Peanut Brittle

Ingredients:
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cup peanuts (I prefer Spanish peanuts)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix and set aside butter and baking soda. Mix and boil sugar, water and syrup to hardball (about 250 degrees).

Add peanuts and stir until yellow (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and add butter mixture and vanilla.

Pour onto greased baking sheet.

Put in a package for your father-in-law because he loves it and it's a tradition to bring him some at Christmas... :)

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing. I do this recipe to the letter each time.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! I'm not a huge fan of brittle but I'm happy to make it for my father-in-law who loves it.

TIPS:
1. Mix the butter and baking soda. Have it prepared on a spoon so it can be mixed quickly into the recipe. Also set aside the vanilla where it can also be quickly added.

2. When you mix and boil the sugar, water and corn syrup, it will take several minutes to get to 250. But watch it, because it will go from about 230 to 250 really quickly. You will definitely need a candy thermometer.

3. When you add the peanuts, stir constantly. I keep the heat around 5-6. Too much lower and it will take a really long time to cook, too much higher and it will cook before you can blink. As SOON as you see the yellow color appear, push the pot off the heat and throw in the vanilla and the butter mixture. STIR, STIR, STIR! Otherwise it will burn, burn, burn. Immediately pour it onto a greased baking sheet.

4. I recommend using a metal spoon for all your stirring and stuff. I've never used anything besides metal because I think the heat would melt a lot of stuff. This is one of the hardest recipes I've ever tried, but if you do it once you can do it a thousand times.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 tsp butter
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 cup peanuts (I prefer Spanish peanuts)
1 tsp vanilla

Mix and set aside butter and baking soda. Mix and boil sugar, water and syrup to hardball (about 250 degrees).
Add peanuts and stir until yellow (about 3-5 minutes). Remove from heat and add butter mixture and vanilla.
Pour onto greased baking sheet.

Molasses Spice Cookies

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
granulated sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, soda, spices, and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and molasses. Add the egg and beat 1 minute more. Blend in the flour mixture until you have a soft dough.

Divide in half; wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Shape teaspoonfuls into balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes until flattened and crackle-topped.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I didn't freeze them first, but the only reason I could gather to do that was to make it easier to roll the dough into balls. I just scooped them onto the baking sheet and they turned out just fine. I also just sprinkled them with sugar instead of rolling them in sugar.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same stuff.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. These were a great Christmas recipe and so easy to make! I loved that I had everything in the pantry already. Those are the best recipes.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 3/4 tsp baking soda
2 tsp ginger
1 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/2 sticks butter, softened
3/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup molasses
1 egg
granulated sugar, for rolling

Whisk together the flour, soda, spices, and salt. In another bowl, beat the butter, sugar, and molasses. Add the egg and beat 1 minute more. Blend in the flour mixture until you have a soft dough.

Divide in half; wrap and freeze for 30 minutes. Shape teaspoonfuls into balls; roll in sugar. Place 2 inches apart on a baking sheet.

Bake at 350 for 9-11 minutes until flattened and crackle-topped.

Peanut Butter and Jelly Muffins

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 tsp jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam.

Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pans 5 minutes.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I mix white flour and wheat flour anyway, so I just spooned out 1 3/4 cups of flour from my canister. Instead of using an egg substitute I used one egg. And instead of using strawberry jam, I used two different types that I had just small amounts of.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above.

Verdict:
Thumbs up. These weren't the best things ever but they were great for snacking on. I thought they had a good flavor.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 cup flour
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed dark brown sugar
1 Tbsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 1/4 cups milk
1/3 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup egg substitute
2 Tbsp butter, melted
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 cup strawberry jam

Preheat oven to 400. Lightly spoon flours into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flours, sugars, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl; stir with a whisk. Make a well in center of mixture. Combine milk and next 4 ingredients; add to flour mixture, stirring just until moist. Spoon batter into muffin cups coated with cooking spray. Fill each cup half full with batter. Spoon 1 tsp jam into each cup. Spoon remaining batter on top to cover jam. Bake at 400 for 20 minutes or until muffins spring back when touched lightly in center. Let cool in pans 5 minutes.

