Crack Cocaine Toffee

Christmas Toffee

(I call this “Crack Cocaine Toffee”- it is highly, highly addictive! I swear I could eat an entire pan!) This is my mother’s recipe with my “notes” added to it.

This stuff is SOOO good. It’s kind of a scientific, very time-sensitive sort of process with things melting and softening and hardening, etc. so you have to “stay on top of it” as you’re cooking. But SO worth it! Come on, anything with equal parts butter, sugar, and chocolate is going to be amazing no matter what, right? Ahem...

-1 c. butter

-1 c. sugar

-3 tbs. water

-1 tbs. light corn syrup

-1 cup chopped nuts of your choice (I like slivered almonds- they’re purtty!)

-1 c. chocolate chips

-Candy thermometer

Butter a 9x13 pan. Sprinkle with the nuts. Set aside. In a heavy saucepan (my Mom uses a Le Creuset pot- sturdy, cleans easily, etc. They are over $100 but will last a lifetime.) Combine the butter, sugar, water, and corn syrup. Cook over medium high heat, stirring frequently (we like to use on of those “high heat” spatulas to stir and “spread the hot toffee”) Once it starts turning brown, stick the candy thermometer in there, to keep an eye on the temperature, and keep stirring. It will become kind of viscous and pull away from the sides of the pan. As soon as it reaches the “hard crack” stage (300 degrees), take it off the heat and pour it over the nuts in the pan, spreading as needed to cover nuts. Let cool for maybe a minute (not much longer) then sprinkle the chocolate chips on top and let them soften, just enough to be able to spread them over the toffee. Let cool completely, like overnight or in the fridge for a few hours, whatever it takes. Break apart  to serve (I stab at them with a butter knife- 1-year-old Adelyn had fun helping me with this part.) If you are going to give some away as gifts, I highly recommend immediately wrapping them in little gift bags, and giving them away as soon as possible, so that you are less likely to just ingest all of it.

P.S. I'm admitting that I steal photos from the internet for some of my posts. This blog doesn't "bring in any money" or anything, it's mostly just for personal use and pleasure, and I'm not sure how to do the whole link/credit thing. So, I'm sorry, People with wonderful pictures on the internet!

All Hail the Diaper Snail

When you have a pet skunk, naturally you will choose "Woodland Creatures" as your nursery theme when you're expecting your first child. So as an invited guest to the baby shower, I came up with a creative gift. A Diaper Snail! (A snail counts as a "woodland creature, right?) I made the round part of the snail by putting diapers in a round cake pan, and went to Target for some more inspiration. I ended up with: 

-a cool "boon" dish drying rack

-bottle-cleaning brushes

pacifiers, and a pair of comfy fuzzy socks for the pregnant mama . I was stuck on how to "sculpt" the body of the snail so I called The Husband for ideas. Aluminum foil! Brilliant. I came home and had fun constructing this creation, with a rubber band and some fine-gauge wire helping, as well. Audrey loved it.

(Conditional) Free-Range Chickening

Our chickens lost some of their free-range privileges today. 
Every morning I let them out into our large, fenced backyard, (even though others in our family are afraid they will eat the garden) to facilitate a happy, carefree, hunt & peck for plants and bugs chicken life for them. Somehow this morning all 8 of them ended up in our unfenced FRONT yard, which dogs pass by dozens of times a day, usually leashed, but sometimes not. I had a situation on my hands. 
I first caught and secured Sallie, my 3-year-old's beloved white banty. I then started after Sadie, my not-so-beloved possible rooster, and the others. They dodged me expertly, ducking behind long rows of landscaping and then back out again. I tried shucking some corn and baiting them with that, but they wouldn't follow me up the steps. Hmmm. I text two of my neighbors asking for help. In the meantime, I spy a group of about 5 elderly gentlemen on their leisurely morning stroll. I've seen these guys, they walk together every morning, some days the group is larger, some days smaller, but they are there, every morning. Perfect. I approach them, introduce myself, and ask, "Could I ask you a favor? Can you help me catch my chickens?" "Sure!" they reply. One proceeds do a pretty good chicken bok-bok-BA-GAWKK! imitation. Another queries, "Okay. What is the desired result here?" "These chickens, into that coop." 
The chasing and be-goking and feather flying ensues. I figured old guys would be expert chicken catchers. They did pretty well, but they didn't seem as experienced as one might think. Ahh, this is West Linn, maybe they are a bunch of retired CEOs or something. Anyway, I DO appreciate their help. Poor Lucinda, the guy who got ahold of her, was holding her upside down by the feet, wings flapping, she was loudly protesting, dropping feathers everywhere. I wondered why he was holding her that way, did he see it in a movie or something? Or maybe that is how you are supposed to hold a chicken. I'm a pretty new chicken farmer, I don't know. 
The as-of-yet uncaught chickens bolted for the back of the property, towards a very steep, crumbling drop-off to the creek. An octogenarian ambled after them. I warned them about the drop-off and the 80-something-year-old's friend said, "Larry? You doin' okay back there?" 
Anyway, all of the chickens were put back into the coop and all of the men made it out safe and sound, with some variety added to their morning walk, and having gotten a bit of a workout to boot. I thanked them profusely then went in and fried myself some eggs for breakfast.

