New Years Eve with the Dogs!

The last few years we have spent NYE at home or maybe went over to a neighbors house. When I heard about the idea for a NYE flyball tournament, I knew I would go. We even arranged for Ben's parents to come and watch Finley. It was expensive and we ran all three dogs, but it was worth it. There was a small group of us and our team came in last, but we had so much fun! There was a dinner, this bungee bean bag game, champagne and lots of time to talk and watch the dogs run.

In preparation for the tournament Amy and I had a dessert making party. She made candycane cookies and I make caramel chocolate peanut truffles, which happened to be gluten free!

The dogs overall didn't perform well and after watching video of Pax's box turns and striding, I'm glad there is a long break until the next tournament, because we have a lot of work to do. Some of the starts and passes were off. It was especially entertaining to watch drunk people try to run a dog. And the ridiculous things that people were saying after midnight. Oh and we got a hotel room, checked in at 2 am, went to bed at 3 am and woke up at 10:30 and then went out for a nice leisurely breakfast. Best New Years eve in a long time.

Chocolate Caramel Peanut Truffles

Recipe from  Sara Moulton, Sara Moulton Cooks at Home, Broadway Books, 2002

 

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 9 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
• 2 tablespoons creamy peanut butter
• 1/4 teaspoon table salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup finely chopped peanuts, for coating

Directions

Place the sugar in a heavy saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring just until the sugar has melted. Continue cooking, swirling the pan often, until the sugar is dark golden caramel. Remove the pan from the heat and carefully pour in the cream. Return the pan to the heat and simmer, stirring, until the caramel has dissolved.

Remove the pan from the heat and, while hot, stir in the chocolate peanut butter, salt, and vanilla. Let stand for about 5 minutes or until the chocolate and peanut butter have dissolved. Transfer to a bowl and cool to room temperature. Cover the bowl with plastic and chill until firm, about 2 hours.
Use a small spoon to scoop out the truffles and form into 1-inch balls. Roll the truffles in the peanuts and transfer to a tray covered with waxed paper. Chill until firm, about 1 hour. Store in an airtight container for up to 2 weeks.