July in Phoenix sucks. Let's have Christmas instead.

 July in Phoenix is a unique experience. While the rest of the country is reveling in the warmth of summer we are hiding in our homes with the AC cranked up. It's brutal. Today it's 117, might reach 119. Luckily I have beer.

 8 months of the year Arizona is heaven, the other four is that other place.

 Let's leave that for now and talk about the best time of year in the A-ZONE.

Christmas.

 Winters here are bliss. While the rest of the northern hemisphere is shivering we are hanging lights in shorts and t-shirts.
*shifting gears*

 My Mom makes the best Christmas cookies in the entire universe. I bugged her for years to give me her recipes and last year ( bless her heart) she FINALLY relented and gave me one of the best presents ever. A box filled with copies of all her secrets. I love my Mom. One of her best are her rum-balls.
 RUM BALLS YEAH !!!
 Ok so I took it up a notch and came up with these.

I call them CHEF NICK'S REINDEER POOP !!!

easy no bake cookies

1 package of chocolate wafers (2 cups packed), Nabisco brand, pulverize to powder in a food-processor.
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup of candy-cane liqueur , I used BOLL'S
for the rolling
1/8 cup powdered sugar
1/8 cup pulverized candy cane, use your food-processor

Pulverize is a cool word. It means to reduce to a powder. DO IT.
add the corn syrup and candy-cane liqueur and stir together, it's a paste.

combine your powdered sugar and pulverized candy-cane in a separate bowl, get ready for it

Now, by hand, roll your chocolate mess into balls. Yes it's sticky. Use some ice-water on your hands and keep going.

Let the balls rest for 'bout 30 minutes. Then roll them in your combined candy-cane and powdered sugar mess. Let them dry for a day on wax-paper.

That's it, you're done. My family got these as presents last Christmas. Thanks Mom. You inspire me everyday. Now just chill. We cook poor but eat rich. 

Get your grub on, Ciao

my super cute tree

Mom and Dad gave me my nutcracker when I  was very young.  I still love him.