Holiday Treats

Last week, I caved and decided to make some Christmas goodies. Here is the recipe for the Chocolate Cake Balls:

Here's what you need: A box of chocolate cake mix, (plus whatever ingredients are called for on the box), chocolate frosting, chocolate chips, and a container of your favorite sprinkles.

Bake the cake according to the directions on the box. Allow the cake to cool, and then crumble it into little bits using a fork.


Mix most of the container of frosting into the cake (you probably won't need it all, because it tends to get soggy and sticky).

Shape the mix into balls and place on a cookie sheet covered in wax or parchment paper. At this point, you should refrigerate them for several hours so that they do not fall apart when they are dipped in the hot chocolate.

Melt the chocolate chips in the microwave. Dip the balls in the chocolate until they are covered and then allow them to cool on the cookie sheet.
**I found that it was easier to drizzle them with chocolate than to dip them, but then they don't get covered all the way around.

Cover with your favorite sprinkles and pop them back into the refrigerator for a little while to harden. YUM!!!

Fa La La La La...

The Christmas season is in full-swing.  All of the kids I know are hopped up on sugar and talk incessantly about Santa, my shopping is about 60% done, the halls are decked, I'm contemplating making insane amounts of baked goods, I have written about 15 of my 60-ish Christmas cards, and this past weekend we went to the Texas State Capital for the Christmas tree lighting ceremony and sing-along.

First, we came up on the sing-along on the south steps of the Capital.  No pictures of the singing, but here's the building.  Pretty, right?

 

[Sorry.  I know the quality isn't the best, but that's night photography for ya, folks.]

Next, we walked downtown to visit all the open stores.  Along the way, we saw this:

 [Is that a giant snake/dragon/something that slinks along under the power of 6 or 8 people pedaling inside it, you ask?  Why yes, of course.]

[A butterfly.  Same philosophy, except this is powered by only one pedalist wearing the wings.]


And finally, the moment we've all been waiting for....

The Christmas-tree-lighting, which after all the pomp and circumstance, was not real exciting.  Go figure.


But wait!  It wouldn't be Austin without at least one bizarre sighting at the event.  Luckily, before we had the chance to leave, we saw these people:

[That's right.  They are literally WEARING their Christmas lights.  All in a days' work, folks.]


On the way home, we saw this:

which really has nothing to do with anything except that we drove by it on the way home and I made Dutch Boy pull over so I could take a picture because the UT Clock Tower is only orange twice a year to celebrate graduation.  Can you see the numbers written out in the windows?  I was impressed.

And that, my friends, was my Saturday night.