Classic Caramels

Source: whimsicalities via Pinterest

Can you believe Christmas is nearly here?? I can't! November just flew by for us! This weekend we will be putting together our plates of holiday treats for friends and neighbors, so next week will be full of Christmas goodies for all of you, my wonderful readers! A few tried and true, and a few brand new! I have to share this one first, because it is a must try. I got the recipe from my mother-in-law, and it is one of The Geologist's two favorite Christmas treats. I've been seeing sweetened condensed milk caramels all over Pinterest, and I have tasted both, and no offense, but there is no contest. You just can't replace real butter and cream!! They're basically God's gift to candy!

Classic Caramels
Printable Recipe

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1 cup dark Karo (corn) syrup
2 cups heavy cream
2 cups sugar
1 tsp vanilla

candy thermometer (if you don't have one, you can find one at your local grocery store, or Walmart/Target. They aren't expensive!)
1/4 cup cold butter, cut into tablespoon-chunks

Butter a 9x13 baking dish WELL. (You can line it with waxed paper too, if you'd like) Set aside.

Combine 1/2 cup butter, Karo, 1 cup of cream, sugar, and vanilla in a large saucepan. (You may think there is too little mixture for such a big pot, but it bubbles up HIGH!) Bring to a boil on medium-high heat. Continue boiling until mixture reaches 232 degrees (soft ball).

Add 1 cup of cream, increase heat to high,(if your stove burns pretty hot, keep it just barely under high, or your caramels will burn!) and boil until it reaches 250 degrees (240 degrees at 6000 ft above sea level). These heating steps take a while. Be patient, and don't increase the heat before you are supposed to, and you will have perfectly set caramels!

Remove from heat and stir in the 1/4 cup of butter. Pour into prepared dish. Let cool and set for a few hours. Cut into chunks or slices with a sharp knife and wrap in wax paper.

If you've buttered your dish well, they shouldn't be difficult to get out at ALL.

Hooray! You have now made rich, luscious, chewy, delicious caramel! Everyone will be impressed, I promise!

They have just the right texture, no grainy crystallization or plain brown sugar taste. Just buttery, decadent, classic caramel wonderfulness. Like store-bought, but better! I hope you try these, they're a holiday staple around here. Even though it takes a little while, it's really not difficult! 

What are some of your favorite holiday-sharing treats?

Shared at Homespun Christmas Linky Party and Foodie Friday

Aunt Lysa's Cheese Rolls

Ah, the Christmas season, the only time of the year I actually enjoy ice cream and hot fudge. Because peppermint ice cream with rich dark fudge on top is just plain delicious!!

Yeah, not so artsy, but whatever. :) It was yummy. So here's a question for all you moms out there. How do you encourage a perfectionist child?! My stubborn little mister Joe gets so frustrated. Constantly. A dozen times a day. He is a fabulous artist and engineer (for a 5 year old, of course) but is always giving up because he can't do something as well as he thinks it should be done. I know he can, but I'm tired of the constant reassuring pep talks, and honestly, they don't do any good. Any advice??

Oh wait... I think I may have just answered my own question... I ignored his current whining about legos... and a few minutes later, he's back in there all focused and determined! Silly me. I should know this by now, right? If every time he says "I caaaan't" I give him all this praise and adoration... of course he would do it all the time!! Ugh. Am I the only mom who has to re-learn lessons like this over and over?? I remember while growing up my Mom would tell me "We've been doing this since you were four, how have you still not grasped the concept?" (You know, for cleaning rooms, being polite, etc. Those things us parents are constantly reinforcing) But it seems I have the same problem as a mom!! *facepalm* Well. Hope you all enjoyed that little life lesson!! Ha!

Aunt Lysa's Cheese Rolls
Printable Recipe

12 frozen rolls (I use Rhodes, you can use your favorite brand!)
1 stick butter, melted
1 1/2 cups freshly grated parmesan cheese
1/3-1/2 cup garlic bread seasoning (recipe here)

Remove rolls from freezer and let them thaw 1-2 hours, until soft.

Mix the cheese, and seasoning in a bowl. Dip the rolls in butter, then roll in cheese mixture.

Place back in a 9x13 dish and let rise 2-3 more hours. Bake according to package instructions. Serve warm!

Voila! A cheese wad!! Oh, did I forget to mention that?? Yep, among our family these rolls are known as Cheese Wads. I didn't put that in the title because it doesn't exactly sound... appetizing. It does now that you know what it is though, right?

Not the greatest pictures, I apologize. I let my rolls seriously over-rise, so they were really really soft. Still delicious though!! They get all butter and crispy-cheesy, soft and fluffy inside, and that garlic bread seasoning is a must!! I love the stuff. I'm going to make actual garlic bread tomorrow!

