Christmas is rapidly approaching, but there is still a day or so left to get a package in the mail to your friends and family (although you may have to second-day air it). If you've made a batch of cookies or fudge to send to a loved one and you haven't gotten it in the mail yet because you are uncertain how best to send it, then Nicole over at Baking Bites has some good tips for you.

She has put together a list of advice about how to ship, what foods work best shipped and some recommendations on how to pack your goodies so that they arrive at their location still tasting good and in one piece. So check out her info and get your treats into the mail! Your family and friends will thank you for it!

When I was a kid, I was something of a candy fanatic. I'd eat it every chance I could get, and loved the seasonal candy that arrived with great fanfare in the grocery store. One of my favorite Halloween candies was the much-abused candy corn. Sadly, as I've gotten older, I've lost my taste for it to a certain degree, although those first couple of bites are always blissful as I nibble down the color gradations from tip to base.

On Monday in an article in the Baltimore Sun, reporter Rob Hiaasen defends the noble candy corn and traces its origins back to Cincinnati around the turn of the 20th century. Apparently the tri-color design was groundbreaking back in the day, requiring careful, handmade production. Machines were invented to stripe the kernels and soon candy corn was available all year round in an assortment of flavors.

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The elementary school I attended through 3rd grade had a Halloween parade each year. We'd come to school dressed in our costumes. Around lunchtime parents would arrive with treats, we'd eat our lunches and then gorge ourselves on cupcakes, mini-sized candy bars, frosted cookies in the shape of pumpkins and my mom's popcorn balls.

She never really followed a recipe for them, instead would just pop several large batches of corn and pour it into a large paper grocery bag. On the stove, she'd melt a stick of butter together with honey and brown sugar until it was a sticky syrup. She'd put the bag on several layers of newspaper on the kitchen floor and pour the butter/honey/sugar combination over the top. Working quickly, she'd grab a handful of popcorn and quickly mold it into balls, which would get laid out on a greased cookie sheet. When the balls were cool, we'd pack them in plastic sandwich bags and tie off the tops with curled ribbon.

(If you want a more specific recipe, with measurements and cooking times, check out this link).

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When I was a kid, my mom was one of those health-conscious parents* who refused to pack chips, twinkies or Halloween candy in my lunch. Occasionally, my sister and I could wear down her resistance enough to convince to buy fruit snacks (gussied up gummy bears) or fruit leather but those days were very few and far between. I think though, that had she been aware of this recipe for homemade fruit roll-ups, I could have gone through the lunch period each day in elementary school feeling incrementally less deprived, as it would have given me a treat that would have looked very similar to the stuff that the rest of the kids were eating.

*I cursed her in those days, but am now pretty darn grateful that she was being so careful that we ate well.

via Yumsugar

I have had some great figs this season (as well as a few stinkers, they can't all be perfect). While I admire people who make fig ice cream or fig galettes with their bounty of figs, my personal supply is typically fairly limited. So while I find myself gazing with longing at all the pretty recipes on the blogs and in the magazines, I can't bring myself to commit my few figs to any such endeavor. However, if I were to invest a few figs in the making of something, I think I would turn first to the recipe for Homemade Fig Newtons that Gena at Big City, Little Kitchen posted. The combination of pastry, cream cheese and fresh figs makes me salivate and wonder if the time has come to turn my humble little figs into some grander.

I have always been a fan of cottage cheese. It is a staple in my family, purchased along side the eggs, milk and Trader Joe's Honey Whole Wheat bread for all the years when I was growing up. These days there's always a tub of it to be found in my fridge, as it is the perfect protein addition to breakfast, lunch or dinner (applesauce and cottage cheese is heaven in a bowl). However, it has never occurred to me to alter its curdy state and use it as the primary ingredient in ice cream. Thankfully, there are many creative thinkers in this world and Jessica at Su Good Eats is one of them. She has pureed cottage cheese and used it to make ice cream. The results look pretty darn good and when you couple that with my love of cottage cheese, I think that this is one I'm going to have to try out.

There are some combinations of food that just taste good together. Cheese and crackers. Peanut butter and celery. Tuna salad and mashed potatoes. What? You mean not every family ate those two items together? It is actually quite delicious (and fun to mold). Another classic combination is donuts and coffee. Over at the Cupcake Bakeshop, Cheryl has reimagined that traditional pairing by turning it into a cupcake (topped by a small, homemade donut). She is one of those bloggers who's food photography makes me drool every so slightly each time she puts up a new post.

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Mendiants are small disks of chocolate that are studded with dried or candied fruits and nuts. Traditionally, they are part of the Christmas celebration in France, where the fruits and nuts on top of the chocolates were chosen to represent "the four mendicant monastic orders and the color of their robes." The original toppings were raisins for the Dominicans, hazelnuts for the Augustins, dried figs for the Franciscans and almonds for the Carmelites. Now, chocolatiers are just as likely to get creative with the toppings for these bite-sized treats as they are with any other confection.

You can always buy a batch that is already made, but making mendiants is a simple process. Start by assembling a selection of toppings, such as cacao nibs, nuts (pistachios, walnuts, pecans, almonds, hazelnuts), dried fruits (cranberries, raisins, cherries, candied orange peel) and anything else that pairs well with chocolate, like small chunks of butter cookies or fleur de sel , as recommended by Clotilde. Melt some good quality chocolate and drop spoonfuls of it onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper to make circles. Place a small assortment of toppings on each disc and set aside to harden. Peel off when ready to serve.

