Merry Christmas… Oreo truffles

December 21st, 2008

Our laptop has been visiting the Nerd Herd this week, so I’m just now getting to post. By way of an apology, enjoy some truffles.

My grandmother gave me this recipe, and my boys adore these truffles. I’ve already made two batches of them this year, and I’m going to make another this afternoon.

Meemaw’s Oreo Truffles

1 block cream cheese
1 package Double Stuf Oreos
1 package chocolate chips or melting chocolate
a little bit of vegetable oil

In a food processor (you can use a blender, but be careful to use the pulse feature and do small batches so as to not burn up the motor - this is thick stuff!). Then, with your mixer, blend the softened cream cheese and Oreos.

Put that in the fridge for a bit to set.

Microwave the chocolate chips with the oil (1 tsp. oil per cup of chips) until smooth. Form the Oreo mixture into balls and dip into the chocolate. Chill the dipped truffles to set the chocolate.

You can also roll them in powdered sugar. The sugar will eventually melt into the truffles and give the look of a clear glaze.

These are very rich, so make the truffles small.

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Merry Christmas! Come on in… visit with us…

December 15th, 2008

BooMama is hosting a Holiday Tour of Homes, and I love a good holiday open house. And since there are so many folks who are too far away to actually visit our house this year for Christmas, this is a super way to invite everyone in for a bit.

So, come on in…

If you come visit at night, you’ll see my blinking Snoopys, guiding you. Mandy gave me the one on the left for my birthday last year.

Here’s our tree… Mike got it a couple of years ago on clearance at Target after Christmas. I love the fullness of it. He loves telling people he paid $60 for a $300 tree. To each his own, right?

Mike says I have too many ornaments, but I don’t really think that’s possible.

Now, be sure to slip over to the table and get some goodies.

While you’re there, check out the mouse tree. My grandmother made that when I was little, and I love getting it out every year. My niece, Hannah, was amazed that my grandmother painted it all by hand.

My Meemaw also painted the Santa House in Griff’s room, but you’ll see that later.

Did you get some goodies?

There are butter mints and Oreo truffles, both of which are amazing.

If you prefer something savory, try some cheese trees and crackers. Yum. And now, while you’re in the kitchen, look at my angel collection.

There are probably 150 angels… They were my Gran’s. When she died, I got them all. They look better in person than they do in the photo, and they make me smile. I’m pretty sure my Gran’s up there with the angels looking down on me.

Here’s the Santa House. Griff has it in his room this year. My Meemaw made it for me the year I was seven, and I’ve had it lit up in my house every year since then. The kids like it so much that they insist on switching rooms every year. When it’s all lit up, the lights on the trees glow and the windows glow, too.

When I was in college, my dear friend, Mika, spent lots of time with my family and I with her’s. Her mom, Judee, made a stocking for me, and then when Mike and I got married, she made him one, too. And she made one for each of the kids when they came along… they all match! (Did you read the holiday story I wrote for Mika’s birthday? I liked it. Go see & let me know what you think.)

What have we missed? Goodness. Did you see the reindeer?

And what about the silver Charlie brown tree?

That colored glow? It’s from the color wheel. That’s right. It’s an original 1970’s aluminum tree. It’s the tree Mike and Chuck grew up with… when their mom passed away, their dad asked what each wanted, and Mike wanted the tree. It’s a very special Charlie Brown Christmas tree.

Now that you’ve seen the house, sit down, eat a little more, visit. I’m sure the kids will pop in a Christmas movie here soon, and we’ll all be laughing together.

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Merry Christmas… Chel’s Homemade Butter Mints

December 6th, 2008

I made these one year on a whim, having found the recipe in the now-defunct “Rosie” magazine, and they were such a hit that they are now a holiday tradition.

My friend, Linda, gets butter mints every year for her birthday, and I’m pretty sure she’d be annoyed if I decided one year not to send them.

Chel’s Butter Mints

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
  • 4 1/2 cups powdered sugar
  • 2 tbs plus 2 tsp whipping cream
  • 1 tsp peppermint extract (I eyeball it.)
  • red and green food coloring

In a large bowl, beat butter until creamy. Add sugar, cream and extract. Beat until combined. The mixture will be very thick. If it seems too dry, however, drizzle in a bit more cream. If it’s too wet, add more sugar.

If you want two colors, divide the mixture in half. If not, go ahead and add the food color of your choice and mix until blended. If you’ll use a concentrated paste coloring, the colors will be more vibrant.

You can either pipe them into stars (very pretty) or use a cookie press and make straws with them (easy, what I usually do).

I’m also trying (this morning!) rolling the dough out and cutting the mints with tiny cookie cutters.

You’ll need to drop them onto wax paper and let them dry overnight. In the morning, you’ll carefully flip them and let the underside dry.

The outside will be dry and crispy with soft, creamy insides.

They’ll keep for several weeks if you can keep folks from eating them for that long.

(In terms of how long they’re shelf-stable and edible, Linda one time found a batch at the alumni house of the college where we both worked … they were left over from the holiday party a few weeks prior. She ate the whole thing & said she was fine.)

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Merry Christmas - Holiday Happies

December 1st, 2008

I love the holidays. LOVE them. Pretty much everything about them. And I’ve been thinking of how I could share my holiday love with all of you, corny though that sounds. (And yes, I know that ‘all of you’ is about 10 folks, most of whom love me in real life already. Whatever.)

So until Christmas, I’m going to try to share holiday happies with you, little treats for my bloggy friends like I send little treats to my real-life friends. I hope you enjoy them.

And for today’s happy, go have a yummy Starbucks drink for a worthy cause. Today, in support of World AIDS Day, Starbucks is donating five cents to the Global Fund for every hand-crafted beverage sold. So, go have a chai latte and know that you’re helping someone.

I’m thinking Eliza and I will leave early in the morning and stop on our way to work and school. Wish we lived near enough to each of you to have you meet us there.

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