rebecca’s Neighborhood

Rum Balls are a traditional Christmas treat but most of the recipes I've come across use crushed vanilla wafers or chocolate cookies, not this recipe! These Rum Balls are made with a rich, dark chocolate brownie base that is crumbled and mixed with dark spiced rum (I've spiked mine with vanilla beans!) to create the most delicious "dough" that is then rolled into little balls and coated with sparkling sugar! This recipe in simple, easy and tastes amazing! These balls are best served chilled or at least cool to hold their shape well. They make a terrific addition to any gift basket and are a very welcome hostess gift as well. Here is how you can make your own:

You can find the entire recipe for Rum Balls here. Pre-heat the oven to 350. Generously coat a 12"x17" rimmed baking sheet with Pam and set aside. In a small bowl set over a pan of simmering water, melt together the chocolate and butter until smooth and combines. Set bowl aside to cool slightly. Whisk together eggs, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a large bowl. Slowly whisk in the cooled chocolate mixture, then mix in the flour. You will have enough batter to create a shallow layer in the baking sheet. Spread the batter evenly over the baking sheet and bake for about 10 minutes. Let cake cool completely. After cake has cooled, break into small pieces and place in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. I like the turn on the machine and let it break up the cake into small crumbs. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the rum (I used a Spiced Rum that I had added a few vanilla beans to the bottle to give a vanilla essence to the rum) to create a nice dough ball. Using a 1 inch ice cream scoop, make small balls and coat in sanding sugar. When all balls are finished, chill in the fridge for around 2 hours.

For gift giving: wrap each of the balls individually in a small square of plastic wrap and place in a mini-muffin paper. Fit a small rectangle of cardboard (my dad cut up some Macy's shirt boxes! Yeah Dad!) on the bottom of a cello bag and add a small strip of decorative paper. Place two rows of three rum balls each in their muffin papers into the bag, tie with ribbon and add a tag. Store in a cool place before giving.

Looking for a thoughtful yet inexpensive gift? How about a homemade gift of Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix & Fluffy Mexican Vanilla Marshmallows! Treat your friends to a warm and tasty gift that lets them know you are thinking of them! This hot cocoa mix can be made with milk or water- its delicious both ways! The dutch cocoa paired with a touch of spice creates the best "adult" hot cocoa around! Rich and chocolatey, not overly sweet but a perfect foil for the fluffy white marshmallows. These marshmallows are made with a rich Mexican Vanilla Extract that melts perfectly into the hot cocoa. Wrap them up cute with ribbons and tags, add a pretty mug and you have a thoughtful, inexpensive gift that they are sure to love. Here is how you can make your own:

You can find the entire recipe for the Spicy Hot Cocoa here. I followed all the basic ingredients but I added a few shakes of cinnamon, a teaspoon of vanilla powder and a large pinch of cardamom. The most important thing to remember when making this dry mix is: whisk all the ingredients together thoroughly and then pass it thru a sifter or a sieve to get a completely lump-free, soft and powdery mixture. Then whisk again. This will ensure that your finished hot cocoa mix is smooth and rich and velvety with no lumps or chunks! Package your hot cocoa mix in cello bags, tie with ribbon and add a tag with instructions for use. I figured out that one good sized mug takes about 4 Tablespoons Hot Cocoa Mix to 8 oz. (1 cup) hot milk or water.
On to the marshmallows!

You can find the entire recipe for the Homemade Marshmallows here. I followed all the basic ingredients but I substituted Mexican Vanilla for the regular vanilla extract. You could also try peppermint extract for a pepperminty marshmallow! I also substituted a 9"x9" pan lined in parchment paper and well sifted with powdered sugar instead of a glass 8"x12" pan because I wanted thicker marshmallows. Combine gelatin with cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment and let sit. On the stove, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water in a small saucepan over medium high heat until the temperature reads around 240-250 degrees. With the mixer on low speed, carefully drizzle the hot syrup onto the gelatin. When combined, carefully turn up the speed to high and whisk for around 10-15 minutes adding the Mexican Vanilla extract toward the end of that time. Carefully scrape the fluffy marshmallow mixture into the powdered sugar coated pan. Use damp fingers to smooth the sticky mixture out as evenly as possible. I found that my damp fingers worked better than any spatula at smoothing out the surface without sticking. Dust with more powdered sugar. Let the pan sit out uncovered overnight to dry out. The next morning turn the marshmallows out onto a powdered sugar coated cutting board and use an oiled knife or pizza cutter to cut into squares. Dust all the sides of the marshmallows with more powdered sugar and then package in a cello bag using wax paper squares in between each marshmallow. Tie tightly with a ribbon and add a tag. Homemade Spicy Hot Cocoa Mix and Fluffy Mexican Vanilla Marshmallows: a thoughtful and delicious holiday gift that's sure to please! Happy Holidays!

I'm obviously biased, but I think she's doing a terrific job at reusing her previous skills to be the best support to parents, especially the mother. And you know how the right help can be beneficial to the well-being of the entire family.

Sure, she knows how to care about a newborn, and can make you happy by preparing a healthy meal, but her real added value in her listening skills and ability to understand exactly what you need even if you don't know it yourself.

This is another one of those videos that, despite being 11 years old,  you could easily convince me was made this year. Apart from Ol' Dirty being dead of course. Sometimes it really feels like nothing has really happened musically since 1998 (which is coincidentally the same year I started working).

Featuring Kelis on vocals for the chorus and samples from Slick Rick's "Children's Story" and Michael Jackson's "Beat It" (yes, that was the drum loop that you were trying to work out where you'd heard it from) the video is based around the blaxploitation film "Dolemite", the trailer of which contains the classic line

"I'm the one who killed Monday, whooped Tuesday, put Wednesday in the holiday, called up Thursday to tell Friday not to bury Saturday on Sunday"

Artur's birthday ... feel free to stop by

from Carolyn Sewell's set of daily post cards to her parents