Month: December 2015

Crockpot Toffee Nut Clusters

When I think about what I like in a candy, it usually involves chocolate and nuts, chewy and crunchy, sweet and salty. I also really love toffee. Lucky for me there is really not much I don’t like. And even luckier for me, these little clusters of goodness have it all! Recently I shared with you about my cousin Charlotte. Thankfully she shared this recipe with me! It really couldn’t get much easier either. It makes a lot of these chocolatey and nutty packages, so it’s great for giving as gifts or sharing at the office. And not to worry, if there are still leftovers… they freeze well too. Enjoy!

2 small jars (16 oz each) dry roasted peanuts (1 salted, 1 unsalted)

3 lbs or blocks of white almond bark, vanilla Candiquick or vanilla candy coating, chopped into small pieces

1/2 lb Bakers semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into small pieces

1 bag Heath chips

1 bag Milk chocolate chips

1 bag Semi sweet chocolate chips

*Also a full size crockpot, a sturdy spoon and a strong arm 😉

Put everything in the crockpot on low. Stir often. When all is melted and no more dashes of white or dark spots of chocolate can be seen (about an hour), spoon in globs on wax or parchment paper until it hardens (a couple more hours).

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And you get to feel like a chocolatier, so that’s cool.

It makes a vat full, so be prepared to share or freeze the clusters and bring them out in batches. They will last a few months in the freezer.

Loving Lately ❤

For those of you new to my blog, welcome! I love sharing family stories, recipes and random thoughts at large. Every Thursday I try to share something I appreciate, easy “how-tos”, food and products, etc. that I think others might enjoy too.

This week’s Loving Lately: My chalkboard

I was talking to my husband about how I wished I had one of those whimsical “Merry & Bright” signs that I’ve been seeing everywhere, when it dawned on me; I could make my own. Boy, have I gotten a lot of use out of this chalkboard! I use it to list the menu for dinner gatherings, personalize a “Happy Birthday _____” sign for a member of our family, and post inspirational sayings on any given day of the week. It was just what I wanted (in a representation kind of way), but even better because it was homemade.

…And how nice is it not to have one more thing to store? Priceless;)

Dad’s Sausages

Ok, many of you may know these as cocktail sausages. I think often people use Vienna style sausages. But when I have these little round beauties I can’t think of anyone else but my dad. The smell of these cooking for almost every special gathering is like synonymous with holiday cheer. They are extremely easy to make. I mean at it’s technical height its about not cutting the meat too thin (because it shrinks as it cooks), while not making it too hunky to eat in one bite. You could make your own chili sauce (and I have) but that’s not dad’s recipe. And who can’t use a simple and tasty appetizer when hosting a gathering?

1 pound cooked sausage such as Dearborn Holiday Sausage (Kielbasa), sliced in rounds about 1/2″ thick

1 – 12 oz bottle chili sauce (such as Heinz)

*Can be easily double, tripled, quadrupled…

Place all ingredients in a crockpot on high for about 3 hours or on the stove top at a simmer for about 1 1/2 hours, stirring occasionally. When the sauce has reduced (thick and sticky) and sausages are loaded with flavor, serve retro cocktail party style with toothpicks. Stay Classic.

Iced Chai Tea Latte

I made this drink for an India themed dinner party. Immediately I knew I would have to share it during the holidays. Honestly it was like the most beautiful thing I had ever tasted. I know that is a strange thing to say, but it really was. It was complex, but simple; like something I’ve never tasted before, but familiar; aromatic and yet subtle. I think it would be special to serve with a meal or to drink alone. Just trust me on this and give it a try. (BTW I did have to find the cardamom pods at an Indian grocer, but I am sure they are available on-line.)

Originally posted on Big Girls Small Kitchen.

