Recipes

[selek]

Peanut Brittle

1 1/4 cup Sugar

1/2 teaspoon Salt (only when using unsalted peanuts)

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 cup water

1 1/2 cup peanuts

1 teaspoon non-lumpy baking soda

3 drops yellow and red food coloring

Greased (buttered) 15 1/2 x 12 cookie sheet

In heavy 1 1/2 quart saucepan, stir together sugar, salt, corn syrup, and water. Over medium heat, stirring constantly, bring to boil. Clip candy thermometer to pan.

Without stirring, boil until candy thermometer reads 280 degrees. Add peanuts gradually to keep mixture boiling.

Stirring often, cook until candy thermometer reads 300 degrees (hard crack stage).

Off heat, quickly, but gently stir in baking soda, keeping as many bubbles intact as possible.

Pour at once into middle of cookie sheet and allow to cool.

Break into pieces, and store tightly covered. Makes me 1 1/4 lbs.

This is an old-family recipe that's been in my family for three generations now. It was handed down from Ann Landers (my Mom clipped it out of the newspaper when I was 8 ).

The original recipe called for using dark corn syrup and omitted the food coloring. I found that by using light syrup instead, the candy came out pretty much clear (without altering the flavor of the candy), and I could use the food coloring to customize it.

One of my favorite things to do is make two batches of brittle right around the holidays, coloring one green and the other red. Mixing the batches makes a nice red/green color scheme for Christmas goody baskets.

[Jeny]

Why is it all the best men are already taken?

[Daniel]

Why is it all the best men are already taken?

Qoute "Selek"

I am divorced with four children.

Looks like hes available.

[Jeny]

Qoute "Selek"

Looks like hes available.

kool! Missed that! I was just kidding anyway!!!

....so...Selek, how do YOU feel about knee bangs? (again, just kidding!)

[MorningStar]

Qoute "Selek"

Looks like hes available.

QP, I didn't know you were such a matchmaker.

[MorningStar]

FRUIT DIP

7 oz. marshmallow cream

8 oz. cream cheese softened

1 or 2 tsp. maraschino cherry juice (or another flavoring if you prefer)

Combine all in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Cut up some fruit and dip it in. Strawberries and bananas are my favorite with it. Also goes well with apples, pears, pineapple, oranges, etc. :)

[selek]

kool! Missed that! I was just kidding anyway!!!

....so...Selek, how do YOU feel about knee bangs? (again, just kidding!)

I'll bite:

What's a "knee bang"?

[Daniel]

I'll bite:

What's a "knee bang"?

I was wondering the same thing...

[susieSA]

Oh my word Selek....

Those recipe's sound absolutely devine!!!

I love all of em

My mouth waters

[Jeny]

Knee bangs are a natural occurrence when a woman has no man to impress!! We don't bother to shave past our knees. I do not wear dresses or shorts that go above the knee, so why bother to shave past them? Of course I am only kidding with you guys!! Of course I would shave them if I had a reason to!! I like to joke about my one tooth, too!!

I'm a REAL catch!!!!

...So, which one of you fellas want to go with me to the singles dance tonight?

[SMG]

Darn, y'all! Darn ya to heck!!! I must have gained 5 pounds just THINKING of eating those recipes!!

[Guest Iggy]

Darn, y'all! Darn ya to heck!!! I must have gained 5 pounds just THINKING of eating those recipes!!

What are you compaining about? You just gained a measly 5 pounds - I went into diabetic shock!

[bunnzy]

ooo. between my depression and having a baby ive been too busy to shave for a while now... my poor husband.

Those recipes sound fantastic!

My fav Aussie recipe is a great cake called a Pavlova. Its a huge merigue (im not helping iggys diabetic shock with this one!) with a crunchy outside and fluffy centre. My mum used to make this in America for friends, and they would pay up to $50 for one cake! (this was for fundraising for YW Camp) i cant remember my mums recipe off y heart. so i got this recipe from joyofbaking.com. theres a pic there too if you want to drool even more.

Pavlova

4 large (120 grams) egg whites

1 cup (200 grams) superfine (castor) sugar

1 teaspoon white vinegar

1/2 tablespoon cornstarch (corn flour)

Topping:

1 cup (240 ml) heavy whipping cream

1 1/2 tablespoons (20 grams) granulated white sugar

1/2 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Fresh fruit - kiwi, strawberries, raspberries, blackberries, passion fruit, peaches, pineapple, or other fruit of your choice

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (130 degrees C) and place rack in center of oven. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and draw a 7 inch (18 cm) circle on the paper.

