Till Christmas! And today, I gave myself an early Christmas present …a day off.
No driving, no sliding, no conferencing, no filing.
Whee!
As it turned out, schools in West MI closed today, 1″ of ice on the roads tends to slow everything – and everyone – down.
Kids are gleeful, as winter break comes early 🙂 How I remember those days!
So .. I spent the morning baking and cooking and putting together a few care packages. One for my Father-in-Law, whom we’ll see tomorrow, a few more for friends, and the rest .. the rest for my crew here at home.
Here’s one of Hubbs’ favorites, chocolate covered peanut clusters:
“I could quit smoking before I could quit eating these” – Mr Hubbs
Want to make some? Want to dazzle your cast & crew, too?
Here’s what you need: 
- 1 jar (16oz) of dry roasted peanuts
- 1 package of “Candiquick” chocolate coating (see pic at right)
- waxed or parchment paper
Directions:
Spread several sheets of waxed paper on your kitchen counter (not on a wood table, as these will be hot at first).
Melt chocolate according to directions on package; ~ 1 min on high, stir, melt another 15 seconds or so then pour in peanuts and stir to coat.
Drop tablespoons of the chocolate-peanutty goodness onto the paper and allow to cool — about 1 1/2 hours.
Break into smaller pieces (or not) and cover — these can be frozen, they travel great (if they break apart, who cares?) and are a hit everywhere I take them! I store them in zip-lock bags in the freezer, hidden away from Hubbs.
What Christmas treats are you making this year? Have you treated yourself to something special, like a day off? 🙂
