Microwave Peanut Brittle

This recipe is one of my family's favorites. It doesn't require a candy thermometer and it's so easy, I have no excuses to not make it! The only trick is catching it during it's last cooking time. I've cooked it anywhere from 1 1/2 to 4 minutes - it just depends on your bowl and your microwave. And how "done" you like it to be. Make sure to make a note of what bowl you used and how long it cooked on your recipe so you have a better idea next year. :)

Microwave Peanut Brittle

1 cup raw peanuts (sometimes called Spanish Peanuts)
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 Tablespoon butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix together baking soda and vanilla in a small cup. Set aside.

Mix peanuts, sugar, corn syrup and salt in large microwavable bowl. (No need to mix this really well.) Cook on high 3 minutes. Stir with wooden spoon. Cook on high 2 minutes. Add butter and stir. Cook on high 1 1/2 - 4 minutes watching very closely. When the white bubbles just start to turn to a caramel or brown color (usually in the middle of the bowl you can see it change color), remove. Stir together soda and vanilla and then pour into bowl. Mix very quickly and quickly spread on greased foil. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

Brigadeiros

 Mimi Collett shared this great recipe for Brigadeiros.
"No Brazilian party is complete without this chocolate treat that is similar to a simple bonbon or truffle."

3 Tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbps. butter
1 14-ounce can sweetened condensed milk

In a medium saucepan, combine cocoa powder, butter, and condensed milk. Cook over medium heat, stirring frequently, until the mixture thickens. This will take about 10 to 15 minutes, depending on how hot your medium setting is. You will definitley be able to tell when it has thickend. Remove from heat and let rest until cool enough to handle. You can even let it sit over night. Roll the mixture into small balls and cover them in chocolate jimmies. To roll, I recommend covering your hands with butter or margarine.

Variations of this recipe include rolling a nut inside the middle of the ball or rolling the chocolate ball in powered sugar, coconut flakes, etc.

There is also a coconut version called a Beijinho, which calls for 1/4 cup of coconut flakes rather than cocoa powder. They are usually rolled in regular granulated sugar.

Almond Roca

This candy looks beautiful and tastes amazing.

First, make the English Toffee:
2 cubes butter
1 cup sugar
5 Tbsp. water

Combine all ingredients in heavy pan. Over low heat melt butter. Then, stirring constantly, cook over medium high heat to 300 degrees and caramel color.

Remove from heat and add 1 tsp. vanilla.

Pour onto buttered marble. Spread to a medium thin layer. Score with a knife, then let cool.

Break apart on score lines.

Second, dip the toffee in chocolate
Melt milk chocolate in glass bowl by microwaving in small intervals or melting over double boiler. (Either buy a huge chocolate slab and break off small parts to melt OR use candy melts--they look like really big chocolate chips). I do not recommend chocolate chips because they will taste waxy.

Drop 3-4 toffee squares at a time in chocolate. Use a fork to flip.

Third, roll in ground almonds 
Finally chop almonds (I used a food processor). Then, while chocolate is still wet, roll toffee in almonds. Place on wax paper until cool.

Caramels

Here's the recipe for caramels we made together. I've added my notes in italics.

Home-made Caramels

Butter marble and pan (if not non-stick).

2 cups sugar
1 cup dark Karo syrup
1 pint whipping cream
1 cube butter
 1 tsp. vanilla

Add sugar, Karo syrup, 1 cup of whipping cream, and butter in pan. Slowly melt ingredients together over low heat. When combined and smooth, raise heat to medium-high. (For me, this is around 300 degrees on my electric kettle.)

Stirring constantly, cook mixture to 240 degrees. (This should take about 10 minutes.)
Add 2nd cup of whipping cream. Still stirring, cook mixture again to 240 degrees. (Another 10 minutes)

Remove from heat. Stir in vanilla.

Pour onto marble slab. Let cool for 20-30 minutes. Caramel should be just barely warm to the touch.

Cut into small squares and roll into tootsie-roll shapes. Wrap in wax paper and twist the ends (like a mint would be wrapped).

Christmas Candy

Thanks to those that came to our candy making night. Hopefully you learned a few tips--especially what NOT to do! Since I only make candy once a year, sometimes it takes a few times to remember all the tricks. You were all great guinea pigs. :)

A few notes before you begin:
1. Check the calibration of your candy thermometer. I discovered mine was about 5 degrees off, and that can make a big difference. You can find a good tutorial here.
2. Follow the recipe exactly, but make adjustments for your heat source. Your "medium-high" might be hotter than mine. Take notes on things to change next time.
3. I cook my candy in an electric kettle (a pot that you'd use for deep-frying). Mine is non-stick and light, which makes pouring a lot easier. You could use a heavy saucepan instead. Just be careful when pouring or get someone to help hold the pan.
4. I pour the candy onto a marble slab to cool. It stays cold and isn't damaged by the molten lava. I can also cut right on it. You could substitute a heavy cookie sheet--I'm not sure if you'd need to make any adjustments. Try and find out!

