! Our neighborhood participates in an Annual Food Drive that benefits the Utah Food Bank. We have a big get together in the neighborhood on donation night. Sometimes we watch a small version of the Nativity Scene, sometimes we have hot cocoa and listen to some of the beautiful voices in our neighborhood sing carols and this year, we had a full sit down dinner WITH short Nativity done by the kids in our neighborhood.

Food Donations and spending time together is IN LIEU of Neighbor Gifts. BUT - this year is a little different. We have been in this neighborhood for 8 years but just moved 1 street over almost a year ago. It's our first Christmas in our new house with our new neighbors. We live on a circle and we are the ONLY FAMILY on the street! Everyone else has lived here for years and their children have all grown up and moved away. We didn't see anyone from our little street at the Neighborhood Party but I wanted to let all of them know how much we love living here and that we appreciate them - so I came up with this!

I buy a 5 lb loaf of Peter's Caramel every year at Orson Gygi. It's a lot of caramel - but it stays good for such a long time - as long as it's stowed away in a zip top bag.

I bought the Caramel loaf in September and we've made a bunch of treats - well MAINLY white chocolate covered caramel apples with cinnamon sugar sprinkles (we are ALL obsessed!!)

It's a few days before Christmas and I came up with a brilliant idea! I already had the caramel loaf, I had the foresight to buy individual candy wrappers a few months ago - so here's what we did.

Lay parchment paper on a baking sheet. Put caramel loaf on top of the parchment paper. Set in the cold oven and heat to 200 degrees. When the oven reaches 200 degrees - turn it off. Pull the baking sheet out of the oven and set a piece of parchment paper on top of the caramel - then put the underside of a second baking sheet on top of that. Use the baking sheet to press the caramel into about a 1/2" sheet of caramel. I also used a rolling pin. If you need to - return it to the cooling down oven to get it a bit easier to work with.

Use a pizza cutter or food scraper to cut the large caramel slab into 1 1/2" rows. Then cut those rows down into about 1 1/2" pieces. Roll the caramel into a cohesive piece and wrap individually. 

We put them into a clear baggie - tie with some Merry Christmas ribbon and add a note!

Strawberry, Black Pepper & Basil Tea Sandwiches

I hosted a Nutcracker Tea Party last night before all the girls in my family went to see the Nutcracker (a tradition my girls and I started 14 years ago!)

I wanted to serve a few different tea sandwiches, but I wasn't sure which ones would be enjoyed by everyone. I came across this recipe and tested it out on some of my kids 19, 18 and 10. It passed their test - so I went for it! They were surprisingly good! I added our much loved balsamic glaze for that extra punch!

Strawberry, Black Pepper & Basil Tea Sandwiches

Soft white bread

Strawberries (sliced 1/4 thin)

Black Pepper Boursin

Fresh basil

Nona's Balsamic glaze

I was worried about the cheese tearing the soft white bread - so I let it sit out for about an hour before I used it. It spread very easily after that.

Use an offset spatula/knife to spread the cheese on both sides of the white bread. On the bottom piece of the bread, add 2 strawberries, a small piece (1/2" size) fresh basil, drizzle with balsamic glaze and top with the top piece of bread. I cut these into squares - so I got 4 sandwiches from 2 pieces of bread.

*TIPS: I made several sandwiches yesterday so I learned a few tricks to make it go a bit quicker. I cut the crusts off all the bread for the type of sandwich I was going to make first. Then - I added the spread - THEN I cut them into squares and topped them. I also wiped the knife clean when it got too goopy.

Also, after assembling the sandwiches I put a damp paper towel over them so they wouldn't dry out.

When I finished each type - I covered them with plastic wrap and refrigerated them until it was time to eat. 

Next time I think I will assemble all the sandwiches except for the Cucumber Tea Sandwiches the night before. Then I will assemble the Cucumber Tea Sandwiches just before serving.

Peppermint Pie

I saw this on social media - and it is THE EASIEST, FASTEST, MOST DELICIOUS Holiday dessert I have ever made or eaten!

My kids went absolutely CRAZY for it. So crazy, that I've made it TWICE already in the last 2 days.

Peppermint Pie

1/2 gallon Peppermint Ice Cream (we like Farr's)

1 Oreo Pie Crust

1 c Milk Chocolate Chips

1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream

Let the ice cream sit out for a bit to let it soften so it will be easier to manipulate. 

Scoop the ice cream into the pie crust and spread out into the entire area. Put the pie into the freezer to set up.

Combine the chocolate chips and cream in a microwave safe bowl. Melt for 60 seconds. Then melt at 30 second intervals until combined. 

Let the ganache sit and firm up a bit while the ice cream is setting. It won't completely set up - initially I made too much and kept it covered on the countertop and used the rest the next day when I made another one.

When you are ready to eat - pour the ganache on top of the pie. Garnish with peppermints, candy cane pieces or red and green sprinkles!

Mediterranean Layer Dip

Mediterranean Layer Dip
Hummus
Greek Yogurt
Cucumber
Tomatoes
Kalamata Olives
Olive Oil
Salt & Pepper
Top with Feta Cheese