Holiday Goodies

On Sunday, our church had its annual Market for Mission. It's a great event where handmade items, jewelry, and baked goods are sold to benefit our church's missions.
Each year Zach's Sunday school class sells baked goods. Since it was a crazy busy weekend for us, I decided the easiest thing to do would be to whip up some rice krispy treats. But no ordinary rice krispy treats would do! These needed to have holiday flair!
I decided to make White Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispy Treats. Uh-huh. I had seen a pin on Pintrest that inspired these goodies.
And they were super easy! I made rice krispy treats as normal. With the marshmallows, I added 1/2 tsp of peppermint extract. Once the marshmallows were melted, I added the Rice Krispies as well as some Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and crushed up candy canes. Then I formed the treats as normal.
They were delish! In fact, Zach has insisted every day since that we make another batch. And I'm thinking that won't be the last batch we make this holiday season!

What's your favorite Christmas goody?

White Chocolate Peppermint Rice Krispy Treats:

4 tbls butter
6 cups marshmallows
1/2 tsp peppermint extract
6 cups Rice Krispies
1 cup white chocolate chips
Approx. 3 candy canes crushed

1. Melt butter in a large pot (I use my big soup pot).
2. Add the marshmallows and the peppermint extract and stir until the marshmallows are completely melted.
3. Add the Rice Krispies, chocolate chips, and candy canes and mix thoroughly.
4. Transfer the mixture to a 9x13 pan and, with greased hands, press the mixture into the pan.
5. Allow to cool and cut into squares

Holiday Pinspiration

Well the holiday season is officially in full swing! I absolutely LOVE Christmas.  I love decorating the house with pine, hanging wreaths, and stringing lights on anything that will stand still long enough.  I love for the house to smell of cinnamon, vanilla and cedar.

And let me tell you, my Pintrest boards have been waiting for this time all year! All year I've been pinning ideas for holiday decorating, crafts to put around the house and, of course, for baked goodies!  Never before have I been so grateful to Pintrest.

I will fully admit that my holiday mantel is completely based on Pinspiration.  From the little cone trees to the hurricane filled with peppermint candies, I got it all from Pintrest.

These little cone trees seem to be popping up everywhere on Pintrest.  I've seen them made with scrapbook paper or with styrofoam cones.  I used poster board to make my cones and then used modge podge to cover them with Christmas tissue.

Once they were dry I sat them on top of the candle sticks that are usually on my mantle!  I LOVE the way they turned out!

I had a little poster board left over so I made this little star!

I basically drew a star (I traced a metal one we have hanging outside - we DO live in Texas, after all!), and then used the dull side of a butter knife to score lines from each point.  Once the lines were scored I shaped it and used modge podge to affix some gold tissue just like I did with the cone!

The final bit of Pinspiration came in the form of my glass hurricane.  Since Derek and I got married, this hurricane has sat on our mantle with a lame candle in it. Boring.  But lately I've been branching out with what I add as filler around a candle!  You can find all kinds of ideas out there:

I decided to add peppermint candies as a filler around a vanilla candle. I think its really pretty and it actually smells great too! And, of course the kids love it!

The wreath is one I got at Target back in 2005.  I would say I got my money's worth! I love the way it looks hanging on the mirror.

The whole thing comes together so nicely! I couldn't be happier!

And of course Zach and Alice's stockings are already hung by the chimney with care:

What Pinspitations have you added to your holiday decorating?