~English Toffee~

Supermom's recipe. I think she got it from Moses....it's a really old recipe. And it's every bitfabulous!!!! Who knew toffee was so ridiculously easy to make? It takes 3 ingredients to make the toffee part, plus chocolate and nuts. It ain't gonna brake the bank. I carry all of the ingredients for this in my kitchen anyway. The only tough part to making toffee is taking it off the heat at the right time. If you take it off too soon, it will bend instead of breaking. If you take it off too late, it will smoke and burn and taste like bum! Thankfully, I have made this with Supermom on numerous occasions, so I have learned from the master on proper cooking color.

If you like your toffee thin, pour it over more foil space and nuts. I personally prefer my toffee a little thicker, which makes less (but then you feel better at only sneaking 5 pieces instead of 6....)

The magical caramel brown color it should be right before you remove it from the heat. If it starts to smoke, take it off!! I know there is a more sophisticated way to make this e.g. with a candy thermometer, but I don't have one. So if you don't have one, this is the easiest way to do it.

Once you pour the toffee on the chopped almonds, sprinkle the semi-sweet chocolate chips on top. Let them melt for a few minutes, then spread the chocolate with a knife, until the toffee is covered.

Then sprinkle some chopped almonds across the top! Put it in the fridge to cool a little and then break it apart and inhale it as fast as you can. :-)

you'll need:

1 c. salted butter

1 c. sugar

1 tsp. vanilla extract

about 1 1/2. c. almonds, chopped

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips

get busy:

Chop the nuts. Place most of the chopped nuts on a foil-covered cookie sheet. Combine the butter and sugar in a medium sauce pan or pot and medium high heat. Stir constantly until "the stuff follows the spoon" my mom would say.* Once the coloring turns caramel brown, remove it from the heat. Carefully add vanilla (it can splash) and quickly stir. Pour toffee over chopped nuts. Sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot toffee. Once they have melted, spread them evenly over the toffee. Sprinkle remaining chopped nuts. Refrigerate for about 10-20 minutes or until chocolate is cold. Break up the toffee into small sizes. I like to put mine in a cute Christmas container, but now I will put this new batch in a special place where Jeremy won't find it hehe. Serves 2. Just kidding; it makes more than that. However, at my home, it serves 1 and a half...

*DO NOT a metal spoon to stir the toffee. It will get too hot. DO NOT use a plastic spoon. My mom did that once and the toffee gets so hot that the plastic spoon melted in it! ONLY USE a wooden spoon. Don't say I didn't warn you.

~Twice Baked Sweet Potatoes with Walnut Streusel~

While this may not be the healthiest way to eat sweet potatoes...it is probably the most delicious way to eat them!! This recipe got rave reviews at Thanksgiving with my fambam. I was so proud and happy :-) It didn't take too long, and the walnut streusel was really what made it from average to fantastic. I can't wait to make this again. Funny fact: this recipe called for sweet potatoes, but yams were on sale, so I used those instead...couldn't tell a darn difference, and still just as yummy. SO you can use either!

I made these with my sweet sis-in-law Kelli. Without her help, these would not have been finished by Turkey Time! I completely lost track of time playing with my siblings' kids, so a big thanks to Kelli. Makes 6 servings.

you'll need:

3 large sweet potatoes (or yams)

4 Tbs. packed brown sugar

3 Tbs. butter

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

Streusel:

1/4 tsp. cinnamon

3 Tbs. whole wheat flour*

1/4 c. chopped walnuts

2 Tbs. butter, softened

3 Tbs. packed brown sugar

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 375. Prick the potatoes with a knife or fork after giving them a good scrub. Bake in the oven for 30-45 minutes, or until soft. Once they are cooked, cut them in half and scoop out the centers of the into a big bowl. Combine with brown sugar, softened butter and brown sugar. Scoop mixture back into the skins.

In a small bowl, combine ingredients for streusel. Top the sweet potatoes with the streusel. Bake for 20-30 minutes. All done! Whoever you make these for will absolutely love them.

