Good morning Friday,
It's a beautiful sunny day here today. Loving it, the Lake is beautiful and I have seen seagulls and pelicans fly by so far.
Perfect day for candy making. I still had two bags of Ghirardelli melting chocolates that I brought with me in the move, a dark and a white chocolate. I was getting them from Sam's club when we went to the big city Springfield because they were the large bags the 1 pound 14 ounce bags. I will need to find another source for this chocolate.
Before retirement when we worked and lived in northern Illinois-right on the Wisconsin border-we would visit a handmade candy store that made the best chocolates we ever had. They were Europeans and third generation. Now a box is over $50.00 yikes So I have been dipping my own.
I bought from nuts.com their orange peel and lemon peel strips when I was buying fruitcake supplies. So today I brought out the dark chocolate and melted in this mini crockpot-which I had gotten for free a few years ago when I needed a large crockpot for deer camp. I didn't know what I was going to do with it at the time, many use if for those warm cheesy dips-but this is perfect for melting and dipping chocolate.
These chocolates are now packed into a container, wrapped in freezer paper and down in the freezer. So we won't be tempted til friends drop by or near Christmas. These are nice to have in the freezer for Valentine's Day too.
With the white melting chocolate I am going to melt it down-pour onto my marble slab and sprinkle with crushed peppermint candies and make white chocolate bark. That should be pretty.
Next week I will start Christmas cookie baking. I have now just a couple people to gift. and closer to Christmas will make my Grandma's peanut brittle and give that away as well I love to make it and I love it but my stomach doesn't like nuts too much anymore.
I am enjoying the reading list allot versus having my blog list on my blog page. It's always updated to the newest first. I have also rejoined Bloglovin and searched out quilting and food blogs to add more happiness and new things in my blog reading.
I wanted to share something new to me. Rolled candles from beeswax sheets. I have never heard of this before, have you? I read about it on Amanda's page Crafty in the Med where she shared the link to another blog with the tutorial of this project. I am tempted to check into this even though I don't burn candles any more.
Happy Friday!!
Oh yummy! I might have to start dipping things in chocolate, too. :) We are still having gloomy weather but it seems that the sun will return this next week, so looking forward to that. Teresa is the maker of the beeswax candles. She has been a blog friend very many years and is a very talented crafter. Have a good weekend.
ReplyDeleteHi Laurie chocolate is so fun to work with too.
ReplyDeletehow wonderful your husband took up the needle-give him a hug
Oh my, those candies look so delicious! Thanks for showing how they were made - yummy 😁. Happy Friday and wishing you a lovely weekend! Hugs, Jo x
ReplyDeleteYour welcome Jo-you as well-hugs
DeleteYour chocolates look fantastic!
ReplyDeleteOranges are on the shopping list.
thank you-they are really fun to make too goes pretty fast once the chocolate gets melted
DeleteThese delicious little chocolate goodies probably wouldn’t be safe here even if they were hidden deep inside the freezer. You are inspiring me to get started on making holiday treats. I did get the tree up!
ReplyDeleteat our woods house I didn't have to go down stairs to get to the freezer-so these treats are safer now haha so good frozen too. I don't always put up a tree but I did thanksgiving weekend this year--we need to keep our spirits up
DeleteI used to melt chocolate for fondue in a small crock pot. I have a small one with more than one setting, so my chocolate didn't seize. The first time I tried to pour chocolate over strawberries, I melted the chocolate too fast and had to throw the batch out. I used to bake dozens of cookies each Christmas. One year I made 17 different types of cookies. Now I'm lucky to get one batch completed. And candy has taken a back stage, too. I'm not fond of those strips. They remind me of citron, which I can't stand. However, yours looks pretty good for not a whole lot of work. I'll probably never be much of a baker again. It's no fun when it's only for myself, because Sally only eats things I make at her house and my no-name friends and I aren't getting together this Christmas, so there is no one to really bake for. You are lucky you have others who drop by. Sounds like you will be well prepared, too.
ReplyDeleteI did fondue too back in the day I used to do allot of baking too and gave most of it away. I agree baking for me has always been spreading a little love--we have very few close friends any more-actually none at the lake, and we are an hour's drive from the woods house so we don't visitors any more. but we do like to treat the young men that help Larry allot and they will come up for treats.
DeleteThose look delicious. I have to try them.
ReplyDeletegood morning these are really good-and this brand is really good chocolate-rich and creamy
DeleteThat gives me an idea for another activity to do with my grand-daughter over the holidays. I am sure she would love to make all these different types of chocolate sweets. It doesn't look too difficult either and if it gets messy ...well so what its yummy chocolate. Thanks for sharing Kathy and also thanks for the mention. I am still trying to find coloured beeswax sheets to purchase online here. I see I can get kits from the UK but it works out a bit costly with postage. keep well Amanda x
ReplyDeleteoh that would be fun Amanda-you can dip pretzels too even potato chips
DeleteYour chocolate dipped fruit looks delicious. And your peanut brittle sounds like it will be great. As an FYI, you inspired me to try my hand at the never fail fudge this year. I'll be getting the ingredients for it soon. :-) And thanks for sharing the candle making how to link. I visited there, left a comment, and added that link to my "How To" tab on my blog.
ReplyDeleteOh I am so glad I inspired you with the fudge making-be sure and let us know how you liked it. that candle tutorial was really wonderful am happy you liked it too. I saved it to my pinterest board
Delete