Peppermint Oreos

Here is just a fun little thing I made as a stocking stuffer for hubby this year. He insists on having a giant stocking, and when we were in the US, that was fine, however here it is a little difficult to fill (though he does tell me I don`t need to, he just likes it). Mmhmm...yes, so well, in an effort to add more to it, I decided to do a bunch of different baked goods. Some turned out good, some not so good, but apparently this was the favorite, so here you go.


What you need:

1 package oreos
250 g white chocolate, melted
candy canes (Ikea has a candy section now with peppermint candies - they would probably work as well)








First, put the candy canes in a sealed plastic bag and put a piece of thin cardboard on top. Using a hammer, bash them until they are the size you would like. I went with tiny.

Melt the chocolate. I have a small melter, but you could use the microwave - 30 seconds at a time, stirring in between until melted. Or, you could use the stove. If you have a double boiler, use it, otherwise a pot with a pan that fits on top. Add water to the pot and place the pan on top. Add the chocolate, chopped up (make sure no water touches it). Heat until melted.

Lay some parchment paper down and dunk your oreo in the chocolate. Carefully flip over so both sides are coated. Lay on the paper.

Put the crushed peppermint in a fine sieve and then gently sprinkle on top of the melted chocolate. As the chocolate hardens, it will stick.

Repeat..and make sure you try one for quality control :)

Roll in paper and tie with a string, or put in a jar...these freeze well so you can make them ahead of time, or just have them for when you want a snack.

Mushroom Accompaniment

I am not actually sure what to call this. It is a sauce, a spread and a dip. Spraucip?
I made this to try out for our our Christmas Eve Fondue Chinoise for the meat and ended up putting it on just about everything. I found the recipe on Swissmilk - it`s a fantastic website that has their recipes divided up into a lot of categories for simple use. I changed the reicpe a bit to suit our tastes, but overall, stuck to it for the most part.
Unfortunately, I can`t tell you how long it lasts as it was gone by the end of dinner, however you can`t make it more than half a day in advance, so probably not very long.

What you need:

15 g dried porcini mushrooms (you can buy 30 g bags easily)
150 g rahmquark - had never actually used this, so just bought the Coop brand
80 g sour cream
1 1/2 Tbls chopped fresh parsley
1.5 -2 cloves garlic, depending on your taste. I used 2
2 Tbls Cognac (again, depending on your taste)
pinch of salt, ground fresh pepper.



First, you will need to soak the mushrooms in warm water for 10-15 minutes. Remove and pat try, then chop finely.

Mix the other ingredients in a bowl, omitting the garlic and cognac. Add the mushrooms. Add half the garlic and congac and taste. If desired, add more.

Sprinkle with a bit more parsley and cover, put in the fridge until ready to use.

Enjoy!

It`s also yummy spread on fresh bread!