Recipe Friday: Martha Stewart Peanut Brittle

Martha Stewart Peanut Brittle


List of Ingredients

3 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
4 1/2 cups salted, fresh roasted peanuts (about 1 pound, 7 ounces), skinned
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
2 teaspoons baking soda
Nonstick vegetable oil spray
Recipe
1. Coat two 12-by-17-inch baking sheets with vegetable spray.

2. In a heavy 5-quart saucepan with lid, combine sugar, corn syrup, and 1/2 cup water. Cover pot, and bring to a boil over high heat, about 5 minutes. Dissolve sugar by carefully swirling pot often over burner. Keeping lid on will prevent sugar crystals from forming; however, should crystals form, wash down sides of pot with a wet pastry brush.

3. Once steam just begins to escape from pot, remove cover and reduce heat to medium. Insert candy thermometer, and continue to boil until temperature reaches 230° (thread stage), about 1 minute.

4. Add peanuts, stirring constantly with a metal spoon until mixture reaches 300° (hard crack stage) and is a rich golden brown, 13 to 18 minutes.

5. Immediately remove from heat, and quickly add butter, vanilla, and baking soda. Stir with a metal spoon until butter melts; mixture will become foamy. Pour half of mixture down center of each pan, spreading evenly with a spatula. Allow to cool for at least 1 hour.

6. Turn brittle out of pan, and snap it into shards. Store in an airtight container for several weeks.


This is to die for..................I make it every year.

Little Drummer Boy: AWESOME

Oldies Kay Starr "Rock N Roll Waltz"

Recipe Friday Nov. 26, 2011

Happy belated Thanksgiving! We had to stay home this year, Steve's new job precluded it, we did an intimate dinner with just the 3 of us. All the usual fare. I'll post 2 recipes that are typical for us.

Fluff

2 8oz. containers cool whip
2 pckgs. Instant pistachio pudding (the small one, not the large)
1 20 oz can crushed pineapple
2 cups mini marshmallows
1/2 c. pecans

Mix the pudding, cool whip, crushed pineapple and marshmallows together with an electric mixter until it is all combine. Put the pecans in last. Refrigerate. YUMMY!


Mama Dip's Pecan Pie

1 c. butter or margarine (I detest margarine, I only use unsalted butter)
1 c. sugar
1 c. light Karo syrup
3 eggs, beaten
1 c. chopped pecans
1 unbaked 9" pie shell

In a small saucepan, melt butter or margarine, do not brown. Add butter and syrup, stir constantly until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat, cool slightly. (I sit the pan in cold water to speed this process up a little bit) I start to mix a little bit of the syrup from the pan into the egg mixture to warm it up before pouring it into the pan of syrup. This keeps the egg from cooking if incorporated all at once. (Home-Ec 101) Add eggs, stir well. Add pecans, pour into shell. Bake uncovered for 1 hour at 350, or until firm when shaken.

If using a deep dish pan, you'll have to bake the pie a little longer. I do cover the crust the last 20-30 min. to prevent overcooking or burning the crust. It also protects the pecans from burning. The pie in the photo was made in a Watkin's collectible pie plate from the 1970's era. Available occasionally on ebay.

Recipe Friday Nov. 11, 2011 Tomato Soup

Love homemade tomato soup with a grilled cheese sandwich.

This soup should be called semi-homemade because it uses canned tomatoes. Canned tomatoes are something that is necessary in the midwest in the winter. Store bought tomatoes in the winter are watery and tasteless IMHO.



Tomato Soup

1/2 C onion, diced

1/4 C butter

2 – (14.5 oz.) cans petit cut diced tomatoes

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp black pepper

1/4 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp dried Thyme

1 C chicken broth

1/2 C half and half

In a large pan saute the onions in butter until tender. Add in tomatoes, salt, pepper, baking soda, chicken broth and thyme. Bring to a boil then turn heat down to simmer for about 15 minutes or until slightly thickened.

Allow mixture to cool and then put into a blender or food processor and puree until smooth. (This is the point where I wish I had an immersion blender) You can strain out any solid pieces but I didn’t. Return to saucepan or refrigerate. Right before serving bring to a simmer and half and half. Do not allow to boil after adding half and half.

Last Minute Halloween Treats

Got a text Friday morning asking me if I was going to bring treats to 'the Halloween Party." I love to make Halloween Treats, but didn't know about a party and I didn't have a plan.

I also have a kitchen that's all torn up with no sink, no countertops and 'stuff' all over the house.

Of course I said, SURE, I'D LOVE TO!! HAHA

Here they are:

Recipe Friday: Apple Dip

Apple Dip:


Ingredients:

1 block (8 ounces) nonfat or reduced-fat cream cheese, softened to
room temperature
1/4 cup light brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup or less walnuts and/or toffee pieces

Directions:

Place all of the ingredients in a medium-sized bowl, and beat with an electric mixer until smooth. Transfer the dip to a serving dish and serve immediately, or cover and chill until ready to serve. Use Granny Smith apples