Merry Christmas!

Cheese plate to go, M's gorgeous ornament that she made, and a repurposed lemonade bottle for gifting some Huggo's On The Rocks Mai Tais (fun labeling by me, to make sure the recipient knew where the recipe was from).

Gifts from the kitchen... And, the Interwebs.

I love the Internet. Brilliant ideas, information. Love it. This brilliant lady made fresh Christmas potpourri, and so I did this... I added whole cloves to mine (about 1 Tablespoon).

And, my friends loved it. LOVED.

And, this brilliant lady shared this recipe for Primal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and they are the only kind I make anymore. They're that good. And, our family isn't even gluten free, but healthier cookies are a winner, especially when they taste great. 

I do make mine with COLD butter rather than palm shortening (or coconut oil when I make them for vegan friends). 

They're made with almond meal, butter, honey, vanilla, salt, and baking soda. That's it. I know the recipe by heart. Oh, and they're made in the food processor. I only stir the chocolate chips in by hand at the end. 

Aren't they pretty? 

And, perhaps most exciting of all this year... On The Rocks, the casual dining restaurant/bar on Kailua-Kona Bay in Kona, HI, shared the recipe for their Famous Mai Tai on their blog this month. If I close my eyes, it's just like I'm right there with my feet in the sand sipping on one while listening to some amazing live tunes on a ukulele!

Go to their site to see this recipe and more... Be sure to try out all of their cocktails! Open for happy hour daily from 3 – 5PM!  See you On the Rocks!   Be Social!! Or, just whip it up for gifts:

Huggoʻs Famous Mai Tai
1/2 oz of white rum
Mai Tai Mix – 1/2 inch from top
Float Dark Rum on top (about 1.5 oz.)
Served On the Rocks with 12″ straw
Garnish with a fresh pineapple wedge, lime wedge and umbrella!

For Mai Tai Mix (by the Gallon)
1.5 cans of Pineapple Juice
1 qt Orange Juice
12 ox Orgeat syrup
12 oz Orange Curacao

Holiday Houses

Sweet Brickle

When M was a baby, we started calling her "Brickle" because she was as sweet as butter brickle. But then we figured we should look up exactly what kind of candy we were comparing our child to.

It turns out that it's a delicious toffee-ish confection that I made for our family that first Christmas. And, I'd only made it once since then, until today. Jen served the exact recipe at our scout leader holiday party last week, and so I figured it was time to dusty this one off for the holidays!

So easy. So delicious! Share it with your friends and family. http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Saltine-Toffee-Cookies/Detail.aspx?event8=1&prop24=SR_Thumb&e11=saltine%20toffee&e8=Quick%20Search&event10=1&e7=Recipe&soid=sr_results_p1i1

More Construction

Amazing icing in this recipe... http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Building-Gingerbread/

Construction

Graham cracker house construction is M's homework this week. So, I made a wee one, and I'm helping her construct.

The bonus is that the icing recipe the school suggested is fantastic.

Chocolate Cherry Cupcakes

As You Wish

The boy wanted "a towering mound of cream puffs" for his birthday, with blue icing, candy, and Slugterra characters.



Store bought puffs, homemade blue butter cream, and decor. Done!

Coconut-free Santas

And, the white cotton candy has only two ingredients: Sugar and artificial flavor. Strawberry flavored. The kids are so excited. Personally, I prefer the coconut beard.