Sadie's Toffee

 Sadie says the he recipe is quite simple. 

1/2 cup butter

1 cup sugar

few pinches of salt

 

Just melt down half a cup of butter in a medium size skillet.  When it has melted add one cup of sugar and a few pinches of salt.  The salt helps the toffee not separate.  Turn the temperature up to a medium or high heat depending on whether you would rather it take less time with more of a chance of burning or more time with less of a chance.  Continue stirring it until the mixture becomes a light brown color that when left for a few seconds, and you mix it deep brown streaks turn up.  Most importantly when you can no longer see the sugar particles and it is smooth.  Then remove from heat and pour it onto a parchment paper on a pan of some sort.  Allow to cool completely then crack into pieces.

Enjoy!

Thanks for the recipe and the yummy toffee Sadie! 

Oma's Christmas Walnut Slices

1 cup flour

pinch of salt

1/2 cup butter

Mix like crumbs and pat in the bottom of an 8 inch square pan.  Bake in moderate oven for about 10 minutes.

1 1/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs well beaten

1 tsp. flour

1/4 cup coconut

1 cup chopped walnuts

1/4 tsp. baking powder

Combine above ingredients and spread on top of first mixture.  Bake in a moderate oven for about 30 minutes.  Ice with plain white icing.

Oma's Five Minute Holiday Fudge

Combine 

2/3 cup (small can) undiluted evaporated milk

1 2/3 cup granulated sugar 

1/2 tsp. salt 

in saucepan and cook over medium heat.  Heat to boiling, then cook 5 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from heat.  

Add 

1 1/2 cups (16 medium) diced marshmallows

1 1/2 cups chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla and 

1/2 cup chopped nuts

Stir 1 to 2 minutes or until marshmallows melt.  Pour into buttered 9 inch square pan. Allow to cool. Cut into squares.  

Chocolate Earl Grey Caramels

Unsalted butter for the pan

1 1/2 cups heavy cream

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons light corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

9 ounces bittersweet chocolate (99% dark preferable), finely chopped

1 tablespoon Earl Grey tea leaves, finely ground

2 tablespoons cacao nibs, crushed (optional)

Line a 9 x 9 pan with 9 x 17 piece of parchment paper.  The paper will droop over the sides.  Butter well.

Stir together the cream, sugar, corn syrup and salt together in a heavy bottom pan. Bring to a boil and continue to cook until it reaches 250 F.  Remove from heat and let cool for five minutes.

Add chocolate and tea.  Stir together and pour into the pan and spread with an offset spatula.  Gently press on cacao nibs and let the caramel sit for a few hours.

Cut apart into 1 inch squares.  Serve or store in an airtight container.

A few tips

The first time I tried the recipe I used my double boiler as I thought it would prevent burning.  It took what seemed like forever to get the mixture to a boil, I never did reach quite 250 degrees and the caramels turned out quite soft.  The second time I tried the recipe I put the pan directly on the heat.  It quickly came to a boil and only took about 10 minutes to achieve 250 degrees.  The caramels were solid, yet still soft......perfect.

I found the cacao nibs at Nutters and apparently they are very good for you although too bitter to eat right out of the bag.

I used whipping cream for the heavy cream and white corn syrup for light corn syrup.

Great for a "tea party".

Original Rice Krispie Squares

It doesn't get much better than pyjama day at playschool followed by an afternoon of games, books and rice krispie squares while still in pyjamas.

 While Grandma prepares the kitchen tools, not a big task for Rice Krispie squares, Reegan reads stories to her stuffies and special dolls 

and the boys played The Two Bridges Board Game with Grandpa.

 We made our rice krispie squares gluten free today. 

The only modification needed is using gluten free cereal.  Doesn't get much easier.

Reegan counted 40 marshmallows into a pan and helped to measure 6 cups of cereal into the big measuring cup.  Grandpa tried to convince her to count the rice krispies but Reegan assured him that a measuring cup made much more sense.  

