Wednesday, December 2, 2020

My Christmas Pantry of Treats-Blogmas Day 2

  


     As it's Wednesday, I'm turning my attention to the kitchen and the food I make for family and friends from my humble shelves. Normally in December I'd be thinking ahead to activities and events of which I bring along a plate or  tub of something good eirt of a pot luck or planned meal, a gift for having us over for the day or night, and of course for the Christmas Eve and day, where we would get together with large families. For me, that meant a few selective cookies, but my real tradition has been in making chocolates and snack mixes. I have to pair down either in variety or quantities, likely both this year. Half of my supply would be consumed or taken home with others on Christmas eve alone and with no get together with my family, that is too much temptation to have in my house. Below are links to recipes and directions to some of my normal selection and how I might vary them a bit.. We also want to try a mock sea salt and caramel version made with dates. 

Puppy Chow or Muddy Buddy Mix

Chex Mix (I buy the packet of seasoning in the store usually)

     I usually just buy rice and corn Chex because then I can use for both recipes. The wheat Chex always seemed to be left in the bowl and eaten around. There is no  limit to what the other ingredients can be. I usually have standard cheese crackers, bagel chips, pretzels, and skip nuts. Last year I found these puffy rice crackers that were a really good addition. 

Puppy Chow and Chex Mix

     My extended family are oreo truffle fiends. I made the mistake, because I had made them late in the month, of only making a small batch one year, and I think the tin was empty before anyone had even eaten dinner. One year I tired a peanut butter sandwich cookie variation and they were equally successful. The trick was to use the store brand peanut butter cookie, not Nutter Butters themselves because of the package size. No change though for Oreo as the flavor will be missed. I use chocolate chips with just a tad bit of shortening for my chocolate coating-never the faky almond/candy coating blocks you can buy.

Oreo Cookie Truffles (or nutter butter, or other versions using sandwich cookies of your choice) 


Oreo and Nutter Butter Truffles

     The options for easy cheats are endless. There's Rolo candies melted on a shaped or ring pretzel with either a pecan or a red hot, and voila,instant festive cookie. I've had success making Mounds bar type candy, and will save that for the whole procedure. I need to get some festive tins for giving away to our siblings. I'd like to think I can still celebrate with food even if we are not together. My production will commence this weekend. My elves can deliver to family and friends as the month goes on. Do you make treats for gatherings? Will you still this year and just give away? Do you have better resolve than I do?

23 comments:

  1. I love holiday treats. Chex Mix is probably my favorite and we all prefer the wheat chex- isn't it funny how families are so different? I also love nuts so nuts in any recipe- fudge, cookies, and brittle- excite me LOL. I ordered raw Spanish peanuts online so am going to make lots of peanut brittle to give away and help my daughter with little food gifts too. I also make a delicious no stir toffee but you do need a candy thermometer for it. I'll post the recipe if you're interested. My sis gives it to her boss every year since he's one of those who needs nothing and has everything.

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    1. I'm always happy for a new recipe-and I have a candy thermometer! I avoid tree nuts due to some allergies, when food goes with me to my side of the family but at home, we love nuts as well.

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  2. Well, I don't have or go to gatherings. But, I do make a lot of Christmas treats, including fruit cake, homemade peanut butter cups, quick breads and Chex mix. We also drink a lot of rum laden eggnog, and a drink called a snowball around Christmas. I decided to pare down the sweet treats this year. In their place, I've been buying smoked salmon, salami, cheeses, apples and oranges for snack trays.

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    1. Do you make your snowballs with Advocaat?

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    2. I'd like that snowball recipe too. There just might be a cocktail blogmas coming!

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    3. It's impossible to find Advocaat around these parts, but Pennsylvania Brand Dutch Eggnog is readily available in the supermarkets around Christmastime. (14% alcohol). It's quite tasty on its own, but for a snowball, I mix it, and sparkling lemonade in a 1:1 ratio.

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  3. I made cardamom bread, but that's pretty much my only baking this year (and, regularly). If we have to make something for an event, I like truffles or a few different holiday cookie options

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    1. My son always ikes peanut butter blossoms, but I just made them to use up ingredients from the pantry and still are eating them. I will be trying your bread this year!

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  4. Oooh those Oreo cookie truffles look wonderful. I'll have to have a go. Thanks for that!

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    1. They are so easy as well, and people who haven't had before ooh and ahhh over them.

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  5. Now you are getting me in the mood for some yummy Christmas goodies. I'll have to post the recipe for my favorite thing to make each year soon. Your goodies all look delicious!

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    1. Please do. I love the community of sharing ideas and tradiitons.

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  6. I don't have a sweet tooth but I'm happy to accept jars of Liz's spiced courgette chutney or pickled red cabbage that she makes as a Xmas gift each year. Gatherings are illegal in our area this Xmas, she'll have to throw a jar at me from a safe distance! xxx

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    1. Gatherings are here as well, until the 18th of December, but then we'll see. I plan to do a treat delivery version of Ding Dong ditch. Ring the doorbell, leave the treats, and run. Lucky you to get in on the chutney and pickled red cabbage-These ar enot known items to me, but I can't imagine I wouldn't like them.

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  7. I suppose now I will have to try my hand at truffles. Except for last year, I have made chocolate pound cakes for treats to give away, take to gatherings or to share.

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    1. I have some carboard bread pans and will make some pumpkin loaves for the neighbors. My family all makes it as well so not sure if I'll make a ton or not but I know my neighbors always hav eliked it.

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  8. I love Oreo truffles but have never made them! Maybe this year. Nothing says the holidays to me like a Farkleberry cookie. They are made by my favorite local bakery and are a chewy dense cookie with nuts, cranberries, white chocolate chips and and orange zest, dusted with powdered sugar. They are surprisingly not very sweet and delicious when they are cold from the fridge. I found a copycat recipe a couple years ago and they bring back so many memories. The bakery used to give them out during light up night in the city(back when we could do stuff like that). And now I am craving them :) JoAnn

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    1. I think your cookies sound an awful lot like what my MIL just made and brought over, but hers were soft and chewy, but not dense, no nuts an dno powdered sugar. The other ingredients sound the same. She maybe just omitted them. I did like them-with a strong up of black tea!

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  9. I do love to bake for the holidays, but I gain at least 10 lbs over Christmas and I hate that.Okay no self control.

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    1. That's my risk is with no place to go, too many will stay in my house. I'm used to most being gone by Christmas Day, and then just a few lingering to New Years. I will have to plan my give away strategy.

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  10. This is a dangerous post! Now I am going to have to make the Oreo truffles and nutter butter ones!

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    1. There is not much to master. crush cookies, add cream cheese, roll in balls, chill, dip in chocolate, store cold! I reserve a bit of the crushed cookies to sprinkle on top before chocolate hardens so I can tell which are oreo and which ar enutter butter.

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  11. We love those oreo truffles, but I never thought of using nutter butters...peanut butter and chocolate are two of my favorite things. Thanks!

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