Good Day to you!

I'm getting ready to get off of here. I just thought I'd drop in here for a sec. Still working on cleaning today. Working in the dining room. The table is a mess. I got my gift list started.
This Christmas is going to be awesome. I can feel it! I want to make some candy this year. I plan on making turkish delight and buttermints! Maybe some toffee. Here are the recipes I'm going to be using:

Turkish Delight (found at Christmas-joy.com)
Ingredients:
4 cups sugar 4 1/2 cups water 2 teaspoons lemon juice 1 1/4 cups cornstarch 1 teaspoon cream of tartar 1 1/2 tablespoons rosewater red food coloring (optional) 1 cup confectioners sugar

Introduction:
This appealing candy is easy to make at home. Rosewater can be found at specialty food stores. When the sugar syrup boils, coat the inside of the saucepan with a brush dipped in water to prevent sugar crystals from forming.
Makes 80 pieces.Total time: 2 hours.
Step 1:Oil a 9-inch square pan. Line with plastic wrap and oil the plastic wrap.
Step 2:In a heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine the sugar, 1 1/2 cups of the water, and the lemon juice. Stir until the sugar dissolves and the mixture boils. Reduce the heat and simmer gently, without stirring, until the mixture reaches the soft-ball stage (240°F on a candy thermometer). Remove the pan from the heat.
Step 3:In a second large heavy saucepan over medium heat, stir together 1 cup cornstarch and the cream of tartar. Gradually stir in the remaining 3 cups of water until no lumps remain. Stir constantly, until the mixture boils and is a thick, gluey paste.
Step 4:Slowly pour the hot sugar, water, and lemon juice syrup into the cornstarch mixture, stirring constantly. Reduce the heat and simmer, stirring often to prevent sticking, for about 1 hour, or until the mixture has become a pale golden color.
Step 5:Stir in the rosewater and tint as desired with food coloring. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Cool to room temperature and let stand, uncovered, overnight to set.
Step 6:Sift the confectioners sugar and the remaining 1/4 cup cornstarch onto a large cutting board. Turn the Turkish delight out and cut into 1-inch squares with an oiled knife. Roll pieces in the sugar mixture to coat well. Store in an airtight container with sheets of waxed paper, dusted with the sugar mixture, separating every layer.

Buttermint Twists (found at Land O' Lakes.com)

1/2 cup butter, softened

5 1/4 cups powdered sugar

3 tablespoons heavy whipping cream or half and half

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

2 to 3 drops red food color

1 to 2 drops green food color

Place butter in large bowl. Beat at low speed, scraping bowl often, until creamy. Add powdered sugar, whipping cream and peppermint extract. Continue beating until mixture forms a soft dough (2 to 5 minutes).
Divide dough in half. Beat red food color into one-half of dough. Continue beating until dough is pink. Beat green food color into other half of dough; beat until dough is light green.Place dough, one color at a time, on surface lightly sprinkled with powdered sugar; knead until smooth. Cover with plastic food wrap to prevent drying out. Roll 1 tablespoon of each tinted dough into 4-inch rope. Gently twist green and pink ropes together. Carefully continue rolling and twisting rope to a 10-inch rope. Add more powdered sugar when rolling, if necessary. Cut diagonally into 1-inch pieces. Place twists onto waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat with remaining dough. Let mints stand uncovered at room temperature until surface is dry (6 to 8 hours). To store, layer mints between sheets of waxed paper in airtight container. Refrigerate up to 1 month. For longer storage, store in freezer up to 2 months.

Butter Toffee (also from Land O' Lakes)

1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
1 cup real semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup finely chopped pecans

Combine sugar and butter in heavy 2-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally with a wooden spoon, until candy thermometer reaches 300°F or small amount of mixture dropped into ice water forms brittle strands (25 to 30 minutes). Quickly spread into 15x10x1-inch jelly-roll pan. Sprinkle chocolate chips over hot candy; let stand 5 minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly over candy; sprinkle with pecans. Cool completely; break into pieces.
TIP: Stir occasionally and gently with a wooden spoon until mixture reaches 260 to 265°F (127 to 130°C). Continue cooking, stirring as few times as possible, until mixture reaches 300°F (149°C). Stirring too much contributes to toffee separating. It is important to keep the mixture from burning, so stir gently once in a while.

Oh I'm excited! Oh Christmas here I come!