Homemade Candied Almonds with a Dash of Sea Salt.

I love candy in the fall.  Oh who am I kidding, I love candy all year round.  For me it is all about the sweet and salty.....and a little dark chocolate too.  These candy almonds are so easy to whip up and you can substitute the almonds with almost any nut.  If you have never made candy before be warned that this is not a kid friendly recipe for cooking.  It's kid friendly for gobbling up but not for being near the stove top.  Melting sugar gets hot and hot fast so you must watch over the pan carefully.

I keep them simple with a sprinkle of sea salt.  But you can add so many different spices.  Last night on instagram a follower suggested tossing with bits of real bacon bits.  Ohhhhh that sounds delish and if I had bacon on hand I would have added it.  Other add-ins are cinnamon, garlic, cayenne pepper...it's endless.

What you need:
2 cups of raw almonds
1 cup sugar
1/3 cup water
small palm-full of Sea Salt

Add the almonds, water and sugar to the pan. Turn the stove to med-high.

Keep a watchful eye and stir to keep the almonds rotating. Reduce heat if the sugar water begin to boil over.

The liquid will begin to thicken and it will boil.  Stir as needed.

Crystals will begin to form.

Once the almonds are covered in crystals.  Turn the heat down a tiny bit and stir.  You can use the spatula to break up the nuts if they begin to clump.

Keep cooking till they "candy up" - they will have a hard shiny coat.

Turn out on to parchment paper and sprinkle with Sea Salt.  Use the spatula to break any clusters.

Cool for an hour or so.

Store in an air tight container.  I don't refrigerate.  They keep about 1 week...although they have never lasted that long...hehe.

Enjoy and share with your friends.

Don't worry about the dirty sticky pan!  Give it a soak for 15 min and the cooked sugar will melt away. 

DIY your own colored sugars for cookie decorating!

Making your own colored sugar is super easy! This sugar is perfect for sprinkling in cookies and cupcakes.  You can also use this sugar on the rim of a cocktail or mocktail.    We originally did this on season 1 of Creative Juice and since it was so popular then, we decided to bring it back!

What you need:
1-cup food white sugar
food coloring
cookie sheet
storeage jar or salt shaker
ribbon



How To:

Add 1 cup of white sugar to a zip top baggie.  Add two drops of food coloring to the sugar.  Seal the baggie.  Work the sugar and coloring together until the two are combined. 

Pour the sugar onto a cookie sheet, spread and leave to dry for 1 hour.  Funnel into a salt shaker for sprinkling.  Store in a zip top baggie or sealed glass jar.

P.S. - They make great holiday gifts too!

ENJOY! XO
Cathie

Taste Testing: Star Fruit Salsa and Kabobs

Unexpected and delicious! 

Star fruit is so fun to cook with and yummy too!

Star Fruit Salsa from Creative Juice on HGTV and DIY

gather this:
2 cups cubed star fruit
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup dry red wine
1 tablespoon finely chopped peeled ginger root
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

steps:
1. Combine all ingredients in a medium saucepan and stir well. Bring to a simmer over medium high heat and cook 25 minutes or until slightly thickened. Makes 1 cup. A great topping for meat dishes or ice cream!

For the Kabobs:
Add fruits to bamboo skewers to create fruit kabobs. Alternate melon balls, kiwi and star fruits.

Taste Testing: 1 Week of Salads in 20 minutes.

Lately, I have been intrigued by all the salad in a jar or make-ahead salad blog posts that have floated around the blog-sphere, pinterest and twitter.  I really wanted to introduce more salad in my lunch time diet...so I thought I would test my own version and see if it worked.  I purchased matching containers to make them easy to stack.  I was a little scared about adding mushrooms....I was afraid they were going to get mushy - But they did not!

Here is what I did.....

1. Add a piece of paper-towel to the bottom of the container. 
2. Add clean and dried lettuce to the container.
3. Add shredded carrots and cabbage.
4. Add mushrooms.
5. Cover and store in fridge.
6. Add dressing at lunch time and eat.

