Welcome to Day 19 of the 2011 Virtual Advent Tour!

Although this is my fourth Christmas blogging, this is only my second year of joining in the Virtual Advent Tour, since I hadn’t found it my first years. But, even in my first years of blogging, I still posted about the holidays. Here are some Christmas posts from the past you may enjoy.

• Virtual Advent 2010: My Creche Collection from around the world
• Christmas Countdown: Music Collections I Love (2009)
• Children’s Christmas: Picture Books of the Season (2008)

Also, in 2008, I wrote a few posts on some classic Christmas books:

• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
• Christmas Poems
• Four Christmas Novellas by Charles Dickens
• The Life and Adventures of Santa Claus by L. Frank Baum

This year, I have decided to share one of my fun Christmas traditions: making fudge for the neighbors! I have enjoyed making chocolate fudge since I was a kid. It’s a family recipe. And then a few years ago, I found a white chocolate fudge recipe online.

4 1/2 cups sugar
1/3 cup butter
1 can evaporated milk
dash of salt

8 oz chocolate
2 cups nuts (optional)
a little less than 1 lb marshmallows (Use real marshmallows, not marshmallow fluff.)
12 oz chocolate chips

Directions

Bring the first four ingredients to a rolling boil for four minutes. (Note: Make sure it’s boiling vigorously for four minutes or it will not set right.)

Pour over the next four ingredients and stir well. Pour mixture into a 9×13 buttered or wax paper-lined pan. Let it sit until set, possibly overnight. Cut in squares. For an extra touch, roll squares in powdered sugar just before serving.

That’s it! It is pretty easy if you follow the directions. I’ve been making it since I was 16! It’s also very delicious!

White Chocolate Fudge

My white chocolate fudge is also very delicious. However, because I found it on a blog online, I don’t want to take the credit when it’s due elsewhere.  Go visit Lemonpi for an absolutely delicious recipe. Keep in mind that you want to use real, yummy white chocolate for this, not the cheap stuff. Yes, it’s very expensive. Yes, it’s very yummy in the end.

This season, I also made some peppermint bark, as well as some frosted sugar cookies. It’s been a fun way to bring in the holidays with a bit of sugar delight!

What do you bake or cook around the holidays to make the season bright?

See the others on the Virtual Advent Tour today:

Check back at Rebecca Reads for some more Christmas cheer throughout the next few days. I’m going to post Tuesday through Thursday on a few Christmas stories you may enjoy. ETA: I’m not on the ball in terms of getting posts up. Given the fact that I’m sure you’re all busy too, simply have a great Christmas holiday and I’ll be back when I can be!