My boys love these cheese wads. Wads of cheese!! They could eat them all day and all night. The first time they had them at my Aunt Lysa's house, they raved so much she sent some home with them in little baggies. And believe me, my Stephen knows how to rave. A sample, if you will!!

"Oh my GOSH, these are the most AWESOME rolls I have EVER TASTED. Mom, MOM, you HAVE to make these. I'm SO serious. They're SO good!!!"

So what are you waiting for? You have it on good authority from my 6 year-old. You HAVE to make these! :)

Chicken Noodle Soup

Source: soundless_space via wintercozy.tumbler

It snowed again! I took my beastie out one last time before bed (at midnight... I can't sleep when Stephen is gone!) and it was snowing big, beautiful, fluffy flakes. No one was around, so I was very naughty and let her off the leash to romp around on our back hill. Our girlie loves the snow. It was pretty magical! And this morning we have a lovely few inches of the sparkliest snow you've ever seen! The sparkly snow is my favorite. Not only is every snowflake unique, but there are so many different types of snow! The thick, wet snow, the drizzly icy snow, the just-barely-dust snow, the tiny balls of snow, and my favorite, the sparkling fluffy, light as air snow! When I was younger I called it Diamond Snow. :) I'm so glad the weather has finally turned wintry! The holidays are just not the same when it's all warm and brown outside. And what could be better for a chill winter day than a piping hot bowl of soup?

Chicken Noodle Soup
Printable Recipe

2-3 chicken breasts
1/2 yellow onion, diced small
2-3 sticks of celery, diced
3-4 carrots, peeled and sliced into disks
1 leek, rinsed and sliced (optional, see here for technique!)
1 cup frozen peas (optional)
6-8 cups chicken broth
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
8-10 oz. extra wide egg noodles
a few sprigs of fresh thyme
salt (or soup base) and pepper

Simmer the chicken breasts in 6 cups of broth for 20 minutes, or until just cooked through. Remove the chicken from the broth, set broth aside for later. Shred the chicken. (You can also skip this step by using any cooked shredded chicken that you already have)

Melt butter in a large pot on medium heat. Add veggies and saute till softened. (We like our onions squishy, so I let the onions soften first, then add the other veggies) Add flour, and stir till it starts to darken and smells toasty. Whisk in the reserved broth and bring to a boil (ad more broth if needed).

Add chicken, thyme leaves from those springs, and pepper. Simmer till noodles are barely done. (if using peas, add them last, because they thaw quickly!) You don't want them too squishy, because they will keep cooking. Season to taste with salt and pepper. (Soup base is a great substitute for salt, because it adds flavor as well) Serve and enjoy!

My favorite thing about this soup is that the broth is lightly thickened. It's smooth and full of flavor and absolutely delicious!

The chicken turns out juicy and tender, the vegetables are soft but not squishy! I added leeks because I love them. I think they turn this into the best chicken noodle soup ever! They add a whole new layer of flavor. I like peas, but my family doesn't, so I put them as "optional".

I hope you try this one, it's a family favorite. This is how my Mom made soup for us, and how I make it for my kids. You could also use frozen egg noodles, the Geologist prefers those. I don't, because they thicken the soup up LOTS, and it kinda turns into a casserole! You could always thin it out with more broth though!

Shared at Foodie Friends Friday and Clever Chicks Blog Hop

Weekly Menu Dec. 10

Source: wit&delight via Pinterest

Happy Monday, everyone! I hope you had a lovely weekend! I sure did :) But now the Geologist is gone for the week, so we are just a bit blue around here. Nothing serious, just a pale, wistful, blue. Luckily it's nice and cold outside, so we feel festive and cozy in here! I found someone to come to the second concert with us tonight, so I get to bring the boys! They're so excited. We'll probably watch lots of movies, and eat lots of popcorn this week. But I have some nice, homey, comforting recipes for you. Here's hoping you all have delightful days, while I'm wishing for snow!

This week we have:

Chicken Noodle Soup

Aunt Lysa's Cheese Rolls

Jean Griffin Chocolate Chip Cookies

Classic Caramels

Mini Egg Nog Muffins

Source: simplypix.tumblr via Pinterest

Citrus Streusel Drizzle Cake

It SNOWED!!! Finally it feels like December!! It better stay that way, warm weather this time of years saps a bit of my Christmas cheer! It's just not the same!

Speaking of Christmas cheer, we've had quite the Christmas Tree saga. We found a beautiful, lush, perfect noble fir for our Christmas tree the day after Thanksgiving. Our very first real Christmas tree!

Unfortunately, it seems I never paid enough attention to Christmas tree care while growing up... so it dried out completely. When we realized it was dying, we went all out, pulled all the decorations off, cut a few inches off the end, and waited for it to recover...