40 regular size marshmallows or 5 cups miniature marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

1/2 tsp. vanilla

6 cups of Rice Krispie Cereal

Stove Top Version

Spray a large saucepan with non stick spray.  Over low heat melt butter and add marshmallows.  Cook and stir over medium heat until melted and blended.  Remove from heat.  Stir in vanilla and cereal and stir until well coated. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch lightly butter pan.  I like to use a  square of waxed paper to push the mixture into place. 

Cool and cut into bars.

Microwave Version

In a large bowl microwave butter for 30 - 60 seconds on high or until melted.  Add marshmallows, tossing to coat.  Microwave on high for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes or until smooth when stirred, stirring after 45 seconds.  Stir in vanilla and cereal and stir until well coated. Pour into a 13 x 9 inch lightly butter pan.  I like to use a  square of waxed paper to push the mixture into place. Cool and cut into bars.

Yummy!

Square repeat.

I finally re-made these yummy squares and remembered to take pictures this time around, see the original post here.  These are the crazy gooey Chocolate Cheesecake Squares.  How much sweeter can it be?  Seriously.  These should be the poster child dessert for middle school sleepovers.  Cheesecake AND chocolate chip dough.  Seriously.  These are killer, AND the bonus is that they are a total fake-out.  Here are the details.

2 rolls of re-fridge slice & bake cookie dough

3/4 cup sugar

two 8oz pkg softened cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Grease and flour a 9X13 pan.  Spread 1 roll of dough on bottom of pan (don't worry if it seems thin, do as best as you can without leaving holes).  Cream together sugar, cream cheese, vanilla & eggs.  Pour on top of 1st layer of cookie dough.  Press 2nd roll of cookie dough out flat on wax paper to a 9X13 shape. Place on top of cream cheese layer.  I "flip" it over, don't worry if it is a little messy, it is very forgiving.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 to 40 min.  Cool, then refrigerate completely.  Cut into squares.  Serve with plenty of milk!

The first layer of cookie dough.

The cheesecake filling.

Umm yeah, it's crazy good.

The second layer of cookie, note that it is not perfect.  No worries.

Gooey and good.

Divine!

Sending Love,

Twin A

Use it up and ya get cookie bars!

Dig through your pantry and freezer right now.  You have all of these little leftover bits from the holidays, I can almost promise.  Before your crumbs get stale and your coconut gets lost in never never land, put together these yummy cookie bars and you will turn into a magician without even waving a wand.  This recipe is so magic, that you don't even have any dishes to wash.  Seriously, just the pan you bake them in and a spoon!  How much better is that!


Magic Cookie Bars
(thank you Sarah! xxoo)

1/2 cup butter
1 1/2 cups graham wafer crumbs
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 1/4 cups flaked coconut
1 cup chopped nuts

Preheat oven to 350 degrees (or 325 degrees for glass dish).  Melt butter in 9X13 inch baking pan in oven.  Sprinkle crumbs over melted butter, mix together and press into pan.  Pour condensed milk evenly over crumbs.  Sprinkle with chocolate chips, then coconut and nuts.  Press down firmly and bake 25 to 30 min or until lightly browned.  Cool well before cutting into squares.

She sleeps, so I bake.  Note her "Dollie" sleeps the exact same way she does.

Sending Love,

Twin A

Ho Ho Ho!

Okay, so our track record with the Jolly Old Man, remains Santa 3 & Littles 0.  I thought the little little might even out our odds this year, but nope.  She fed off of the big littles anxiety about seeing the man in red and we had another clutching, grabbing, climbing, crying time.  The plus was that there was no line, no wait.  Maybe next year we will have harmony.  The irony of the whole thing is that now, Santa reigns king in our house.  It is almost a full week into the new year (and by the time I posted this it is February!) and the big little wakes up every morning asking "Where's Santa" and every night before bed we have to read the coveted Santa book that he can now narrate himself.  Here is one picture of our Santa visit 2010... note that the big little is practically crawling into my shirt in fear.  Oh poor little guy.

Santa was a good sport!

Here is "the" Christmas holiday square that was coveted and consumed in large portions this year.  Unfortunately, no pictures were snapped, they didn't stay on the plate long enough.

