Easy English Toffee

I think that English Toffee is the easiest candy ever to make. It's very impressive to give, even though you can make it in less than a half hour.

Just out of curiosity I tried a couple no thermometer recipes I saw on Pinterest. They were disasters, the whole lot of them. Seriously the only way to guarantee a delicious batch is to use a thermometer.
It's simple and takes the guesswork out of it.

English Toffee

Ingredients

1 cup salted butter ( no substitutions please)
1 cup white sugar
1 tsp real vanilla

1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds or toasted pecan pieces


Before you start place a sheet of foil on a baking sheet and butter it lightly. Get your nuts and chocolate ready to go. You will have no time to go looking for stuff once the candy sets.

Use a heavy bottomed saucepan and a whisk or wooden spoon. I have used silicone spatulas for stirring also. I hear now and again that you should only use a wooden spoon but I have had success with most utensils. If you use a plastic spoon make sure it won't melt or you will get yucky plastic streaked candy.(yep learned that the hard way....)

Melt the butter over medium high heat. Everyones stove is different so watching your candy from start to finish is critical. Add the sugar and vanilla. Boil your candy until it reaches 290 degrees on a good candy thermometer. That will take anywhere from 4 to 6 minutes depending on the heat. Stir constantly or it WILL scorch. It should start turning a beautiful light tan colour just before its done.

Once its reached temperature pour it out onto your buttered foil.
After a minute or so sprinkle your chocolate chips on top of the toffee. After it melts a bit spread the chocolate smooth with the back of a spoon or a spatula. Sprinkle your nuts on top. Let it cool completely.

Break into pieces and enjoy!

Banana Snack Cake

Got a pile of ripe brown smooshy bananas on the counter? Those are the best kind! As they ripen the flavor develops and they get sweeter. I have several recipes I pull out but here is todays recipe for an lickity split snack cake for those after school munchies.

Banana Snack Cake

1 stick butter or margarine (room temperature)
1 cup white sugar
2 large eggs
1 cup mashed bananas( about 3 medium)
2.25 cups white flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
.25 cup sour cream
1 tsp vanilla
pinch cinnamon

Preheat oven to 350. Grease an 11x7 brownie pan. You could use a 9x13, just adjust your baking time down accordingly.

Using a hand mixer or a whisk and some elbow grease cream together butter and sugar. Add in eggs and mix until creamy. Next stir in the flour, baking soda, and cinnamon.
Lastly whisk in the bananas, sour cream and vanilla. 

Pour into prepared pan and bake for 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes  before cutting.

I serve it plain but we have done frosting and sprinkles, ice cream and maple syrup, as well as peanut butter for toppings. Let the kids pick for a yummy afternnon treat.

To dress this up a bit you could add in a 1/2 cup of pecans, mini chocolate chips, or rum soaked raisins as well.

Homemade Croutons

These are seriously the easiest thing ever to make and much cheaper than buying at the store. I use them in salads, snack mixes, and the boys like them just as is for snacking. Use leftover bread, bagels, buns, whatever you have.

Homemade Croutons

1  1lb loaf of stale bread
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp garlic salt
2 tbs parmesan cheese (optional)


Cut bread into cubes and put in a zip top bag. Pour oil over the bread. Add spices and shake all until coated evenly.

Pour out onto cookies sheet in close to a single layer. Use 2 pans if you have small sheets.

Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes. Ovens vary so watch them closely after 10 minutes. They should be golden brown.

Let cool and dig in!

Substitutions here are a breeze. We are dairy free but butter instead of the oil would be yummy. Just melt butter and shake in bag instead of oil. Any dried seasoning works as well. Onion powder, chili powder, italian seasoning, whatever you love.

Homemade Condensed Cream of Whatever soup Mix

I found a recipe recently for chicken that uses condensed cream of chicken soup. Recipe sounds good, uses crockpot, really it should be a no brainer. However that little can of soup is almost $2. What? Really?

So I scoured the internet for a recipe and tried a couple. This one came out good, substituted well, and you can make it up as you need it. Best of all, about 50 cents to make or even less.

I have added canned chopped clams or corn and some chopped potatoes for a fast chowder.

Condensed Cream Soup Mix

2  cups nonfat dry milk powder
3/4  cup cornstarch
2  tablespoons dried onion flakes
1/2  teaspoon ground black pepper
1/4  cup chicken bouillon powder
1  teaspoon dried basil (optional)
1/4  teaspoon dried thyme, more to taste


Using an air tight container combine dry milk, cornstarch, onion
flakes, pepper and chicken bouillon.If desired also add basil and thyme.
I use a widemouth quart mason jar. Mix well.

