Okay, before I proceed, can you just share in the incredible talent and sounds of The Civil Wars with me (even for just a moment)? I was watching the Vampire Diaries last night.... yes, I'm a total sucker for that show, and this song was featured in an episode. 30 seconds into the song, I paused the show, and quickly searched the lyrics so as to get my hands on the beautiful tune. I should have known only The Civil Wars could make my heart flutter. This duo gets under my skin in ways I can't even explain. I was absolutely shattered when they split earlier this year, give this song a listen:
Okay... getting back on track now! With the month of December, brought my love of Sticky Toffee Lattes...
(And if you're wondering):
With December also came my very first Christmas away from home. How strange it is... for someone who is so introverted, there are certain occasions where the presence of others is such a comfort and joy. I am also a creature of habit, and so many people/routines were absent from my day. I missed the two day unveiling of - what is it, 16... 17 boxes? of Christmas decorations that Mom and I haul up and down the stairs every December.... Perfecting not one, but two trees in our home.... dancing around the house to one of the 17 thousand Christmas albums we own... laughing, without fail every single year, at my boob-faced stocking (LOL, I'm not kidding, not even a little bit).... wrapping 30 presents on Christmas Eve, full well knowing the wrapping paper is going to be ripped to smithereens in less than 24 hours... trying to figure out the order in which we string the garland around the banisters, only to discover an hour later that "this" belongs "there" as we unravel it all and begin again... Mom and I really do have a Blue Christmas, but that's because blue was Dad's favourite colour.... I miss voices, I miss sounds, I miss people, and I miss home... Oh Canada, I miss snowfalls (however, I understand that even home didn't have a snowfall for Christmas? Surely, I had some influence over that!). I am very fortunate, however, to have made incredible friends here in the UK, who showered me with love on Christmas Day, making me an honourary member of the family for a day. A huge thank you to Emma and her family; it was a joy to share the day with you, and I am so grateful for the awesome food, company, and laughter.
For those wondering, my Christmas meal was pretty much par for par! We did start with a Prawn Cocktail, but such is ever so popular over here, couldn't really have expected otherwise ;) ... Turkey, gravy, roasted potatoes, carrots, brussel sprouts, parsnip, turnip (or swede), cauliflower cheese, pigs in a blanket, bacon, stuffing, pickled beets, oh my days, you name it, we ate it! (I did enjoy some delicious turkey and gravy, but, as per usual, forewent all other meats!). Can you believe after inhaling all that delightful food, we still had room for the assortment of desserts that flooded the kitchen?! I taste-tested a traditional English Christmas Pudding with custard; wasn't the biggest fan, LOL. Emma tried to warn me, but I needed to try it just the same. I also had the pleasure of thoroughly enjoying and devouring a slice of her mum's Roulade.
Oh my gosh, I definitely need to attempt this heavenly treat one day! The flavours and textures were glorious... mmm... I'm drooling right now just thinking of it ;) Dessert also featured some Trifle, alongside the baked goodies I brought in tow (keep scrolling for pictures/recipes!).
The simplest, most invaluable gift mind you, was spending time with people. Genuine family time; a treasure I've grown to miss more and more since moving across the pond. I was able to share stories about home, and my own traditions in Canada. There was so much amusement to be had, as we played games and laughed in the midst of fun and good humour. If anything, Christmas away from home allowed me to reflect on the knowledge I have acquired over the span of my (newly) adult years: no matter how big or how small, blood or extended, family is family. It's a force field that binds us to the people that love us most... and that is the foundation for a relationship. It's not so much about sharing the same last name, but rather, feeling a connection as deep as the ocean and as strong as it's tides. I'll be damned if anyone even attempts to convince me otherwise. To my family back home in Canada, I miss you more than words can say. And to my newfound families here in the UK, I am forever grateful for the wonderful bits you add to my life. You make my experience worthwhile, and my days that much sunnier and brighter XXX
Leave it to me to get all sappy and emotional on you, I know, I know. So, onto my Christmas baking! :D
With a grandmother whom I dubbed the Cookie Queen, and an exceptional baker/cook of a Mom, I figured I'd give it a go myself. All it took was one, single picture. A millisecond of inspiration, and my itch to bake was done for. I woke up one day, scrolling through social media sites as per usual, and upon opening Instagram, the very first photo was that of a red and green Christmas cake. And that was it. I immediately knew what my day was going to entail. I hopped on over to Pintrest, tracked down a few of my favourite recipes, and hit the ground running, prepared to tackle a full day of baking.
