It's hard for me to go anywhere empty handed so I decided to bring a couple of different things to add to the merriment: a vegan candy cane bark and sangria!
For my 40th birthday party I had purchased bottles of Ed Hardy sangria, and I still have a 1.5 liter bottle left. I poured the entire bottle into a beautiful pitcher, added thinly sliced rounds of one orange, large diced pieces of an unpeeled granny smith apple, and for an added kick, 8 ounces of Stoli Razberi. It would look beautiful in a glass pitcher but I don't have one big enough for this amount of sangria. Regardless, it will be both delicious and potent ~ good thing I don't have to drive!
I also wanted to make something that even the kids could enjoy, so I found a recipe for vegan peppermint bark, which I modified just a bit.
Cover a 9"x13" baking sheet with wax paper.
In a double boiler, melt 14 oz. of your favorite dark chocolate. I used some Lindt bars. Be sure the water doesn't bubble over into your chocolate or it will be scalded and you'll have to start again. Once it's melted, mix in a cup of crushed candy canes and then spread it evenly on the wax paper. Let it cool in the refrigerator for 20 minutes.
While still warm, top the semi-sweet chocolate with another 1/2 cup of candy cane and put it back in the refrigerator to cool for another 20 minutes. Then, break it into small pieces and place it in a pretty dish. How can it be bad?
Note: we're talking about candy here. If you want thicker layers of chocolate or more candy cane, go for it! If you celebrate, Merry Christmas!