Friday, December 24, 2010

Snowman Soup!

From: http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/

Snowman Soup has been one of my favorite friend/neighbor/teacher gifts, and it's always a huge hit. This year I decided to re-do the tag & poem, and thought I would share it with you!


Snowman Soup
ITEMS YOU NEED:

• hot cocoa mix (you can use homemade, or individual packets)
• candy canes
• mini marshmallows
• Hershey kisses (I like the peppermint ones!)
• tag, with Snowman Soup poem

DIRECTIONS:

For each person, place a hot cocoa packet (if you're using homemade, you could package it for an individual, or a larger amount in a cute jar, etc. for the whole family), candy cane, a handful of marshmallows, and a couple of Hershey kisses in a cute container or bag. I like using paper lunch sacks or clear treat bags. Print off the label on white card stock, and cut it out. Mat on desired card stock (I used cream and brown), then distress all the edges. Tie on label with a cute ribbon, and you're set to give!

http://brownpaper--packages.blogspot.com/2010/12/snowman-soup.html


Christmas Toffee

From: Pioneer Woman

Lia’s Butter Toffee


Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate

Servings: 18

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Butter, Melted
• 16 ounces, weight Granulated Sugar
• 3 ounces, fluid Water
• 1 teaspoon Salt
• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
• 16 ounces, weight Chopped Topping: Toasted Nuts, Candy Canes, Sea Salt, Etc.
• 24 ounces, weight Tempered Dark Chocolate For Coating, Melted

Preparation Instructions

*Necessary Equipment: Candy Thermometer*

Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until candy thermometer registers 298 degrees.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until well combined.

Pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or good parchment paper. Use a heatproof rubber spatula or offset spatula to spread quickly before the toffee sets. Spread thin.

Allow toffee to cool completely. Blot to remove excess oil from the surface. Coat surface with half of the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with topping.

When chocolate has totally set, carefully flip over (it’s okay if it falls apart a bit) and coat other side with the rest of the chocolate. Sprinkle on topping.

Allow to set, then break into bite-size pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

Whip out your candy thermometers! (If you don’t have one, you can find them at any large supermarket or specialty cooking store.)
Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a pan. (This is tripled, I think, so don’t expect your pan to be this full!) Bring it to a boil, stirring constantly. Stick the candy thermometer (pictured here in the back of the pan) on the side of the pan (it’ll come with a handy clip) so you can monitor the temperature.

Cook the mixture over medium/moderate heat until it reaches 298 degrees on the candy thermometer. Remove it from the heat immediately and stir in vanilla extract. Yum.

Immediately pour it onto a silicone baking mat (or good parchment) distributing it evenly across the sheet.

Burned sugar. Yum.

Act quickly to spread the toffee thin before it starts to set. You can use a heatproof rubber spatula or (probably better) an offset metal spatula.

I noticed two things during this step:

1. Lia spread the toffee very thin. This wound up being really nice. Don’t be afraid to spread it so thin that you see the baking mat in some spots!

2. Lia didn’t seem concerned about the toffee looking uniform or perfect. Don’t be afraid of the natural look.

Next, just set the toffee aside and allow it to set completely. This probably could take as little as twenty to thirty minutes; more than that would be even better.
When you’re ready to proceed, melt some tempered chocolate (or just good quality chocolate; i.e. not regular chocolate chips) and stir until it’s cool enough to dab right underneath your bottom lip and feel slightly cool to the touch.

Translation: the chocolate should be cooler than your body temperature, but still (obviously) warm enough to pour and spread.

Oh, and please don’t burn your lip.

Pour half the melted chocolate on top of the set toffee.


Use a spatula to spread it evenly over the top…


Then immediately sprinkle on whatever topping you’d like! Chopped nuts—either big chunks or finely chopped so that they’re almost powdery—are classic and delicious.

Or how ’bout crushed candy canes?  OR My favorite: light, lovely sea salt.

Now let this stage sit until the chocolate is firm, probably about 30 minutes or so. Then carefully flip the toffee over to the other side…

Perfect!

Then pour on the rest of the chocolate. This is the sea salt pan—you’ll notice that this one broke apart a bit when it was flipped.

And that didn’t matter one bit.

Just spread the chocolate over the other side, and sprinkle on the toppings again. Let it set, then break it apart into pieces. Package them in bundles, take them to your friends, and know the joy and simple beauty of giving such a personal gift.

This toffee is so freaking good.


