Hello, everyone! Elsa here. It's been a long time, hasn't it? Well, I'm afraid there's not much to say. Having settled in to She's new home and with the addition of some new dolls, it's been a comfortable and quiet year for us, although I can't say the same for our humans. This past summer, one of She's roommates found her own place, so it's just been the two of them, but they get along really well. The humans have had a busy month, as is typical for December. The holidays are right around the corner, and She is due to graduate from college any day now and is up for a promotion at work! It was high time that She had a weekend off to get things ready for Christmas. And what better way to do that than with some baking? The following are three different recipes She made up as desserts, snacks, or drinks to be to get our readers into the festive mood.
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Hot Chocolate Peppermint Bark
This peppermint bark recipe came about when She had all the ingredients for regular peppermint bark- except the peppermint extract. After some trial and tribulation, as Tiana would say, She substituted the peppermint flavor with vanilla extract. Add some marshmallows on top, and lo and behold, it was given a new hot chocolate flavor.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces white chocolate chips
- 8 ounces milk chocolate chips
- 8 ounces dark chocolate chips
- Vanilla extract
- Freeze-dried marshmallow bits
- Candy canes, crushed into pieces
- Get a about half full of water to a light boil on your stove. Place a glass pitcher inside, creating a double boiler.
- As the water is heating up, prepare a rectangular baking dish with parchment paper. This will help the bark to come up much easier once it's cooled down.
- Put the dark chocolate chips into the glass dish part of your double boiler. They should melt quickly, so be sure to stir constantly, or else you risk burning the bottom of your chocolate.
- Once the chocolate is thoroughly melted, pour it out onto the parchment paper and spread into an even layer. As it's still warm, sprinkle the top with a few drops of vanilla extract and swirl the flavor around.
- Repeat the last three steps with the milk and white chocolate.
- Note that putting the vanilla extract directly into the chocolate as it's melting may cause it to harden or become grainy in the double boiler. We found it easier to wait until it's out on the parchment and just evenly mix it that way.
- Mix the three different chocolates together with a spoon, using the back of the same spoon to lay it as flat as possible on the parchment.
- Sprinkle the top heartily with marshmallow bits and crushed candy cane.
- Set inside your fridge for a few hours.
- Once the waiting period is over, remove from the fridge, then peel the bark from the parchment.
- Break it up into pieces with your hands, try to make them generally the same size.
- That's all! Save the treat for yourself and your family, or set inside a cellophane bag and tie with a red or green ribbon to make a great gift.
- 2 russet potatoes, washed and dried
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- Paprika to taste (that's the red)
- Dried rosemary to taste (that's the green)
- Teaspoon of table salt
- 1/2 teaspoon of black pepper
- Olive oil
- Preheat your oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Cut the potatoes into small, evenly-sized pieces, leaving the skin.
- Toss the potatoes into a container with a lid, then drizzle the olive oil over it. You'll just need enough to evenly coat each potato piece.
- Sprinkle all the dry seasonings over the potato pieces, adding more or less to your preference.
- Put the lid on the container and shake it to disperse the spices.
- Transfer the potatoes from the container to a baking dish with tall sides. The tall sides aren't really important, but it makes it easier to mix around later.
- Bake the potatoes at 10 minute intervals, checking them after each timer by stabbing one with a fork. If it stays on the fork, cook them a little longer. If the outside is crispy and golden brown, it's ready to come out.
- That's it! The potatoes can be eaten plain, with ketchup, or with another dipping sauce of your choice.
Autumn Morning Iced Coffee
Can you believe it's still autumn? The winter solstice, or the changing of the seasons, will happen on December 21st this year. Personally, I can't wait. This coffee was She's go-to for her early mornings at work. It's easy to make and smells delicious. Note: you must own a Keurig machine or another coffee maker that uses coffee pods. Also, this coffee is prepared the night before.
Ingredients:
- 12 ounces of water
- Cameron's Intense French coffee pods, or another dark roast coffee
- 1 full sized cinnamon stick
- Unsweetened almond milk, to taste
- Honey, to taste
- Vanilla-flavored syrup, optional
- Plenty of ice
- Load your Keurig or coffee maker with 12 ounces of water and the coffee pod.
- Brew the coffee as per your machine's instructions with the cinnamon stick at the bottom of the mug.
- Set in the fridge overnight.
- The next day, remove the cinnamon stick and add the almond milk and honey, however much suits your taste.
- If the drink isn't sweet enough with the honey alone, add some vanilla-flavored coffee syrup for a wider flavor profile.
- Pour the coffee from the mug into a cold beverage container that has plenty of ice inside.
- And you're done! Enjoy with a friend or on your morning commute.
- 1 ounce cranberry juice
- 2 ounces orange juice
- 4 ounces grapefruit soda
- Mix all the drinks together in a glass with ice. Make it even more festive with fresh cranberries floating on top.
- 0.5 ounces cranberry juice
- 2 ounces orange juice
- 1 ounce plain vodka
- 3 ounces grapefruit soda
- Mix all the drinks together in a glass with ice. Make it even more festive with an orange slice on the rim.
