The Best Christmas Cookie Treat - Easy, Fast, & Delicious (and Chocolate!)

These treats have been a favorite of our family's at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. They bring me back to those December nights as a little girl, when I would lie snug and happy in my bed, the room around me illuminated by candles in the windows. The smell of melting chocolate and butterscotch wafted through the house...aah! Such wonderful memories!

Okay, onto the recipe, which requires only four main ingredients!

Chinese Chocolate Spiders

1 12-oz bag chocolate morsels
1 12-oz bag butterscotch morsels
1 5-oz canister Chow Mein Noodles (or the 6-oz bag works well) - the crispy ones
1 16-oz jar peanuts
1/2 Tbsp shortening (optional)
sprinkles, optional
waxed paper

Before you do anything else, tear off two large pieces of waxed paper and lay flat on a solid surface. Have a hot pad ready and near the waxed paper because you will need to work somewhat quickly.

Now, pour the chocolate and butterscotch morsels into a large pan and melt on low to medium heat. This is when you can add the optional shortening- it helps to keep the melted mixture smooth; I have begun using it only recently because the morsels haven't been melting evenly. Stir frequently, also scraping the outer edges of the pan, to prevent scalding.

Once the morsels have thoroughly melted, remove from heat and place on the hot pad. Pour in peanuts and Chow Mein noodles. With a spatula or wooden spoon, stir gently to coat the nuts and noodles. This can take one or two minutes- you want everything to be covered completely. Next, drop by the spoonful onto the waxed paper (you may want a second spoon to help "push" the spiders onto the paper).

If you're in a hurry, lay the waxed paper on a cookie sheet that will fit inside your fridge and then pop the whole pan in for about 15 minutes- then you're good to go! Otherwise, simply leave them out on the counter for about a half hour to set. These do not need to be refrigerated once set. Sometimes I even forget to put them in a bag or covered tupperware and they are always fine the next day. Covered they should last for several days. Not like I would know that from experience... yours won't last that long either! They are that good! ;)

When I make these for gifts, I tend to keep them on the larger side. For parties, keep them small and they'll yield about 5 dozen. However you do it, they'll be gone in seconds!

For the first time this year, I thought I'd add a little Christmas color to the spiders...I'm not sure I love it. It didn't change the taste or texture much, but I think I prefer them unadorned. Ha

Sorry for the terrible photo- we haven't seen the sun in nearly a week!

Enjoy!

Click HERE for the recipe for these other holiday favorites:

sharing here:
Chef in Training
Sew Much Ado
the idea room 

Our Christmas Home - Decking the Halls

Hello, and welcome to our home! I'm Bethany, and I've blogged at 3 Sons Plus 1...Super Cute Girly Girl for a few years now, but I have been thinking of making some changes for a little while, so...this is my very first blog post on this new blog! (I named the blog in conjunction with my Etsy shop, Rose & Ruffle.)

We have spent the last year in this "new" home tearing down wallpaper, removing borders, installing new floors, and painting painting painting! Last Christmas, we'd only been moved in about a month, and there was still quite a lot of chaos all around us. But this year, I've had so much fun trying to make our home look festive and special for my family.

We've had some broken bones and a severe concussion this year- with the dwindling bank accounts to prove it- so I made it a point to use things I already have. That meant a few projects got put on hold, and I spent about $10 for some new ornament bulbs and replacement strands of lights. Besides, we know the REAL meaning of Christmas has very little to do with decorations and trinkets; but those things certainly help build the excitement and anticipation of the amazing birth of Jesus.

Most of the things on display are of great personal meaning to me- they just make my heart so happy!

We went to a local tree farm a few weekends ago to cut down this beauty. Caleb found this one! I realize this tree looks somewhat haphazardly, but I let the kids decorate it, and they have so much fun. I think it's important to let the other people who live here have a say in how we decorate, and not just me. Well, sometimes.  ;)

Since our Home Office- which includes this sewing area- is adjacent to the Family Room, it can be a challenge keeping things from looking like a tornado swept through disorderly.

I love bows! They are easy, inexpensive to make, and they add such a nice punch of color.