Lia’s Butter Toffee

Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 30 Minutes
Difficulty: Intermediate
Servings: 18

Print Recipe 3"x5" Cards 4"x6" Cards Full Page

Ingredients

• 16 ounces, weight Butter, Melted

• 16 ounces, weight Granulated Sugar

• 3 ounces, fluid Water

• 1 teaspoon Salt

• 1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

• 16 ounces, weight Chopped Topping: Toasted Nuts, Candy Canes, Sea Salt, Etc.

• 24 ounces, weight Tempered Dark Chocolate For Coating, Melted

Preparation Instructions

*Necessary Equipment: Candy Thermometer*

Combine butter, sugar, water, and salt in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly.

Cook over moderate heat, stirring gently, until candy thermometer registers 298 degrees.

Remove from heat and stir in vanilla until well combined.

Pour the mixture onto a silicone baking mat or good parchment paper. Use a heatproof rubber spatula or offset spatula to spread quickly before the toffee sets. Spread thin.

Allow toffee to cool completely. Blot to remove excess oil from the surface. Coat surface with half of the melted chocolate and immediately sprinkle with topping.

When chocolate has totally set, carefully flip over (it’s okay if it falls apart a bit) and coat other side with the rest of the chocolate. Sprinkle on topping.

Allow to set, then break into bite-size pieces.

Store in an airtight container.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

Veggie Christmas Tree or Fruit Christmas Tree

Here's how you make it...







1. First you need to cut your veggies or fruit. If you are using apples, cut them in cubes, and if you won't be eating your tree for a while just brush some lemon juice on your apples to prevent browning.

2. Push your toothpicks into your cone (you may need to cut your toothpicks down to fit in the top of your cone). If you can, angle your toothpicks upwards, this will help keep your fruit and veggies slices from falling off. Cover the whole cone!

We added a cheese star to the top of our tree but using a star-shaped cookie cutter and securing the star with a toothpick on top!

Put a small bowl of dip beside your plate and you're ready to go!

We used cucumber, cherry tomatoes and cheese for our veggie tree and we used red and green apples and cheese for our fruit tree. Have a look in the produce section and find some yummy red and green healthy treats to put on your tree!

Friday, December 10, 2010

CHOCOLATE BARK

Pre-heat your oven to 350 degrees.

Line two baking sheets with tinfoil, and place Saltine crackers in a single layer.





Set a saucepan to medium high and add four sticks of butter.



Then add 3/4 cup of brown sugar and 1/4 cup white sugar.

Bring it to boil for just a minute.


Remember those saltines? Pour the butter toffee mixture over the saltines.


Put the sheets in the oven for ten minutes. I rotate the pans at the 5 minute mark. They'll come out all brown and bubbly.


Next get some chocolate, either 2 bags of Nestle morsels, or you can use Hershey Bars. After the sheet pans come out, put the chocolate on top of the crackers, and pop them back in the oven for a couple of minutes--just long enough to soften the chocolate.
Next chop some nuts. Whatever you like. I use that awesome Pampered Chef chopper.

Now, take the sheets out of the oven and with a spatula, spread the chocolate evenly over the saltines. (Honestly, I didn't have as much chocolate here as I wanted.) I would have liked to have had twice as much.

Next sprinkle the chocolatey goodness with the nuts. Or if you don't like nuts, skip that step altogether.
Place the baking sheets in the fridge or in a cold place so that they candy can set up for a few hours. After that, peel the bark away from the tinfoil and break into pieces.

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Pecan Pie Bars

Quick Crescent Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients

• 1 (8 ounce) can Pillsbury® refrigerated crescent dinner rolls or Pillsbury® Crescent Recipe Creations™ refrigerated flaky dough sheet

• Filling:

• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/2 cup corn syrup
• 1 tablespoon margarine or butter, melted
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• 1 egg, beaten

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees F.

2. If using crescent rolls: Unroll dough; separate dough into 2 long rectangles. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch pan; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust. Firmly press perforations to seal. If using dough sheet: Unroll dough; cut into 2 long rectangles. Place in ungreased 13x9-inch pan; press over bottom and 1/2 inch up sides to form crust.

3. Bake 8 minutes. Meanwhile, in medium bowl, mix filling ingredients. Pour filling over partially baked crust.

4. Bake 18 to 22 minutes longer or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour. For bars, cut into 6 rows by 4 rows. Store at room temperature.


Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients

• 2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup margarine
• 5 eggs
• 1 cup dark corn syrup
• 3/4 cup white sugar
• 1 pinch salt
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).