It did not. Sigh. So what to do?? We COULD dig back through the closet and set up our fake tree... but the Geologist decided he had been too spoiled by the real tree. So we got a baby tree, and set it up on the counter!

I almost like it better.

Citrus Streusel Drizzle Cake (adapted from The English Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

1 cup self-raising flour
1/2 cup softened butter

heaping 1/2 cup caster/ultrafine sugar
2 heaped Tb of good quality lemon curd
2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla
zest of 1 lemon and 1 tsp orange zest
juice of 1/2 lemon

Streusel:

4 Tb granulated sugar
6 Tb flour
2 Tb cold butter
1 Tb orange zest, and zest from 1 lemon
1 TBS chopped candied ginger

Glaze:
1 cup powdered sugar
the juice of 1/2 lemon, plus 1-2 Tb fresh-squeezed orange juice

Preheat the oven to 325. Butter/line a medium sized loaf pan. 

Put all of your streusel ingredients into a food processor. (Or mixer) Blitz until it clumps. Remove and set aside. Wipe out the processor/mixer. Add all of the cake ingredients and blitz for 2 minutes. 

Pour batter into the prepared loaf pan. Smooth over the top. Sprinkle with the streusel. (Easy, huh??)

Bake for 30 to 45 minutes until the cake is well risen and golden. A toothpick inserted in the center should come out clean. Allow to cool completely in the pan. Once it is cool, lift out onto a wire rack. Whisk the glaze ingredients together only adding enough juice to give you a drizzle-able consistency. Drizzle this over the top of the cake. Allow to set completely before serving.

Isn't it beautiful?? So easy, and fun to make, and just looks delicious!!

The icing is sweet and tart, the streusel is crunchy and bright, with the ginger bits adding warmth... I never thought, "Oh! There's some ginger!", it just warmed up all the flavors wonderfully.

I love all the spices of this time of year, but isn't it funny that we think of citrus as a summery flavor, when here in North America, they're actually best in winter?? It was time for some lemon around here!

The cake itself is light and fluffy, just moist enough, and sweetly lemony. You can taste both the lemon and orange flavors, and they make a great team! This is a positively delectable cake, and one of the yummiest things I've made in a while!

I wish I could have eaten it all myself, but I gave it to a neighbor. It's probably for the best. I might just have to make another one... It was truly scrumptious!

Shared at The Sunday Showcase, Make the Scene Monday and  On the Menu Monday

Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing

Well, I think The Geologist's post yesterday takes care of my Small and Wonderful Things, don't you? I'm glad he likes me so much. I'm pretty fond of him too. :) I'm so proud, he actually quoted Bollywood!! But he is SERIOUSLY in the doghouse for posting that last picture. Ugh.

The concert was glorious!! Fantastic!! A once-in-a-lifetime experience. I gave a little more than I should have in rehearsals, so my voice was kinda raw, and not as perfect as I might have wished, but I kept up pretty well! I nailed and held those ridiculously high notes almost all the way through, and gave it everything I had left. One song kind of fizzled, but we were just underscoring the narrator so it didn't really matter. When we finished with "Angels We Have Heard On High" (very high!!) we were louder, more powerful, and more awesome than we had ever been. Like the angels really were with us. I got down off the stand, shaking, and burst into tears. One of the handbell ladies tried to see if I was okay, and I told her I was just too happy!! It's hard to find the words to express what it meant to me, but the one that comes to mind is transcendent. And the best part is, I get to do most of it again on Monday!! Half of us are singing with the bells and orchestra for their concert! So I will rest my voice this weekend, so I can really blow the roof of that place!

The chapel was decorated with dozens of poinsettias, and they said we could take one home for a small donation...

I hadn't realized how HUGE they were!!

Butter Lettuce Salad with Honey Mustard Dressing (inspired by The English Kitchen)
Printable Recipe

2 small heads of butter lettuce, washed, trimmed, and torn into pieces
1/2 English Cucumber, halved lengthwise and sliced

1 large carrot, shredded (or grated)

1 apple, cored and diced

For the dressing:
3 Tb extra virgin olive oil
2 Tb apple cider vinegar
1 Tb liquid honey
2 Tb Dijon mustard or to taste (grainy or smooth, it's up to you)
a drizzle of balsamic vinegar

salt and pepper to taste

Combine vegetables and chill. Whisk dressing together, and drizzle over salad right before serving!

My boys all love apples in their salad, and I have never been a fan till now! Somehow they go so well with that honey-mustard dressing!

This is a very light and refreshing salad, no strong flavors really. Of course, the fun thing about salads is that you can do just about anything with them, so be creative! This is just my version :) I think next time I'd add my marinated onions, and perhaps some cheese!

I'm really having fun with this whole salad thing!!