Some folks get their Christmas treats before Christmas . . .

. . . and other folks get them after Christmas! 

Out running errands on Saturday, and while waiting for my daughter to check out the yarn at Michaels, I checked out the Christmas baking/candy-making supplies. Everything 80% off.

I found peppermint candy-flecked, white chocolate chips, for making peppermint bark, for 59 cents a 10-oz bag. Perfect timing, as that evening, we'd planned our tree and house de-decking party. I usually prepare a few Christmas-y foods or drinks for the event. So, this year, I made some peppermint bark, to go with our marked-down eggnog (49 cents/quart).

While at Michaels, I also picked up a couple of Easter basket stuffers, and next Christmas's stocking candy. I buy our holiday candy on clearance, and save until the next year. I double bag the lot, and store in one of the holiday storage trunks, in a cool closet. That's not all. I found some fun baking things, too, like Christmas paper cups/liners (39 cents) for muffins, cakes and cookies, and a snowflake cookie cutter (19 cents).

Looks like we're set for next Christmas!

Anybody else buy next year's holiday treats at after-holiday clearance sales? Have you found a good way to store what you've bought, so you keep it hidden, but don't forget that it's there? Do you ever buy these after holiday treats to have right away?

You don't need to go out and buy special ingredients, to make something to bring to a potluck

Using what you have on hand can save you a bundle. When I'm invited to a potluck, and I want to bring something special, taking a survey of what's in my pantry, fridge and freezer can yield some wonderful treasures to add to a dish or two.

As so many of us on these blogs are, I happen to be good with bread-baking. So that is my first thought when invited to a potluck. Homemade bread is devoured at these sort of events. I will also offer to bring a dessert. Dessert is a very flexible category. It can be anything from a simple plate of cookies or pan of brownies, to a cake, pie or cobbler. Most potlucks seem to feature home-style cooking, so what may seem like an ordinary dessert, like a cobbler or crisp, becomes a star when you add one or two extras to the recipe.

To the potluck we went on New Year's Day, I brought a golden loaf of homemade rosemary French bread, 2 crusty whole wheat baguettes and a dessert. Believe me, the bread was a hit. People who normally eat shop-bought bread think that homemade bread is out of this world. There were just 3 small slices of the baguettes left (the rosemary bread was gone halfway through the afternoon) at the end of the night. The only addition to make my homemade bread "special', was 2 tablespoons of minced, fresh rosemary from the fridge. I took great care in the baking of the loaves, so that they would be both beautiful and delicious.

For dessert, I took a quick survey of my discerning staff (my two teen daughters). In our conference room (the family room), we "brainstormed" and made pie charts, bar charts, line charts, graphs, etc., and postulated theories as to the demographics of the intended gathering, and came up with this:

I needed to check the kitchen for ingredients, then work from there.

I still had some apples from last fall's harvest, some pecans from an earlier purchase, lots of sugar, flour, butter and spices. But no eggs. So, whatever it would be, it had to be egg-less. That's when I searched online for desserts, listing my key ingredients, apples, spices and pecans. I came up with a recipe for a pecan-apple crumble. It was fabulous. It had a crispy and nutty topping, with soft and spicy apples beneath. I used whole allspice and ground the berries myself, for the freshest spicy flavor ever. My hostess had some vanilla ice cream to go with it. And once again, this was a hit. The men loved it, the women loved it, and my kids devoured the extra little bit that I had made for us.

There was no need to run out and buy special ingredients for the items I brought to the potluck. I used just what I had in my kitchen. And I didn't need to follow any complicated recipes. I stuck with what I know and do best.


For you, appetizers might be your thing. Or maybe it's a salad that you make that's enjoyed by all. Whatever your specialty, use what you have on hand and stick to what you do well. You may have had it so many times that you're growing weary of it. But to others, it's new and delicious -- the hit of the party. There really is no need to pop out to the store for special ingredients. You likely have all that you need at home, to make your signature dish for the next potluck you attend.