Betty's Meatloaf

Betty is a saint who, along with her husband, moved temporarily to Kansas City, at their own expense, and cooked meals for my family for months when we were all living in KC to be with my Mom as she was dying of cancer. This is the best meatloaf I've ever had.

Betty’s Meatloaf

"1 lb.     Ground turkey

1 lb.     Bob Evans Sage Sausage or other sage sausage

1 cup   Italian seasoned breadcrumbs

1 cup   Parmesan Cheese

2 eggs or 2 egg substitute

1 Tbl.   Oregano

1 Tbl.   Dehydrated onion

1 cup   Water

Put the turkey and sausage in a bowl. Mix well.

Add the oregano and the onions. Mix well.

Add the breadcrumbs, cheese and eggs. Mix well.

Gradually add the water mixing after each addition until the mixture does not cling.

Put the mixture into a round casserole. Smooth top. Punch a hole in the center and smooth around for a circular loaf. (you can also use a loaf pan). Bake at 375 degrees for about 1 ½ hours or until the temperature is 180 with a meat thermometer."

AAaaand, I couldn't resist adding this gem that came up in my "Google image search." :)

Beef Stroganoff

I've been using my blog lately just as a place to put recipes so I can put them on my "Pinterest" to organize them. Here's another one! This one is from my friend Carah. She says someone made this for her when she had a baby. Her 12-year-old son Aaron typed this up :)

"1 lb. brown hamburger. + 

onion. +

garlic. +

1 can cream of mushroom. + 

1/2 can milk. (3/4 cup) +

1/2 cube-O-butter. +

2 tablespoons of flour. +

salt. +

pepper. +

2 cup sour cream before boil =

 

STROGANOFF"

My Mama's Cornbread

My Mama's Cornbread as told by Cassie

"2 boxes Jiffy mix, 1 can creamed corn, 1/4 c. sugar.
Just those ingredients and 2 eggs, don't add oil or anything that the box says.  It makes a pretty big batch, if it's just my little family I halve the recipe. Original recipe says to bake at 425 for 20 minutes, but I always found it to be undercooked at that point. After much experimentation I baked it at 420 for 20 minutes, then covered the dish (lid or tin foil) and baked another 10 minuets. I then turned the oven off and left in the oven until time to eat. Whatever it takes, as long as a toothpick in the middle comes out clean."

Bob's Garlic Bread

Bob's Garlic Bread

Butter, garlic, a little onion, little oregano. Melt the butter on low heat with all the ingredients (be careful not to brown the garlic).
Spread it on a baguette or French loaf & either bake on an upper rack in the oven or broil for 2-3 mins.

Biskits

A biscuit recipe from my friend.

"Anyway, you will love this biscuit recipe - it is so easy and fast!  I'll type up the directions from the recipe - but then I'll tell you how I do it (it's easier and I don't own a food processor).

Buttermilk Biscuits

1 cup all-purpose flour, plus extra for the counter

1 cup cake flour

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. sugar

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1/2 tsp. salt

8 TB. unsalted butter, cut into 1/4 inch cubes and chilled

3/4 cup cold buttermilk

1. Adjust oven rack to the middle position and heat the oven to 450 degrees.  Pulse the flours, baking powder, sugar, baking soda and salt together in a food processor to combine.  Scatter the butter evenly over the top and pulse to combine, about 12 pulses.

2. Transfer the mixture to a large bowl.  Stir in the buttermilk with a rubber spatula until the mixture forms a soft, slightly sticky ball.

3. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured counter and quickly form into a rough ball.  Do not overmix.  Use a sharp knife to divide the dough into 12 even pieces.  Quickly and gently shape each piece into a rough ball and place on an ungreased baking sheet.  (The baking sheet can be wrapped in plastic wrap and refrigerated for up to 2 hrs.)  Bake until the biscuit tops are light brown, 10 - 12 minutes.

And my version is - I mix all the dry ingredients together.  Then I melt the butter in the microwave.  I add the buttermilk to the melted butter and mix it together.  It will curdle.  I pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients and mix together.  Then I use a measuring cup that is the size I want the biscuits to be.  I grease and flour the measuring cup and put the dough into the measuring cup to shape it.  Then just put it on the baking sheet.  I usually get 6 or 8 biscuits depending on how big I make them.  And another note - I have done it using all-purpose flour instead of cake flour (when I don't have cake flour) and I have also used regular milk (when I don't have buttermilk).  And they turn out fine.

I hope that all made sense.

Enjoy!"

Taverns

(recipe from Lin Walker)

2 ½ lbs ground beef

2 oz ketchup

1 ½ tsp prepared mustard

1 ½ tsp horseradish

1 ½ tsp Worcestershire sauce

2 ½ tsp salt

½ cup finely ground onion

Put the ketchup, mustard, horseradish, and Worcestershire sauce in a cup measure. Fill the cup with water to make one cup. Place the beef in a Dutch oven. Chop with a spoon and sprinkle with the salt. Pour the liquid mixture over the meat. Brown slowly and then simmer for about half an hour. Serve on buns with mustard and dill pickle chips.

Note: Do not use any fancy-schmancy mustards here – just good, old cheap school bus yellow mustard.