A little baking with 4-H

This last week has been a bit of a blur. Each member of this family over seven days took their turn having the stomach flu.  It was impossible to get anything done for Christmas and I just wasn't feeling it!  My mom brought over the most delicious cupcakes that Jeff bought from Kara's Cupcakes in Napa.  Everyone loved them and they helped cheer us up!

The weekend arrived and we all finally started to feel better.  Jeff came over and helped us with some much needed plumbing issues.  The faucets in our house are constantly blowing out O-rings because our water pressure is 85psi.  So, before fixing a few faucets he placed a new regulator on the main water line.  Now we are at about 55psi.  Hopefully, this will stop all the leaky faucets and constant repairs.  We appreciated his help so much. 

Today gave Colin and I the kick start we needed to enter the new week of Christmas preparation with gusto.  We went to his 4-H leaders home for a little Christmas no-bake, baking time.  The group is split into beginners and juniors.  Colin is still a beginner, so they keep things simple and safe.  First up, he and Sarah made Christmas Rice Krispies. 

They topped them off with M&M's,

then hit them with a fine dusting of crunched up candy canes. 

Next up were Holiday Butter Mints!

(In a bowl mix: 2 tablespoons of butter, 2 tablespoons of Crisco, I box of Powder Sugar, 2 tablespoons of warm water, several drops of red or green food coloring and a cap full of peppermint extract.) 

Knead the mixture in your hands until all the ingredients are combined and you have several smooth, shiny ball of dough.  

We rolled small amounts into logs and cut little medallions.  Placed them on wax paper to dry out.  Flipped them over a few times to dry on both sides.  They are good for up to a couple of weeks.  Place in an air tight container and share with friends and family at holiday festivities or bundle up in clear cellophane bags and give as a sweet home made gift or place them in little crystal dishes for after dinner mints on your holiday table.

So, after this little pick me up event we came home all fired up to create our Christmas baking list.

What do we want to make and bake for Christmas and share with our family and friends.  Stay tuned, we have several yummy ideas up our sleeves.  Hopefully a few of them will become Christmas family traditions.