Trina's Day: December 2013

~ Dipped Candy Cane Sticks ~

What I used :
Chocolate Almond Bark
Bob's Canes
White Sprinkles
My trusty Meat Tenderizer - to break apart the blocks of the Almond Bark
Wax Paper (Not Pictured Above)
Glassine Treat Bags with Twist Ties (Not Pictured Above)

One of the freshly dipped canes resting on Wax Paper waiting for Sprinkles. I use my trusty Wax Paper or my SilPat for things that I don't want to stick and want to be able to easily remove.

Some of the finished Dipped and Sprinkled Candy Canes. These are tasty all on their own, or use them as a stir stick in coffee for some added sweet flavors or use in hot cocoa - YUM!

I placed one, two, or more canes into each Glassine Treat Bag and used Silver Twist Ties to close them up. The Bags can be found in different shapes and sizes in the cake or cookie decorating aisle in most stores.

These are a quick and easy little treat to hand out to friends, family, neighbors, teachers, etc...

~ Christmas Cupcakes ~

This vanilla cake recipe called for making a soft peak meringue for the batter.

Getting ready to use my pink cupcake corer.

Filled the cupcake with a fresh cranberry lime salsa.

Replaced the "lid" then frosted it.

A quick tip: Sometimes I set a cooling rack over a bowl when sprinkling cupcakes. It saves the extra sprinkles that didn't stick, thus saving money.

The results.

Vanilla cupcake with an almond buttercream frosting, and a cranberry-lime salsa filling, topped with a candy peppermint.

~ Some Fun Christmas Cookies I've Decorated in the Past ~

Fun Little Santa Hat

A Festive Group of Christmas Cookies

Love how my Mitten turned out!

These cuties were fun to do!

The Santa went to my sweet Niece

I made a special Snowman for a special friend

~ Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix Gifts ~

Here is the Cast of Characters:
A Cute Container (One you can see through is better for presentation.)
Homemade Hot Cocoa Mix. (Or a store bought mix is fine.)
Mini Marshmallows
Candy Cane Mints
Ande's Mints Pieces (not pictured here)
Pretty Ribbon
Something to break up the candies with. (I used my heavy meat tenderizer.)
A heavy bag to hold the candies in while breaking them up. (A small freezer bag is what I used)
Note: You can use mini chocolate chips if you are not a lover of mint.

Fill The Container
Start with the Hot Cocoa Mix. Spoon in enough to fill half of the container.
Then add the marshmallows. Add enough marshmallows to almost fill the other half, leaving room for the layers of mint toppings.
Lastly, add the Mints in layers.

The Finished Gift
I used chalkboard paint and painted the top of the can lid the day before.
I then wrote "Hot Cocoa Mix" and drew Christmas themed items on it with my chalkboard pen.
Tie a pretty ribbon around the middle.
I also tied a tag with instructions on to the handle. (not pictured here)
My instructions read: "Add 2 T. of Mix to one mug of hot water, add toppings, & enjoy."

I've had good reactions from the receivers of these gifts so far. I'm planning on making more. These are great low priced gifts for teachers, neighbors, etc… Also a nice "Secret Santa" or a $5.00 exchange gift. I'm going to have some hot cocoa right now! Yum!