Tuesday, December 29, 2009

Neighbor Gifts

“What am I going to do for neighbor gifts?” was the question that would cause me the most stress at Christmastime. Several years ago, we were given a cup of homemade glass candy by one of Scott’s co-workers. I got the recipe and made it for my friends and neighbors the following year, and it has become tradition ever since. Now some of my neighbors say they love it and seem genuinely excited when I bring it by, but I am sure there are some neighbors who just humor me and secretly wish that I would come up with a different idea. This tradition works for me and anything that relieves stress during the holidays, I say stick with it!

Glass Candy
3 ½ cups sugar
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup water
2 drams Lorann flavoring
Food coloring

Bring sugar, Karo syrup, and water to a boil on high heat. Reduce temperature to medium and cook to hard crack stage – 295 degrees. Remove from heat. Stir in food coloring and flavoring. Pour onto a marble slab that is covered with powdered sugar. Dust top with powdered sugar. Cut into ¼ inch strips with pizza cutter. When hard, snap into bite size pieces with hands.


We always get lots of candy, cookies, and fun treats. Sometimes we get homemade crafts and cute decorations.
This year the prize for the most unique present was a pair of scissors with the following tag: Whether you cut the paper or the cheese, we hope you have a ripping good Christmas!