Iced Chai Tea Latte
Makes 1 drink

Ingredients
6 tablespoons Chai Tea Concentrate (recipe follows)
1 cup milk of your choice*
Ice

*If you use sweetened almond, soy, or rice milk, you may need to play around to make the concentrate less sugary. This recipe was developed using 2% milk.

Pour both the Chai Tea Concentrate and the milk into a glass, stirring to combine them. Add a large handful of ice, and drink immediately.

You can make this into a hot drink for winter by warming the milk and chai concentrate slowly in a small saucepan until very hot. Serve in a mug.

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Chai Tea Concentrate
Makes 1 1/2 cups, enough for 4 lattes

Ingredients
3 tablespoons sugar
8 cardamom pods
1 cinnamon stick, snapped in half
1 slice ginger, peeled
5 whole cloves
4 whole black peppercorns
2 black teabags
1 tablespoon honey

Combine all ingredients except the honey in a pot. Add 2 cups of water and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Lower slightly and let simmer for 5 minutes. Turn off the heat and let steep for 5 minutes. Remove the teabags, squeezing out any liquid from them. Let the spices steep for another 15 minutes. Strain, removing all the spices. Add the honey and stir in. Taste, adding more honey if you like.

Cool completely.

The concentrate is easily doubled and will last a while in the fridge.

Charlotte’s Simply Delicious

The current issue of Simple & Delicious is loaded with fabulous recipes from Pesto stuffed Chicken to Apple-Almond Muffins and Wheat Berry Salad. The magazine has mouth-watering desserts and easy 5 ingredient fixes for the Christmas holiday to save your shopping time for ‘merrier’ things. It also happens to contain the latest publication of my cousin Charlotte!

Charlotte is an accomplished novelist and has a series of imaginative books in the works, starting with the published The Elemental Rise of Shade. And although she has the cool artsy life of pouring herself into her writing, she doesn’t spend all of her time in front of her typewriter. (Okay she uses a computer, but somehow the typewriter sounds more romantic, am I right?) Anyway, she also happens to be a solid recipe developer and has had several published recipes. Most recently in the December/January 2016 issue of Taste of Home’s Simple & Delicious. (On stands now!)

If you turn to page 67 of the magazine you will find a cute picture of Charlotte herself and a delicious Spinach-Basil Lasagna, a healthy version of an Italian classic full of flavors like feta and Parmesan and good for you baby spinach. As if that wasn’t outstanding enough it is also health conscious with only 229 calories per serving. (Which also happens to be 1/9th of a 13×9 inch pan, so a good size serving!)

For years Charlotte has made many tasty recipes including (but not limited to) a baked potato pizza and pepperoni pasta salad that have been printed in books and periodicals. Lucky for you, I have access to her culinary genius and will be posting some of her recipes in the future! In the meantime you can check out her developments yourself; I found my mini-magazine near the check-out of my local grocery store.

Happy Birthday Charlotte!

 

Loving Lately ❤

Loving Lately: Art Projects

I am not a crafty person. The idea of getting out paint kind of stresses me out. But I have to say that once the project is in progress, I actually enjoy it. And not just because my kids are making something special (that’s obvious), I love watching their personalities come out from beginning to end.

My first born for example, when he is invested in a project the amount of detail can be scrupulous. However, if you ask him to make a Christmas tree, well then it’s more like “how quickly can I get this finished and it still be satisfactory?” Done.

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My three year old cracks me up. Cracks me up and keeps me busy. His favorite color is blue. Painting with blue paint on blue paper is logical. Really I think it was more about turning his hands blue. And it must have felt really neat putting his whole fist in the blue paint. It was not fun cleaning it up, thank you. (Why did I get out the paint again?) He’d rather be having a snack anyway.

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Painting for my four year old is truly an art. She keeps her paint colors separate, she mixes colors on a different sheet of paper (very happy to create her own brown). She wipes her fingers in between and tries to think out her whole picture from top to bottom. It’s fascinating.

Next project with the kids… Christmas Cookies! Now that sounds like fun;)