Everyone appreciates a homemade goodie - even people who are on a diet, though they may curse you under their breath as they sneak a taste - and there is really no better way to show your appreciation for someone than with a plate of fresh cookies. Except maybe a car. Or a pony.... but I digress.

Sweet Gratitude: Delicious Ways to Bake a Thank-You For the Really Important People in Your Life is a book that is chock full of recipes for those delicious treats, along with tips on how to ship and store them. Most of the recipes are easy and virtually fool-proof, thanks to the expert instruction from author Judith Sutton. For a sneak peek - or sneak taste - try the Orange Cupcakes with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting and Caramel-Topped Turtle Brownies, the recipe that supposedly motivated Sutton to write the book in the first place. There are elegant desserts and simpler ones, but all will be well received by your family, your coworkers and even your mailman. And if worse comes to worst, you can always bake something and then thank yourself for a job well done.

Crazy About Cupcakes is a brand new book in the cupcake genre, just released this week. The author, Krystina Castella, says that she views cupcakes as a sort of art form, delicious and beautiful. They can be fun, decadent, kid-friendly or oh-so-grownup, but the book is guaranteed to have more than a few that will suit your tastes from its more than 300 total ideas. There is even a section on Healthy Cupcakes for those who want to have their cake and eat it guilt-free.

In keeping with the cupcakes-as-art mentality, the book has beautiful illustrations and lots of templates to help you along. There are also notes on how to best store and transport cupcakes

We haven't had a chance to try any of the recipes ourselves, but we're intrigued by the sound of these cupcakes, which are clearly more adult than some of the retro-chic versions we've seen. Look here for a sample of Champagne cupcakes with champagne butter cream icing.

At Blogging Baby, a blogger admitted to bribing her kids with food on occasion, to ensure good behavior. Many commenters supported this decision and said that they do the same thing. Most were rewarding their small children with something equally small, like a single M&M or a Pez, and a few used foods like french fries and ice cream. But a toddler can be more easily satisfied with a single small candy than a four or seven year old, so at some point, the system either must stop or escalate.

One commenter said that she relied on healthier treats, like pretzels and fruit, for her kids but giving kids healthy foods did not seem to be the most popular choice.

Is this reliance on treats, especially candies, hurting kids when it comes to developing healthy eating habits later in life? Isn't it establishing food as a reward, a system that has led to the often-cited "obesity epidemic" in kids? It is true that the 4.5 calories in one M&M won't make a huge difference over time, but if that turns into a pack a day habit at some point, it certainly could have an impact on the child's health and the way they perceive food in general.

Breyers released their Double Churned ice cream this week. If it sounds like something you've had before, you're probably confusing it with the Dreyers/Edy's Slow Churned variety. In any event, more churning in commercial ice cream is supposed to make it creamier (though there are proponents of homemade ice cream who aim to keep their churning to a minimum no matter what), so the ice creams should be a hit.

Breyer's just did a survey on American ice cream eating habits. From their "Real Dish on Ice Cream" study, they learned that 87% of Americans have ice cream in the freezer and 71% have at least two kinds or more. A very crafty 20% try to hide their favorite flavor where other family members won't find it. They also said that men and women are equally likely to crave ice cream when they are happy.

The only question left to answer is whether the happiness was ice cream based, or whether being happy just made them want ice cream.

I don't know about you, but I don't want to eat a lot of heavy desserts in the summer. Somehow, in the hot weather, a heavy dessert sits more uncomfortably in the stomach than it does in the winter. And, when you might have to put on a swimsuit and jump in the pool to cool down, you might be better off avoiding the desserts that look like you're sitting in your stomach, too. The American Heart Association's Low-Fat & Luscious Desserts is a cookbook that tries to keep your health (and your waistline) in check while still giving you a full range of dessert possibilities, including cakes and cookies. Since the book is sponsored by the AHA, they tried to keep the recipes heart-healthy, so they have tried to reduce the calories, saturated fat and cholesterol in the dishes. This also means that many of them will be appropriate for family members with health or dietary concerns who still want to share in lightened versions of favorites, like Upside Down Cake and Chocolate Chip Cookies, with family and friends.

 

 

Andrew mentioned a few weeks back that ice cream trucks in England were being prohibited from operating near schools, largely because of "an over-zealous health lobby. " It looks like ice cream trucks are also being target in some parts of New York, but not for the same reasons.

Instead, parents are the ones who want the trucks banned and they aren't protesting their contribution to childhood obesity, but their own inability to refuse the whims of their children. According to the New York Times, "the mothers and fathers and nannies of TriBeCa had tired of passing [the ice cream truck] each day and arguing with their small charges over whether they could or could not have an ice cream. "

It seems amazing that parents who pass by the same temptation with their toddlers every single day repeatedly have the same argument - apparently with the children winning. If they don't want their kids to eat ice cream, they need to say "no." There was an ice cream truck at the park near the elementary school I went to, to, but it's presence didn't mean that ice cream was something I got, or expected to get, every day.

The World's Greatest Mom cookie collection is offered for Mother's Day from Eleni's Bakery in New York, though there is no doubt that Mom deserves something special more than once a year. Eleni's specializes in elaborately decorated cookies, all done by hand, that are as much a treat for the eyes as they are for the taste buds. This cookie gift set includes 21 iced sugar cookies, each one unique and mom-related. It's $65 for the cookies, which come packaged in a lovely gift tin.

Eleni's also has an I Love Mom set and a floral Mom's Bouquet collection, both of which would also be great choices for a Mother's Day treat. 

For the full assortment in the World's Greatest Mom tin and the other collections, click past the jump.