HippieDog

Wishing you happiness..........

Our tree is trimmed, goodies baked, packages wrapped, the house is clean (hooray!). One more day of work and my vacation begins. Our favorite things to do the week of Christmas:

1. Deliver baked goodies
2. Visit friends and family
3. Drive around looking at Christmas lights
4. Drink hot cocoa (with tons of whipping cream)
5. Christmas Eve pizza night
6. Watching my family open their Christmas Eve presents (silly slippers and pajama pants)
7. Watching "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Muppet Christmas"
8. Midnight Mass

 

I spent most of the day baking holiday goodies. White Chocolate Pretzel Treats, Wedding Cookies, Chocolate Toffee, Peanut Brittle and Fudge. Here's the recipes for Chocolate Toffee and  Wedding Cookies. The fudge is just good ole "Fantasy Fudge", on the Marshmallow Creme jar.

 

Happy Holidays!

won't you guide my sleigh tonight?

These little guys hold a special place in my heart. I can't Believe I get another chance to make them for a few more years :) I made countless Reindeer Pops with my older boys when they were in grade school.

We made them each year for their annual Christmas fund raiser event at their school. Everything had to be hand made and they were a hit each and every year.

Of course we had a crafting day and made these cutie pies for Jake's class and his teachers. Jake is quite a crafter, a few of his Reindeer actually had three eyes and a couple of noses!

Reindeer Pops

1. We use the half size root beer cans, just make sure they are brown to resemble a reindeer body.

2. Twist brown fuzzy pipe cleaner around can once and twist a few times. Make antler shape on each end. Imperfections are the Best!

3. Glue googly eyes and pom pom nose (kinda looks like Beaker?)

4. Add little tag with ribbon and a bell if you wish that says, "Won't you guide my sleigh tonight?"

Easy, easy......happiness :)

 

as they shouted out with glee.......
 

Christmas cookies and kisses

More Christmas cookie baking with an old favorite. I'm bringing these devils to my work Christmas party tonight.

Candy Kiss Cookies

1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 cup shortening
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2 TB milk
1 tsp. vanilla
1 package candy kisses (unwrapped)
additional sugar

Mix dry ingredients, stir and set aside. Combine shortening, peanut butter, sugar and brown sugar. Gradually add egg, milk and vanilla. Add dry ingredients slowly, mixing for 1 to 2 minutes.

Shape cookie dough in 1-1 1/2 inch balls and roll in sugar. Place on greased cookie sheet, bake 375 degree oven for 8-10 minutes or until slightly golden brown. Remove from oven and immediately top with candy kiss. Cool on wire rack : ) Store in air tight container to keep cookies soft.

Yes Amy! Jake loves his little travel pillow :) Amy is one of my very best blogging buddies and we hit it off right away. I'm so thankful for her!

She made this travel pillow for Jake with a sweet little message. It's even a hit with Frosty!

"Wherever your travels take you during this holiday season
and during the coming year,
I hope this travel pillow will always give you sweet dreams!"

So Amy and Aidan, you peanut butter and chocolate lover you. Here's a kiss from us to YOU :) Thanks again.......Happy Holidays! xo

more holiday baking.......

A yummy white chocolate treat for you. Thanks for the recipe Sis!

White Chocolate Pretzel Treats

12 oz. package white chocolate chip morsels
1/2 to 1 cup pretzel sticks broke in half
1/2 to 1 cup dry roasted peanuts

Melt chocolate in microwave safe bowl. Stir until melted. Add pretzels and peanuts gradually to get the right consistency. Drop with spoon on wax paper. You can make them bite size or any size you wish :)

Let cool and store. :)

A little snow fell in our dining room, as you can see Jake drove his truck through some of the fresh fallen snow :) go figure......

Cute gifts ready to go :)

More holiday goodies on the way :)

Easy Holiday Peanut Brittle

   

This is one of the first Christmas candy recipes my sister Susie gave me years ago. You'll love how fast and easy this recipe is. It's all done in the microwave, so that's an added bonus not having to wait around for the candy thermometer.

