English Toffee

Here's a scrumptious English Toffee recipe that I've made often. Don't ask about the number of calories though; you don't want to know! It's amazingly easy and a good gift for the holiday season:

ENGLISH TOFFEE

Ingredients --

1 pound butter
2 cups sugar
2 cups chopped almonds
12 oz. chocolate chips
1 cup finely chopped walnuts

Stir butter and sugar in large pan over high heat until melted.
Cook and stir constantly until toffee is very smooth and a medium to dark golden brown (about 10 minutes).
Add almonds and cook 1 minute longer. BE VERY CAREFUL NOT TO BURN IT!
Spread immediately in 13 X 9 X 2 buttered pan or on cookie sheet.
Cool 5 minutes and sprinkle chocolate chips on top.
As chips melt, smooth the surface with a spatula and then sprinkle chopped walnuts on top.
Cool in the fridge.
After toffee is solid, knock (I use a knife to pry it) from the pan and break into pieces.

Ghoulish Recipes

Since it is October 31st, thought some folks might be in the mood for Shrunken Heads in Cider.


Otherwise, you could try the Brain Cupcakes or the Ladies' Fingers and Men's Toes.
Finish off with Bat Cookies.

Chickpeas and Ginger

Chickpea salad sounds like a good dish to take to my Thursday morning women's group.

Have you toasted your own spices before? After watching the video, I can't wait to toast some cumin seeds and mix up the salad. The various colors (red pepper, purple onion, cilantro, etc) definitely add to the overall appeal.

Better Than Crack (Ha Ha, Mom)

A great cookie recipe. My oldest daughter baked two separate batches this week and they both disappeared within 24 hours.

Raspberry Chocolate Triangles

Oven -- 350 degrees.

1 1/2 cup flour
3/4 cup sugar
3/4 cup butter (soft)
1-10 oz. package frozen sweetened raspberries (or add sugar to unsweetened berries)
1/4 cup orange juice (or I've substituted lemon juice)
1 T. cornstarch
1 cup chocolate chips
Melted vanilla chips

Mix flour, sugar and butter.
Press flour mixture in 9 x 13 inch pan & bake 15 minutes.
Mix raspberries, orange juice and cornstarch.
Heat to boil, stirring.
Boil and stir 1 minute, cool 10 minutes.
Sprinkle chocolate chips over crust.
Spread carefully.
Spoon raspberry mix over chocolate.
Bake 20 minutes or until mix is set.
Refrigerate until firm.
You may drizzle melted vanilla chips over the top.
Cut into 3 inch squares.
Cut each square into 4 triangles. Voila!

In The Mood To Bake

On a cool fall day, nothing's nicer than a warm loaf of pumpkin bread...so here's my own adaptation of several recipes I've used:

PUMPKIN BREAD

1 1/2 cups flour (I use 1 cup white and 1/2 cup whole wheat)
1/2 teaspoon of salt
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup pumpkin purée
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup applesauce
2 eggs, beaten
1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, pecans, or raisins (optional)

1 Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Sift together the flour, salt, sugar, and baking soda.
2 Mix the pumpkin, oil, applesauce, eggs, 1/4 cup of water, and spices together, then combine with the dry ingredients. Stir in nuts or raisins, if desired.
3 Pour into a well-buttered 9x5x3 inch loaf pan. Bake 50-60 minutes, until a toothpick poked in the very center of the loaf comes out clean. Turn out of the pan and let cool on a rack.

Makes one loaf of moist, tasty bread. Enjoy! Both my daughters came back for seconds and thirds.

Bubble Tea Recipes

JW asked for bubble tea recipes -- here are a few:

* Bubble tea history and recipe -- "The drink originally started as a childhood treat in Taiwan in the late 1980's at small tea stands in front of the schoolhouses."

* Another bubble tea recipe

I've never tried to make my own bubble tea, but it doesn't look too hard. Just need to hunt down a store that sells large tapioca pearls...they must be sold somewhere in Germany.