Tis the Season for Indulgence

Blog post #346 of 365

The holidays are upon us. No hiding now. I love to bake and make soups and stews through the winter but with the weather here I don't know if soups season will start for a while...

The holidays are a time we all feel like we can indulge and we can, a little. The trouble is when we don't keep in mind a little is all we need. A friend once told me she didn't gain 50 pounds over night it crept up on her 2 or 3 pounds a year during the holidays.

I lean toward the indulgent side myself. I figured a way around it though. I always make treats for the neighbors. It is a way to make the things I love but not to have a whole batch laying here waiting for the willpower to break, and break it will!

My all time favorite to use granola and dried cranberries instead of Rice Crispies in my marshmallow treats. Sometimes I'll add a little coconut or chocolate chips to them too. Buy a bag of marshmallows and make your own substitutions! But I make several kinds of treats every year.

A new one for this year is soft caramels super easy.

What you'll need:

A well buttered pan smaller means thicker caramels but 9x11 works well
1 cup light corn syrup
2 cups packed light brown sugar (Dark will make your caramels look burned.)
1 can sweetened condensed milk (I use Eagle brand but any kind will work.)
1/2 pound butter

What you'll do:

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan and bring to a boil, over medium heat, while stirring constantly. Keep stirring for 20 minutes. Pour into the buttered pan and cool. (I put it in the fridge because it cools faster.) Once it cools cut into squares and enjoy. Make sure to share.