bark
recently, i discovered the fine and easy art of chocolate bark making. no really, it's far too easy. just don't tell the people who are getting homemade bark collections from me for christmas and host gifts.

on top of it being tasty, gourmet-looking, and easy, bark-making satiates my concoction/make-shit-up tendencies. so far, i've gone above and beyond the standard peppermint bark with a ginger bark and (my favorite) a chocolate orange bark. i have big plans for a caramel-nut bark.

also, there's always plenty of melted chocolate left at the bottom of the saucepan at the end. it's really a win-win endeavor. even if half of it ends up shattered on the kitchen floor (including under the fridge) the next morning, you still know you've enjoyed a few licks of warm, orangy dark chocolatey goodness.

the only downside to it is there's really no need for my majestic yellow kitchenaid stand mixer.