The couch is usually on the long wall beneath the photo gallery, and flanked by lamps on tables, so this seems a little strange to me. But it's nice to get a different perspective now and then.

The furniture is typically furnished with this cuties, though...

(yes, that's a telescope in the kitchen  =) - the moon was crystal clear the other night!)

This poor room! I'm so thankful to have a spacious dining room, but it is a little neglected. Anyhoo, it's getting PARTY-fied later today for my December babes' family birthday party tomorrow!

Clearly these are the most ambitious Paper Whites on the planet, as they aren't supposed to be in bloom for another 2-3 weeks!

The day before Thanksgiving, we watched Elf and cut out snowflakes. That's going to be our new tradition.  =)

My oldest son, Ethan, made this for me a couple of years ago. I love it so much!

There's nothing quite as magical as Christmas lights when the day grows dark! Especially when it's snowing!
 

(See that rock wall above? Yeah, that was a whole lotta blood, sweat and tears this summer! ha)

(and yes, the telescope's still there...)  =)

One of my most treasured gifts.

Okay, I just had to add this from last Christmas! Love them all more than life itself!

Thanks for visiting our Christmas home!
I hope you and yours enjoy a truly Merry Christmas!

sharing with:
Jennifer Rizzo
Kelly's Korner 
the nester

The OPPOSITES Dress: A Versatile Little Girl's Sundress

Whew, it sure is a hot one here in NH today! We've still got a couple weeks left of school, so I'm not quite in summer mode like some of you are. And boy oh boy, has it been one of those kinds of weeks. Isabelle was pitching quite the fit earlier today (which landed her in her room) and she kept it up for a loooong time, and all I kept thinking was Why won't someone order me to my room? I'd gladly go! How funny that when we're little that isolation feels like such a punishment, and now...well, it's nothing short of a yummy, gooey slice of heaven on earth.

Anyhoo.

 I got my hands on some scrumptious hot pink and orange floral fabric but could not for the life of me make up my mind about what to do with it! I was really leaning towards a tiered peasant dress, but then I got thinking about that adorable little dress I made for Dress A Girl last year and that cinched it. That dress came to be from a mistake, actually -- I totally miscalculated how much fabric I had, and too late realized that I didn't have enough for the skirt of the dress, and I ended up loving the fix!

The original pattern called for a pleated skirt, which obviously wouldn't work with the patchwork-type panels, so I gathered the skirt instead. Easy peasy! Then of course, I didn't have enough yellow left to make a gathered ruffle, so I opted to pleat that -- pleated ruffles use much less fabric than gathered ones. I love how it turned out, and I remember Isabelle and I prayed that the little girl who received it would feel so special and cared for.

I folded the skirt pattern piece in half to cut the two panels for one side of the dress. (Cut through the fold to make two pieces.)
Then, to make the center panel, I folded the pattern piece into a more rectangular shape, and cut the same length as the other panels and eyeballed the width. The great part about gathering is you don't need to be so precise or perfect!

 Sorry, but I don't have a picture of the three panels together because I ended up sewing this late at night. You will have the center panel which is pretty straight down the sides, and the two sides, which have more of a flare on the outer edges.

Use the fabric panels as pattern pieces to cut the contrasting panels, and sew them together as front and back, then as the whole skirt. I sew primarily with French seams -- I wrote a post about it here if you'd like to take a gander at it. Gather the skirt and stitch to the bodice, lining up side seams. Add a ruffle. Or don't. Either way, it's super cute!

The bodice front and back are also opposites.

 Instead of the bow in the center, this time I opted for bows on the bodice. (The pattern calls for this.)

 You really could switch it up and do any color blocking you want!  

LOVE these colors together!

 I'm really thankful for blogging because there are so many creative people out there, willing to share their thoughts and ideas, and I've been inspired by them more times than I could ever count. That inspiration has led me to try lots of new things on my own -- some with better results than others, ha! This is one of those things that I might not have attempted a few years ago, and I just love it! The possibilities truly are endless!

Have a fantastic weekend!

**the original pattern is McCall's M5836**