*If you are unsure about the whole wheat, you can substitute it for processed flour; however, you can't taste the difference, so why not use whole wheat? It's healthier!

~Homemade Taco Seasoning~

I can't count how many times I have started a dinner and forgotten to buy taco seasoning. Ugh! However, I had all the ingredients to make this in my cupboard; ergo, yay, no more buying taco seasoning! I also liked making my own taco seasoning because the store bought kind has some processed stuff in it. I like knowing what is in my food. In addition to that, this taco seasoning tastes delicious! I think I got this recipe from allrecipes.com. This taco seasoning also has over 2,000 5 star reviews! It's also cheaper to make your own seasoning than buy it every time. Make this in about 3 minutes, store in a sealed container, and it's all ready for your cookin'. The flavor of this seasoning is much richer than the store bought kind. I have found that two huge heaping tablespoons is about the same amount as one packet.

you'll need:

1 Tbs. chili powder

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. onion powder

1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes*

1/4 tsp. dried oregano

1/2 tsp. paprika

1 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. black pepper

get busy: (kind of...)

Mix together ingredients in a small bowl. I stored mine in a Ziploc baggie. This recipe makes 10 servings.

*If you are not a spice person, I suggest cutting this ingredient in half.

~Key Lime Pie~

I can't remember what website I got this recipe from, but I do remember it had over 1,000 five star reviews!! You know it has to be good! I hadn't ever had key lime pie before, but due to my recent obsession with limes and a purchase of 21 limes for 97 cents at a grocery sale (yeah that's right), I decided to make one. To clarify, this is not a true key lime pie, but rather lime pie. Key limes com from the Florida Keys and are somewhat difficult to find in southern California this time of year. However, this pie still tasted extraordinary and is the easiest thing to make. In fact, my family gobbled it up for Thanksgiving (pun intended) so quickly that I only got a couple bites! I have already had numerous requests to make it again for our upcoming Christmas party.

This is post-baked. Do NOT brown the pie when baking it. It's only cooked for a few minutes, then chilled in the refrigerator.

I think next to French silk chocolate pie, this is my favorite pie!

you'll need:

1 9 in. graham cracker crust (I made mine)

1/2 c. sour cream

3/4 c. fresh lime juice (MUST be fresh!)*

2 cans sweetened condensed milk

1 Tbs. grated lime zest

whipped cream (optional)

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. In a medium bowl, combine all of the ingredients and mix well. Pour into gram cracker crust. Bake for 5-8 minutes. DO NOT BROWN! Chill pie in the fridge until cold and serve cold. Garnish with whipped cream if you want. We had homemade whipped cream on top, which I would highly recommend. This pie will literally be a huge hit at any party, gathering or dessert; I promise!

*When squeezing the lime juice, it took me about 10 good-sized limes to get 3/4 c. If you use key limes, you will need about 20. They are much smaller.

~Veggie Pizza~

Doesn't sound that amazing, right? But it IS!! This recipe has been my favorite hors d'oeuvre since I was little. It's probably the healthiest hors d'oeuvre I know, too! Veggie pizza usually gets devoured in about five minutes, so if you make this, make a lot! We had such a fabulous Thanksgiving weekend with all the family on my side (excluding Ashley because she just had her baby boy). I helped my sister-in-law, Shannon make these goodies for our appetizers on Thanksgiving day, and they really were gone in 5 minutes. {Shannon takes incredible photos especially for families. If you live in southern California, I highly recommend her; she is very reasonably priced. She took our family photos this year and I'll be posting those soon. Check out her website and work here.} Since I seem to never get enough veggies each day anyway, this hors d-oeuvre is a great way to get some in and not even think about it. Such a simple recipe (as are most of my posts) and quick to make for any kind of party or gathering.

I love all of the color veggie pizza brings to the table. Red bell pepper, cauliflower, broccoli, green onion over a Crescent roll.