Sausage Balls

Ingredients:
1 lb ground sausage
1 lb sharp cheese, shredded cheddar
1 cup Bisquick

Leave cheese out to soften. Mix sausage and cheese, knead well. Sift Bisquick in and mix together with sausage and cheese. Form into 1 large ball. Then take off small portions to form small 1/2-inch sausage balls. Place sausage balls on a non-stick pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until done.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do different next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up! Sausage balls are a classic party recipe and SO easy to make. Even if the final picture does make them look unappetizing....

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 lb ground sausage
1 lb sharp cheese, shredded cheddar
1 cup Bisquick

Leave cheese out to soften. Mix sausage and cheese, knead well. Sift Bisquick in and mix together with sausage and cheese. Form into 1 large ball. Then take off small portions to form small 1/2-inch sausage balls. Place sausage balls on a non-stick pan. Bake at 350 for 15-20 minutes or until done.

Maple-glazed Pork Chops

You can thank Paula Deen for this recipe.

Ingredients:
4 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 pork chops
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup butter maple syrup
1/2 cup chicken stock

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about 4-6 minutes.

In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the maple syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter and serve with the syrup poured over them.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I believe we only had four pork chops. That didn't matter for the recipe though. Also, I didn't have balsamic vinegar so I used red wine vinegar.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!! Oh my gooooodness this was so good. Stephen had me cook his pork chops the way he likes them, but once he started smelling these he got REALLY jealous. He actually preferred them without the maple syrup mixture but I thought that added such a great flavor to these.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
4 tsp ancho chili powder
1 tsp kosher salt
6 pork chops
2 Tbsp olive oil, divided
3 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup butter maple syrup
1/2 cup chicken stock

In a small bowl, combine the chili powder and salt and sprinkle evenly over both sides of the pork chops. In a large skillet, heat 1 Tbsp olive oil over medium-high heat. Add the pork chops and cook until browned, about 2 minutes per side. Reduce the heat to medium, and cook until desired doneness, about 4-6 minutes.
In a small skillet, over medium-high heat, add the balsamic vinegar and cook until reduced by half. Stir in the maple syrup and chicken stock. Cook over medium heat until thick and syrupy, about 5 minutes. Transfer the pork chops to a serving platter and serve with the syrup poured over them.

Wassail

The wassail recipe can be found here.

This year I used peaches instead of apricots. It was an accident, but still tasted good. I also halved the recipe which was a good call.

Beef and Broccoli

I did a lot of things differently from how this recipe specified them to be done. I'll make side notes in italics for parts of this recipe.

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
2 cloves garlic, crushed (I used 2 cloves minced)
1 Tbsp fresh ginger (I used 1 Tbsp ground ginger; we love the flavor)
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 lb flank steak, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced across the grain (I used one pound of venison stew)
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp dry sherry (I used 3 Tbsp orange juice)
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp sesame oil (I used 1 tsp sesame oil, 2 tsp vegetable oil as we don't like the flavor of sesame oil that much)
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water
1 1/2 lbs broccoli (I used two 9-oz packages of frozen broccoli)

Prepare rice as label directs. In a medium bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Add beef; toss gently to coat. Set aside.

In small bowl, combine broth, sherry, sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and remaining soy sauce. In another small bowl, combine cornstarch and water.

Cut broccoli florets into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Trim and peel broccoli stems; cut into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices. (I didn't do this step because I used frozen broccoli florets instead. Yay timesaver!) In skillet, heat 1/2 inch water to boiling on medium-high. Add broccoli. Cook 3 minutes or until tender-crisp; drain and set aside. Wipe skillet dry. In same skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp sesame oil on medium-high until hot. Add half of beef mixture; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until beef just loses its pink color throughout; stirring. Transfer beef to plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining beef mixture. (With just one pound of meat I easily cooked it all at one time rather than splitting it up.) Add broth mixture to skillet; heat to boiling. Add cornstarch mixture and return to boiling; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly; stirring. Add broccoli; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in beef. Serve over rice.

What I did differently from the recipe:
You can see I changed several things just to tweak it. At the end I also put the venison back in with the broccoli and sauce just so everything would be mixed together.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same things.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! We were gobbling this up. It was really good and very easy to make. Had a good flavor but not too much of any one thing. Definitely a keeper!

