Best Toffee Ever

My sister is an amazing cook. She usually takes to the Filet Mignon and prime rib and leaves me with the side dishes and desert but this recipe is a tradition for her every Christmas time. Its a family recipe that she has down to a T. Co-workers lovingly nicknamed this crunchy caramely goodness "crack". Try it.. you'll be addicted.. don't say I didn't warn you....

Best Toffee Ever - "Crack"

Ingredients
2 cups butter
2 cups white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 T. water
1 t. almond or vanilla extract ( I prefer almond)
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped almonds or pecans.

Directions
1. Before preparing toffee I grind up small 1 c. finely chopped almonds or pecans. Also grind in blender 1 cup choc chips (use the mini semi sweet, they break up better). First sprinkle large flat cookie sheet with ground nuts, then over that sprinkle ground chocolate.
1.In a large heavy bottomed saucepan, combine the butter, sugar water, salt. Cook over medium heat, stirring until the butter is melted. Allow to come to a boil, and cook until the mixture becomes a dark amber color (color of brown paper bag), as soon as the toffee turns this color (happens fast) add extract, continue stirring and remove from heat.
3. Pour it out onto the prepared baking sheet (toffee recipe will fill half of cookie sheet so I plan on making two batches to fill full cookie sheet). Immediately rinse out pan with hot water while you let toffee stand for 1 minute, then sprinkle on remaining choc chips. When shiny spread over toffee with knife and sprinkle on remaining nuts.
4. Finish cleaning out saucepan and repeat steps 2-3.
5.Place the toffee in the refrigerator (or outside on your deck like I do) to chill until set. Break into pieces, and store in an airtight container. (ziploc bags work fine). Enjoy!

Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie is one of my very favorite. Its easy to make, delicious to eat and it just wouldn't be Thanksgiving with out it.. Sappy, this one's for you.. Thanks for the reminder to get it on here..

Pecan Pie

1 stick butter

1 cup brown sugar

1 cup white corn syrup

Warm together until dissolved.

Cool

3 beaten eggs

Add to cool ingredients

Pour into prepared unbaked pie shell and top with 1 cup pecans halves

Bake 350 1 hour (Cover pastry edges to keep from over browning.)

* just a note: butter makes this pie SO SO good. Don't substitute margerine. Believe me.. You won't like it.

Honey Cornbread Muffins

I have a good friend that LOVES cornbread. I'm always on the lookout for new recipes. This is one I found on the Food Network. Its a little sweet, moist and delicious... and my friend approves...


Honey Cornbread Muffins

• 1 cup yellow cornmeal
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup granulated sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup whole milk
• 2 large eggs
• 1/2 stick butter, melted
• 1/4 cup honey

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Into a large bowl, mix the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Place muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Evenly divide the cornbread mixture into the papers. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

About the time the temperature drops and pumpkins start popping up everywhere I get the craving for this cake. It is my all time favorite fall cake. It is so simple and quick to make and has a super moist texture. Even people who aren't usually pumpkin fans ask me to make this cake. Try it out and let me know what you think...

Pumpkin Sheet Cake

Cake

2 cups (16 oz) canned pumpkin
2 cups sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs Slightly beaten
2 cups all purpose flour
2 tsp baking soda
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt

Frosting

1 pkg (3 oz) cream cheese, softened
5 TBS butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
1 3/4 cups powdered sugar
3-4 tsp milk
chopped nuts (optional)

In a mixing bowl, beat pumpkin, sugar and oil together. Add eggs; mix well. Combine flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; add pumpkin mixture and beat until well blended. Pour into a greased sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until cake tests done. (do not over bake). Cool. For frosting, beat cream cheese, butter and vanilla in mixing bowl until smooth. Gradually add sugar; mix well. Add milk until frosting reaches desired spreading consistency. Frost cake. Sprinkle with nuts.

Fire Truck Birthday Cake

When my friend was looking for a fun cake for her firefighter brother we came up with this... Actually she came up with the idea and we made it happen. Without much time to put it together I think it turned out pretty good. Happy Birthday Clint!

This is my favorite egg roll recipe because it is so simple. We have tried different meats and veggies inside and it always turns out delicious.

