Toffee...the Old-Fashioned Way

My all-time favorite Holiday treat!

My all-time favorite candy is toffee. Or English Toffee, as some call it...or butter-brickle, butter-toffee or Heath, SKOR bar....etc.  There are certainly a lot of names for it but they are generally the same: delicious, buttery goodness!

So many folks love that buttery candy flavor with that perfect crunch to it! I don't blame them. There's nothing NOT to like about it! It's butter & sugar...with chocolate! YES!!!

I remember my first 'toffee' experience. It was with a Heath bar. I think I was 11 or 12 years old. (Mid 1970's) A friend told me I should try it. We were in a little mini-market and we each bought something and took it outside. We sat on the curbside with our feet in the gutter. There were three of us. I remember opening the Heath bar package and sliding out the two pieces of candy. I remember taking my first bite. I remember after it was gone...wishing there was more in there! I fell in love that day & have never strayed!

Fast forward about 10 years. (Mid '80's) I was now married with children, and my husband & I were visiting one of my Aunts in her home. It was somewhere between Thanksgiving & Christmas. She offered us a tray with a variety of homemade goodies...my eyes locked onto the brown candy with a layer of chocolate...could it be my long-lost love? Dare I hope?! She didn't have to offer twice. I snatched a piece of the dark, odd-shaped confection she was calling 'toffee'. I popped it in my mouth. Was I going to be disappointed again? I had tried many so-called 'toffees' over the years, but they were never quite right. Would today be different? It was! It was perfection!...in candy form, of course!

I don't actually remember the next few moments or how I asked, but I remember leaving with that recipe in my hand & I don't think I've ever been more pleased with myself! I can't describe what I felt, but maybe it should have clued me in to the fact that I love candy-making & I love finding candy recipes that satisfy!

Fast forward to the present. It's been over a quarter of a century since I got that recipe from my Aunt and I've been making it ever since! The same recipe, the same way! I make it every Holiday season for my family to enjoy, and have even sold a few boxes here and there. I must say that this was & still is my personal, all-time greatest find and most favorite candy recipe ever! Today I would like to share it with you!

Ingredients:

2 cups butter
2 cups sugar
1 cup Semi-sweet chocolate morsels
1 cup crushed almonds, raw/unsalted

STEP 1: Combine butter & sugar in heavy saucepan, on medium heat.

STEP 2: Allow butter to melt, whisking occasionally.

STEP 3: Once the butter finishes melting, whisk completely,
fully incorporating the  butter & sugar, without the buttery separation
 as seen in the previous photo of step 2.

The toffee will start out pale in color and continue to darken as it reaches the proper temperature.

....and darker still. Notice the little pockets of super dark
brown spots? They almost look like syrup? It's getting closer!

Finally done!

I check my toffee using an old-fashioned method. I use a cup of cold water, and drop some of the hot liquid into it. I fish it out with a fork and immediately taste it. If it's soft, it's going to be soft after it's poured and has set. If it's chewy, it will be chewy when it's poured and has set. If it's brittle and crunchy, it will be brittle and crunchy when it's poured and has set. So you get the picture, right? The cold water will instantly set your sample dripping of candy, making it possible for you to know exactly whether or not it's ready to turn off the heat and pour it into your pan! I love this method, and have used it exclusively for my candy testing. Of course, you can use a candy thermometer if you like. (300* -310*)

STEP 4: I prepared a large cookie sheet ahead by coating it with butter,
so the candy doesn't stick. I quickly pour the hot candy into the pan,
going back and forth as I pour, in order to spread the candy out
before it sets. I scrape the pan with a heat resistant rubber spatula
to get out all the last bits of candy, then I use the spatula to spread
out the candy, easing it into the corners, etc. 

I also had placed the almonds in a ziploc bag for crushing,
when the candy was cooking....



I crush the almonds with my rolling pin, while they're in the baggie...
careful not to crack your counter!



STEP 5: A couple of minutes after the candy has been poured,
sprinkle the chocolate chips over the surface area.



Here's a closeup of the chips as they start to melt....

 

STEP 6: After about 3 minutes, use a rubber spatula and spread
the melted chips around until completely melted...

....Spread the chocolate over the entire surface....

...sprinkle on the crushed almonds.. All done!
 Allow the chocolate time to set up, then break into pieces.
Store in an airtight container.

Gnome Ornaments

My little Christmas Gnomes....

This is the picture I'd seen... embellishments
 on a greeting card. Very cute! 

I saw this idea on Pinterest...actually it was a greeting card of some sort for sale in an Etsy store. They didn't show how to make them so I tried to figure it out for myself....

