Holiday Touches

Running or not, organic eating or not, let's face it: the holidays are about family, fun and food. To be honest, I'm not so certain that I wouldn't put food first on that list! (But enough about me!)

This weekend, in the midst of dragging out wreaths and ornaments, I pulled out the Hayley Holiday foodware - mugs, containers, platters and china. It makes me happy to have my morning coffee in a Reindeer Mug, even if the temperature is going to hit 75F before the day is over.

I have several mugs that are far too large for morning coffee duty (unless I also want to celebrate the holiday season by overindulging in caffeine!). This year, I decided to create a hot chocolate bar. I put several packets of dark chocolate mix in a holiday mini-loaf pan, filled a large container with mini marshmallows and set the oversize mugs out on a platter. Voila!

And while I don't intend to ever become the candy-making machine that my Grandma O was, I do enjoy having yummy nibbles out for Boys, Nieces and houseguests. We found these really fun containers on post-Christmas clearance at Cracker Barrel last year. Care to guess what's hiding in the "No Peeking!" container?

Aha! More of my much-requested Roasted Buttery Pecans! Happy Holidays, indeed...