I think this is our family's favorite appetizer, and that is saying a lot because there are a lot of us now! 7 kids, most married with kids. Holidays are nuts. And I love it :-)

There is maybe 10 minutes worth of chopping to make this dish, and then everything from there is assembled fairly quickly.

you'll need:

2 pkg. (8 oz. each) plain Pillsbury Crescent Creations refrigerated seamless dough sheet*

1 8 oz. pkg. reduced fat cream cheese

1/2 c. non-fat milk

1 pkg. ranch dressing mix

{No set amount of the following, enough of them combined to completely cover the pans}**

broccoli, diced

cauliflower, diced

green onion, diced

red bell pepper, diced

tomato (maybe 3 Roma), diced

get busy:

Preheat the oven to 350. Roll out the dough on a large cookie sheet, and you will have extra to put into an 8x8 pan. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes or until lightly golden brown (do NOT overcook). In a small bowl, mix together ranch dressing mix, cream cheese and milk. Spread over the lightly cooled crust. Evenly spread chopped vegetables on top. Cut pizza into desirable size squares and serve on a pretty platter. Voila! You're done. SO easy, and will definitely be eaten quickly. Nom nom nom.

*Do not buy the generic store brand of this. They are terrible! Spend the extra 50 cents to get the Pillsbury brand.

**You can add diced cucumber for an even healthier alternative; I never have, but I will try it next time. I think it would go together well with the other veggies.

~Fall Salad~

I don't make salad for dinner very often, but boy oh boy--what a simple, healthy and delicious salad! I only wish I had mushrooms (mmmm mushrooms) to add to this delish dish. My favorite part of this salad is the candied nuts. I candy my own nuts (it's ridiculously easy) and I love the flavor and juiciness pear provides in a salad.

You can add virtually anything to this salad. I added cranberries, cucumber, pear, candied nuts and chicken breasts.

For a dressing, I chose light ranch dressing (and a very little amount at that!). Jeremy chose my homemade poppyseed dressing. I will post that recipe another day.

you'll need:

1-2 cooked chicken breasts, depending on how much chicken you want

1 bunch of romaine lettuce, spinach leaves or arugula

handful of cranberries

diced cucumber

handful of candied nuts

1 pear, sliced

2-3 mushrooms, diced

shredded carrots

dressing (light ranch or poppyseed are good)

sliced strawberries (optional: if you add these, do NOT use ranch dressing. Eww)

get busy:

Cook the chicken breasts in a saute pan with olive oil seasoned with Lowry's Seasoned Salt, or grill. Cut into small pieces. To candy nuts: throw some nuts and 1 Tbs. sugar in a small pan; cook on medium high heat until the sugar melts. Quickly stir the nuts to coat with the sugar and remove from the pan so they don't burn. I used slivered almonds and pecans tonight. Mmm. Add the rest of the ingredients. I placed my pear slices all pretty, but in the end it gets covered with dressing, so whatever. All in all, this is a very healthy dinner with less than 300 calories per serving. Enjoy!

Weekend with the Bestie

...And other people, too!

Jeremy and I did summer sales together in Dallas, TX, and our manager/friend from that summer was in Carlsbad for the weekend. So we met up with Matt at Coldstone down at the beach and caught up. We meandered to a bar/grill where a live band was playing and people watched; it was fun!

My bestest friend in the world, Jenn Kershaw threw her dad a birthday party (his first ever, and he turned 70!). I have only seen her a few times since I got married, so it was so good to spend time with her in Corona. I helped her set up for Ed's party. He was so surprised!

Love you, Jenn! Jenn and I have been besties since high school. We played soccer together on our HS team.

Some pics from Ed's party. Jenn is an amazing cook, and she made just about all of the food for the entire party.

Ed's neighbors had some really interesting bike thingy called a Trikke. You swing the handlebars back and forth to propel forward motion. It was really fun actually.

Jenn doin' work!

I also showed Jenn how to do a chic sock bun. It turned out great!

Other highlights:

I made more choc. chip cookies

I made more homemade bread

Made daddy breakfast (Mom was gone)

Made chard for the first time. No bueno...