In the bowl of your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, beat the egg whites on medium-high speed until they hold soft peaks. Start adding the sugar, a tablespoon at a time, and continue to beat until the meringue holds very stiff peaks. (Test to see if the sugar is fully dissolved by rubbing a little of the meringue between your thumb and index finger. The meringue should feel smooth, not gritty. If it feels gritty the sugar has not fully dissolved so keep beating until it feels smooth between your fingers). Sprinkle the vinegar and cornstarch over the top of the meringue and, with a rubber spatula, fold in.

Gently spread the meringue inside the circle drawn on the parchment paper, smoothing the edges, making sure the edges of the meringue are slightly higher than the center. (You want a slight well in the center of the meringue to place the whipped cream and fruit.)

Bake for 1 hour 15 minutes or until the outside is dry and takes on a very pale cream color. Turn the oven off, leave the door slightly ajar, and let the meringue cool completely in the oven. (The outside of the meringue will feel firm to the touch, if gently pressed, but as it cools you will get a little cracking and you will see that the inside is soft and marshmallowy.)

The cooled meringue can be made and stored in a cool dry place, in an airtight container, for a few days.

Just before serving gently place the meringue onto a serving plate. Whip the cream in your electric mixer, with the whisk attachment, until soft peaks form. Sweeten with the sugar and vanilla and then mound the softly whipped cream into the center of the meringue. Arrange the fruit randomly, or in a decorative pattern, on top of the cream. Serve immediately as this dessert does not hold for more than a few hours

My other fav 'recipe' is strawberry tortillas.

Fry some tortillas in a frying pan with butter and oil, bung in some cut strawberries, honey and sour cream, while the tortilla is still hot, fold like a burrito and eat. Its a fav in my family during strawberry season.

[selek]

Hmmmm.......

It seems this is going to become something of a competition.

To quote the great philosopher Bugs Bunny :

I will, of course be trying the recipe!

[Jeny]

ooo. between my depression and having a baby ive been too busy to shave for a while now... my poor husband.

Wow!! I thought only us single ladies get knee bangs!!!!

[bunnzy]

'fraid not Yed!

i disgust myself sometimes... it is still wet and cold here, winter is lasting longer than usual, so i can 'get away with it' more than if it were summer.

[Jeny]

It is OK, sweetie...your secret is safe with me and a few thousand of your closest friends, now!!!!!

[MorningStar]

Prepare for something pretty healthy and delicious!

CHOPPED SALAD

1 head iceberg lettuce

5 roma tomatoes (I prefer roma - use whatever you want)

Provolone cheese, grated (1/4 to 1/2 pound, whatever you like)

Mozzarella cheese, grated (same as the Provolone)

Salami (half pound or more - you'll probably nibble it as you cut it up. I use hard salami from the deli)

Boneless skinless chicken breast, cooked and cubed

Fresh basil, thinly sliced (the more, the better - go for a cup or so maybe)

Green onion, sliced (one bunch)

Garbanzo beans, drained (1 small can)

Chop the lettuce, tomatoes, salami, and chicken up really small.

For the dressing:

1 cup extra virgin olive oil

1/2 cup red wine vinegar

1 tablespoon dijon mustard

2 cloves minced garlic

1 tsp. sugar

1 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. dry mustard

Shake it up in a container and pour over the salad.

This salad is a lot of work, but so worth it and people LOVE it. To make preparation easier, I buy an Italian cheese mix instead of grating the provolone and mozzarella myself and I ask for about quarter inch thick slices of salami at the deli to make the chopping process faster. Also, I have one of those Pampered Chef food choppers and that works nice for the chicken.

I hope you'll try it and like it! As with any salad, it's not an exact science and you can tweak the ingredients according to your preferences. The dressing goes great with lots of salads! Try a bag of spring mix with salad shrimp, gorgonzola cheese, avocado, tomatoes, crushed croutons, and throw on some little lemon wedges after you dress the salad. I'm having the urge to go to the store and buy this stuff now. Mmmmmm ...