Easy Holiday Peanut Brittle

1 cup raw peanuts
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 tsp. salt
1 TB butter
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

In microwave safe glass bowl combine peanuts, sugar, syrup and salt. Stir until combined. Microwave for 4 minutes. Stir until well combined and return to microwave for an additional 3 minutes. Add 1 TB butter, stir and return to microwave. Microwave an additional 2 minutes or until peanuts are golden brown. Add soda and vanilla until well combined and bubbly. Immediately pour on greased cookie sheet and spread to desired thickness. Let cool and break in pieces. Please be very careful and use hots pads when removing dish each time you microwave, it gets VERY hot.

Store in decorative holiday tin and they are all ready for cute little neighbor gifts. This one is on it's way to grandma and grandpa's house :)

Merry Christmas

Christmas Village

We are just about finished with our Christmas decorating. One of my favorite things is to decorate our porch. I love it when it snows and covers our little bench and railing lights. We didn't get much snow today, just enough to make things pretty :)

 

I used lots of silver tinsel on our outdoor Christmas tree for an old fashioned look. It's kinda weird when you have the tree finished outside before the tree inside. 
 

 

Our itty bitty dining room Christmas tree. Perfect.....

 

Snowman lights on our dining room hutch.

We headed to Ogden's Christmas Village this evening. I've been going every year since I was a little girl. One of my favorite memories with Aunt Ruth.

They have so many new things this year. I was really impressed with how much it's grown.

 

Local businesses dress up little cottages in the park with different themes. Jake is alway on the look out for the cottages with trains.

Live Christmas country music.

and even a dancing man with his horse. It's hard to tell from the photo but the horse is covered in Christmas lights and actually dances gallops.

You can even drop off a letter to Santa while you're there.

  

and to all a good night.

the one about the little elves......

These vintage Christmas elves have been around as long as I can remember. They always sit under my mom and dads tree each year. I adore them.

We went to grandma and grandpa's last night to make cupcakes and help decorate.

Yummy spice cupcakes with butter frosting. We used chocolate candies and red hots :)

 

The cupcakes were a hit : ) Have a happy weekend!

a little holiday decorating.......

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving :) Now time for the Christmas cheer.....lots of holiday decorating.

Just a bowl full of candy canes, pine cones and jingle bells.

 

Jake loves his new Frosty from Build a Bear Workshop. He's quite smitten with this fella.

 

A very proud little boy with his very own Christmas tree :)

I'll be back this weekend with holiday treats, crafts and more Christmas cheer. Happy Holidays!

Yummy Sweet Potato Surprise

 

Our Thanksgiving family favorite. Sweet Potato Surprise.......

 

Sweet Potato Surprise

1 20 oz. can pineapple slices (drained) reserving juice

2 17 oz. cans yams, drained
1/4 cup flour

3 TB brown sugar
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt

3 TB butter
1/4 cup walnuts
1 cup mini marshmallows

 

Drain pineapple. Reserve juice, set aside. Arrange yams in 9 x 13 baking pan. Top with pineapple rings. Pour pineapple juice over yams and pineapples.

 

Combine flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Cut in butter with pastry blender until coarse and crumbly. Stir in nuts. Sprinkle over yams. Bake 350 degrees for 25 minutes.

 

Remove dish from oven, sprinkle with mini marshmallows. Broil for 30 seconds to a minute, watching every single second......these devils will burn quickly. When marshmallows start to melt and just begin to brown, remove immediately.

 

I usually double this, using a larger baking dish. The yams will be hard to find in this size.....I just get the 29 ounce cans and get as close as possible :)

 

 

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Sweet Christmas Cottage Birdhouse

 

Look what came in the mail today! The sweetest little birdhouse from Rue :) It will have a place in our home year round.

Thanks again Rue :) It's the sweetest thing!

Happy Holidays xoxo