Day 2 of "The 12 Days of Christmas Treats"

For today's treat, I thought I would post something a little different than your usual Christmas cookie or candy. This recipe is from one of my long-time best friends, Melissa. I am hooked on this mix!! Try it for yourself:

Yum-Yum Candied Mix

5 cups Rice Chex cereal
5 cups Corn Chex cereal
4 cups Wheat Chex cereal
4 cups oats and honey granola
1 box Honey Teddy Grahams (about 3 cups)
4 cups pecan pieces (or whole pecans)
1 package of dried cranberries

1 cup (2 sticks) of butter
¾ cup light corn syrup
½ cup brown sugar
¼ cup honey

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Spray large roasting pan with cooking spray. Combine the first 7 ingredients in large sprayed roasting pan; set aside. Combine butter and remaining ingredients in a heavy saucepan. Bring mixture to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. Pour mixture over the combine cereals, tossing to coat. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour onto wax paper to cool, gently separating with a spoon. Store in airtight container.

This is better than any granola I have had, or almost any other snack mix (there a few that rank pretty high on my list). Plus it is so easy!! Even kids can help you with this treat, just make sure they stay away from the hot sugar mixture (of course).

This mix would be a great gift for co-workers, teachers, and friends. Just put a scoop into a Christmas cellophane bag (like those treat bags you find at the dollar store), tie it with a pretty ribbon, and attach a little card and there you go -- instant Christmas gift!!

The 12 Days of Chrismas Treats....Day 1

In honor of Christmas and the official start of the "baking season", I thought I would do a series of posts on yummy Christmas treats -- 12 days of them!

The one I have chosen for today is super, super easy and very festive. The main thing to remember when making this treat is to use a good quality white chocolate, NOT vanilla bark. I would recommend Ghirardelli White Chocolate Chips or another good quality white chocolate chip. Here is the recipe:

Peppermint Bark

2 packages white chocolate chips
1 box candy canes (either these or these)

Pour both packages of chips into a glass mixing bowl. Melt using double-broiler method (or microwave) until chips are completely melted and smooth.

Meanwhile, unwrap each candy cane and place in a sturdy, plastic zip-top bag. Crush with rolling pin or meat mallot until there are no more large pieces (some chunky pieces are okay, do not crush them too fine).

Pour candy cane pieces into melted white chocolate (reserve a couple of tablespoons full). Stir until well blended. Pour onto cookie sheet covered in wax paper or parchment paper. Spread evenly over the sheet. Put in fridge to cool and harden.

Once hardened, break into pieces - big, medium, small. Enjoy!!

*Option: you can add peppermint extract/flavoring to the bark if you would like, but it is kind of overpowering.

Stay tuned to Day 2 of The 12 Days of Christmas Treats!! Who knows what yummy goodness will come up next..... :)

A Tribute.....

This is a tribute to all of those pregnant women out there, or women who plan to become pregnant (don't worry, your time is coming!).

First of all, let me say that my husband and I are thrilled with this blessing from God. We have been married for 6 years and have been "trying" off and on for about 4 years. Nothing wrong with either of us -- it was just God's Timing. We have prayed for this baby for so long and He heard our prayers and answered them. :)

So, since I discovered I was "with child" several months ago (I'm 20 weeks along), I thought about all of the yummy foods I would have the chance to eat. You know, those foods that are forbidden in Weight Watchers. I haven't really had any weird cravings yet, just mainly ice cream and french fries. However, I recently discovered (while my family was in over Thanksgiving) Dill Pickle popcorn from The Popcorn Station. Yes, you read right -- DILL PICKLE popcorn! This place is amazing!! They have 25 different flavors of popcorn from savory to sweet. My husband got the chocolate peanut butter flavor (it's yummy too!). Other flavors include honey barbecue, nacho cheese, strawberries and creme, double butterscotch, and Kentucky honey with pecans.

Some other foods I have been interested in lately are:
*Totinos Pizzas
*White Chocolate covered Oreos
*Onion Rings
*Broccoli-cheese casserole
*Sweet potato casserole
*Cranberry ginger ale
*anything chocolate

What are some of your cravings? Anything unusual? I would love to hear about them!

By the way........................we are having a BOY!!!! :)