English Toffee

Quick, easy and yummy, is my favorite

Need a quick delicious fancy candy to share?

Try this "English Toffee"... ooohh an old family recipe we love to share...

We double this recipe to fill a whole cookie sheet

 2 sticks butter              1 C. chopped nuts

1 C. sugar                    Milk choc. chips

3 Tbsp. Water

Put butter, sugar & water in heavy pan over high heat, stirring constantly. Cook until mixture changes color (amber) and smokes. Take off heat quickly & pour out on buttered cookie sheet with sides (it will only fill about ½ or 2/3 of a small one).  Spread chocolate chips  on hot candy and when they melt spread chocolate over hot candy. Sprinkle nuts on top, cool in fridge till hard & cold, then break up in pieces. Best kept in fridge until serving.

                                                                                                                   - Buff -

Chocolate Caramels

Amazing that a chocoholic like me, had to be reminded by hubby, that there is such a thing as Chocolate Caramels.... Thank Goodness for Nestle's recipes and ingredients.... You have to know, that I had to double the recipe and it turned out perfect.  I googled a recipe and found this wonderful one, on Nestle's Chocobake site. It is creamy & very easy.

Hubby, family and our friends love it and that makes me smile......

Ingredients

• 1 cup (2 sticks) butter 
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1 can (14 oz.) NESTLÉ® CARNATION® Sweetened Condensed Milk
• 2 packets (1 oz. each) NESTLÉ® TOLL HOUSE® CHOCO BAKE® Pre-Melted Unsweetened Chocolate Flavor
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

LINE 8-inch-square baking pan with foil; grease.

COMBINE butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar and corn syrup in heavy-duty, medium saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture comes to a boil and butter is melted. Add sweetened condensed milk and Choco Bake. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, for 25 to 35 minutes or until mixture reaches 245° F on candy thermometer. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla extract. Immediately pour into prepared pan. Cool at room temperature. Makes about 2 1/2 pounds.

LIFT from pan; remove foil. Cut into about 1/2-inch squares or size desired and wrap individually in plastic wrap, twisting ends. Store in refrigerator or at room temperature; use within 7 to 10 days.Adapted from Nestle's Chocobake

                                                                                                               -Buff-

No Knead Dutch Oven Bread

So moist & yummy

Wow just 4 ingredients and sugar-free !!!

 Imagine dipping pieces of this in "garlic balsamic vinegar oil" over the Christmas holiday season...

Well my  Large crock pot broke, but I couldn't throw away a perfectly fine bowl that sat inside it, and it was a little too much work using my dutch oven to make this bread, so I use my old crock pot bowl to create beautiful bread like this. This is my assignment now at the family dinners and we love it.

The hardest part is waiting for it to rise.

 This recipe I found  on www.motherearthnews.com Adapted from The New York Times.

I make 2 separate batches and combine them at the "let rise for about 1 to 2 hours" part, as some versions of this recipe say not to double the recipe. Instead of a lid (mine was plastic) I just put foil on top to bake.

It really tastes as good as it looks..

No-Knead Dutch Oven Bread

1/4 tsp active dry yeast
1 1/2 cups warm water
3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting. You may use white, whole wheat or a combination of the two.
1 1/2 tsp salt
Cornmeal or wheat bran for dusting

