Ana was so generous and even included a stocking stuffer for me in the shape of this very cute, copper gingerbread man cookie cutter.

Although I cannot have caffeine, I was happy to see that some chai tea and fancy coffees were included. Mom will try these for me and let me know how she likes them. Ana's got great taste!

I'm always looking for new sugar-free fruit spreads to try on toast, so when Ana included the apricot and blueberry fruit spreads from Natur, I was excited. Apricot is my favorite, but blueberry is lovely on whole grain toast. Sometimes I add fruit spreads to plain, fat-free yogurt for a snack. The blueberry spread would be perfect for that.

Since she had a challenge with my dietary restrictions (no sugar or chocolate), Ana sent me a garlic dip mix and very fancy flatbread crackers from Loblaws. The packaging of the dip mix was impressive, and had a recipe included within a foldout portion. I'm looking forward to trying it since like Ana, I enjoy garlic anything.

Ana sent me a copy of the very festive Dec. 2005 issue of one of her favorite publications, "Canadian Living." I'm looking forward to diving into the cookie recipes. Her healthfood store, like our healthfood stores here, give away free publications like "Alive" seen here. Also included with the printed material were store flyers for Loblaws, a Canadian superstore, and Loeb, a 24-hr grocery store nearby Ana's house. I was amazed at how low the prices are, even with the exchange rate calculated into the figure. They also have better food stylists than our local Super Stop and Shop. The photos are tantalizing, and their colors are more accurate. But, I have a history in publishing, so I'm just picky about that kind of thing.

Home for the holidays

We were at John's parents' lovely home in Utah for Thanksgiving. I brought a big box of mixed chocolates, with plenty of white chocolates for his mom who, like my mom, doesn't eat milk or dark chocolate any more. Below are a few more of my newer creations this season. The white chocolate and lemon and/or Fiori Di Sicilia were the hands-down favorites. We'll see how they do at Christmas in the boxes dad ordered for his corporate gifts. No orders of Chanukah candy this year, but I'll bet that the peppermint snowflakes will suffice. Happy Holidays to all!

Like the white chocolate Coconut Fantasy candies below, the milk chocolate variety shown here are always a crowd pleaser. The size is impressive as well -- a two-biter, if you're not greedy. If you enjoy a good Mounds or Almond Joy for the coconut, you'll like these even better for the filling as well as the chocolate.

Whether I make them in dark, milk or white chocolate, these new shapes for single almonds do a great job in filling boxes. I use almonds from Trader Joe's for these. Most of the time, I'll buy them raw and toast them to my preferred crunchiness myself. The house smells wonderful when I'm toasting a few bags of them. They keep well in the fridge or freezer.

Remember back in September (see the archives on the right navigation bar) when John and I drove up to Maine and returned through Vermont? At the Vermont Country Store, I picked up a jar of their lemon marmalade. I thought it would be something I would have on toast, but was otherwise inspired by a new candy for Deb's Delectables (also on the left nav bar, near the top). I mixed a batch of redi-fondant with several tablespoons of the lemon marmalade and a light dose of pure lemon oil. It smelled as fresh as that first warm spring day. In a shell of white chocolate with a yellow-tinted (but not lemon flavored) design, the new candy was a hit with John's mom and sister. My mom also declared it a winner. The filling has a slight flow to it, in contrast with the density of the filling described below.

One of my favorite catalogs is the King Arthur Flour Baker's Catalog. What does that have to do with these princely pretties, you ask? These newly created chocolates have a fantastic filling flavored with a product from that very catalog -- Fiori Di Sicilia. Fiori Di Sicilia smells and tastes a lot like a creamsickle. For those who may not know, creamsickles are frozen confections of vanilla and orange flavored ice cream. The result is a uniquely yummy combination. I did not flavor the orange colored tops in the candy, but I may in future versions, then wrap them in orange foil so as not to flavor the other chocolates in the box. Below, you'll see my mother's exclamation when I filled other fancy molds with the fancy new filling.

