Better Late than Never . . .

Christmas came and went so quickly, as it does each year. This year seemed to be a whirlwind in the Klassen household. We moved into our new home 3 days before Christmas and spent every waking moment it seemed, unpacking boxes. So, I am now, 2 weeks later, catching up on my blogging. Here are a few of the things that I accomplished for Christmas, although it is not all. I can't believe I forgot to take pictures of all my sewing projects. I made potholders with matching dishtowels, t-shirts with appliqued first initial, fabric memory cards and coffee sleeves. I have already blogged this similar to them, so I will let you do the work of searching for the items.
Now for the items on the collage:

1. Bath Salts and Sugar Scrubs - Last September, our first craft of the MOPS season was bath salts. I had so much fun making them that it became an instant gift idea. As a result the gals in the family received these nice smelling treats.

Directions:
- Bath salts - combine 1 cup of each - coarse sea salt, dead sea salt, Epsom salt, and or baking soda. Add a few drops of selected soap scents (found at Michael's). Put in cute jar to use or give away.
- Bath scrub - Combine 1 cup of sugar with enough olive oil to get desired consistency. Add a tbsp of honey.

2. Candied Mixed Nuts
I found this recipe online. . . it was great! I used a bag of unsalted mixed nuts from Trader Joe's and it turned out delicious!

Walt Disney World's Glazed Almonds

1/3 cup butter
2 egg whites
salt
1 cup sugar
1 (16 ounce) package almonds
4 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions
Place butter on 15- x 10-inch jellyroll pan and heat in 325F oven until butter melts, about 7 minutes.
Meanwhile, beat egg whites with dash of salt until frothy, then gradually add sugar, beating to stiff peaks. Gently fold in almonds and cinnamon.
Pour almond mixture into jellyroll pan and stir, coating with butter.
Bake, stirring every 10 minutes, until almonds are crisp, about 40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature.

3. Cranberry Hootiecreeks in a jar.
I made a batch of these for my grandma. My jar was a tad too small, so I stuck the white chocolate chips in a bag and tied them to the lid. I thought it looked great! In fact, I just made a batch of these and sent them to work with Jon yesterday. . . rave reviews. There is something amazing about this cookie.

4. Peanut Butter Crispie Balls
I was introduced to these last year just after having Ethan. After 3 months on an incredibly low carb diet, these were such a desirable treat. My husband, also a huge PB lover, requested these for Christmas last year and are now on the annual list of treats to make each Winter. They are a no-bake treat is great to make ahead and then freeze. When I need a quick dessert, I know I can make these ahead of time and usually just make half a batch, which is still quite a lot.

2 c. peanut butter
1/2 c. butter
1 lb. confectioners' sugar
3 c. Rice Krispies
Dipping chocolate (I use chocolate bark)

Combine peanut butter, butter and confectioners sugar in large bowl. Blend well. Add rice cereal. Form into 3/4 inch balls. Refrigerate for about 2 hours. Dip into melted chocolate. Makes about 75 or more balls. Great for holiday gifts.

I hope that you all had an incredibly happy Christmas! I know that regardless of the chaos of mine, we had a great time celebrating the birth of our Savior and spending time with family, and eating LOTS of delicious food!