berry + toasted rice white chocolate bark recipe

i thought of this festive looking white chocolate bark mixture a couple weeks ago, while i was taking a long walk on the beach.  there are still/only four days until christmas, but it is definitely not too late to make a batch of this berry + toasted rice white chocolate bark.  

bark is easy to make, and there are recipes all over the web that are all pretty much identical... but here is the way i made mine.

ingredients
about 32 oz of white chocolate (i used ghiradelli white chocolate candy dipping and baking bar, which is 40oz, available at sam's club if you have a membership- or know someone that does)
toasted rice cereal
freeze dried strawberries (i used trader joe's freeze dried berries, see picture below)
freeze dried raspberries

line a 9"x12" rimmed baking sheet with parchment.
melt the chocolate (i used the heat-proof bowl over a pot of simmering water method).
pour in some toasted rice cereal and stir it up (look at me, trying to be different). i just eyeballed the amount, but it was probably at least 2-3 cups.
spread the white chocolate/rice cereal mixture into the prepared pan, and smooth into an even layer.
sprinkle more rice cereal and the freeze dried berries all over the top, until evenly covered.*  let the bark set- you can speed it up by sticking it in the fridge for a little while. break or chop the bark into pieces.
package it up alone or with some other homemade treats.

*the freeze dried berries are unsweetened and rather tart, but i think that the tartness helps balance the intense sweetness of the white chocolate.  i found that one 1.2oz bag of each berry was more than enough for for one batch.  quite a lot of the berries had been crushed into powder on the bottom, and i also sprinkled the powder all over to add color and texture contrast.  

ways to rid yourself of 30 yards of felt #6: make coasters

a little over two years ago, i found myself with an abundance of leftover felt.

even though i have technically moved six times (not with all my stuff, mind you) since i wrote my last felt post, i still mysteriously find myself with a box full of felt.

it's absurd. i know. you don't have to tell me.

i was, however, grateful to have this box of felt when i found myself itching to sew my first project in san diego. something easy. something useful.  something i needed.    

like coasters.

i drew a pattern on a piece of paper and cut two pieces of different colors of felt.  i cut a hole out of the top so the bottom color peeks through, and then sewed them together.

although i'm just making these for myself, these might make a cute stocking stuffer idea or just a small homemade gift for a friend. 

just throwing that idea out there.