Christmas is almost here, folks! And I am ready to munch on some good food and to see my family. And yes, enjoy a little gift-giving too. Growing up, on Christmas Eve we would go to my Grandma’s house for dinner. It was always oyster stew, chili, sloppy joes and her famous green dessert. Oysters scare me, so I chowed down on everything else.
Not that I ate very much back then. I was too excited about the big guy coming to visit so I barely slept. Typically I woke up around 3 AM and would sneak out to see if Santa had paid me a visit, which, of course, he had because I was/am a very good girl. 🙂 I’d wake up my brother so we could wait by our presents until Mom and Dad got up. Eventually, he realized it would be hours until they were up, so he’d go back to bed. But not me. I was in it to win it!
After my parents got up (after a little nudging from me) and presents were opened, we’d prepare a big meal for Christmas. Since my cousins were there to keep me busy, I made it through the day, but I probably fell asleep as soon as they left. Now days, I look forward to giving more than receiving, especially when there are young kids around. I enjoy their excitement as I remember my own joy at introducing old Barbie to new Barbie.
I also view holidays treats a bit differently these days. I enjoyed them before but probably didn’t appreciate the hard work and tradition baked into those cookies. Now I do. I know many of you will be busy hitting the stores for last minute gifts and baking up a storm for Christmas festivities, so here are a few of my favorite holiday treats.
Caramel Corn
This is incredibly addictive. I had to watch myself, otherwise I might have eaten the entire batch in one setting.
White Chocolate Popcorn Mix with Fritos and M&Ms
The combination of sweet and salty is so, so good.
Creamy Caramels
One of my absolute favorites. I make these every year!
Peppermint Oreo Bark
Another great combo of peppermint and Oreos. A favorite among my friends!
Russian Snowballs
These are fantastic. Tender, sweet and perfect for the Holidays.
Special K Bars
My Mom makes these bars and I can’t keep my hands off them. So good!
Oreo Fudge
Ummm … Oreos. Do I really need to say more?
Peanut Butter Fudge
Creamy and full of peanut butter flavor, which helps them from being too sweet.
Bacon Peanut Clusters
Bacon? You bet. It lends a nice savory touch to the clusters. Delicious!
Chocolate Peanut Butter Saltine Toffee
OMG! Some call these candy crack and they are right. These were amazing!
So many yummy treats and most are quite simple to make, which I love! Happy Holidays and Happy baking!