When using the mix, combine 1/3 cup of the mix with 1 1/4 cups of
water in saucepan. You could use chicken stock, vegetable stock, etc.

Cook and stir until thickened. Makes 1 and a half cups of soup.

Cole Slaw

The weather has turned warm and I am tweaking my menus to some inexpensive old favorites again. Cole slaw is ridiculously cheap but still ranks as a food that reminds you of seafood baskets at the oceanside and picnics. Some crockpot BBQ chicken, cole slaw, and garlic toast from the toaster oven and supper is on the table in 5 minutes after a long day outside enjoying the beautiful summer days.

Cabbage is easy to shred and much cheaper to do yourself but even I grab those 8 cup bags of preshredded for $1.99 when they are on sale or its a crazy week. However the dressings that you can buy for cole slaw are very expensive, most around $3.99 for only a few salads worth. The cheap bottles of dressing taste awful and I always just throw some together from scratch.

Cole Slaw

8 cups shredded cabbage
3 carrots, shredded
1/3 cup sugar
1/2 cup mayonnaise
1/4 cup milk
1/4 cup vinegar
pinch salt
pinch pepper.

Whisk everything but the cabbage and the carrots in a bowl.  Toss the dressing with the carrots and cabbage and let marinate/ chill a few hours in the fridge.  

Yummy!

Fast Apple Coffeecake

Ever need to throw a cake together for company at the last second or need to feed a couple extra kids at snack time?
This cake is super fast and easy and sure to please.

  Upsidedown Apple Coffee Cake

1  18 oz. cake mix, prepared according to pkg. directions
or use your favorite homemade recipe for cake(May use spice cake or white or yellow)
3 - 4 cups Baking apples, peeled, cored and sliced, enough to fill
bottom of baking dish
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1 teaspoon of apple pie spice(if you use a spice cake mix leave this out)
1 teaspoon of cinnamon



 Pre-Heat oven to 350 *F. Grease a 9x13 pan.
Place apples in 9x13 cake pan. Sprinkle with cinnamon,apple spice,
and sugars and
stir to coat. Pour prepared cake mix over apples. Bake according to
directions on cake mix. Cake can be served warm or cold.

  ENJOY!!!

Applesauce Snack Cake

I kid myself that I make this for the kids but I really love this cake. Fragrant and yummy, it's a go -to any time of year. I dust it lightly with confectioners sugar or serve with ice cream for a treat.

                                                 

Applesauce Snack Cake

2 1/2 c. flour
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
3/4 baking powder
1 tsp cinnamon
pinch cloves
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp salt
1 1/2 c. unsweetened applesauce
1 1/4 c. sugar
1/2 c. vegetable oil
2 eggs
1 c raisins

Heat oven to 350 degrees.
Grease  or spray a 9x13 pan.
Beat all ingredients except raisins in a large  bowl.
Stir in raisins .
Pour into pan.
Bake for 25-30 mins. .
Cool  pan on wire rack.
Cool completely. before cutting..
Serves 16 ( 12 generously)

No Bake Cereal Bars

For some reason I am struggling for afterschool snacks these days. I pulled out some old but good recipes and thought this one would be good to share.

 It's highly customizable and has easy ingredients. Chocolate chips do not work well, they will melt, but any nut, dried fruit, or hard shelled candy works well. 

These are not the best for nutrition, though you can certainly boost it a bit with dried fruit and flax seeds. I can guarantee the kids will love them though and they are insanely easy.
 

No-Bake Cereal Bars

4 C. Cheerios
2 C. Rice Krispies
2 C. dry roasted peanuts
2 C. M & M's
1 C. light corn syrup
1 C. sugar
1 1/2 C. creamy peanut butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large bowl, combine the first 4 ingredients, set aside. 

 In a saucepan, bring corn syrup and sugar to a boil, stirring frequently. 

Remove from heat; stir in peanut butter and vanilla.

 Pour over cereal mixture and toss to coat evenly. 

Spread into a greased 15x10x1-inch baking pan. Cool. 

Cut into 3x3" bars. Yield: 15 bars.

I have used a 12x17" jelly roll pan and got about 32
bars. You can use 2 9x13 pans, and make a couple  batches.

