Almond Toffee

Here's one for you candy makers... a non-thermometer toffee recipe.  It's my husband's grandfather's recipe.  I ALWAYS make it for Christmas and it makes the house smell so yummy.  I have tried to make it in the summer and it was a flop, literally.  You need to flash cool the toffee otherwise it doesn't taste at all the same.  Don't get me wrong.  You can never screw this up.  There's a quick fix called ice cream.

    Good luck!



1 lb butter
2 cups sugar
pinch of salt
1 1/2 cup whole almonds

Make sure you have your equipment handy... the process goes fast.

2 cookie sheets with sides, oven mitt, hand blender or mixer and a wooden spoon.

Put the butter and sugar into a non-teflon sauce pan. Slowly melt the butter and sugar while mixing them with a hand blender

Mix on on high over high heat until the butter disappears.

Mix with your wooden spoon continuously until it turns a light caramel.

Add the almonds.  You will start smelling a little burning.... don't panic.  It's the caramelized butter smell.  Keep mixing.  Your arm will get tired.  Keep mixing.

When it gets to the point you start freaking out.. "AM I BURNING IT!!"  stage, it's time to pour onto your cookie sheets.

See the puffs of "steam"... it's done.   Don't try to take pictures and cook toffee...dangerous and  just those few seconds can make the toffee a little too "toffee-ish"

The bottom of your sauce pan will be burnt, that only means you did it right.  Don't freak out... it's sugar.. it will come off.   There will be small ribbons of darker toffee throughout your last cookie sheet.

And yes, you can put chocolate chips over the toffee before you take it outside.... let the chocolate chips melt (won't take long) and spread over the toffee.  Then take it outside to cool.

Carefully transfer the cookie sheets with the toffee out into a nearby snowbank or on your deck to cool.  When the bottoms are cooled, bring them indoors.

Taking a knife, point down, break it into pieces.

My advice is to bag it all up save for a handful and give it away.  When it's all out of the house, eat the pieces you have saved.




You're welcome.

Bailey's Irish Creammmmmmmmm

I am a happy person when I get to make this...

1 c. light cream
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 2/3 c. Irish whiskey (or that bottle of Jack that someone got you instead of Captain Morgan)
1 t. instant coffee
2 T chocolate syrup
1 t. vanilla
1 t. almond extract

1 pinch of fairy dust to remove the calories (optional )  Never tastes the same after that, though.. Kinda ruins the whole experience.

Blend for 20 seconds on high.  Chill or pour over ice and enjoy!!!

light rye protein bread - for bread machines

2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. rye flour
2 T olive oil
2 T honey or molasses
2 T chocolate milk
1 1/2 t. bread machine yeast
1 1/2 t. salt
1 1/4 c. water
1/3 c. whey protein isolate (https://www.nutrabio.com)

Put all ingredients into the mixer and select dough.  When it's finished mixing then rising.  Knead on a floured counter. Spray a bread pan with cooking spray and place kneaded dough in the pan.  Let rise until 1 inch above the bread pan.  Bake in a 350 degree oven for 40 minutes.

My kids love this bread for breakfast with butter and brown sugar.  Mmmmmmm.

Blueberry almond crisp

A package of frozen blueberries were burning a hole in my freezer.

1 c. oatmeal
1/4 c. flour
1 t. baking soda
1/2 c. sliced almonds
1/2 - 1 c. honey (depending on sweetness)
1/2 t. cardamom
1 egg white
1/4 c. melted butter
1 pkg frozen blueberries

Spray a 9x9 pan with cooking spray.  Pour the blueberries in.  Mix together the ingredients and pour over the blueberries.  Cook at 350 for 20 minutes or until the top turns golden.

Waffle pretzel peanut butter chocolates

My husband calls them snowshoes


1 c. peanut butter
2 T. softened butter for smoothness
powdered sugar - (I don't know the measurement based on different types of p.b I've used and it's also based on individual taste)

whip this until it's  Oh, so creamy and dreamy and spoon into a quart-sized ziploc and cut one of the corners.

melt any kind of chocolate you prefer... dark, milk chocolate, or just chocolate bits

Place....

waffle butter pretzles

down over waxed or parchment paper and squeeze some of that creamy peanut butter mixture on the pretzles and then using a spoon drench them in chocolate.

I let my kids do the chocolate.... I HIGHLY suggest you do that....

I'm not doing pictures for your sake and surprise.

ENJOY!!

A try at copy cat Sweet Baby Rays BBQ

1 1/2 c. brown sugar
1 1/4 katsup
1/2 c. red wine vinegar
1/2 c. water
1 T worcherstershire sauce
2 1/2 t. ground mustard
2 t. smoked paprika
1 1/2 t. salt
1 t. pepper
2 t. onion powder
1/2 c. grape jelly or molasses
2 T. frozen O.J.

blend up and slather...

... or put it back in a Sweet Baby Ray's bottle and see if your husband will notice...

spaghetti sauce

My kids LOVE this!

1 lb hamburger or venison burger
1 T season salt
1 T minced garlic
2 T italian seasoning
1 T onion powder or 1/4 cup fresh chopped onion

saute until the meat starts to brown

Then add:

1/2 - 3/4 cup of red wine
1 pkg sliced mushrooms (opt)

Let that simmer down until almost gone, then add:

1 c. roasted red pepper and tomato soup
1 jar of favorite spaghetti sauce
1 cup or 1 can of diced tomatoes (optional)


Bring to a hard simmer then turn down to low and simmer until time to eat (20-30 minutes) stirring frequently.