[siouxz72]

That does sound delicious, MorningStar! And anything to make the process easier is good for me! Now I want to go home and get some of my favorite recipes out to share!

One thing I did do that I can post here real quick is this... a couple of years ago my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her that I would like a little book of all the recipes for my favorite foods growing up. You know, the usual Mormon greats....shepards pie. funeral potatoes. etc. The cool thing was that she called all my brothers and sister and got what they wanted to and made us a family cook book. She included all sorts of great scriptural references to food (hee hee) and quotes from various church people as well as all of our favorite foods! I think this is probably the best gift I have ever gotten from her...especially since she denied me the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine when I was a child! (not that I'm bitter about it or anything

[MorningStar]

That does sound delicious, MorningStar! And anything to make the process easier is good for me! Now I want to go home and get some of my favorite recipes out to share!

One thing I did do that I can post here real quick is this... a couple of years ago my mom asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I told her that I would like a little book of all the recipes for my favorite foods growing up. You know, the usual Mormon greats....shepards pie. funeral potatoes. etc. The cool thing was that she called all my brothers and sister and got what they wanted to and made us a family cook book. She included all sorts of great scriptural references to food (hee hee) and quotes from various church people as well as all of our favorite foods! I think this is probably the best gift I have ever gotten from her...especially since she denied me the Snoopy Snow Cone Machine when I was a child! (not that I'm bitter about it or anything

I had the Snoopy Snowcone Machine. It was awesome! My mom gave us a recipe box and it was funny because she made some typos and it really screwed up some of the recipes we tried. One day I came home to my husband attempting to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies and they melted into a huge, runny, gooey puddle in the middle of the sheet and oozed all over the oven. I was cracking up. He said, "There's something wrong with this recipe. Why is it called Pumpkin Spice Cookies when there isn't any pumpkin in it?" She had forgotten to write "pumpkin" and it needed double the flour that she wrote. He kept adding flour until he had "spice cookies". That reminds me. He keeps asking me if we have any oranges because he wants to bake some kind of blueberry bread with orange zest. I'll have to surprise him with that today. :)

[Guest Iggy]

I had the Snoopy Snowcone Machine. It was awesome! My mom gave us a recipe box and it was funny because she made some typos and it really screwed up some of the recipes we tried. One day I came home to my husband attempting to make Pumpkin Spice Cookies and they melted into a huge, runny, gooey puddle in the middle of the sheet and oozed all over the oven. I was cracking up. He said, "There's something wrong with this recipe. Why is it called Pumpkin Spice Cookies when there isn't any pumpkin in it?" She had forgotten to write "pumpkin" and it needed double the flour that she wrote. He kept adding flour until he had "spice cookies". That reminds me. He keeps asking me if we have any oranges because he wants to bake some kind of blueberry bread with orange zest. I'll have to surprise him with that today. :)

YOU'RE husband COOKS???? oooohhh I am so green with envy oooohhh You Are One Lucky Gal

[selek]

YOU'RE husband COOKS???? oooohhh I am so green with envy oooohhh You Are One Lucky Gal

Why is this surprising? My ex doesn't like me to cook (in her kitchen- she's very territorial about it), but frequently demands that I teach her my recipes. Both of my brother's and I tended to be the primary cooks in our families- as was my stepfather and former father-in-law.

With the exception of my ex-wife marking her territory with sprinklings of flour (better that than sprinkling something else), I'm widely acknowledged as the better cook and have taught our daughters as much, if not more than she has.

[siouxz72]

YOU'RE husband COOKS???? oooohhh I am so green with envy oooohhh You Are One Lucky Gal

I'm green with envy over the snoopy snow cone machine!! not fair!

and Iggy...my husband cooks. He makes killer pancakes! They sit in me for days! ugh!

[selek]

I'm green with envy over the snoopy snow cone machine!! not fair!

E-Bay's got one new in the box for $21.50. Let the healing begin.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-SNOOPY-SNO-CO...1QQcmdZViewItem

[siouxz72]

E-Bay's got one new in the box for $21.50. Let the healing begin.

http://cgi.ebay.com/ORIGINAL-SNOOPY-SNO-CO...1QQcmdZViewItem

ohno! The link didn't work! Isn't ebay the greatest? I should pull a Weird Al and do a funny cover of A Bay Bay but it would be ... E Bay Bay! who wants to help me with the lyrics?!