Yummy!

Chocolate Chip Muffins

The boys were home today from school with tummy aches. At about 3 in the afternoon they became ravenously hungry(I am thinking it was a " let's have a Phineas and Ferb marathon" flu). I made them chocolate chip muffins which have been their favorite for as long as they have been eating solid foods. It's comfort food, for sure, and pantry staples to boot, my favorite combination.

Chocolate Chip Muffins 

Makes 12

2 cups AP flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1TB baking powder
pinch salt
3/4 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 egg
1/2 cup chocolate chips
 some extra sugar for sprinkling on top if desired.


Heat oven to 400 degrees F. Line muffin cups with paper liners. I use a muffin top pan I got last year these days. If you don't use liners make sure you grease your pan appropriately.

In a mixing bowl combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. In a separate bowl whisk together the milk, oil, and egg. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just moistened(still lumpy is ok). Gently stir in chocolate chips.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full. Sprinkle tops with sugar if desired. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until lightly browned.

Hide a couple if you want one after the kids get ahold of them.

Enjoy!

Microwave Baked Potatoes

Every now and again I get on a baked potato kick. They rank up there with pizza and sandwiches for being customizable. Healthy, cheap, and fast, what's not to love?

Fast? Fast? What is she thinking? Some of you may not be familiar with the potato bag. My best friend thought I was nuts when I said I would have baked potatoes on the table in less than 10 minutes.  For a wee tiny bit of fabric and batting you can make one of these bags in just a few minutes with very basic sewing skills. Here's a tutorial HERE and HERE.

Toppings can be as varied as your imagination. Here's some ideas to get you started.

• Ham and Cheese
• Chili ( with or without cheese)
• Salsa and sour cream
• Broccoli and cheese
• Tomato sauce and parm cheese
• Bacon bits, cheese, and sour cream
• Black beans, salsa, and cheese
• Chopped chicken and cheese
• Pesto 

Yummy dinner! Excellent way to use up leftover bits from supper the night before too.
And by the way, I am sure you could whip up a few extra potato bags for gifts now couldn't you?

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

I am not strictly vegetarian or vegan, however, my  diet tends to those foods. I am not afraid of those labels because of that so I frequently try out vegan recipes. Every now and then I find a gem that makes it's way into my every day cooking. These cupcakes are one of those recipes.

My kids loved these. Instead of frosting them I just dust them with powdered sugar. You could be creative and serve with fresh raspberries and whip cream or a decadent fudge frosting.

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes

 

makes 12 cupcakes or 24 mini's or 6 texas size

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup sugar
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup strong coffee
1/4 cup grapeseed oil (or canola)
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 tablespoons molasses
2/3 cup vegan dark chocolate chips
Confectioner’s sugar (optional)


Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease or line a 12-cup cupcake pan.

In a medium bowl, stir together flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In another bowl, whisk coffee, oil, vanilla, and molasses. Pour the coffee mixture into the dry mixture and mix with a wooden spoon until smooth and combined. Do not over beat. Mix in chocolate chips. Place batter evenly into cupcake pans, about 2/3's full. I use an ice cream scoop.

Bake for about 20-25 minutes, or until cupcakes spring back when lightly touched in the middle. Let cool completely in the pan.

Parmesan Peppercorn Salad Dressing

90 degree weather has me staying out of the kitchen and wanting the convenience of fast food but on my ramen noodle budget.

Salads are a no brainer. An abundance of cheap fresh produce with a couple homemade sides makes this  budget friendly, cool, and healthy.

Parmesan Peppercorn Salad Dressing.

Whisk together

1 cup mayonaisse
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
1/4 cup milk
3 tablespoons lemon juice
2 teaspoons coarsely ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon granulated garlic

Pour into clean glass jar, cover and refridgerate for up to 2 weeks.

Blueberry Muffins

Most weekends we hop over to Goss Berry Farm to pick some delicious berrys for eating out of hand or baking into scones and muffins. Of course our blueberry pancakes wouldn't be the same with bought berries. Here's my favorite muffin recipe.

Blueberry Muffins

3 cups flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 Tb baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cup buttermilk
6 Tb melted butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla
1 1/2 cup blueberries, lightly coated with flour

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. I use paper muffin liners usually, but if you won't, grease your tin's cups well with the butter wrapper.
In a large bowl mix together all the dry ingredients. In a separate small bowl mix together your wet ingredients. Add to dry ingredients and combine until just mixed. A few lumps is fine.
Gently fold in your blueberries. Fill your muffin tins about 3/4 full. You can sprinkle a bit of sugar on them for crunch at this point if you want.
Bake for 22 minutes for regular sized muffins, until golden brown.  Makes 12 muffins.