I came home from the grocery store appearing as though I had a major sweet tooth to cure, and a slightly severe addiction to chocolate (which, I mean, is true, but I never indulge such information about myself).
Step one (of many) was to separate the red and green m&m's from the rest of their clan. See, certain 'festive themed' sweets don't exist here (at least not to my knowledge), so rather than purchasing the ALREADY sorted Christmas M&M's, I had to settle for regular bags and do the sorting myself. Oh the agony.
White Chocolate Peppermint Bark
Apart from one other recipe, it's safe to say, this was my favourite...
I mean, look at it.... don't you wish you could devour some RIGHT THIS MINUTE?
To prepare this divine masterpiece, you will need:
White Chocolate (Note, I used two bags!)
Mint Oreos
M&M's
Crushed Pretzels *optional*
Crushed Candy Canes (to sprinkle on top)
1. Break the Oreos into big chunks, and disperse amongst the M&Ms (and optional pretzels) on a sheet of waxed paper like so:
2. Melt the white chocolate (using whichever method suits you/you are most comfortable with). Back home, I melt chocolate in the microwave! However, seeing as I don't have a microwave in my flat, I resorted to the stovetop method:
Important: Do not - I REPEAT- do not allow any water to come in contact with the chocolate during the melting process. This will cause your chocolate to seize up, ruining it entirely! The particles harden, an unfortunate chemical reaction takes place, and boom, there goes that chocolate. And yes... I am speaking from experience, LOL.
3. After the chocolate has melted into smooth velvet, pour it over the crushed cookies/m&ms. There is nothing special about this step, no fancy way to go about it. Just be sure to thickly coat your crumble mixture for the best results :) don't be cheap people ;) Ah-ha. You can melt milk chocolate and drizzle it on afterwards (as I did). This makes it aesthetically appealing, yes, but also means more chocolate in the long run. HELLO. WINNING. As the chocolate begins to cool, sprinkle the crushed candy cane on top - how much or how little is all dependent on personal preference! :)
I placed my 'finished product' in the fridge for a good hour to help speed up the process, and ensure that everything solidified together nicely.
4. Remove from the fridge, and cut into pieces. The nice thing about bark is that the pieces don't have to be perfect! They are actually supposed to be oddly shaped :)
How you store the bark is, again, up to you. You can keep it in the fridge - my preferred method, as I enjoy cold chocolate :) or you can tin it, and leave it on the kitchen counter (I promise, it won't melt on you!).
As I was bringing the bark to Emma's, I put some in a mason jar, and tied holiday ribbon around the top to add some cute, festive touches!
Not all of it fit, so I divided it amongst 2 jars/pots :)
And there you have it, folks. Cheap, easy, simple... and best of all... downright DELICIOUS. I can assure you, there won't be any left by the end of the night!
Mint Oreo Truffles
You know how I told you there wouldn't be any of the bark left by the end of your evening? Consider the same for these; don't count on there being any truffles either. I call these types of treats a 'one time' affair... a.k.a. you put them on the kitchen table once, and next thing you know, they disappear! This is perhaps the tastiest, NO BAKE, 3 ingredient recipe in existence... are you ready for this? One bite of their cheesecake-like texture/taste, and you’ll be sold.
To make these amazing balls of heaven (haha), you will need:
Mint Oreos (can use double stuffed on their own, too)
Cream Cheese (full fat or light!)
Chocolate to Melt (Note: I used milk and dark chocolate)
1. In a food processor, pulse the Oreos into crumbs. The entire Oreo – the cookie and the cream center.
Pulse until there are no more huge chunks. Fine crumbs, like what is pictured above. ↑
2. Beat the crumbs with 8 ounces of softened cream cheese in a large bowl. I used light cream cheese without any problem!
3. Next, roll the mixture into balls. Size is up to you, but 1.5 tablespoons is a pretty generous size :) The mixture is very wet, but you’ll still be able to roll into balls.
Place the balls on a plate and freeze.