Thanks again for coming. Feel free to ask any question, or if you want to make something together, I'd love to help!

Grandma's Minestrone Soup

Here's the recipe for minestrone I brought to our November meeting. Very easy to make, and I can usually pull all the ingredients from my pantry. The recipe from Kathy Droubay was published in a Relief Society cookbook my sister in law gave to me. Yeah for RS cookbooks! :)

Grandma's Minestrone Soup
 
4 cups water
4 tsp. chicken bouillon
1 onion, chopped
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1 large can tomatoes
1 can tomato sauce
2 medium carrots, sliced
1/2 cup elbow macaroni or other small pasta
1 tsp. salt
1 can kidney beans
1 can lima or butter beans
1 can green beans
1/3 tsp. oregano
dash of Italian seasoning

Bring water and bouillon to a boil. Add the rest of the ingredients. Cook until carrots and macaroni are tender.  Serve with grated mozzarella or Parmesan cheese.

I did make one small change since I needed to make the soup earlier: I cooked the pasta separate and then added right before serving. I was trying to avoid the pasta soaking up too much liquid and becoming soggy.

Freezing Soup

I really like the idea of making a big batch of soup, then freezing it to save for a busy night or warm lunch. Here are some great tips from Favorite Freezer Foods on freezing soup . They include a list of ingredients that do not freeze well, recommended time limits, and detailed how-to.

I will add one of my own tips. I've begun to freeze individual sizes. These are easy to pull out the night before to thaw, then send for lunches the next day.

Does anyone have any other tips for freezing soup or other meals?

Chicken Corn Chowder

I didn't make a soup for Wednesday since I was busy with the bread bowls, but if I did, this is the one I would've shared. Another blog recipe. :) We love it though! I'll paste the recipe below, but if you want to go to the blog link, it has pictures and a little more explanation about the recipe, go here.

Chicken Corn Chowder

*Plan Ahead: This recipe calls for cooked chicken.

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 stalks of celery, finely chopped
1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 jalapeno, finely chopped, seeds and membrane removed (this is important for flavor – but doesn’t add heat because the seeds and membranes are removed and it is cooked with the other veggies)
1/4 cup thinly sliced or cooked chopped ham
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 (14-oz.) cans chicken broth
3 tablespoons flour
3 ears of fresh corn kernels or 1 1/2 cups frozen corn kernels
2 large chicken breasts, cooked and shredded
4 oz. softened cream cheese
1 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Place olive oil in a large pot over medium heat. Saute celery, bell pepper, onion and jalapeno until tender, about 5 minutes. Stir in the garlic and ham; cook for another 3 minutes. Whisk the broth with the flour in a liquid measuring cup or bowl and then stir into the soup. Stir in the corn and chicken. Bring to a low boil and reduce heat. Whisk together the cream cheese and milk in a large bowl until smooth (I had a difficult time getting my cream cheese to completely whisk into the milk so my soup had some minor small lumps but next time, I’ll soften the cream cheese until almost melted in the microwave). Whisk the cream cheese/milk mixture into the soup along with the salt, pepper and cheddar cheese. Simmer on low until ready to serve.

Halloween Themed Food

In October we got together and shared some fun ideas for Fall/Halloween food. I made the bone breadsticks I found at the blog Our Best Bites and served it with my homemade pizza sauce. If you're looking for a great food blog, Our Best Bites is wonderful! Here's the link to the post they had on creative Halloween food where I got the recipe for the breadsticks.

Pizza Sauce
1 gallon tomato sauce
1/4 cup Italian seasoning
1 tablespoon minced garlic
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 cup brown sugar

Mix all but brown sugar together and simmer for about 4 hours (or until desired thickness) stirring occasionally.

Add brown sugar and stir well.

Beware - this makes a mess of your stove as it simmers! :) I usually make this up the day before I use it and freeze it in small, 1-2 cup sized containers. I've 1/4'd the recipe before and had enough for 2 pizzas with a little left over - but I use a lot of sauce on my pizza. :)

Pumpkin Shaped Bread Bowls

Here's the link for the recipe I used with the bread bowls on Wednesday. The only thing I did differently was I didn't use the egg wash.

You'll find I post a lot of links to blogs - I've found some of the best recipes in the blog world! :)

Thanks again to everyone who came on Wednesday!

Welcome!

We are so excited to have our very own blog! Looking for the recipe we shared in a previous meeting? This is the place! It's also a place to share tips, tricks, and maybe even a few failures.

Let us know what you think, and please share with us your ideas.