Cranberry Pistachio Christmas Bark

This is fun and the red cranberries and green pistachios make it so festive for Christmas. 

Ingredients:

1 pound white chocolate confectionery coating
1 cup dried cranberries
1 cup pistachios, shells removed

Melt the chocolate in a microwave safe bowl.  Stir in cranberries and pistachios.  Pour onto wax paper-lined baking sheet and spread out to form a thin layer.   Chill in the refrigerator.  Break into pieces.  Enjoy!

This recipe is so easy to double (and I tend to add more cranberries and pistachios to fill it up!) 

Mocha Truffles

One of my favorite Christmas treats to make and to share is Mocha Truffles.  I got this recipe many years ago from Taste of Home and it is one frequently requested.  It takes a little time to make because the truffles need to be firm enough to shape, but it is simple and yummy!  This is a great recipe to do with children too because it is simple for them to help shape the truffles into balls. 

Ingredients:

2 packages (12 ounces each) semi sweet chocolate chips

1 package (8 ounces) cream cheese, softened

3 tablespoons instant coffee granules

2 teaspoons water

1 pound dark chocolate confectionery coating

   white chocolate confectionery coating, optional

In a microwave safe bowl melt chocolate chips.  Add cream cheese, coffee, and water.  Chill until firm enough to shape.  Shape into 1 inch balls and place on a waxed paper-lined cookie sheet.  Chill for 1-2 hours, or until firm.  Melt chocolate coating in microwave safe bowl.  Dip balls and place on waxed paper to harden.  If desired, melt white chocolate and drizzle over top.  (Yield around 5 dozen) 



Ingredients Matter

In honor of Courtney's 18th birthday, and because she has gone vegan, I decided to make her favorite German Chocolate Cake " vegan style". I found a great recipe online and baked the cake. It smelled delicious baking! The frosting however, was a different story. I mixed the ingredients and put it on the stovetop to heat. After awhile the frosting doubled in size and was foamy. I transferred the frosting to my biggest pan and was a little amazed when it continued growing in size. Finally it bubbled out of my pan and onto the stove. I was mortified. I so wanted to bless Courtney, but I had made a mess of the frosting and the stove.

When she came home I told her what happened. She said, "Mom, you did use corn syrup or cornstarch?" I looked up in the cabinet and saw the cornstarch on the shelf and realized I had never taken it out of the cupboard. I had used Baking Soda instead! Oh my. No wonder it acted more like the boys' volcano science experiment rather than frosting. By the way, Josiah fondly calls my concoction "frothing" rather than frosting! With a quick trip to the store and all the right ingredients, the cake was completed. But I sure learned a lesson. Putting something in that doesn't belong can spell disaster. Ingredients are important!

What is your recipe for life? Is your life bubbling out of control like my "frothing"? What kind of ingredients are you putting inside of you? Are there things in your life that you are compromising or substituting for the ingredients that really belong? I know that listening to the promptings of the Holy Spirit are so vital in life. Sometimes I ignore what God might be trying to tell me thinking, "Oh, this is no big thing" but God knows what is best for me. He designed me (and He designed you too) and He knows what is best to make each of our lives perfect in His sight.