These cold days–there’s a whole lot of sewing going on.
It seems to be a natural consequence of snow falling outside
Hats, slippers, socks…
It’s all part of feathering the nest…
to keep baby birds snug and warm all winter long.
Toasty Winter
Chocolate Snow Peaks
This is the perfect day.
Now we’re talking!
Finally–weather that seems to understand what December is all about.
So in honor of our new found snow storm…
I give you…
Chocolate dipped “Snow Peaks.” And may I just say a heap big, “Yikes.”
When I watched some fellow make these on the Food Channel, I expected them to be cute–pretty even and fun to make, but seriously, I was a tad unprepared for how goooood they tasted. And then to have them come in a dangerously discreet bite size—well…
Warning. Danger Will Robinson.
The reason the recipe tells you to store them in an air tight container is because if you don’t you’ll have your mouth full of chocolate every time you stroll into the kitchen. You better hope nobody asks you something cause they won’t understand a word you say. Busted.
Yeah, the recipe should have read, “Store in an air tight container and bury six feet deep in the back yard.” Otherwise, you’ll just end up embarrassing yourself.
But, what the heck.
Tis the season. Forge ahead.
Chocolate Dipped Snow Peaks
Ingredients
4 large egg whites–room temperature
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1- 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Directions:
Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy. Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy. Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them. Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
Place meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached. Pipe bite-sized “kiss”-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven. Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
Melt chocolate over a double-boiler.
Holding each meringue by the top—
ooooh…be careful here or your snap off the peaks—
dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated. Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. Allow to set at room temperature – do not put in the fridge.
Once set, store in an airtight container. Give them out as neighbor treats…or…
you could, of course…
bury them.
Chocolate Snow Peaks
Ingredients
- 4 large egg whites--room temperature
- 1 teaspoon cream of tartar
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1- ½ cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees F and line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Using an electric mixer, beat egg whites on low-medium speed with the whisk attachment until the whites become foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and turn speed up to medium, beating until just fluffy.
- Add the sugar gradually, so it incorporates into the whites slowly without collapsing them.
- Once all the sugar has been added, add the vanilla and increase the speed to high, whisking until the meringue is firm and glossy, about 5 to 7 minutes.
- Place meringue mixture into a piping bag with a medium-sized nozzle attached.
- Pipe bite-sized "kiss"-shaped meringues onto the trays and place in the oven.
- Bake for 1 hour undisturbed then turn off heat and leave in the oven overnight to really dry out.
- Melt chocolate over a double-boiler.Holding each meringue by the top---dip the bases in chocolate so the bottom half of the meringue is coated.
- Let any excess chocolate drop off before placing on a cookie sheet lined with wax paper.
- Allow to set at room temperature - do not put in the fridge.
- Once set, store in an airtight container.
Manger Babies
Years ago, a good friend gave me a sweet little ornament. The kids were little then and seemed fascinated with the tiny manger baby. I kept finding it under the tree, on the kitchen table and once, in my youngest’s bed. I decided that maybe I needed to make a few for them to hold and carry and love before my ornament was ruined.
It was kind of fun to make some palm sized babies so they could actually carry them around. I did have to take the one I had apart to figure it out–but it went back together well enough when I was finished.
All you need to make these sweet little manger babies is:
wooden beads–whatever size you want
wire–from floral wire to a heavier coat hanger type, to match your bead
a small piece of batting or cotton
a scrap of fabric
Draw or paint two dot eyes on the bead. Fold a piece of wire in half and slide the bead onto it. Bend the top of the wire down so the bead won’t slid off. I curled up the bottom end of the wire–into a wad–this will be the basic “body.”
If you want your baby to have hair–just glue some yarn or twine to the top of the head.
Now, wind a scrap of batting over your wire–so your baby has some fluff to the body.
Fold down one corner of a square of fabric–muslin, cotton, knit–whatever.
Run a line of hot glue on top of the head and at the ears and press the folded edge onto the head.
Fold up the bottom. Add a dot of hot glue–if you need to to hold it in place.
Now fold and secure the sides–first one and then the other–you know, like wrapping a baby doll in a blanket.
Once you’ve glued the “blanket” in place–you can decorate your baby or leave it simple.
Or if you’ve made itty bitty babies you can glue them to the tops of pine cones and nestle them in your Christmas tree.
Either way, I hope you try these sweet little babies as a gentle reminder of whose birthday this really is.
The Spirit of Christmas
“To catch the real meaning of the Spirit of Christmas, we need only drop the last syllable, and it becomes the Spirit of Christ.”
~Thomas S. Monson~
Happy States
My friend Jenny said once that coming to visit my family was like “falling into a box of puppies.” That has made me smile ever since she said it. Seriously, I wonder if I’ve never been paid a higher compliment.
Well, as it turns out–my sweet little family isn’t alone in our puppy-like behavior. It seems that, according to MSNBC’s Live Science writer, Jeanna Bryner, our whole state is scoring like one gigantic canine kennel. In an article on the happiest states in America–Utah is ranked #1. Get that.
* Utah: 69.2
* Hawaii: 68.2
* Wyoming: 68
* Colorado: 67.3
* Minnesota: 67.3
* Maryland: 67.1
* Washington: 67.1
* Massachusetts: 67
* California: 67
* Arizona: 66.8
Apparently, we are also much less neurotic that some of our sister states. THAT I wouldn’t have guessed. Ha ha.
Here is an excerpt:
“Of the personality factors, neuroticism took a toll on a state’s cheery count, suggesting people living in the happiest states are more relaxed than their gloomy counterparts. For instance, West Virginia, Mississippi and Kentucky were ranked as highly neurotic and showed lower well-being scores. Utah, on the other hand, had a significantly lower level of neuroticism than other states.”
If you’d like to read the entire article or to see where your state ranks click on the link below. You might just be surprised to find that you and your neighbors are more content than you thought.
In the meantime, I need to go feed my puppies.
Happy Birthday Daddy!