2. Combine flour and brown sugar. Cut in butter and margarine until mixture resembles coarse crumbs.

3. Press into a 9 x 13 inch pan and bake for 10 minutes.

4. Combine remaining ingredients except pecans and blend well. Stir in pecans. Pour over baked crust.

5. Reduce oven temperature to 275 degrees F (140 degrees C). Bake 50 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack. Cut into bars.


Pecan Pie Bars

• 3 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 4 eggs
• 1 1/2 cups light corn syrup
• 1 1/2 cups white sugar
• 3 tablespoons margarine, melted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 2 1/2 cups chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease the sides and bottom of one 15x10 inch pan.

2. In a large bowl combine the flour, 1/2 cup sugar, margarine or butter and salt until the mixture resemble coarse crumbs. Press firmly into the prepared pan.

3. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 20 minutes.

4. In a large bowl stir the eggs, corn syrup 1 1/2 cups white sugar, melted margarine and vanilla until blended. Stir in the chopped pecans.

5. Spread the filling evenly over the hot crust. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 25 minutes or until set. Let cool before slicing.



Chocolate Pecan Pie Bars

Ingredients

• CRUST:

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup butter, softened
• 1/4 cup packed brown sugar

FILLING:

• 3 large eggs
• 3/4 cup corn syrup
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar
• 2 tablespoons butter, melted
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• ½ pkg (11.5 ounce) package NESTLE® TOLL HOUSE® Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chunks
• 2 cups coarsely chopped pecans

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan.

2. FOR CRUST: BEAT flour, butter and brown sugar in small mixer bowl until crumbly. Press into prepared baking pan. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

3. FOR FILLING: BEAT eggs, corn syrup, granulated sugar, butter and vanilla extract in medium bowl with wire whisk. Stir in chunks and nuts. Pour evenly over baked crust. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until set. Cool in pan on wire rack.

Toffee Squares

From: http://www.pioneerwoman.com/

Today’s cookie recipe comes from Heavenly Fodder, an old cookbook from the Episcopal church where I grew up. I don’t know who sweet Cleta Bailey is, but I do know that I love her cookies. They almost precisely resemble the “Spread” cookies my mom used to make, only these are topped with milk chocolate instead of semi-sweet, as well as a generous sprinkling of nuts. And you can make them ahead of time. Just flash freeze them for about 20 minutes, then throw ‘em into a ziploc bag and keep them frozen till you need them.

Incidentally, that’s how I freeze most cookies. A quick flash freeze, then throw ‘em into a ziploc.

Recipe: Cleta Bailey’s Toffee Squares


Prep Time: 10 Minutes
Cook Time: 15 Minutes
Difficulty: Easy
Servings: 24

Ingredients

• 2 sticks Butter
• 1 cup Packed Brown Sugar
• 1 whole Egg
• 2 teaspoons Vanilla
• 2 cups All-purpose Flour
• 2 cups Chocolate Chips (milk Or Semi-sweet)
• ¾ cups Finely Chopped Pecans

Preparation Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cream butter and brown sugar until fluffy. Add egg, vanilla, and flour and mix until combined. Spread on cookie sheet with an offset spatula until thin.









Bake for 15 minutes, or until golden.

 Remove pan from oven and sprinkle on chocolate chips. Return to oven for 1 minute. Remove from oven and spread chocolate thinly over the cookie layer.

Sprinkle with chopped pecans. Cut into squares.













A pizza cutter makes it easy.
Then serve them to hungry humans. The chocolate will get a little more firm the longer they sit. And these really do freeze nicely.

You’ll love them. Lovely, basic, and delicious. (And you can change up what you sprinkle over the top: crushed M & M’s, Heath bars…anything goes!)

Double Quick Dinner Rolls

• 2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast
• 1 cup warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 1/4 cup dry potato flakes
• 2 tablespoons white sugar
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 egg
• 2 tablespoons vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon onion or garlic powder* optional
• 2 1/4 cups all-purpose flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water. Add potato flakes, sugar, salt, egg, vegetable oil, onion powder, and 1cup of the flour. Beat until smooth. Stir in remaining flour. Continue stirring until smooth, scraping batter from sides of bowl.

2. Cover and let dough rise in warm place until doubled, about 20 to 30 minutes.

3. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups.

4. Punch down dough. Spoon dough into 12 greased muffin cups, filling each half full. Let rise until batter reaches tops of cups, or about 20 minutes.

5. Bake in a preheated 400 degree F(200 degrees C) for 15 minutes. Serve immediately.