Caramel Toffee Squares

(thank you Sarah!)

For the bottom layer:

1/2 cup plus 2 tsp butter

1/4 cup white sugar

1 1/4 cups flour

Crumble ingredients well.  Pack into ungreased 9X9 inch pan.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 min (check after 10 min).

For the middle layer:

1/4 cup butter

1/2 cup brown sugar

2 tbsp corn syrup

1/2 cup sweetened condensed milk

Combine ingredients in saucepan.  Bring to a boil.  Boil for 5 min, stirring all the time.  Remove from heat.  Beat and pour over bottom layer.

For the top layer:

Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips and pour over second layer.

Let partially set and then score cut lines into chocolate.  Let cool completely, then finish cutting along lines.  Yum oh yum.

Sending Love,

Twin A

PB & C

Whoo hoo is all we can say when Grandma visits.  It is a fall tradition that Grandma comes to visit during the Remembrance Day weekend, one that started when it was just the hubby & I after we moved to Boston, way before the littles came along.  Looking forward to the season changing always reminds us of Grandma.  Maybe it is also because her Birthday is in September and that she is a School Teacher too.  We LOVE the fall and our visit together.  This year, in Ithaca, was just as special.  Of course, Grandma got to be the big little's "favorite" for a few days and gave Mommy a break (nice!).  The little little batted her eyelashes and gave her best coos and smiles and had Grandma wrapped around her little finger even though she was recovering from her ear infection.

"Fais do-do" French Lullaby, Merci Grandmaman!

Doing "art".  Thank you Grandma!

I've been wanted to try to re-create a special dessert that Mom & I ate when she used to visit us in Boston.  We would go to eat at a Pizzeria down the block from our shoebox of an "apartment" (using that term loosely) and we would forgo ordering lunch or dinner in lieu of apps and this amazing dessert.  One of Grandma's favorite things ever are Reese's Pieces Cups.  Chocolate & Peanut Butter together is one of life's magical combos.

I got this recipe for Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars from my dear friend Jill (yay U of A nurses!).  I've only slightly adapted it here.  Instead of spreading it out in a 9 X 13 inch pan, I made individual "cups" using paper muffin liners and my muffin tins.  Worked well!  The only thing that needs to be adjusted, is that I usually put a big thick chocolate layer over the peanut butter.  Made for a challenging effort with the spoon, when served with ice cream (like the Boston dessert).

Trust me, you will not be disappointed with this one!

1 cup graham cracker crumbs
2 1/2 cups icing sugar
2 cups creamy peanut butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 cup melted butter

1 1/4 cups chocolate chips, melted (I use more!)
***optional melted butter*** (see below)

And so it starts...

In a large bowl combine crumbs, icing sugar, peanut butter, vanilla and melted butter.
Spoon mixture into a 9X13 inch pan, press evenly.
OR
Spoon mixture into paper muffin cups in muffin tin.  Makes 24.  Press evenly.

Pour melted chocolate over top, spread evenly.  If you want to make it easier to eat with a spoon, melt chocolate chips with some butter to thin out the chocolate layer.
If making squares, refrigerate uncovered for about 20min, slice into squares.  Return to fridge and chill until chocolate hardens completely.

We made the muffin tin ones, removed the paper and scooped on some ice cream.  You could also drizzle chocolate syrup and use any kind of ice cream that is your fav.  I got a great heads up on the flavor we used, thanks Mackenzie.  Yummy.

We ate these every-night that Grandma visited.

Sending Love,

Twin A

A mighty fine pot-luck.

Okay, so we've been busy with life.  Had friends over last week and made my yummy "magazine chicken", red cabbage and spicy sweet potato wedges.  Didn't take any pictures, but believe me, it was good.  Will post the recipes next time I promise.  Our evenings consisted of a couple of art projects, and some frozen pizza & tuna sandwich dinner nights and one scrounge around in the fridge & dig out something edible feat.

Fall Leaves

Friendly Ghost Family (thanks SD Mamas for the idea!)

