The Little Joys of the Christmas Season

Satsuma Mandarins. Easy to peel, no seeds, sweet and delicious. They're great. If you haven't tried them, you should.

Much quieter, more relaxed day today. Got all the ingredients to make caramels, (a Christmas tradition of mine,) fondant, and chocolate for dipping. My caramels are really good, but require an hour of cooking and stirring. So, I pull a stool up to the stove, turn on the radio, and sit and stir. They cannot be rushed. Plan on making them tomorrow (2 batches=2 very stirring hours) so we can age them overnight and cut and wrap them Monday. Will make fondants and dip chocolates on Wednesday. I haven't done caramels or chocolates for a couple of years now, so it's time to get back into the tradition. The problem is I enjoy them as much or more than anyone else, and way more than I should. Oh well...don't tell my cardiologist!