We are creatures of habit, aren’t we?

Come the holidays, I can’t wait to put together my gluten-free version of Chex Mix. I’ll be doing that soon since the ingredients have finally been assembled: rice and Corn Chex, assorted roasted nuts, gluten-free pretzels, and the spice mix with Worcestershire sauce.

Dare we try something new? Inspired by a recipe online, my sweetheart and I had a blast putting these together.

It’s advantageous to have some helping hands, (and holiday music in the background), as the last step in this recipe requires partially dipping each individual pretzel into melted dark chocolate.

The downloadable recipe is below.

A note of caution, however; use only rimmed cookie sheets, not the open-sided kind.

After the lightly-baked and coated pretzels are removed from the oven, cooled, individually dipped, and placed on the parchment lined cookie sheet, they need to go into the freezer for approximately 10 minutes to harden.

When removing a cookie sheet filled with finished pretzels from the freezer, a slight tip of my hand caused the slippery parchment and pretzels to slide off onto the floor!

The five second rule did not apply.

Boohoo!

Another crunchy holiday favorite is Rolo Pretzel Delights. I think they work best on those square pretzels which are, unfortunately, full of gluten; but if you can handle the indulgence of just one or two of these, it’s so yummy and has become a seasonal favorite.

These are a cinch to make and another excellent opportunity to use those helping hands, as each Rolo candy needs to be unwrapped and placed on a pretzel. When the pretzels come out of their brief stay in a low temp oven, a pecan half needs to be gently pressed onto each softened Rolo.

We had some pecans leftover from the Rolo recipe and some unused melted chocolate from the other. Well, of course, we coated the nuts and added them to the Espresso Pretzels!

Happy snacking and sharing with family and friends. To share these ideas, use the options below, and leave a comment if you try these recipes.

In health –

Deidre

Note from Sheree:

This year has been challenging for so many – not only in our country, but all over the world. Some have been forced to leave their homes, families separated, friends left behind, or even worse. I’m sure you are aware, for many, this Christmas season will be very different than last.

So, I wanted to give some encouragement, a sprinkling of faith, and a hug from me to you – wherever you are, just don’t stop believing in the true meaning and power of Christmas. It’s such a special day in so many ways.

It’s not always the presents under the tree, the amount of money you spend, or the size of the “roast beast,” as the Grinch calls it – it’s how you put into action that generous supply of love you have in your heart that counts – and a little bit of faith, too – which can go a long way.

Please think of those who might need a kind word, a hot meal, or a pair of warm socks. Perhaps you can do a little bit more for others this holiday.

Pray for those who are weary, worn, and alone. Hug everyone you meet. Let us all believe, if we take one tiny step more to help those in need, it just may change the entire world this Christmas.

Many blessings and Merry Christmas to all,

Sheree’

——————————–

And in despair I bowed my head;

“There is no peace on earth,” I said;
“For hate is strong,
And mocks the song
Of peace on earth, good-will to men!”

Then pealed the bells more loud and deep:
“God is not dead, nor doth He sleep;
The wrong shall fail,
The right prevail,
With peace on earth, good-will to men.”

— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Christmas Day – 1863

I was so pleased when our editor, Sheree, added some favorite macaroon recipes last week.  With my interior and exterior house decorations for the neighborhood’s Holiday Home Tour now complete, I could turn to holiday baking – and visions of macaroons were soon dancing in my head.

Peppermint Chocolate Macaroons, decorated with a Peppermint Chocolate Drizzle, started the holiday baking jam. Gently simmering in the background was a fragrant mix of orange slices, cinnamon stick, cloves, water, and a splash of apple cider – yes, I was all set.

Originally created by Danielle Walker, author at Against All Grain, I tweaked her recipe for these macaroons with variations on the cacao powder, and I added the minty drizzle.

Do you still use printed recipes? I’ve learned to put a printed recipe in an upright plastic picture display holder, so it takes up less counter space, stays clean, and does not require my having to refresh a digital screen with my messy hands. You can download your recipes to print or not.

I had both regular and extra dark cacao powder on hand, so I used 1/4 cup each. The resulting macaroons were quite dark looking, so if you prefer a lighter looking cookie, you could stick with the regular.

These mint fudge flavored morsels have become our favorite addition to brownies, so I thought using them for the drizzle would be perfect for these minty macaroons. My drizzling techniques need to improve, but using coconut oil to thin the drizzle is the trick for creating the proper flow for piping a steady stream – and not overheating the drizzle. If you do, just stir in more coconut oil to remedy.

Almond Macaroons were next; but there was something niggling in my memory about them being way too sweet.

They were always visually appealing, especially if using a bit of maraschino cherry on top, but they were a sugar bomb to my palate. Hmmm.

After taking a pinch of the almond paste to taste, I knew that adding the 1/2 cup of sugar the recipe asked for, would be too much. So, I went with 1/3 cup sugar and added about 1/3 cup of almond flakes left over in the bag from the chocolate macaroons.

However, my tweak changed the moisture balance of the dough, so I added about half of an additional egg white to make the dough pipeable. Using a food processor for this recipe is a must to get the coconut flakes small enough for successful piping.  

Maraschino cherries are FULL of artificial food color; but by using about 1/8^th of one cherry on top of my mini-cookies provided that needed holiday wink of color.

Wishing you health and many warm moments to pause and take in the wonders of this season –

Deidre

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Are you ready?

It’s the question we are asking each other this time of year.

Are you ready for the holidays?

Have you ever teased down a thought to get to its root cause or meaning for you? Just keep asking “why?” or “because?”

The results might amaze you.

Little kids do this, “why,” thing, and it can drive us to distraction; but there may be a method to their madness.

Even when you think you have given the final reason for something, ask yourself one more time – why?

I would hope my final teased-out, shaken-down meaning for my preparations this season includes, “love.”

Not the desire to have the best-decorated house on the street. Not the desire to create the best-looking meal ever.

But rather, the desire to share my love and joy with others; that their lives may be brighter, warmer, and be filled with warmth, love, and a welcoming sense of inclusiveness.

So, with some long-anticipated mulled cider to share with my sweetie, I will finally prepare some seasonal treats to share.

Why? Because I always fix something to share with others.

Why? Because I want others to know I am thinking about them.

Why? Because my neighborhood friends have been so special to me.

Why? Because we care about each other and do nice things to help each other out.

Because why? Because we have a love for each other, and sharing a treat is a little way to say, “I love you and thank you.”

In health and love –

Deidre  

Note from Sheree: Every year, I make goodies for my neighbors, friends, and family. This year will be no different.

So, I flew back to 2014 to find this recipe I have posted below. You can even download it and slip it into your recipe folder.

All I can say is, delectable macaroons will be in all my gift bags!

Here are a couple variations for you, lucky friends, and family, that all can enjoy for the holidays.