[2] Chocolate-covered pretzel rods with holiday sprinkles. Here’s the recipe from Taste Of Home).

If you like to give homemade gifts or party favors, how about chocolate-covered potato chips or pretzels?

While you can find them at retailers, the concept here is made by you.

You can also use quality chocolate, like Green & Blacks or Lindt.

If the recipient doesn’t know the difference between a Hershey Bar and a Lindt Bar, default to Nestlé’s chocolate morsels.

Package your treats in a nice tin, and voilà! (Note: A square tin is easier to wrap than a round tin.)

You can also include a card with tips for enjoying them, beyond eating them for the tin. Ours include:

 
 
RECIPE: CHOCOLATE-COVERED POTATO CHIPS OR PRETZELS

Use a quality potato chip (Boulder Canyon, Deep River, Kettle Brand, etc.), the thicker the better so they don’t break.

For an less salty chip, take a look at Kettle Brand’s Unsalted. They also have a Maple Bacon chip that adds an extra layer of flavor.

You can also use sweet potato chips.

Also take a look at Food Should Taste Good’s sweet potato tortilla chips. They’re slightly sweet, a good pairing with chocolate.

As for the chocolate, use dark, milk, white, or a combination.

You need only three ingredients:

 
Preparation

1. SORT the chips and place the whole ones on a work surface. Prepare two large baking sheets with with wax paper or parchment.

2. BOIL the water in a double boiler and reduce to simmering (a heat-safe bowl on top of a pan of simmering water also works). Place three-quarters of the chocolate in the top/bowl and melt, stirring occasionally. When the chocolate has melted, continue to heat it to 110°F, stirring occasionally.

To microwave, heat at 45-second intervals until melted, stirring in-between.

3. REMOVE the chocolate from the heat, and stir in the remaining chopped chocolate until melted. Continue stirring until the chocolate has cooled to 90°F.

4. DIP the potato chips into the chocolate one at a time, dipping two-thirds of the way. We use our fingers, but you can use tongs. Allow the excess chocolate to drip back into the bowl by lightly tapping the chip against the edge. Place the chip on the wax paper, beginning at the point farthest away from you, so you won’t drip chocolate on the finished chips. Repeat until all of the chips are dipped.

5. SPRINKLE the chocolate portion with a bit of the seasoning (photo #1), or completely dip into the decorations (photo #2).

6. PUT aside to cool until set, about two hours. Placing the trays in the fridge speeds up the process to 15 minutes (but not longer, or they may become soggy).
 
 
CHECK IT OUT:

THE HISTORY OF THE POTATO CHIP
  

When we first saw this photo (#1) on Angelica Kitchen’s Facebook page, we thought it was a matzoh balls salad.

We soon discovered that the matzoh ball look-alikes are actually masa corn dumplings (chochoyotes).

In case you’ve never thought about it [and who has?], matzoh balls are a different style of dumplings than pierogi and Asian dumplings, which are stuffed noodle dough wrappers.

Instead, matzoh balls are made without a dough wrapper. They’re a paste of flour* and seasonings—think Chicken & Dumplings.

Some other dumplings without noodle wrappers are gnocchi. Knishes are dumplings made with flour wrappers, but a type of pastry dough rather than noodle dough.

The Angelica Kitchen salad is a base of baby arugula, topped with:

 
It’s garnished with tofu ricotta (Angelica Kitchen is vegan—substitute regular ricotta or goat cheese) and ancho pepper cream dressing, sprinkled with toasted pecans.

The masa dumplings include bit of spring onions. Here’s a recipe.

The dumplings—or matzoh balls—can be served hot or cold.

But since we’ll be making matzoh balls this weekend (Chanukah starts on Sunday), we’ll make extras for our own version of this salad, with a different assortment of greens, other vegetables, and dressing.

We won’t serve it on the first night—that’s reserved for the chicken soup (photo #2).

But we’ll enjoy them on one of the other seven days of Chanukah.

Here’s more about Chanukah.
 
 
MATZOH BALL TIP

We learned this from our friend Claudio, and it’s a blinding revelation of the obvious.

Instead of making traditional-size matzoh balls, that need to be cut with a spoon into four or five bites (photo #2), make miniature, bite-size matzoh balls.

They’re so much easier to eat, and the petite size is different and, may we say, fun?
 
____________
*In the case of matzoh balls, matzoh meal is used instead of wheat flour.

[2] A conventionally-sized matzoh ball. Often, there are two or three in one bowl of soup. Here’s the recipe from Andrew Zimmern | The Food Network.

[3] Mini matzoh balls: so much more convenient—and fun. Here’s the recipe from Mario Batali via ABC.go.com.

[2] America’s favorite peppermint water, original Peppermint Hint (still water; both photos courtesy Hint).

Hint, a pioneer in flavored, unsweetened water, has been a hit with us since we first discovered it—way back in 2006 (here’s the review).

Following the original line of still waters are Hint Sparkling and Hint Kick, which is caffeinated water (a gift idea!).

To celebrate the holidays, a limited-edition of Sparkling Peppermint Hint is available through January (the still version is available year-round; it’s the #1 peppermint-flavored water in the U.S.).

With zero calories, it’s a gift for:

 
Sparkling Peppermint Hint is another mixer to add to your recipe arsenal. For starters:

 
As for still Peppermint Hint, how about heating it in the microwave and mixing your next packet of hot chocolate?

All Hint products are made with purified water and natural flavors from non-GMO plants. The waters are never sweetened; there are no preservatives or other additives.
 
 
THE GIFT OF HINT

The limited-edition Sparkling Peppermint, and for that matter, the Kick flavors, are great gift ideas for the right person. No one else you know will think of them. We’d be delighted to receive a case or two.

You can find the caffeinated flavors there as well.

Hint can also be found at CVS, Target and grocery stores nationwide.
 
 
ABOUT DRINKING WATER

As long as we’re talking about drinking more water, here’s the history of drinking water.

Be grateful you have a reliable municipal supply.