Purely an experiment with cinnamon oil, these swirlybirds are not quite ready for prime time. Senior White Chocolate Taste Tester Mom agrees. At least I've got the look down. To make the filling, I mixed my own redi-fondant with cinnamon oil and some red oil-based candy colors from Wilton. The pink-looking stripe, is not flavored, but colored white chocolate. Next time, I'm flavoring the stripe as well and wrapping the candy in red foil.

Anyone with a soft spot for coconut will enjoy this sweetie. John's mom and sister gobbled up a few of these Coconut Fantasy candies during the Thanksgiving holiday. Creamy white chocolate surrounding a densely coconut filling.

"They taste like summer!" said Mom.

This grouping of unique shapes displays some of my latest work in white chocolate. They are filled with a fluffy, sweetly orange and vanilla flavored fondant. In my mother's words, "they taste like summer!"

Before I left for California, I had time to spend a day making a gallon zip bag full of these beauties. I like to call them the Peppermint Snowflakes. Yes, a lot of originality there. The top portion is a thick layer of peppermint-flavored white chocolate. Beneath the snowy cover is a dark chocolate layer with a peppermint filling. It's like a sophisticated Peppermint Patty. I wrap them individually in blue or green foil so that the rest of the box of chocolate doesn't wind up mint-flavored. If you're dainty, it will take you about 4 bites to savor this sweet. If you're not, 2 to 3 bites will do it. Makes me wish I could eat them.

This is my Uncle Hy. He turned 100 years old in October, but he's very spry. He walks about a mile each day, eats very carefully, and boasts about his time as a strict vegetarian. Hy attributes his longevity 50% to heredity and 50% to clean living, exercise and strict diet. He still calls me Debelah and Dalink in his Russian accent. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to visit Uncle Hy on my recent trip to southern California for work. The afternoon visit was by far, one of the memories I will cherish the rest of my life. Some of the photos below tell a little bit more, but I do want to keep some of it to myself, selfish as that may be.

There are several copies of this classic black and white photo hung around Uncle Hy's home. Although their expressions are stoic, I have many memories of Aunt Anna and Uncle Hy sharing laughs and kind words. They were married and deeply in love for more years than most people have the chance to live. Uncle Hy was probably in his 70s in this photo. He hasn't changed much, has he?

OK. This classic poster of Karl Marx has been hanging across from the hall bathroom in Uncle Hy's house for as long as I can remember. My tiny Uncle was born in Russia, speaks multiple languages and considers himself a Marxist. Although he actually is a capitalist, he hasn't raised the rents on the people who rent his apartments in Long Beach in many years. They must love him. Unbelievably low cost living in a nice area.

The far end of Uncle Hy's backyard is much more of garden these days than just a yard. In the center of the photo is a twisted lemon tree. It could use some of Chuck's magic, but it still produces fruit. Surrounding the lemon tree is a circle of clivia (or Clive - ia, depending on your home country).

I have such fond memories of days playing in Uncle Hy's backyard. Many citrus trees -- right in the center is an ancient grapefruit tree. Not seen here are several lemon trees and a very healthy avocado tree. Unfortunately, I was not visiting during avocado season. Otherwise, I would have filled the blog with photos of my famous guacamole. Sigh. Past the grapefruit tree is a covered two-seater swing in the patio outside the kitchen. The kitchen window is partially covered by grapefruit tree branches. Beyond the swing is the picture window inside the living room. The carpet is the same avocado green shag I remember from my childhood (about 30 years ago).

The last time I stood on the lush green lawn of Uncle Hy's house was the summer of 1990. Other than the new houses across the street and the suburban sprawl taking over Long Beach, the only difference is that the garden has more blooming plants and is cared for with a great deal of attention to detail. Linda, who is Hy's caretaker (and who also cared for Anna during her last years), is also the tender gardener behind the varied blooms. Hy told me that he is leaving Linda the house. He is very fond of her and she truly cares for him in a daughterly way. It made me happy to hear that she would get the house--it's clear she already loves it and the garden. It's comforting to know that it will be well cared for and its previous owners honored appropriately.