Visions of Sugar Plums....

...dancing in my head. Cathy's boss made a batch of sugar plums from a recipe from the newspaper last week. I've always wondered what sugar plums were and way kids would dream about them and why they would have a fairy queen. I had to try them myself for the office Christmas party. They're good, especially if they are small enough to pop them in your mouth whole. Kind of like a miniature fruit cake, but they won't break your toes if you drop them.

Here's the recipe, with a couple of minor variations by me:

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/2 cup pecans
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup dried apricots
• 1/2 cup dried plums
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup dried cranberries
• 2 tablespoons Triple Sec

Combine the sugar, cardamom and cinnamon in a bowl. Mix well, then set aside.

In a food processor, pulse the pecans until roughly chopped. Add the pistachios and pulse again until both nuts are finely chopped. Transfer the nuts to a bowl and set aside.

In a food processor, combine the dates, apricots and plums. Pulse briefly until roughly chopped. Add the raisins and cranberries, then continue pulsing until the fruit is evenly chopped and begins to clump.

Return the nuts to the processor and add the Triple Sec. Pulse until just mixed. If the mixture does not stick together, add additional Triple Sec. A teaspoon at a time, roll the mixture into balls, then roll each ball in the sugar until well coated.

Enjoy!