Missing Willow Farm

Thanks so much for the good wishes for Jenna’s recovery.  She stares longingly in the direction of the pasture when we take her outside but it’s going to be a while before we let her go.  At least not until her stitches come out.  I’ve been giving her lots of dog treats and cooked eggs.  Brian fussed at me for spoiling her so I started adding dog food to her omelets.  🙂

Since it’s close to Christmas, I thought I’d share something you could whip up for last minute gifts or just for snacking.  Peppermint bark is the holiday staple of Williams-Sonoma.  They sell it for $27 and are currently out of stock.  For about $4 you can make your own.  It takes just four ingredients: a bag of white chocolate chips, a bag of dark or milk chocolate chips, 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract and 4 broken candy canes (smack them with a rolling pin).   I line a 10 inch pie pan with plastic wrap (makes it really easy to remove) and start with my dark chocolate chips.  They go into a bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after every ‘zap’ until completely melted.  The melted chocolate gets spread on top of the plastic wrap.  Go find something to do for about 45 minutes while the chocolate hardens.  Once it’s set, move on to the white chocolate chips.  Zap them in the microwave the same way you did the dark chocolate.  Once melted, stir in 1/2 teaspoon of peppermint extract.  Spread on top of the dark chocolate and sprinkle on the broken candy canes.  Allow it to harden then cut into chunks.   You know you want some.