Things I Love, Part 387

Four Christmases ago, I had an idea.  I was going to go house-to-house and pass out Christmas cookies.  This may seem like no big deal, but it was a very strategic and advantageous move on our part.

We had just moved into our house in October.  Having only moved from Michigan 6 months earlier to Atlanta, we were still trying to connect to the area.  It wasn't "home" yet.

In fact, my husband and I had moved several times before settling here.  We are nomads by nature.  His parents were in the military and my parents were in the ministry.  Both careers are a "family business" and often require a move every couple years.

This year's cookie cornucopia

In our eight years of marriage, we had moved seven times...not including a couple move-ins with my parents between houses.  Feeling settled and "connected" takes time, and we rarely had that opportunity.

So, you see Christmas Cookies are a "Thing I Love" because it allowed us to quickly get to know our neighbors.  I highly recommend it, even if you've lived in your neighborhood a long time.

And, it doesn't have to cost you a fortune.  That first year, I did my Mother-in-law's peppermint bark and my own peanut clusters.  Those bless-ed peanut clusters make 110 to a batch, so its alot of bang for your buck. I don't get fancy with the containers...just plastic or paper Christmas plates wrapped in saran wrap.

We have a huge neighborhood, so I am forced to relegate myself to the 14 or so houses in our cul-de-sac.  But, that first year, I instantly knew 14 neighbors.  I knew who I was waving to as they walked their dogs.  I knew their husband's name.  I learned about some different cultures and the different religious views in my little 14 house world.  And we've continued the tradition every year.

This year, think about going out of your comfort zone.  Its always a tentative feeling between ringing the doorbell and the neighbor coming to the door after they realize you are not a polite burglar.  But its so worth it.

Here's my two faithful recipes.  I've since added candy canes dipped in white chocolate with red sprinkles, stain glass cookies (not for the faint of heart), and either hershey kiss cookies or triple chocolate peppermint cookies.  But, if you are just getting started, here's some help:

Chocolate Peanut Clusters
Put 1 bar of German Chocolate cooking chocolate, 48oz. Almond Bark, and 12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips in a crock pot. Cover with 16oz. dry-roasted UNsalted peanuts and 16oz. dry-roasted salted peanuts. Put the lid on and set the crock pot on warm for 3 hours. Don't stir it. Don't lift the lid, don't do anything!! When the 3 hours are up, just stir it all together for a couple minutes until everything is completely melted and mixed together. Turn the crockpot off and spoon onto waxed paper and wait for it to cool.

Georgia's Peppermint Bark 

1/4 bag peppermint candies, crushed (you can also use candy canes...really, just mix in as much or as little as you like)

1 lb. bag candy melts (at Michael's, but they are expensive.  I use Kroger white chocolate chips to great effect.  Just make sure the chips have cocoa butter in them.  Don't use "chocolate flavored" stuff.  Keep it real)

1/4 tsp. peppermint flavoring

Crush peppermint with a mallet into small pieces.  Melt chocolate in a microwave bowl for 1 minute.  Stir.  Repeat for 30 seconds until melted.  Stir in flavoring and peppermints.  Place wax paper on a cookie sheet, then spread mixture on the was paper.  Put in fridge until cool  Cut into bit-size pieces.

 Okay, technically, they are not "Christmas Cookies"...but no one is going to complain.

Merry Christmas!  Happy Cookie Eating!