…They said there’d be peace on Earth. But instead it just keeps on raining.

Well, it did snow in Metro Vancouver this week. And what happened? Vancouverites Freaked OUT. After being in the Great White North that is Prince George last weekend the snow down here was nothing compared to the massive amount up there. Of course, we in Vancouver scoff at the thought of it actually snowing for Christmas, and for this reason most people don’t buy snow tires for the off chance we might get it for a day or so. More often than not it will snow one day, and then shortly turn into a lacklustre rain fall that turns the glorious white fluff into mushy, dirty, gritty snow melt.

{We visited the little gold rush town of Barkerville and took our own private wintery tour during its closed season.  Weird that I was there for a family vacation about 10 years ago}

{If I were a teacher back then, this would totally have been my classroom}

{We also went snowmobiling – and it was awesome}

However for the short time we have snow, it certainly causes an awful amount of transportation woes for the travellers and commuters. Tuesday there were dozens of semi trucks , stalled, in a ditch or stuck on a hill. Not to mention the other car accidents, and the fact that our new $3.3 billion bridge became a seriously hazardous weapon thrusting down large icicles towards the motorists below, causing it to be completely shut down for a good portion of the afternoon.

Thankfully I had the option of staying home. This week has consisted of a lot of organizing, ok, a little house organizing, a lot of relaxing, and an even larger amount of Christmas baking. The week leading up to Christmas is always a busy one! I can safely say I am finished my Christmas shopping, however, I am still doing some last minute baking.

One of the many things I love about our new house is its location. We can walk easily to pretty much anything we might need, clothing, food, home improvement stores etc. It’s all within walking distance in a great little community which makes it so easy to keep my car in the garage when the weather is not so driver-friendly. I’d rather walk than take a chance of it ending up somewhere I’d rather not be, or finding myself at the receiving end of another drivers mishap.

Thankfully, or rather sadly, the snow has disappeared now for the most part and we can carry on our way. Although I would love snow on Christmas Day. Tomorrow night is an annual get together at a close friends house and I’m super excited! I’ve got a tray of goodies ready to go, and I’m making a roasted garlic and white bean dip to bring too.

{a little bite of salted heavenly goodness}

And now for another great no-bake dessert to bring this holiday season and share with friends. I’ve made these before for Halloween, here, and they are seriously good.

This time however I wanted to make them a little more festive. I used Dark Chocolate, and sprinkled some sea salt on top. I didn’t have any graham crumbs/crackers on hand, so I decided to improvise.

With what you may ask? Well, I simply ground up some pretzels and threw them in with the Almond Butter. The pretzels, dark chocolate and sea salt all taste delicious together. Trust me. And, if you aren’t allergic to Peanut Butter like me, you can also make these with PB instead.

Salted Almond Butter & Pretzel Cups

Ingredients:

1/2 cup Dark Chocolate
1/2 cup Almond Butter
Handful of Pretzels
Sea Salt

Mix

Spoon

Cover

Salt

Enjoy.

Christmas baking is something I look forward to each and every year. It’s a time where  I can go crazy baking every day and storing in the freezer to share with friends and family later. While I obviously love to bake, I can’t exactly be baking pies and dozens of cookies regularly just for Adam and I. Much to Adams chagrin. Whom by the way asks me to bake him an apple pie almost weekly; I have yet to give in to this plea.

While we were living at his parents the last three months before we moved into the new house it was great because I had even more people to bake for, including his sister and brother in law that came over often. I find baking and cooking to be quite joyful and soothing. Even more so during this time of year. It’s sort of old fashioned, but I love bringing people baked goods, and cooking comforting foods even more so. It must be the Italian in me – I feel it is our life’s goal to feed people.

If anyone knows my Nonna they can attest to the truth in that sentence. You never leave Nonna’s hungry, even if you weren’t hungry to begin with. Adam has been force fed entire pizzas in the past. You can never not eat almost an entire homemade pizza when you are at Nonnas.

It can be hard during the holidays when people are feeling the hustle and bustle to take time and bake, especially with complicated recipes and long lists of ingredients and steps.

This recipe, however, requires no cooking or baking and comes together quite easily and can be made within 20 minutes start to finish.

One of the many fond memories of my father was his sweet tooth. Another thing I must have inherited from his Italian ancestry, a love for sweets. He would nonchalantly mention to my mom to pick up ‘something sweet’ while grocery shopping to eat aprés dinner. Some of his favourites were Safeway Brownies (the kind with the fudge frosting on top), ice cream, or a sinfully decadent combination of both.

Dad would always pick up a treat for my brother and I on his way home or at the corner store. Usually it would be those sesame snaps, or a Dairy Milk Fruit & Nut chocolate bar. Italians love fruits and nuts, as they would usually be our dessert after a traditional Italian dinner. In Italy this past summer every night after eating my Nonna and Giuseppe would peel some pears, apples or peaches for dessert. When my Nonno was here he would always crack some walnuts or almonds after dinner on Christmas Eve for us.

You can add in any combination of fruit/nuts you like. I bought roasted salted almonds (the salt + chocolate pair nicely), but you can use roasted unsalted, or raw, or any type of nuts you like. I also added in raw Cashews.

You can also make as much or as little as you like depending on how much chocolate you use. About two cups of chocolate chips makes a good size batch. You can store in the fridge/freezer easily.

Fruit & Nut Bark

Ingredients:

Dark Chocolate, Chopped (Chips, Bar, or Baking chocolate works)

Dried Apricots, chopped

Dried Cranberries

Roasted Salted Almonds, roughly chopped

Cashews, roughly chopped

Directions:

1. Line baking sheet with parchment paper or aluminum foil (not saran wrap)
2. Place chopped chocolate in glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute intervals at 70% power until completely melted. Stir with spoon to break up chunks. Alternatively you can place in double boiler and melt as well.
3. Add in your chopped nuts and chopped fruit, reserve about 1/2 cup for topping. Mix together fully.
4. Using a spatula spread the chocolate mixture onto the lined baking sheet and spread evenly.
5. Sprinkle top with reserved nuts/fruit.
6. Place baking sheet in fridge/freezer to chill and harden fully. Once it is solid, use your hands or a knife to break apart into smaller chunks.

To serve, place in cupcake wrappers on tray, or package them up for your friends and family this Christmas.