I'm Not Gonna Lie...

I didn't work on the fish yesterday. I had some stuff to do, and just didn't get around to it. I plan to spend the day felting & cleaning & cooking, though. We have a family pot-luck to go to tomorrow, and I have to say the one of the bonuses of being with a guy who if half Hawiian & half Japanese is the food at the family get togethers!! Hawiian BBQ, Sushi, rice, Mochi - AWESOME!!! Since I've been looking for an excuse to make these, I thought today would be great! My cousin had some at her wedding a couple years ago & I've been dreaming of them ever since!! They sound a little weird, but trust me, they are tiny bits of Creamy Minty Heaven!!!

Cream Cheese Mints:
(recipe from About.com)

Cream Cheese Mints feature a delicious combination of cream cheese and pure peppermint flavoring. These popular candies make perfect favors for baby or bridal showers, weddings, and holiday parties. They can be decorated to suit any color scheme, and also work well as a molded candy. This recipe yields approximately 4 dozen 1" mint patties.

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 4 ounces softened cream cheese
• 1 tbsp softened butter
• 1 tbsp light corn syrup
• 1/2 tsp mint extract
• 4 cups powdered sugar
• Food coloring (optional)
• Granulated sugar or colored sprinkles

Preparation:

1. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil or waxed paper.

2. Place the softened cream cheese, butter, corn syrup, and mint extract in the large bowl of a stand mixer (alternately, a hand mixer can be used). Beat until the mixture is smooth and homogenous.

3. With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar and mix until the candy is well-combined. Taste the candy and adjust the flavoring to suit your taste. If you want to make different colors of mints, divide the candy into separate bowls and work the desired coloring into the portions of candy.

4. Using a spoon, scoop walnut-sized balls of candy and roll it between your palms into a ball. Roll the ball in granulated sugar or colored sprinkles. Place the ball on the prepared baking sheet, and use the palm of your hand or the bottom of a glass to flatten the ball into a patty. If desired, you can instead press down on the mint with the tines of a fork to create a pretty cross-hatching pattern on the mint. Repeat with remaining candy until all of the mints are formed.

5. Alternately, you can mold this candy by pressing small balls of the mint mixture into candy molds. After you have firmly pressed the candy into the mold, quickly pop it out and repeat with remaining candy.

6. Store mints in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 2 weeks. These mints are good straight from the refrigerator, or at room temperature.

★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★★

It's great that there is no actual "Cooking" involved!!! I hope I don't eat them all before the party tomorrow. Hope everybody has a great weekend & will post more progress picts on Monday!!!