No Cook Play Dough Updated

We tried this recipe this morning and my 3 year old adored it. I'm not sure it will make it to a second play session, he's eaten so many nibbles there's a wall missing from his castle!

Peanut Butter Play Dough

1 cup creamy peanut butter
3 cups powdered sugar
1/3 cup honey
1 tsp vanilla

Combine all in a large bowl. Mix until dough comes together. That's it, no cooking or letting cool.
How cool is that?

Another favorite of mine....

Gingerbread Play Dough

2 cups flour
1 cup salt
1 tbs ground ginger
2 tbs vegetable oil
1 cup water

Mix and knead until smooth. Smells delicious and non toxic ( not as good a snack as previous recipe!!) Add more flour if it's too sticky.

Store either recipe in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week.

Don't go out and buy those playdough kits with the little cutters and tools. My kids use various things they find in my kitchen drawers and love them. Old cookie cutters, a whisk, small rolling pin, german cookie presses, plastic knives from takeout( shh, even I do takeout once in a blue moon, lol) and anything else that catches their eye. I think of it like when you buy a big expensive toy and they spend 2 hours playing with the box it came in! So look around your house before you resort to spending your money on toys and art kits.

Italian Sandwiches

'Italian' Sandwiches From Maine



I made some of these for a friend the other day and she was completely baffled. 'Don't get me wrong but I don't get the whole 'Italian' thing? They aren’t Italian at all!’   

These sandwiches are a favorite here in Maine in the summer and I have no idea where they got their name. If you have never been here, you have never had one. They are fabulous, a crisp salad in a roll and very customizable for your picky eaters. The mixture of sweet and salty along with the fresh crunchy goodness makes this a sandwich to try at least once. 

Mine are vegetarian but you can add ham, turkey, tuna, or whatever you prefer in the bottom before you layer the vegetables. 

If you can’t find sub rolls you can use a bulky or sandwich roll. My son uses hot dog rolls in a pinch if I haven’t made any rolls recently.

Italians

6 inch sub rolls

2 slices cheese per sandwich (cheddar, American, provolone)

1 Thinly sliced raw sweet onion

1 thinly sliced sweet pepper

2 tomatoes, cut in half then sliced

Pickles, either sandwich or chips

1 small can sliced black olives, drained

Olive oil, sea salt, and freshly ground pepper

Assembly

Cut open rolls. Lay 2 slices of cheese across bottom, overlapping to cover the entire bottom. Spread onions in bottom. Layer the tomatoes, overlapping them to cover bottom. Next up is a couple pickle slices then a few pieces of the sweet pepper. A sprinkle of the sliced black olives followed by a swish of good olive oil, a couple grinds of pepper and a pinch or 2 of sea salt.

Quesadillas

Farm Stand Favorites 2: Quesadillas

Another  versatile, inexpensive , and fast meal in my house is simple quesadillas. I buy the whole wheat variety at my local grocer when they are on sale and put in my freezer.

There are 2 ways to make these depending on how many you need and whether you want to heat up the oven. In the summer I have used the grill to make these and once at a friends house I used her foreman grill for almost instant quesadillas.

To feed a crowd, preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil a baking sheet. Place a tortilla on the sheet. On one half of the tortilla, place very thinly sliced peppers, tomato, onion, mushrooms, whatever you like and have on hand.  Add a pinch of salt and pepper or your favorite seasoning. Sprinkle 2 tablespoons of shredded cheese ( I use cheddar the most but I'll grate whatever's on hand in a pinch) and fold over the tortilla, lightly pressing it down. Continue to fill as many tortillas as will fit on your sheet, how many depends on which size tortillas you are using.  Bake for about 10 minutes until cheese has melted and quesadillas are golden brown. The oil from the sheet will make these crispy and golden brown outside.
Serve with sour cream and salsa.

To feed a couple, I do the same procedure but on a flat skillet over medium high heat. Perfect fast lunch for one or two people! They only take a couple minutes on each side to cook up nicely. To flip hold the open side together and turn or use pancake spatula.

This is one of my go-to summer meals as well as a low budget favorite in my house.
Enjoy!

