Leftovers?

We hear the weather reports concerning cold and snow from all over. In my corner, we're not experiencing anything beyond the normal, but for all of you who find yourselves in such harsh weather, I offer this. ;D

We have a few candy canes leftover...precious few. Over the holidays, I learned a new way to use them from somewhere. Perhaps this recipe from The Old Painted Cottage will be helpful, but do be warned as it's highly addictive. Here, I'm just using hot cocoa mix and a whipped cream topping with a bit of crushed candy cane mixed in. It's perfect because it's not too sweet, yet there is that subtle peppermint flavor.

How to crush those candy canes without a big mess? I tried a number of methods and wound up using two plastic lids with a nice edge to capture the bits and pieces. Nothing worse than hurtling bits of candy cane all over the place.

Here's what you need...candy canes, lids, and a hammer
On the altar so to speak
Use a dishtowel, if you'd like to protect the lids...I didn't bother and they seem none the worse for wear.


The result
Just three left

And, should you tire of hot drinks, we enjoyed the most delicious peppermint milkshakes last night using this formula:

* 1 cup milk
* as much French vanilla ice cream as you wish (I'm so flexible.)
* 1 tsp vanilla
* 1 crushed candy cane

Wonder what it would be like with chocolate milk and chocolate ice cream...

Stay warm out there!