Printable version:

Ingredients:
1 cup white rice
2 cloves garlic, crushed
1 Tbsp fresh ginger
3 Tbsp soy sauce
1 lb flank steak, cut in half lengthwise and thinly sliced across the grain
1/2 cup chicken broth
3 Tbsp dry sherry
1 tsp sugar
3 tsp sesame oil
1 Tbsp cornstarch
1 Tbsp cold water
1 1/2 lbs broccoli

Prepare rice as label directs. In medium bowl, combine garlic, ginger, and 1 Tbsp soy sauce. Add beef; toss gently to coat. Set aside. In small bowl, combine broth, sherry, sugar, 1 tsp sesame oil, and remaining soy sauce. In another small bowl, combine cornstarch and water. Cut broccoli florets into 1 1/2-inch pieces. Trim and peel broccoli stems; cut into 1/4-inch-thick diagonal slices. In skillet, heat 1/2 inch water to boiling on medium-high. Add broccoli. Cook 3 minutes or until tender-crisp; drain and set aside. Wipe skillet dry. In same skillet, heat remaining 2 tsp sesame oil on medium-high until hot. Add half of beef mixture; cook 1 to 2 minutes or until beef just loses its pink color throughout; stirring. Transfer beef to plate; cover with foil to keep warm. Repeat with remaining beef mixture. Add broth mixture to skillet; heat to boiling. Add cornstarch mixture and return to boiling; cook 1 minute or until sauce thickens slightly; stirring. Add broccoli; heat through. Remove from heat and stir in beef. Serve over rice.

Chicken Vegetable Chowder

Ingredients:
3 bacon slices, chopped
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbsp flour
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
2 (15-oz) cans Veg-All, drained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened.

Stir in canned vegetables and remaining ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

What I did differently from the recipe:
Nothing.

What I'll do differently next time:
Nothing.

Verdict:
Thumbs up!! Great soup for cold weather. It was kind of a comfort food for me because I love chicken soup, chowders, and vegetables. To have all those wrapped up in one was really good.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3 bacon slices, chopped
1 small onion, diced
3 Tbsp flour
2 (14-oz) cans chicken broth
2 (15-oz) cans Veg-All, drained
2 cups chopped cooked chicken
1/2 cup whipping cream
1/4 tsp pepper

Cook bacon in Dutch oven over medium-high heat 10 minutes or until crisp. Add onion, and saute 5 minutes or until tender. Stir in flour; whisk in chicken broth until smooth. Bring mixture to a boil; reduce heat, and simmer 10 minutes or until thickened. Stir in canned vegetables and remaining ingredients; cook until thoroughly heated. Serve immediately.

Caramel Brownies

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chunks
1 package (14 oz) soft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. In large microwave-safe bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in microwave oven for 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Whisk in eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spread half the batter into 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chunks.

In medium-size saucepan, melt together caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Evenly pour over batter in pan. Spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chunks.

Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until top is dry to the touch. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.

What I did differently from the recipe:
I left out the pecans because I prefer my brownies without nuts. Other than that, I didn't do anything differently.

What I'll do differently next time:
Same as above.

Verdict:
Thumbs UP!! Wow, these were sooo good. And sooo messy. They were kind of blobby because of the melted caramel in the middle, but who cares?? The only thing I hated about this recipe was unwrapping each individual caramel. My fingers were killing me by the end. Also, I always use a metal spoon to stir when I'm making candy, so trust me, if you have one, you'll want to use it for the caramels. The caramel drops off so much easier when it's done.

Printable version:

Ingredients:
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) butter
4 oz unsweetened chocolate
4 eggs
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups flour
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup chopped pecans
1 bag (12 oz) chocolate chunks
1 package (14 oz) soft caramels, unwrapped
1/4 cup heavy cream

Heat oven to 350. In large microwave-safe bowl, melt together butter and chocolate in microwave oven for 2 minutes; stir until smooth. Whisk in eggs, sugar, flour and vanilla. Stir in pecans. Spread half the batter into 13x9 pan. Sprinkle with 1 cup chocolate chunks. In medium-size saucepan, melt together caramels and heavy cream over medium-low heat until smooth, about 5 minutes. Evenly pour over batter in pan. Spread with remaining batter. Sprinkle with remaining 1 cup chocolate chunks. Bake at 350 for about 35 minutes or until top is dry to the touch. Let cool completely. Cut into squares and serve.