Supplies Needed:

~ mini 'pinecones' that are under 1" each
~ green felt, 1 square
~ wooden balls for heads, 12 mm
~ mini jingle bells, 1/4"or 16mm
~ black paint & a toothpick for the eyes
~ blush & Q-tip for the cheeks
~ gold thread for a hanger (I use gold thread for most of my Christmas ornaments, so buying an entire spool is economical for me, but any color thread that is pleasing to you will certainly work!)

I realized after I finished that I didn't add the little silver star to the front of each gnome. Well, it's not too late....

I also, on advice from my daughter-in-law, Brenda, made a girl version in pink! (There's a picture of it at the end of the tutorial.)

So first I went to my friends house .... she has a tree out front that drops these 'mini pinecones'. I took a bag and gathered 20 to 30 of them.

I had the bells but had to make a trip to the craft store for the wooden heads and the felt.

STEP 1: First I hot-glued the wooden balls to the pinecones. Make sure the flat side is where the head is glued...        

STEP 2: Using the toothpick, dot on the eyes with black paint. Then using the Q-tip and blush, I added the coloring to the cheeks. The rosy cheeks are especially important because they give the final item more character & lends to the idea that they are, indeed, out in the cold!

STEP 3: I cut the felt into 2" squares, folded one edge up and hot-glued into place. Then I placed a drop of hot glue to the top of the head and centered the felt piece, making sure the folded edge was in the front and not covering the eyes.

STEP 4: I then trimmed the sides at an angle, ending up with
 a triangle-shaped piece. In the above picture, the face is facing my thumb nail.

STEP 5: I added a thin strip of hot glue to the side of the face
and back around the head, where I wanted the hat to rest. 

STEP 6: Next I did the same for the other side of the head. Don't worry
if they don't match up perfectly in the back.  This will get fixed later...

STEP 7: Next I ran a thin strip of hot glue along one of the back edges,
carefully pinching the two sides together, trying not to get burned!
I had to hold it for tiny bits of time & quickly move my fingers to another spot,
then back again, trying not to get burned, but at the same time, making sure the edge
gets glued together before the glue cools down.

STEP 8: Finishing up.. I cut a strip of felt (4" long & about 1/4" wide)
for the scarf, glued it to the back & brought it around and tied it.
I secured it with hot glue.
Next I glued the bell onto the top of the hat.....

STEP 9: Lastly, I used a 6" piece of gold thread, threaded it through my needle 
and stitched it through the top of the hat right behind the bell. After I had 
gone through the hat I pulled until the thread looked even on each side 
and I pulled the needle off, leaving the thread behind. I tied a knot about 
3 times in the same place, close to the two ends to make a large loop for a hanger. 

"Gavin the Gnome" after my grandson..... All bundled up for the cold weather!....

All lined up and ready for their hangers....

Aren't they adorable!? Don't forget our pink version....

"Genevieve the Gnome" after my grand-daughter.....

All lined up in a row...they remind me of babies in a hospital nursery, so little & cute!

Just finished their cheeks... their hats are ready to go!

Hope you enjoyed... Please comment with questions or let me know how yours turned out!

Beautiful Christmas Pillows ~ From a Re-Purposed Skirt!

So I was cleaning out my closet recently, and came across this skirt that I've never worn! It was given to me in a bag of used clothing a few years back. I was trying things on, making piles of 'give away', 'too small', 'too large'... (Ok, so this last pile wasn't very large. Enough said.)

ANYWAY, back to the important stuff... I found this skirt and I actually tried it on before I realized it had some tan paint all over it, in places not seen from the front view. I loved the ribbon embellishments and not seen in the photo are the sequins and beads that are decorating it, also. I immediately realized I would never be able to wear it with the paint on it, but I could turn it into a Christmas pillow!! I was so excited! I could see it in my mind already. I ran the idea past my youngest daughter. She thought it was a great idea, only she suggested I make two smaller pillows instead of one larger pillow. Even better! So off to my craft room I went!

I started by trying to steam out the deep wrinkles. It didn't work as well as I wanted it to, but I figured if I stuffed it full enough it may not even matter. So now it was time to start cutting.

I cut the upper part of the skirt off, which included the waistband and the pleats. I also salvaged the zipper and the inner lining. (To use later...on another project, hopefully!)

I cut the front section in half up the middle, cutting the back of the skirt at the same time. I measured the two sections (right and left) and trimmed them up to be as close to the same size as possible.

Then I turned them wrong-side out, and started sewing. I started with the bottom, where the original skirt hem had been. Then up the left side, then the right side. Then I sewed along the top about 1/3 of the way. Then I sewed from the other side along the top edge about 1/3 of the way, leaving about a 1/3 opening in the middle for turning and stuffing. (The edge that's facing the snowman mug is where I left an opening.)