Freeze the balls for at least 30 minutes before dipping them into your melted chocolate. Freezing them is an essential step, as you want the balls to be cold and solid when coating them in hot chocolate. If the balls are room temperature, they will disperse into a gooey mess, and fall apart in the hot melted chocolate!
4. Melt your chocolate of choice while the truffles freeze.
5. Line a cookie tray with wax paper. Remove the balls from the freezer one by one, drop them into the hot melted chocolate, swirl them around to generously coat them, then using a fork (don't pierce it!) remove the ball and place it onto the wax paper. Repeat. Repeat. Repeat.
Normally, I would drizzle green chocolate (white chocolate + green dye) over the tops, however, I used all of the white chocolate I had on hand, AND didn't have any food colouring in my possession. All is not lost, however, because these are freakin' amazing with or without the decorative drizzle! They don’t have to be perfect. They’re chocolate, Oreos, and cream cheese – people will love them no matter what!
And that, my friends, is how you go up 5 pant sizes in one night... LOL.
Mini Shortbread Bites
Really simple, really easy, 4 ingredients, BOOM DONE.
Instead of the red and green sprinkles this recipe calls for, I substituted with gold and silver stars! I thought it was cute, and still true to Christmas cheer!
Santa's Shortbread Cookies
recipe modified slightly from Good Housekeeping
1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup (1 stick) cold butter, cut into pieces
2 tablespoons red and green nonpareils
Preheat oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
In a food processor, with knife blade attached, pulse flour and sugar until combined. Add butter and pulse until dough begins to come together. Place dough in medium bowl. With hands, gently knead in nonpareils until evenly blended and dough forms a ball.
On lightly floured wax paper, pat dough into a 8" by 5" rectangle. Cut dough into 1/2 inch squares. Place squares 1/2 inch apart on an ungreased large cookie sheet.
Bake 18-20 minutes, or until lightly browned on the bottom.
Store cookies in tightly covered container at room temperature up to a week, or in the freezer up to 3 months.
Christmas Pretzel Hugs
Third year in a row making this salty & sweet Christmas combo! I, for one, LOVE the unification of savoury and sweet flavours. Note, these can be altered for any occasion! Just change up the chocolate and m&m colour choice :)
You will need:
Pretzels
Hershey Kisses
M&Ms
Hershey Kisses
M&Ms
Aren't these pretzels perfect? Cute, little star pretzels for my Christmas treats :) AH, made me giddy!
1. Line a cookie tray with your pretzels, and top off each one with a kiss.
2. Bake at 200 degrees Fahrenheit for 4 to 5 minutes, or until the chocolate is soft.
3. Immediately press an M&M in the center of the melty kiss.
4. Allow chocolate to set back up in the fridge, freezer, or at room temperature.
5. Once chocolate is set, store in an air tight container, or package for gifts!
The end result will look something like that! Can you believe me of ALL people didn't take a picture of mine when they were assembled and complete?! Whoops!
Like I said, there are so many variations to this treat, it's so easy to adapt!
You can put a nut on top, in place of the m&m.
You can put a nut on top, in place of the m&m.
You can put candy corn on top for Halloween.
If applicable, you can pick the colours of your favourite sports team, and make treats to watch the game with some friends.
Possibilities are endless :)
So easy, so yummy - GO MAKE SOME. You won't be disappointed.
~
I also made some Chocolate Chip Cookies for Santa ;) I added red and green m&ms, along with my gold/silver stars simply for the sake of Christmas decor!
And with that concludes my Christmas/baking!
Holy crackers, this took a longggggg time to compose and piece together. I sincerely hope you enjoyed every bit of this post :) and yes, it may be too late to make these goodies for Christmas, seeing as it is Boxing Day, however, these would make excellent treats to bring along to a NYE party, or a family gathering the next day :)
Or hell, just make them because they look so dang good, and you don't need any excuse to bake up a storm other than a strong appreciation for yummy food!
I put my Greece blogging on hold - I figured it may be nice to share Christmas sentiments and experiences in the month of December ;) haha. I'll be sure to share my Christmas goodies and Boxing Day presents soon!
I hope each and every one of my reader's had a lovely Christmas, enjoy the remaining days of 2014! The new year is just around the corner.... and speaking of new year. This is how I feel after all the food/goodies:
LOL! Glad my gym re-opens tomorrow!
Goodnight lovelies xxx
Goodnight lovelies xxx