Notes:

It took me 20 minutes to make 8 salads for the week.

Cut veggies that have liquid should be added at the time of eating.  (tomatoes, cucumbers, etc.)

Add dressing just prior to eating.

Keep other add-ins close by so you can toss them in at the last moment. (dried fruit, nuts, seeds, croutons)

Mine lasted a full 6+ days!  No wilts or mush. 

If I keep this up, I am planning on sewing cotton liners for containers.  Better for the environment and they won't break apart after getting damp.

Taste Testing: Homemade Biscuits

 
The homemade biscuits were gone in a second.  I used this recipe from Food.com and it turned out delicious.  Next time, I am going try to freeze them and then bake a week later.  I love the idea of having them on hand for a quick bite or for serving piping hot with no mess.  They were delicious and devoured pretty quick!  We served with butter and jam.

Don't over work the dough.

So yummy....will be making more.

Simply Cranberry and Kumquat Cocktails - Simply Yummy!

Eddie loves vodka, so I experimented with a variety of flavors and settled on Simply Cranberry Cocktail mixed with vodka and enhanced with a squeeze of lime and dash of kumquat. I used the 59oz bottle since I was making lots of servings. You can get a smaller/single serving version (13.5oz) for on-the-go, and if you love the other Simply beverages, you won't want to miss Simply Cranberry Cocktail.

Of course - I had to craft a cocktail stir stick for the drinks. I used pink, yellow and orange felt flowers. I picked these colors to match the cocktail. I hot glued them in layers to a skewer. I added a pink rhinestone to the center for a pop of sparkle. I made the skewers a few days in advance of the picture night.
 

The first step was skewering kumquats. I added three per stick. Note: you can freeze kumquats for an extra pop of cold. 
 

For the drink I mixed:

4 ounces of Simply Cranberry Cocktail

1/2 ounce of Vodka (you can add more)

Squeeze of lime wedge

Squeeze of kumquat

Served over 3 large ice cubes.

Garnished with kumquat felt flower skewer.

Enjoyed by all!

A Sweet Treat.... Angel Food Cake, Greek Yogurt and Blackberries

My hubby has a sweet tooth....normally, I have chocolate bars hidden in tucked away places for when he gets his late night craving.  I also like to keep berries in the freezer for last minute toppings or cobblers.  We experimented with our new favorite Greek yogurt as a topping and it was so yummy!

Bake This: Banana Cream Pie

 Banana Cream Pie

From Creative Juice on HGTV & DIY

 

Steve's favorite pie is Banana Cream!!  Fresh bananas, chocolate shavings, and a thick, flaky crust make this dessert the cream of the crop. 

What you need:

1 1/3 cup finely crushed vanilla wafers

1/3 cup of melted butter

3/4 cup white sugar

1/3-cup all-purpose flour

1/4-teaspoon salt

2 cups milk

3 egg yolks, beaten

2 Tablespoons butter

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

3 bananas, sliced

Pie Crust: Combine the melted butter and the crushed vanilla wafers together.

Firmly pat into the sides and bottom of a pie pan. Pre-cook at 350 degrees for 5 minutes.

In a saucepan, combine the sugar, flour, and salt. Gradually add the milk while stirring gently. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture is bubbly.  Keep stirring and cook for about 2 more minutes, and then remove from the burner.  Temper the eggs by stirring a small quantity of the hot mixture into the beaten egg yolks, and immediately add egg yolk mixture to the rest of the hot mixture. Cook for 2 more minutes; remember to keep stirring. Remove the mixture from the stove, and add butter and vanilla. Stir until the whole thing has a smooth consistency.

Slice bananas into the cooled baked piecrust and top with pudding mixture. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 to 15 minutes.

 Chill for an hour and top with whipped cream and shaved chocolate when serving. Use a small container of whipping cream, a couple of tablespoons of powdered sugar to whip your own cream

Cooking Mini Quiches Cured my Blues

Mini Quiche makes me SMILE!

