Baby, it’s cold outside. And whether school is out for a snow day, or your family is just in the mood for some comfort food, these dishes are fun to make and eat on a chilly day. The hot chocolate on a stick is also a great little hostess gift, or for the neighbors to celebrate the New Year. (Let’s hope 2021 is worth more celebration than 2020!) And the hamburger ring is an entrée that can be put together quickly and is very versatile. Consider changing it up by adding sautéed green peppers, onions and mushrooms, and subbing provolone for a Philly cheese steak ring.
Hot Chocolate on a Stick
Supplies:
Chocolate Chips (high-quality is better)
Mini-marshmallows
Sprinkles
Candy canes (crushed)
Clear treat bags (small)
Mini-muffin tray or ice cube tray
Ribbon
Directions:
1. Microwave chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute, stir, and microwave again at 15-second intervals until melted and smooth, stirring in-between.
2. Spoon melted chocolate into mini-muffin tin or ice cube tray. Decorate tops with mini- marshmallows, crushed peppermint candies, and sprinkles as desired. Then place wooden stick or plastic spoon into the center and freeze.
3. Once frozen solid, remove from freezer and pull stick/spoon gently to release. Place into clear treat bag and tie off with ribbon.
4. To serve, place into a mug and pour hot milk over top.
Easy Cheeseburger Crescent Ring
Ingredients:
¾ lb. Ground beef
½ cup Ketchup
2 Tbsp. Yellow mustard
4 slices American cheese, quartered
¾ cup dill pickle slices, patted dry (optional)
2 tubes (8 oz. each) refrigerated crescent roll dough
Thousand Island dressing (optional)
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350° F. Unroll crescent dough and separate into triangles. On an ungreased 12″ round pizza pan, arrange triangles in a ring with points toward the outside and wide ends overlapping slightly. Press overlapping dough to seal.
2. In a large skillet over medium heat, brown ground beef until no longer pink (6-8 minutes). Break into crumbles and drain. Stir in ketchup and mustard. Remove from heat.
3. Spoon beef mixture across wide end of triangles. Top with cheese and pickles. Fold the pointed ends of triangles over the filling, tucking points underneath to form a ring. Don’t worry—the filling will be visible!
4. Bake 25-30 minutes until golden brown. Serve with Thousand Island dressing as dipping sauce if desired.
Snowflake Fudge
Ingredients:
1 can (14 oz.) sweetened condensed milk
1½ cups semi-sweet melting Chocolate (works better for fudge than chocolate chips)
1½ cups white melting chocolate
Nonpareils ball Sprinkles in pink and blue for decorating
Directions:
1. Line a 9 x 9″ baking sheet with parchment paper, with some overhang for later removal.
2. Place the semi-sweet melting chocolate and ½ can condensed milk into the top of a double boiler over medium-low heat. Mix continually until smooth. (Alternatively, melt in microwave-safe bowl for 1 minute, stir, heat for 15 seconds, stir again until smooth, repeat if necessary.)
3. Pour onto the prepared baking sheet and spread evenly. Refrigerate 10-15 minutes until slightly set.
4. Place the white chocolate and the remaining ½ can condensed milk into the top of a double boiler and stir continually until smooth. (Alternatively, use same method as in step 2.)
5. Pour over slightly-set chocolate layer and spread evenly. Refrigerate until firm, about 1 hour.
6. When fudge is firm, remove from refrigerator and use the overhanging parchment paper to lift the fudge out of the pan and onto a cutting board.
7. Cut into squares/rectangles with a knife, or cut out circles with a cookie or biscuit cutter. Use a knife or rounded point of an offset spatula to carve a crisscross-star pattern into the top later. Press nonpareil sprinkles into the ends of each indented line for a “snowflake” effect. Optional: Brush with luster dust or sprinkle clear cookie sugar for extra sparkle.