1. In a large bowl, dissolve yeast in water. Add the flour and salt, stirring until blended. The dough will be shaggy and sticky. Cover bowl with plastic wrap. Let the dough rest at least 8 hours, preferably 12 to 18, at warm room temperature, about 70 degrees.
2. The dough is ready when its surface is dotted with bubbles. Lightly flour a work surface and place dough on it. Sprinkle it with a little more flour and fold it over on itself once or twice. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let it rest for about 15 minutes.
3. Using just enough flour to keep the dough from sticking to the work surface or to your fingers, gently shape it into a ball. Generously coat a clean dish towel with flour, wheat bran or cornmeal. Put the seam side of the dough down on the towel and dust with more flour, bran or cornmeal. Cover with another towel and let rise for about 1 to 2 hours. When it’s ready, the dough will have doubled in size and will not readily spring back when poked with a finger.
4. At least 20 minutes before the dough is ready, heat oven to 475 degrees. Put a 6- to 8-quart heavy covered pot (cast iron, enamel, Pyrex or ceramic) in the oven as it heats. When the dough is ready, carefully remove the pot from the oven and lift off the lid. Slide your hand under the towel and turn the dough over into the pot, seam side up. The dough will lose its shape a bit in the process, but that’s OK. Give the pan a firm shake or two to help distribute the dough evenly, but don’t worry if it’s not perfect; it will straighten out as it bakes.
5. Cover and bake for 30 minutes. Remove the lid and bake another 15 to 20 minutes, until the loaf is beautifully browned. Remove the bread from the Dutch oven and let it cool on a rack for at least 1 hour before slicing.

Yield: One 1 1/2-pound loaf.
Adapted from The New York Times.

When you first mix it, it looks shaggy

This is my recycled crock pot bowl. You can even use a ceramic bowl.

Dough has risen and bubbly.

At this stage I combine 2 batches together to let rise for a large loaf.

Voila'... perfection from a novice.

                                                                                                                        -Buff -

WIWW- Tan Blazer

I have been wanting a blazer for awhile now, but didnt want to pay $40 or more for one. I found this one at Forever 21 for only $30. I am loving stripes right now, so when I found this top I just had to have it!



Blazer- Forever 21
Striped top- Charlotte Russe
Jeans- Nordstrom Rack
Shoes- Discount Shoe Factory
Necklace- 99 cent store

I LOVE these mary jane heels! If you are ever in Las Vegas, stop by the Discount Shoe Factory. They have thousands of shoes in every style there is and they are priced really well. These shoes were only $15.99







-chelz

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WIWW: Turquoise & Yellow

I totally fell in love with this turquoise cardigan from Target.  Normally I'd pair it with something safe, like a white tank.  But in an effort to be a little more bold I decided to go with a bright yellow.  And I absolutely LOVED the color combo!

Cardigan: Target
While long sleeve: Target
Yellow tank: Styles For Less
Jeans: Aeropostale
Shoes: Discount Shoe Factory
Jewelry: 99cent Store & Burlington












I love my ruffle wedges! I even painted my toenails to match my cardi.  :)










Bright & bold accessories just complete the outfit.

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Christmas Light Show

My husband has been hard at work to get our Christmas lights up.  He's been doing the light show for several years now and it never gets old to me.  I love when I come home at night and just sit in the car and enjoy the show.  :)  This is just part of one of the songs.  I'll try to post some more later this week. 

Pikelets

What Do You Do With Leftover Pancakes?

Don't dare throw them away! save them for later...
Then make a yummy dessert /snack called "Pikelets"

So easy & delicious.. You can't just have one. Adults & kids love them.

They taste best cold...

Just make your favorite pancakes...

Let them Cool!!!!!

Top it with your favorite Jam, then top with whipped cream.

You will be so surprised how good they are.

Our favorite jam is raspberry....enjoy

              -Buff-

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Teacher Christmas Gifts

For teacher gifts this year I wanted to do something quick and easy.  Between school teachers, aides, and primary teachers we had 6 to buy for.  So I headed out to Bath & Body Works and picked up some cute Christmas apple-scented soap.  Then I headed over to Crafts Re-designed for these adorable printable tags.  The kids cut them out and we tied them on with some (homemade) bakers twine.  I think they turned out cute and hopefully it's a gift their teachers will enjoy. These would be great for neighbor gifts, too.  I think I'll make a few extra to have on hand!

I wanted to do a little something more for Cailyn's 3rd grade teacher.  So in addition to the soap we made some personalized cards for her to use.

I got some lined scrapbook paper and ran it through the printer to put her teacher's name on.  Then I got to use my favorite border punch.

I put them all together, added some ribbon and a few festive pencils and it was good to go!

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