Farm Stand Favorites: Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

Farm Stand Favorites: Grilled Vegetable Sandwiches

We go to the farm stand twice a week. I let the boys pick out their favorites that day and plan the next few meals around whatever is on sale.


One of my favorite ( and cheapest) veggie meals is grilled veggie sandwiches. I cheat and roast the veggies more often than not.  I put whatever veggies I have on hand, peppers, tomatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, carrots, asparagus etc., cut them into chunks and put in a bowl. A generous drizzle of olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper goes on top. Stir to coat veggies with the oil. Dump onto a baking sheet and bake at 375 degrees for about 40 minutes. Which veggies you roast can change the time a bit but I start checking at 30 minutes and they are usually perfect at 40 minutes.

Unless it bread baking day and I have made rolls, I put the roasted veggies into a whole wheat tortilla.( which I buy on sale and keep in my freezer) Depending on the eater the protein is a sprinkle of cheese or some canned white beans rinsed.

Variations could included a drizzle of balsamic vinegar if you have some, roasted garlic spread, or some chevre bits.

Hearty, inexpensive and good for you. It's amazing what vegetables kids will eat if they get to pick them out too!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Perfect School Break Snacks!

Peanut Butter Cupcakes

1 3/4 cup white flour

1 TB baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1/4 cup margarine

3/4 cup sugar

2 large eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1 cup milk

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line muffin tins with paper liners.

Whisk together flour, salt and baking powder. Set aside.

In a large bowl cream together peanut butter and margarine. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.

Add eggs , one at a a time. Beat in vanilla. Slowly beat in flour mixture a little at a time, until all is incorporated.

Fill muffin tins 2/3 full.. Bake for 18 minutes.

I frost these with a little strawberry jam but chocolate frosting would be yummy too.

French Vanilla Coffee Mix

I am finishing up my gift baskets this week.There are a few things everybody asks for every year that have become favorites and fortunately for me they are economical and easy to make!

Here's one of my favorites to hopefully save you a last minute trip to the store.A dozen biscotti and this mix makes a fabulous gift for a teacher or neighbor.

French Vanilla Coffee Mix

2/3 cup instant coffee powder

2 cups nonfat instant dry milk powder

1 cup powdered coffee creamer

2/3 cup white sugar

1 package french vanilla instant pudding mix

Put everything in the food processor and process about 5 seconds to blend completely.

If you don't have a food processor, a potato masher works well to break up lumps and help mix together.

Spoon into your jar of choice.  I put this in a crystal jelly jar. Place directions on a label for the jar or make up small gift cards to attach with ribbon.

Directions: Use 2 or 3 tablespoons of mix in a coffee mug. Add hot water and enjoy!

My Family's Favorite Granola Bars

Over the years I have experimented with what seems like a hundred different recipes. A couple of years ago I found this one for soft granola bars that are alot like the ones you buy. You can customize them a few different ways. My kids adore them for snacks, lunch boxes, and middle of the night gaming sessions.

This recipe does use a cake mix. I personally don't buy them, I make my own and it works fab. Check the options note for conversion. Yes,Yes, I'll post my cake mix recipes later for those of you who are intrigued by the idea.

Mama's Granola bars

1 package yellow or white cake mix( the 18 oz size)

2 1/2 cups rolled oats

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 cup vegetable oil

1 large egg

1 teaspoon vanilla

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 cup raisins

1/2 cup chopped walnuts

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Grease a 13 by 9 pan. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mix together all the dry ingredients except the raisins and nuts. Add in the wet ingredients with a wooden spoon until just crumbly. Mix in the raisins and nuts and pour into prepared pan.

Pat down and bake 20 minutes at 350 or until lightly browned. 

Let cool COMPLETELY or partially freeze before cutting to get nice bars. I get 16 bars by cutting in half the long way, then 8 bars on each half for a nice granola bar size.

Options

I use 3.5 cups homemade cake mix for the store bought cake mix.

You can sub these ingredients or use what you have on hand to add up to no more than 1 1/2 cup.

Dried cranberries, coconut, almonds

2 or 3 kinds of chocolate chips for a slightly healthier cookie taste.

dried apple pieces and walnuts(up the cinnamon a bit)

Pecans and toffee bit pieces( OK no longer healthier but YUM)

carob chips, raisins, and peanuts 
Add 2 tablespoons flax seed for some more fiber and nutrients