Holiday Favorite Things

I am a sucker for anything that is seasonal or limited edition that I can only get for a short time . . . of course I must have it. These are some of my holiday favorites from this year:

Dad got the Mint Fudge Oreos for us to taste test and they are great! I am not a big fan of Oreos in general . . . but these are a delight. They are like the Girl Scout Thin Mints, but with a yummy filling.

7-Up with Pomegranate was a revelation. It is not too sweet, better than cherry 7-Up and kind of fancy to serve. We taste tested this one at work and all agreed that it was good. And it's healthy to boot with antioxidants and vitamins . . . even better.

There is nothing better than a Nielsen's Frozen Custard cone or concrete in the summer. And in the winter, there are special flavors like the pumpkin we discovered a couple of years ago. This year they added eggnog too! And, instead of this local secret only being available through the fall, both flavors are available through the end of the year.

I love all things peppermint and oddly I'm not a big ice cream person, however, when the peppermint ice cream comes out out, I can't resist. We had it on Christmas Eve with a homemade hot fudge sauce and crushed candy canes. Fabulous!

This is a new treat that is addictive. You take mini square, flat pretzels (or flat mini pretzel twists) and place them on a parchment/wax paper lined cookie sheet in rows. Place an unwrapped Rolo candy on top of each pretzel. Preheat the oven to 200 degrees and put the cookie sheet on the lowest rack for about 4 minutes. You want them to be soft, but not completely flat and melted. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and smoosh (a technical term) a plain M&M on top and allow them to cool. I placed mine in the fridge or freezer (depending on how quick we wanted to eat them) to set them quicker. Other versions I have seen have a candy cane kiss (also a holiday-only item) on top of the pretzel and then the M&M's or a nut on top of the Rolo. So good!

Melinda's ward had a holiday neighorhood house tour and she discovered her new favorite Egg Nog drink at one of the houses . . . so even if you are not a fan of Egg Not in general, you will like this version:

CLAUDIA'S EGG NOG - WEST VIRGINIA STYLE
6 eggs
3/4 cup sugar
1 pint whipping cream
1 pint whole milk
1 pint vanilla ice cream (or 1/2 gallon)

Separate the whites and egg yolks. Beat the egg yolks with 1/2 cup sugar. Add whipping cream and whole milk to the egg yolk mixture. Beat until it thickens. In another bowl, add 1/4 cup sugar to egg whites. Beat until stiff then add to yolk mixture. Fold ice cream into mixture until thick and smooth. Serve sprinkled with nutmeg on top. Serve immediately after making it or put it in the refrigerator to keep cold.

Happy Holidays!