Mouth-Watering Toffee03.08.12

We’ve been in our house for a month and a half and haven’t met our neighbors yet. What better way to break the ice than delivering them a box of delicious, homemade toffee?

My mom has made this stuff for as long as I can remember and it’s a huge hit with my family. My cousin and I eat roughly 27 pieces each every Christmas. There’s just something about it that keeps you coming back for more.

Here’s the recipe. Super quick and easy!

Ingredients

1 cup pecans, chopped
3/4 cup brown sugar, packed
1/2 cup butter
4 1/2 ounces (no need to be precise) semisweet chocolate chips

Directions

Butter square pan or dish (9x9x2 inches). Spread pecans in pan. Heat sugar and butter to boiling, stirring constantly. Boil over medium heat, stirring constantly, 7 minutes (This is important because it’s what makes the toffee hard. It will go through lots of different consistencies here). Immediately spread mix evenly over nuts in pan. Sprinkle chocolate pieces over hot mixture; place baking sheet over pan so contained heat will melt chocolate. Spread melted chocolate over toffee. While hot, cut in squares (I actually prefer to break it by hand after it’s set). Chill until firm.

Toffee Recipe Toffee Recipe

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Our First Christmas Tree + Dark Chocolate Pistachio Bark12.11.11

Ahhhh, the smell of pine is in the air, which means that our first Christmas tree has made it’s arrival! It’s a bit quirky with too few lights and a lopsided lean, but it definitely makes our first Christmas as a married couple extra cozy and festive.

And, just because I know you might be looking for a new holiday recipe, here’s a super easy yet fantastic one: dark chocolate pistachio bark. Nathan and I brought it to a Christmas party last night and ate all the leftovers today. So good! (P.S. Thanks to Nathan for taking these pictures of me “cooking.” He’s already ready for his second shooting role next year. :) )

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101 in 1001: #23 Make s’mores cake in a jar.11.17.11

White cake with chocolate icing. That’s the only birthday cake Nathan ever wants, despite seven years of me trying to convince him to “get creative.” This year, even though he still wanted his white cake with chocolate icing, I decided I was going to make him a second cake whether he liked it or not (let’s be real, who wouldn’t want two cakes?!).

Enter s’mores cake in a jar. Yeah, I know. The name alone makes you want to do a happy dance, right? Well, it’s just as good as it sounds. If you like s’mores, cake and mason jars, you have to make this right now. Even if you already have one dessert in the oven.

S’mores Cake in a Jar (from How Sweet it Is)
Makes 4 16-ounce mason jar cakes

Crust (I have a huge sweet tooth and this crust wasn’t sweet enough for me. If I make it again, I would make the crust from the back of the graham cracker crumb box):

1 1/2 cups graham cracker crumbs
1/2 stick butter
pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Melt butter and mix in graham crumbs and salt. Mix until moistened. Spray 4 mason jars with non-stick spray and press graham crust into jars. I began by adding a tablespoon to each, and repeating until graham crumbs were gone. They don’t need to look perfect. I pressed the crumbs down firmly with the flat bottom of a clean screwdriver.

Cake:

1 1/8 cups all purpose flour
1/4 cup dark cocoa powder
1 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup milk
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon heavy cream
1/2 cup butter, melted
2 tablespoons sour cream

Topping:

1 bag of large marshmallows

In a bowl, whisk egg and sugar until smooth and no lumps remain. Add milk, cream, butter and vanilla, and mix until combined. Stir in sour cream. Sift dry ingredients together and add to wet mixture. Mix until batter is smooth. Using a 1/4 cup measure, add batter to mason jars one scoop at a time. You only want to fill them up about half way, and the batter should work evenly for four jars. Again, don’t worry if it is perfect. Place mason jars in a baking dish and add about 1 1/2 cups of water to the bottom. Bake for 30 minutes, or until cake is set.

Remove cake from the oven and press large marshmallows down on top, being careful not to burn yourself. There is no set number of marshmallows to use; I pressed down as many as I could, about 4-5 each. Heat the broiler on your oven and watching carefully, brown marshmallows for about 1-2 minutes, or until golden brown. Do not take your eyes off them! Serve immediately.

One word: DELISH! :)

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101 in 1001: #27 Eat at Melt.11.09.11

When we left Melt after dinner a week ago, we all agreed that we should be rolled home. Why? Oh, because we COULDN’T MOVE after eating a pile of fries and the following:

Nathan: A FRIED ham, turkey, and cheese sandwich with mixed berry preserves
Nathan’s sister, Brandi: A lasagna grilled cheese sandwich (like the lasagna ON the sandwich)
Nathan’s mom, Leesa: A grilled cheese sandwich with bacon and tomato
Me: A barbeque chicken grilled cheese sandwich with grilled onions

Sensing a trend? Yep, Melt serves tons of varieties of grilled cheese sandwiches. You might have to wait an hour any time you go, but these sandwiches will be the most unique, delicious grilled cheese sandwiches you’ve ever eaten. Plus, if you get a Melt tattoo, you get 25% off for life. And people do it! Because it’s that good!

For all you foodies, you should know Melt. It’s been featured on Man vs. Food (13 different cheeses, five pounds of food … enough said?) and Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives. It’s a Cleveland icon, and I had to go, even if it meant being rolled home.

Brandi had to take pictures at the restaurant because I was TOO! EXCITED!

There’s that infamous lasagna sandwich.

And my sandwich the next day in some better light. Deliciousness in a recyclable to-go container. :)

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101 in 1001: #28 Pick apples.10.17.11

Apples are so much better when you pick them yourself. For real. Nathan and I visited Eddy Fruit Farm a couple weekends ago to pick apples and grapes, and it was a perfect fall activity.

The weather was GORGEOUS, we picked about 25 apples and 324 pounds of grapes, and we got a 45-pound pumpkin to carve. Go big or go home, we say!

Back at home, we made a completely apple-inspired meal: apple and turkey paninis, roasted cinnamon apples and carrots, and apple crisp. I’m not a huge fan of apple crisp (or any cooked fruit for that matter–I’m a texture person), but this was delish. Here’s the recipe in case you’re interested:

Old Fashioned Apple Crisp (from foodnetwork.com)

Ingredients

5 pounds McIntosh or Macoun apples (we used Jonathan)
Grated zest of 1 orange
Grated zest of 1 lemon
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

For the topping

1 1/2 cups flour
3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup light brown sugar, packed
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 cup oatmeal
1/2 pound cold unsalted butter, diced

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter a 9 by 14 by 2-inch oval baking dish.

Peel, core, and cut the apples into large wedges. Combine the apples with the zests, juices, sugar, and spices. Pour into the dish.

To make the topping, combine the flour, sugars, salt, oatmeal, and cold butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until the mixture is crumbly and the butter is the size of peas. Scatter evenly over the apples.

Place the crisp on a sheet pan and bake for 1 hour until the top is brown and the apples are bubbly. Serve warm.

(And here is my original 101 in 1001 list, in case you’re interested.)

The finished product! :)

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