Fun Holiday Treats - Perfect for Gift Giving!

Before we get to the point of this post I thought I'd start with a somewhat entertaining side note. I know side notes usually come AFTER you've written your main point, but hang in with me and you'll see why.

I'm a bit afraid of re-entering my kitchen. I think it's finally decided to turn on me. Yesterday I broke not one, not TWO, but THREE separate dishes! And the day before that I broke yet a FOURTH dish!!! What is WRONG with me?!?

For the record, I broke:
- A hand painted mixing bowl that was a wedding gift from my parent's neighbors. It was one of my favorites.
- A Japanese rice bowl that was a part of a set that Hubs and I bought in one of our last pre-baby trips. It had blue fireflies painted on the inside... it was very pretty. Thankfully I have 3 others just like it.
- The cap to the PAM spray. Ok, I know that's not a dish, but it shattered in a million pieces when it hit the floor and really rattled my nerves. Plus it required a careful clean up.
- And last but not least, a candle holder that my mom gave me. She found it at Goodwill so obviously it wasn't that valuable, but it was really cute and it matched my wedding set so I was pretty sad to see it break. This particular item was my last and final straw before I said adieu to the kitchen for the day. I had taken it out of a cupboard in order to reach something else and it was precariously placed on top of the refrigerator (obviously I thought it would get put right back into the cupboard but I must have had an ADD moment and forgot to put it back in). In any case, I pretty much set my very own booby trap! Because when I went to get ice out of the freezer the candle holder came right down onto my head! My own kitchen was ATTACKING ME!!!

Basically, nothing super valuable was broken, but CRIPES!!! I didn't cook dinner last night because I was afraid of what else might get smashed to pieces! And I was SUPER careful when I unloaded the dishwasher this morning! lol... I feel like such a clumsy knucklehead!

And now for the point of the post, but first, a warning...



WARNING!!! If you are a family member or a friend who normally receives gifts from me, DO NOT SCROLL DOWN OR YOU WILL RUIN THE SURPRISE!!!

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Is it safe yet???

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Ok, I'm assuming it's safe from any prying familial eyes...


I'm planning to do a bunch of holiday baking and candy making this coming week in order to have homemade goodies on hand for gift giving. In case you hadn't heard, my family is trying to Give More & Spend Less this holiday season, and I plan to shower my friends & family with homemade goodness from my kitchen. In the spirit of giving, I'm passing on the links to wonderful sites with the recipes.

The Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls
The Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Candy Cane Cookies
The Pioneer Woman's Chocolate Truffles w/ Sea Salt

Can you tell I'm a fan of hers? Just slightly...

I'm also making Salted Browned Butter Rice Krispy Treats by Smitten Kitchen.

And my Ye Old family recipe for Cream Cheese Mints. Which I shall share with you on a later date.

Should be a fun week! As long as I don't break anything else, in which case I might just throw in the towel and not cook again until New Years.