After Christmas we always seem to have lots of candy canes hanging around. One great use for them is to put them in your tea. I make a gallon of iced tea (boil 4 tea bags in a pan of water, then add cold water to fill the pitcher), then add the candy cane pieces. They will dissolve and give a nice different taste to yout tea. No sugar necessary. I have even used the flavored candy canes, and they are good too.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 27, 2001

Answers

I was making icecream last night for tonight and the bowl of candy canes was just sitting there. So, I chopped them with the food processer and added them to the mix. It turned out great! I also will add them to my sweet bread for breakfast sometimes. I just make sure to grind them in the coffee grinder to a fine powder. This gives the bread a great taste and a little holiday color!

-- Micheale from SE Kansas (mbfrye@totelcsi.net), December 27, 2001.

You can also make up a basic vanilla or sugar cookie dough, and sprinkle tops with crushed candy canes-a good thing to do with broken ones.

-- Kelly (ksaderholm@yahoo.com), December 27, 2001.

My mom would always keep a few candy canes in the glove compartment of the car. Peppermint is great for upset car-sick tummies.

-- Charleen in WNY (harperhill@eznet.net), December 27, 2001.

We make peppermint bark...a nice treat...sometimes give it at Valentines.

-- DW (djwallace@sotc.net), December 27, 2001.

Good ideas, I am going to put some in the van right now! sometimes Kadia and Brady get upset stomachs when riding. What is peppermint bark???? I have never heard of it.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 27, 2001.

Peppermint bark is made with one package (11 oz.) of white "candy coating" (used to be called white chocolate, 'til the chocolate standards people objected strenuously because it didn't contain enough chocolate solids or cocoa butter, but I digress) and 3/4 cup of coarsely crushed peppermint or other hard candy. Melt the candy coating in a double boiler or in a microwave (if the directions say it is okay, it is more temperamental than melting regular chocolate), stir in the candy, and pour into a pan lined with wax paper. Let cool and break into pieces.

Another use is to stir them into hot chocolate, or really crush some in a food processor or coffee grinder (clean it first, (smile)) and stir into some whipped cream (to put on the hot chocolate).

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 31, 2001.

Thanks GT, sounds good! I imagine it would be good with regular chocolate too.

-- Melissa (me@home.net), December 31, 2001.

Yep, Melissa, regular chocolate, chopped up dried apricot, dried cranberries....Yum!

-- GT (nospam@nospam.com), December 31, 2001.

Hang all those raskels on the trees in the yard for pesky deer to et. They need a little more sugar in their diets anyhow. I think the big boys calls it "sugar rush" or something like that. Old hoot gibson. Matt.24;44

-- old hoot (hoot@pcinetwork.com), December 31, 2001.