Peppermint Bark and Chocolate Pretzel Rods

Ho Ho Ho! It's Christmas Eve, and I am literally wearing pants with an elastic waistband as I type this. The jeans and I are done until 2010, but I'm headed home to my mom's kitchen, where this cooking madness all began for me.

I wanted to share a couple of really quick, really easy recipes in case the last-minute baking bug bites. Peppermint bark has been a favorite in my family for years, and it couldn't be simpler. The trick is getting good quality white chocolate. I prefer getting a block of white chocolate from my favorite cooking store, but if you're shopping at the grocery store, white chocolate chips are fine too.

Melt your chocolate (about two bags of chips) on a double boiler. If it's not melting smoothly, add a couple tablespoons of butter (it's ok, butter is fat free during the holidays).

Chocolate Decadence Cookies

While I have to admit that I haven't been as festive as I could be this season (our Christmas decorations consist of red dish towels with reindeer on them), I wasn't going to let the season pass without a good day of holiday baking. For this day, I enlisted the help of John's sister Jill...


And his sister-in-law Nicole...
These two make me warm and fuzzy and happy inside. If the boyfriend leaves me, I'm keeping them.

There's nothing better than spending a day in the kitchen with girlfriends... Except when your day in the kitchen is preceded by a night like this... (Caveat- there were also two boys helping with red wine consumption)

That continues here...

And ends in the evacuation of this splendid seafood platter that we enjoyed earlier...
But all's well that ends well, and this story ends with Sunset Magazine's chocolate decadence cookies. These cookies are delicious little morsels, and I'm happy to report that I managed to make them successfully, even with a hangover that would have killed a small animal.

Your Culinary Experts...

Welcome to Butter + Cream!

Hi there, thanks for stopping by! I'm Mary, and in the picture above, I'm attempting to pull the sternum out of a chicken... In a dress... (Vegetarians look away)
See?

That's gross, sorry... Here, look at some ice cream...
I love to cook, and a blog will be a fun way to share my food and weirdness. Also posting here will be my BFF Allison, who is a culinary goddess. We'll be sharing recipes, cooking tips, cookbook reviews, and our experiences entertaining. Drop us a comment if there's something you'd like us to make, hope you enjoy!