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Hello, foodies…

Christmas is practically here. I may be 50 years old now, but I still feel like I’m five at this time of year. I just love Christmastime and everything that goes along with this magical holiday. And I think the reason it’s especially sacred for me is because it’s the only time of year my whole family gets together.

As is the Venable-family tradition, I’ll be spending Christmas at my brother’s home in North Carolina. His children and my mother will be there and my sister and brother-in-law will be driving in from upstate New York. On Christmas Eve, my niece, nephew, and I always make sugar cookies for Santa and then that night we’ll all go to church. When we come home we’ll have a terrific meal—usually a pork pot roast, which is my sister’s favorite and her yearly request. And then, my favorite part of Christmas happens that night—we all retire to the living room, make a fire, enjoy the Christmas tree and music, and just reconnect with family. That’s what I look forward to most…it’s so relaxing. Sometimes we watch a movie with the kids and sometimes we just talk about our Christmas memories. It’s marvelous to have that time together as a family.

Mom has already been busy for weeks planning menus for every meal, which, as I mentioned, consist of everyone’s favorite dishes…so it’s always a hodgepodge. I’ll help mom with the cooking and no doubt we’ll be up early on Christmas morning preparing another big dinner. When the Venables get together for Christmas, we EAT. Anyway, we’ll have prime rib and ham on Christmas as well as my request, mac and cheese, as well as my brother’s favorite recipe, mom’s broccoli-cheese casserole. And of course, no Christmas is complete without my mom’s party mix. She brings three bowls with her and hides two. When the first is gone, we all start searching for the others and it’s like a Chex-mix scavenger hunt. It’s always fun and she’s made that mix as long as I can remember.

That was my mom and me last year—I promise to share a new photo again this year.

Okay! So our last In the Kitchen with David before the holiday is this Sunday at Noon ET. (Wednesday is QVC’s Joy of Jewelry event, so we won’t be cooking together.) So here’s a recipe you can make this weekend, the days before, or even Christmas Eve…White Christmas Fudge.

White Christmas Fudge
Serves 36

This recipe is prepared with the Rachael Ray 12-Piece Gradient Porcelain Enamel Cookware Set (K39885).

Go to David's Recipe Item Page for the full list of items that David has used in his recipes.

Ingredients:

• 1 (14-oz) can sweetened condensed milk


• 2 Tbsp unsalted butter


• 1/4 tsp salt


• 4 cups (1 lb, 5.25 oz) chopped white chocolate


• 1 tsp vanilla extract


• Red gel food coloring


• Green gel food coloring

Preparation:

1. Lightly spray the bottom of a 9" x 9" baking pan. Cut a piece of parchment paper into a 9" x 18" rectangle and line the pan, making sure that the paper sticks to the bottom and the edges overhang. (You'll use the excess paper to pull the fudge out of the pan.)


2. Place the condensed milk, butter, and salt into a medium-size saucepan. Cook over medium-low heat until the butter is melted and the mixture is hot. Do not boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat, add the chocolate and vanilla and stir until the chocolate has melted completely.


3. Pour the mixture into the prepared baking pan and quickly insert a bamboo skewer or toothpick into the red gel food coloring jar and dot the fudge about 12–14 times. Repeat the process with the green food coloring. (You'll need to dip the bamboo skewers or toothpicks at least 2 times each into the gel colorings to have enough color in the fudge.) As quickly as possible, with a clean toothpick, swirl the fudge until most of the color has blended and a pretty pattern has formed.


4. Press a piece of plastic wrap against the surface to prevent a skin from forming. Let it cool completely for at least 12 hours, or overnight.

I love the idea of making this fudge on Christmas Eve. If you’re cooking a big meal like my family always does, your oven will be tied up. But you and the kids can make this while dinner’s cooking and then enjoy it on Christmas Day.

So what are you up to this weekend? Last-minute preparations, perhaps? Gift-wrapping? That’s where I’m headed this very minute, so for your blog question today, tell me what’s the best gift you’ve ever received? Was it a pet? Maybe a surprise visit from a loved one? A KitchenAid mixer? I’ll see you Sunday at Noon ET Foodies.

Keep it flavorful!
—David

P.S. While my mom's recipe is a bit different, we created a Holiday Party Mix on ITKWD a few years back that you might like to try...click for the recipe!