Of course I was chosen to be the foot!xxoo

I did manage to remember to take pictures of us making "Moons" since my big little is in LOVE with the Moon.  We talk about it every morning, noon & night.  Reading the book "Goodnight Moon" until we have it memorized and the cow jumps over it and the old lady whispers "hush".
Here is us using store bought pie dough, cutting circles with a glass ("_ircles Mama"), filling them with some strawberry jam, folding them over and making "pinches".  Baked them until they were brown and crispy.  Thought these might be fun to bring to the park the next day for a picnic, but they didn't last the night.  The M_O_O_N_S were just too good.

On Sunday we had a BBQ potluck to attend, so I made two new salads to try.  Both really yummy.  Again, no pictures of the actual food that we brought, I barely had time to get us out of the house on time and in the car in one piece.  CONFESSION: I showed up at the "event" with my shirt on not only inside out, but backwards.  Gotta love that Mommy-brain.  So, no there are NO photos of the salads I made, nor the dessert.  Use your imagination.


The first was a Waldorf Salad.  Since it is the fall and apples are in season, I thought it would be a nice change.  This recipe was adapted from the The Food Network.


1/2 cup toasted walnuts
1/2 cup plain yogurt (I used greek yogurt)
2 TBSP mayo
Minced fresh flat-leaf parsley
1 tsp honey
1 lemon zested and then juiced
fresh ground black pepper
2 large crisp apples
2 ribs celery chopped
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 head Boston lettuce

Whisk the yogurt, mayonnaise, parsley, honey, and lemon zest in a large bowl and season with pepper.  Halve, core, and cut the apples into 3/4-inch pieces, leaving the skin intact. Add the apples, celery and raisins to the bowl, and sprinkle with the lemon juice; then toss with the dressing. Cover and refrigerate if not serving immediately.  When ready to serve, toss walnuts into the salad. Arrange the lettuce leaves on a large platter.  Spoon salad on lettuce.  Enjoy!

The second was a Cucumber Salad.  Sounded like a "pickled" type that my hubby likes.  This recipe was also adapted from the The Food Network.  It was still tasty the next day.  I actually made this up the night before the BBQ.

3 large cucumbers sliced very thin

1 TBSP salt

1/2 cup water

3 TBSP apple cider vinegar

1 tsp sugar

paprika, as much as you wish for flavor & color

minced green onions

Place sliced cucumbers in a bowl. With your hands, mix the salt into the cucumber.  Cover and let stand for at least thirty minutes.
The Dressing: While the cucumbers are marinating, prepare the dressing which consists of water, vinegar, sugar and paprika.  Squeeze out all the juice from the cucumbers AND RINSE WELL to remove excess salt.  Mix the dressing into the cucumbers.  Sprinkle the green onions over the cucumbers.  This will keep for several days in the fridge.

We also brought Chocolate Chip Cheesecake Squares which I knew would be a hit with the kids at the BBQ, young AND old.  I should have made these earlier in the day so they had a little more time to cool and set up.  I ended up bringing them in the pan that I baked them in.  If you want to be able to remove them from the pan and serve them in squares, make sure that you allow them enough time to cool completely in the fridge.  So so so good.  This was a recipe that I had gotten when I worked at FCH in Boston.  A really good fake-out and perfect bake sale treat.

2 rolls of re-fridge slice & bake cookie dough

3/4 cup sugar

two 8oz pkg softened cream cheese

1 tsp vanilla

2 eggs

Grease and flour a 9X13 pan.  Spread 1 roll of dough on bottom of pan (don't worry if it seems thin, do as best as you can without leaving holes).  Cream together sugar, cream cheese, vanilla & eggs.  Pour on top of 1st layer of cookie dough.  Press 2nd roll of cookie dough out flat on wax paper to a 9X13 shape. Place on top of cream cheese layer.  I "flip" it over, don't worry if it is a little messy, it is very forgiving.  Bake @ 350 degrees for 35 to 40 min.  Cool, then refrigerate completely.  Cut into squares.  Serve with plenty of milk!

Sending Love,

Twin A

Have fun out there on the trails.  My littles are loving their hand-me-down ride (thanks Toronto crew)!  We LOVE NY in the fall.