I had this bed/chair thing I was given from my Dad. It was only used a few times, but since I also had no use for it... I decided to make use of the insides! (I also plan to save the outside tan corduroy for another project.)

So I turned the pillow pieces right-side out, pulling them through the opening I had left earlier. I used a chop-stick that I inserted through the opening and helped to shape the corners before I started to stuff.

I then started on the bed/chair. I cut a slit along a seam to get out the stuffing and try not to ruin the large pieces of corduroy.

I just started pulling clumps of stuffing out and put them inside one of the pillow pieces, stuffing until quite full.

I then hand-stitched along the small 1/3 opening I had left earlier and... ta-da! The finished pillows!

Beautiful! All ready for Christmas and they didn't cost me a cent!

Homemade Foam Soap

What a quick & easy $$$ saver!!

This is so easy and quick and will save you lots of $$$$!

What you'll need:

(1) 1 new or used foam soap container (I purchased mine full of soap, used the soap, then made more!)

(2) Any liquid soap/body wash/dish soap/ baby wash, etc without moisturizers or lotions. (If you can't see through the soap, it won't work well in the pump.)

*Optional (3) Another cool option is to simply purchase clear liquid soap refill containers and add a small amount of food coloring to make the soap match the room it will go into!

STEP 1: Clean out used container.

STEP 2: Add: 2 tablespoons liquid soap of your choice & 2/3 cups water. If you're adding coloring, do it now. Just a few drops at a time.

STEP 3: Put the lid back on and gently agitate, mixing the soap with the water without creating lots of bubbles.... DON'T SHAKE!!! Or you can just use a straw or chopstick to gently mix,.. even a butter knife will work.

That's it! Enjoy your super cheap and highly color-coordinated homemade foam hand-soap! (Whew...tongue twister!)

Harvest Spice Pancakes

Boxed cake mix, an egg & applesauce. Delicious!

So my husband gets the credit for these delicious pancakes....(thought I'd just get that out of the way now!). He's a big fan of pancakes, and we've had a few variations over the years: whole-wheat, buttermilk, cranberry~orange (made with craisins and orange zest or extract) and of course chocolate chip, pecan, etc. But one day he asked me if I could use a spice cake mix to make pancakes. I thought, "Why not?" I mean, they turn cake mixes into everything else...if I just used the mix itself as my dry ingredients and add the required wet ingredients.... mix it into a batter. Ta-da! Yummy pancakes. Right!? So off to the store I go...

Ingredients:

1 box Duncan Hines Spice Cake Mix
1 egg
1 snack cup applesauce, sugar-free (1/4 cup)
1 cup water
1 tablespoon ground flaxseed

I decided to add the flaxseed just for the health benefits. No one ever seems to notice it's even in there, and it's so good for you!

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Add more water if your batter is too thick. Cook. Enjoy.

The pancakes turned out great, so much more flavor than a regular pancake. Doesn't need syrup or butter since it was so tasty, but I think my husband used it anyway! By the way, he loved them!

Sausage Stuffed Shells with Fresh Ricotta

Quick & easy weeknight meal.

This recipe can be duplicated by merely viewing the photos... nothing mysterious about it. But very tasty! I had made fresh Ricotta and wanted to try it in a savory dish instead of a dessert.

Ingredients:
1 pound Spicy/Hot Italian sausage, bulk
1 pound Mild Italian Sausage, bulk, recipe
1 box large pasta shells
1 recipe fresh Ricotta, recipe
12 ounces fresh marinara
Garnish with mozzarella and fresh Italian parsley

STEP 1: Start water to boil noodles. Once water has come to a boil, add pasta. I drizzle a bit of olive oil into the water to prevent the shells from sticking to each other. Boil for about 10 minutes, checking often for doneness.

STEP 2: As soon as you put your water on to boil, start cooking the sausage in a skillet. Break all the sausage into large pieces to help it break down, then as it continues to cook, continue breaking it up with a wooden spatula until the pieces are fairly small. Cook until no pink is seen and meat is done. Set aside.

STEP 3: When pasta is done, drain. Place several shells into a 9x13" baking dish. Add a spoonful of the cooked sausage and a generous dollop of fresh ricotta. Continue until shells/sausage are gone.

STEP 4: Preheat oven to 400*. Drizzle marinara over all shells and garnish with shredded mozzarella.

STEP 5: Heat in oven until mozzarella is melted and shells are heated through. After plating, garnish with Italian parsley.