Egg Rolls

6 cups shredded cabbage and carrot mix
1/2 cup fresh bean sprouts
1 celery stalk (diced)
2 tablespoons green onion (minced)
1/2 pound ground pork (cooked and drained)
2 tablespoons soy sauce
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 egg (beaten)
cornstarch
20 egg roll wrappers
vegetable oil (for deep frying)


In a large bowl combine cabbage and carrot mix, bean sprouts, celery and green onion. Stir in pork, soy sauce, garlic powder and black pepper.
Heat a skillet to medium high and fry and pour beaten egg into it and fry like a pan cake on one side and then flip. cool. Chop egg up finely. Stir the egg into the cabbage mixture. Sprinkle the top of the cabbage mixture with cornstarch and mix well.
In a small bowl combine 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water. Lay out an egg roll wrapper. Place 1-2 tablespoons of filling in the corner of the wrapper, but not so the filling is actually touching the corner. Fold over that corner and roll about half of the way up. Fold over the left and right corners to the middle. Using a brush or the bottom of a spoon, brush the cornstarch/water mixture on the edges of the wrapper. Finish rolling up tightly and secure to make sure there are no leaks. Repeat until all the egg roll wraps are used.
Heat oil for frying in deep pot to 360 degrees. Deep fry egg rolls in batches until golden brown. Drain on paper towels.

Minion Birthday Cake

My sweet boy 2 had a birthday today! He requested a minion from the Despicable Me movie (my favorite) for his birthday cake. This is what I came up with. (The sticks poking out the side are sparkler birthday candles...) It was quick, easy and a huge hit!

Happy Birthday Alex!

Creamed Eggs on Toast

This is a favorite of my children. I've made it for so long but never had a recipe so I got one figured out and here we go. This is a quick and homey meal anytime of the day.

Creamed Eggs on Toast

6 eggs
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper, if desired
salt and pepper to taste
toast

Place eggs in a saucepan and cover with cold water. Bring water to a boil for 3 minutes and then remove from heat. Cover and let eggs stand in hot water for an additional 5 minutes. Remove from hot water, cool, peel and chop.

Over medium heat melt butter in saucepan. Add flour until it forms into a ball. Slowly add the milk and stir until the sauce comes to a low boil. (Sauce will be creamy like gravy)

Stir the white pepper, salt, black pepper, and chopped eggs into the sauce; stir until the eggs are heated.

Serve over buttered toast.

Buttercream Frosting

I have said this before and I will say it again.. I don't make wedding cakes. I really don't make many cakes at all any more.. ESPECIALLY wedding cakes. But you know sisters.. Being the youngest I just can't say no. So my oldest sister was married last month and she looked fabulous, her new husband is fabulous and the wedding was fabulous. The cake... well, not my best effort but it tasted fabulous. Red Velvet and Vanilla cake with Buttercream frosting. Yummy! Congratulations Sis!

Buttercream Frosting

1 cup real butter (room temperature)
2 cups shortening
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp clear vanilla
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp butter flavor
2 pound package powdered sugar(sifted)
3/4 cup half and half


Beat butter and shortening for a few minutes with a mixer with the paddle attachment on medium speed. Add 1/2 of powdered sugar and turn your mixer on the lowest speed (so the sugar doesn’t blow everywhere) until the sugar has been incorporated with the butter. Increase mixer speed to medium and add extracts, salt, and 1/2 of cream and beat for for 3 minutes. Add remaining powdered sugar and cream. Beat for an additional 3 minutes. If your frosting needs a more stiff consistency, add additional sugar. If your frosting needs to be thinned out, add more cream 1 tablespoons at a time. Mix additional 5-8 minutes for good consistency.

I always mix to taste. If its too waxy add more powdered sugar and cream. If it is too sugary add more butter and shortening. It is all a matter of personal taste and spreading consistency from here.

A note to all my friends

Just a note to all my friends out there, food related? not really but it may help know where I have been. Long time I know. I am sorry. For those of you that don't know, I have had a lot of changes going on in my life. It has been a very long year but one filled with growing and changing and one of love. I am grateful for family, friends and a loving God that knows me and watches after me continually. From a year ago in deep depression to the knowledge of my infinite worth today I have come a long way. My talents, abilities and most of all my belief in a kind and loving God has sustained me along the way. He has a way of reminding me that through Faith anything is possible. I now realize that there is nothing I can't accomplish if I put my trust in him. I am not sure how many of you are still with me on my little blog but to those of you that are still there I say THANK YOU for your love and support. Just the knowledge that there are friends pulling for me makes all the difference.

So, now what to do for you.. well, I know there are about 500 recipes that people have asked me for but I can't remember what they are. If you can let me know which recipes you have been waiting for I can get a new list and start posting again. Just leave me a comment and I will see what I can do.

I look forward to sharing with all of you again. Love you all.