The Holidays are here

I can officially start thinking about the holidays ahead and all the treats and goodies I swear I won't eat...I must like lying to myself. I got all my fall bulbs into the ground yesterday after work and I know the squirrels will be thrilled. My daughter said they were probably watching me from the cedar tree across the street in anticipation of those tasty tulip bulbs. Every year the squirrels dine on my bulbs and then bury walnuts in my flower bed. Crazy I know.

I wanted to post a quick blog about Holiday treats and how easy it can be to pull something together last minute to take to a cocktail party or treats for the office. Something that doesn't consume your entire afternoon yet looks like you spent a great deal of time on it.

I love Dark Chocolate so when I spied this semi recipe in on back of some crazy mailer I jumped on it. Directions over double boiler or in microwave melt one bag (12 to 16 oz.) of dark chocolate/semi sweet chocolate chips or chunks. To the melted chocolate add dried fruit and nuts...making sure to keep the nuts and dried fruit well coated. Drop by spoonful onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Pop into the freezer until hardened and WALA! (not sure of my spelling there) You have fruit and nut clusters that will rival any candy shop. This is a simple yet satisfying treat that will be a crowd pleaser for sure.