Today was my first day off in 12 days and I was in need of major retail therapy, some time in the  kitchen and a good movie.  Thankfully a shopping trip to Target yielded a tube of Tom's of Main Toothpaste, an awesome mini pie pan from Wilton and a neon pink bangle bracelet. 

Recipe: How to make frozen oatmeal at home for .12 cents a serving.

DIY Frozen Oatmeal * .12 cents a serving!

Our mornings have been pretty rushed lately....so in an effort to make our mornings go a little smoother and our bellies happy with good food - I decided to make our own version of frozen oatmeal.

In The Kitchen: Crustless Spinach Quiche

Crustless Spinach Quiche

Wow was this delicious.  

Classic Snack: Chex Party Mix

 Classic Snack: Chex Party Mix

Over the years I have made different variations on the classic Chex Mix Snack and as good as the alternatives are...I still keep coming back to the semi-original recipe from the back of the cereal box.  This recipe is adapted from the recipe posted on the Chex Cereal website.  See the posting here.

Mine differs in that I also add honey roasted peanuts and Cheerios.  

Gather This:
3 cups Corn Chex® cereal
3 cups Rice Chex® cereal
3 cups Wheat Chex® cereal
1 cup mixed nuts
1 cup bite-size pretzels
1 cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips or regular-size bagel chips, broken into 1-inch pieces
1 cup of Cheerios
1 cup of honey roasted peanuts
6 tablespoons butter or margarine
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 teaspoons seasoned salt
3/4 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon onion powder

In large bowl, mix cereals, nuts, pretzels and bagel chips; set aside.

Heat oven to 250°F. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings and Worcestershire sauce.

 Gradually stir in cereal mixture until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Store in airtight container.

Enjoy! Happy Snacking~ xo cathie

Homemade Hard Candies

Classic Hard Candy

The ingredients are simple, the steps are so easy and the flavors are divine. You can create a traditional lemon, English toffee or peppermint candy or try something a little more modern like root beer, pina colada or cappuccino candy.

Candy making shops and online suppliers have many different molds and flavorings. You can create lollipops or mini heart shapes, you can add exotic colors and delicious flavors the sky is the limit when it comes to making hard candy.

This classic recipe, with delicate lasting flavor and just enough sugar, always tames my sweet tooth. If you make a batch for yourself or as a gift, I guarantee it won’t be long before you are boiling up a second batch. One note about making candy, it best done on low humidity days. A rainy day can ruin a batch of candy.

Classic Hard Candy
2 cups white sugar
1 cup water
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1/2 teaspoon raspberry food grade flavoring
6 drops red food coloring
powdered sugar
candy thermometer
cookie sheet with a lip, greased with vegetable oil

In a large saucepan, mix together sugar, corn syrup and water. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves. Add your candy thermometer to the pan (avoid touching the bottom of the pan) Bring mixture to a boil without stirring. When syrup temperature reaches 260o F, add 6 drops of food coloring. Do not stir.

When the temperature reaches 300o F, promptly remove from the heat. After boiling action ceases, add flavoring and stir. Pour onto the cookie sheet. When cool, break into pieces and dust with powdered sugar to prevent sticking. Store in airtight containers.



Yummy Yummy!
xo Cathie

Taste Test: Fresh & Easy Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Taste Test: Fresh & Easy Rosemary Focaccia Bread

Easy & Delicious

$1.49

6 servings

Pre-heat the oven to 400F.  Place the rack in the center of the oven.  Spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray.  Place the dough in the center and spread with you fingers.

Pierce with a fork (10-12 times) and dimple with your fingers.

Brush with olive oil, sprinkle with sea salt and dried herbs.  Allow to dough to sit for 15 minutes.

 I used rosemary, oregano and thyme.

 Bake for 12-15 minutes.  Remove from oven and cool for 15 minutes before slicing.

 Golden brown.  Taste was excellent.  We dipped in a mixture of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.  I would make again in a heart beat.  Was delicious with sliced tomatoes.