T Stands for Tuesday Snack Recipe, Hand Dipped Dark Chocolates & Happy New Year!!

  Hi everyone, I am connecting this post to T Stands for Tuesday where we share a drink related post hosted by Bleubeard and Elizabeth. This is a wonderful group of people many of whom are artists and crafters, so I am also learning new to me things while joining in the weekly fun. Find the link in my right hand column

  Here in the Ozarks in Missouri like many in the States; we are experiencing very frigid temperatures.  I have experienced this cold more often when we lived in the Chicago area however since moving and retiring here we just are not used to this frigid cold any more, especially for such a long period of time. Being seniors now is a factor as well.

  Tonight through Tuesday afternoon we will be in the minus temps at night plus very minus feels like temperatures during the days. 

   Sooooo we are not driving anywhere til things warm up a bit-at our ages now I don't think it is even safe for us either. I am only bundling up to feed the wildlife and the birds.

  Well enough going on about the weather smiles.  

   I had not made a Chex mix snack in several years-so weeks back I had bought the cereals and I made a double batch a couple days ago. I froze a big bag of it to have some for later.

  This turned out really good-I changed up the recipe a bit. Most Chex and Cheerios cereals are now gluten free, Aldi stores sells gluten free pretzels and instead of peanuts I used pecan and walnut halves. at the end of the baking time I tossed in some broken up rice cheese snacks.

all photos will enlarge just click on them

Kathy's Gluten Free  Chex Mix Snack

1/3 cup olive oil

1 1/2 teaspoon Mrs. Dash Garlic & Herbs spice

1 cup nuts-of choice

3 cups Cheerios I used the multi grain

9 cups your choice of Chex cereal

1 1/2 cups pretzles

Measure out the olive oil in measuring cup and add the spice and stir. In large bowl mix up all the dry ingredients stir in the olive oil and spice. Spread out mix onto parchment paper lined baking sheets. stir every 10 minutes or so. Let cool completely before storing. 250 degree f oven for 1 hour.

  I did not want this snack to be super salty as many are, so no salt has been added. Also I did not want the more greasy butter version. I loved the olive oil in this.

 I had not made any of my chocolate candy for Christmas so I decided to grab a bag of dark chocolate melting discs, and glazed orange peels, glazed lemon peels, dried apricots, dried ranier cherries and dip them--yum  these freeze well too.

  Just a note-the dipped fruits will look prettier if you set them up on racks and let the excess chocolate drip below-you can remelt that excess chocolate I don't always do that extra step-no one seems to really mind.

   I made my dark fruit cakes late this year so they won't be at their best for at least another month. I did need to re saturate the cheesecloths in brandy and re wrap them all. Hubs tested one out today-very moist but they need more "aging"

   With these cold weather days we have been enjoying chili, and soups. Tonight I am going to make a pot of chicken noodle soup with veggies. I am also adding in two quarts of my own canned wild turkey with stock. Good cold weather comfort food. 

      I am going to try a new recipe tonight too-it is a cast iron skillet cornbread with fresh blueberries-sounds delicious.

The beverage I am sharing is a nice big mug of hot chocolate that I made for myself last night with marshmallows of course-   I still had a bit left of my own hot cocoa mix from last winter. It has powdered milk-splenda (instead of sugar) and very dark cocoa. I blend 1/4 cup into almond milk or any milk to make it more creamy.

I have owned this handmade pottery mug from many years now-I had purchased allot of useable kitchen pottery pieces from the early 70s through the 90s. For me comfort is a handmade pottery mug or glass.  Oh and the placemat shown is one of my own handwoven pieces-an overshot pattern. I wove this back in the 90s-I am so hoping I can find time to weave again this coming year.

  I wish you all the best New Year. We were invited out tonight but we are staying in as early evening promises to be -4 degrees f with -15 or more degrees f wind chill--no thank you lol