Santa Party!!

Today was the 5th annual Santa Party, where Santa makes an early stop at Grandma and Grandpa's house to spread some holiday cheer, encourage the kids to continue with their best behavior and, of course, give them each a little present.  Most of those in attendance are Liv and Joe's cousins, along with their parents and grandparents and some friends from church and Liv's former school.

By now, everyone knows the routine: get to the party house, play, eat, sing Christmas songs and wait for the big guy to show up.  Everyone was SO excited. Except Joe, who opted to stay on the sun porch playing with his toys while the rest gathered in the living room for Santa's arrival.  (Gotta give the boy credit, there was no competition for toys, so maybe HE was on to something.)

Finally Santa arrived with bells jingling and carrying overflowing bags of presents.  He spent some time with each child , led everyone in a Christmas song and then got down to business.  It is amazing how for Joe Sung Min has come in the past year.  Check out his picture with Santa last year - and how much better he was this year (granted, he didn't get as close, but hey, baby steps.)

One by one, each child was called up as Santa's assistant, Camille, picked their present out of the bag. Liv enjoyed her time with Santa, although I was surprised how nervous she was around him. He assured her that he knew where our new house in the country was and that he couldn't wait to see all of her animals.  That put her mind at ease.  

The kids were all SO good, waiting patiently until everyone received their presents from Santa before ripping them open to see what was inside - and then excitedly playing with each others new treasures.  It was another wonderful evening thanks to Grandma, Grandpa and, of course Santa.  We can't wait until next year's!

Grandma was happy to have all her grandkids at the party this year. :)

An Unusual Holiday Tradition

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #8

In 57 words or less, tell about one of your family's holiday traditions.

 (NOTE: I didn't say you had to LIKE the tradition.)

My 6 year old and I were talking about the different holiday traditions we share as a family.  Some are passed down from my family, some from her Papa's and an ever growing number that our little family has started over the past years.  Liv asked if she could be the writer this week and I was happy to oblige.  While it may not answer the prompt completely, it does reflect her uniqueness (and is 57 words or less.)  (And I would like to add that this is a tradition she and her dad share.)  Without any further ado:

I have lots of Christmas traditions.  I love to make cookies with my Mama and decorate the tree.  On Christmas morning we open presents, eat Monkey Bread and go to church.  My new favorite tradition is waking up early the week before Christmas to help Papa butcher Christmas dinner.  This year, it is our turkey, KnitKnots.

****************************************************************************

At Thanksgiving, Liv composed a song that I have since titled "An Ode to Mr. Puff('s Butchering)" which, as you may have guessed, is about the first turkey we (and by "we" I mean my husband and Liv) butchered.  It became an instant classic in our home and many around the country.  It *is* a little graphic at times but as long as you don't mind hearing about intestines, I think you'll get a kick out of this little ditty.

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!

Candy, Candy and More Candy - Ketchup With Us #7

'KETCHUP WITH US' - PROMPT #7

SHARE A FAVORITE HOLIDAY RECIPE. THERE IS NO WORD LIMIT.

(WELL, LET'S NOT GET CRAZY. HOW ABOUT NOTHING OVER 1000 WORDS?)

Some of my favorite Christmas memories are times spent with my mom in the kitchen (no surprise there) baking cookies and making different types of candies.  We would spend hours trying different recipes and perfecting family favorites.  I will always cherish those times we spent together in the kitchen talking, laughing, making a huge mess and, of course, testing everything. Sometimes twice.  We wouldn't want to put out something that was sub-par now, would we?  

My mom has been gone 10 years now and I still make as many of "our" recipes as I can.  I love that my girl, now 6 1/2, is old enough to take part in the fun and we are creating wonderful memories of our own.  She loves helping me in the kitchen and hasn't met a candy that she didn't like.  When I told her about this prompt, she immediately suggested these two.  The girl has great taste.  If I were home, I would have also included my mom's Bourbon (Burpin') Balls recipe - but I can't find it - so these will have to do.  I hope you have as much fun making these recipes as we do!

Merry Christmas!

Angel Food Candy

1 cup white sugar

1 cup dark karo syrup

1 T vinegar

1 T baking soda (sifted)

1 bag of chocolate chips (your choice)

Thoroughly butter a 9x9 baking dish.  You don't want to skimp here.  Trust me.  

In a medium saucepan over medium heat, combine sugar, corn syrup and vinegar.  Cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves. Heat, WITHOUT stirring, until the mixture reaches 295 - 300 degrees.  (Yes, you will need a candy thermometer but it is totally worth it.  Again, trust me on this.) 

Immediately remove from heat and stir in baking soda.  WARNING. The mixture will rise. You may scream.  This is totally normal. At this point, the recipe is like some kind of science experiment. Whee!!  Stir it until the color is even throughout with no streaks.

Quickly pour into the prepared pan. Resist the urge the spread it out or smooth out the top.  This will happen all by itself. Set the pan aside and let it cool.

Once cooled, flip the pan over onto a large cutting board.  The candy will should slide right out.  Here is the cathartic part - breaking the candy up into chunks.  You can put it in a ziploc bag and smash it with a rolling pin or just jab it with a knife to create a variety of irregular shapes and sizes.  That is part of the charm of this candy.

Melt the chocolate chips with a tablespoon or two of shortening and dip the candy into the chocolate.  The Hendricks family ALWAYS enrobed the entire piece in chocolate and that is what I still do.  Some people choose to just dip part of the candy in chocolate so you can see the texture.  (It IS easier to dip this way and is much less messy. So the choice is up to you.

NOTE: For those of you who don't want to mess with a candy thermometer, here is another of my favorite candy recipes.  We often give this away as gifts at Christmas or I bring it to a cookie exchange.  This never lasts long so I recommend hiding a stash in the back corner of your refrigerator just for you.  I won't tell.

Winter Bark

8 ounces white chocolate, chopped

12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, chopped

7 ounces (2 1/2 cups) salted cocktail peanuts

Melt white chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water, simmering occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Remove from heat.

Melt bittersweet chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of boiling water, simmering occasionally, until chocolate is melted. Stir in peanuts.  

Spread on a parchment-lined rimmed baking sheet, spreading peanuts in a single layer.  Drop spoonfuls of white chocolate on top and swirl chocolates with a skewer.  Refrigerate until set, about 1 hour.  Break bark into large pieces. Bark will keep, covered and refrigerated, for up to 2 weeks.

Enjoy!