Date Balls

MMMH I love Christmas baking. I actually like the planning, creating, baking part more than the eating part. Seriously. Maybe b/c every time I eat one I have Dietitian-induced guilt. It's almost more of a pleasure to make and give away- or to sit and watch Mark devour the treats and make happy noises. When I eat them, I hear noises too- a noise like a balloon expanding.

In the spirit of Christmas goodies- I thought I would share a favorite. This recipe has been around awhile. These date balls are made by my Mema and my Momma, and now me :)

Yes these are the real ingredients. Butter, sugar....sigh. Good thing Christmas comes once a year!

Date Balls

2 sticks of butter

1c sugar

1 c brown sugar

2 tsp vanilla

1 # chopped dates (I buy the prechopped ones- no need to be a martyr)

Melt butter in a heavy pot. Think LOW and SLOW. Stir in sugars, vanilla and dates. Melt LOW and SLOW until gooey perfection is reached. No, I don't know what temperature the sugar should be. Make them every year and you will just know.

Remove from heat.

Add 2 c chopped pecans (preferably from Georgia) and 4 c Rice Krispies. Stir. Let cool in fridge about 20-30 mins until cool enough to handle.

Add powdered sugar to gallon zip lock bag. Use teaspoon to help you roll krispies into 1" balls. Drop into powdered sugar and shake.

Save in air tight container.

Enjoy!!!!!

silk monster

ok. i can explain the title. ever heard of "pet names"? You know, those annoying names couples call each other (i'm so guilty of this)? or the noises that come out of us when we see cute babies or tiny zoo animals? things like..."goooogly bear!"(from Monsters, Inc.)

well, meet Roscoe P Coltrane. My dogson. Our 10 lb mini dachshund. Sometimes he gets addressed as his given name. Most of the time, he gets called by a pet name. And since he is the cutest dog in the history of all time, he has lots of them.

Roscinator: roscoe +terminator. bc he has exterminated 2 rabbits and 1 mole, so far

Silk monster: from his incredibly silky ears and sometimes he is a monster. and you have to say it like "sillllllk mooonnnstterrr" in a really soft, almost creepy voice

turd tube: he is shaped like a tube. and he poops a lot. outside thankfully. (sorry mom)

tiny/tiny dog: because he is very small (10" high x 32"long)

pooper/poopaloop/pooptastic/poopmonster/poopie: self explanatory (sorry mom)

FLD: funny looking dog

longdogbarksalot: we have fun coming up with "indian names" to describe him

fatty mcfaterson: Roscoe has gained 1 whole pound (10% of his total body wt) in about 6 months since he got neutered

licky mclickerson: he licks our feet a lot

babito: this is my mom's nickname for her granddog

walnut brain: bc that's probably how big it is and he doesn't always use even that much of it

what do you call your spouse/cute baby/child/pet?