McKenzies Perfect Caramels

 Dad got this receipe from McKenzie and have had great success.  There is also an option for Tar Bar licorice caramels

Ingredient Checklist

• 1 cup butter or margarine 
• 1 pound light brown sugar 
• 1 (14 ounce) can sweetened condensed milk 
• 1 cup light corn syrup 
• 1 pinch salt 
• 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract

Directions

• Step 1

  In a heavy bottomed saucepan over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, sweetened condensed milk, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Heat to  238 F  add vanilla.   Shut off heat( this helps cool off the bottom of the pan) and stir a little more and remove them at 240 F.  

• Step 2

• Meanwhile, butter a 9x13 inch baking pan. When the caramel is ready, pour into the buttered pan.( do not scrape the bottom of pan unless you know it has not browned) Allow to cool completely to  room temperature. Remove from the pan  put on a cutting mat and cut into squares or long strips using a sharp butcher knife. Wrap individual pieces in waxed paper or wrap in 3x5 cellophane wrappers  (Amazon) or you can melt chocolate chips ( add bit of canola oil)and frost caramels, let dry then flip and frost other side. Cut into strips. Wrap.

Tar bar option.  Add anise oil -1 Tablespoon   and 1 teaspoon black color paste add in the place of vanilla as you remove from heat.

Chocolate Orange Jelly Sticks

 One of our favorite traditions at Christmas is our Candy Table, inspired by Elsie Jean "Gale" Thackeray. We love orange sticks.  Lately for us in the midwest we have a hard time finding these Orange Sticks and Red Vines rope licorice.  Dad has mastered the Jellied Orange Stick.  So good.

HOMEMADE CHOCOLATE ORANGE STICKS  

• 3 Tbsp unflavored gelatin (I used 4 of the little packets)
• 2 cups sugar
• 1/2 cup hot water
• 1/2 cup cold water
• 2 Tbsp frozen orange juice concentrate
• 2 Tbsp lemon juice
• 1/2 tsp lemon extract
• 1 tsp orange extract
• 5-6 drops orange food coloring
• 12 oz milk chocolate 

1. Soften the gelatin in cold water and set aside.
2. Combine sugar and hot water, stir until dissolved.  Bring to a boil in a saucepan over medium-high heat.  Add the gelatin mixture and slowly boil on medium-low heat for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and add the remaining ingredients.
3. Pour into well-greased 9X13
4. Let stand over night  cut into narrow rectangles and then dip into melted chocolate.   

Wassail Hot Apple Cider

Blake remembered the first time he had tasted Wassail at Sharon Lyons home(Brittany's Mother-In-Law)

He said it was the best.  So we copied her recipe and added to our Blog.  

Ingredients

1 c sugar

4 c water

10 whole cloves

8 allspice berries

2 cinnamon sticks

1 piece of ginger root

4 c orange juice

2 c lemon juice

2 quarts of apple cider(8 cups)

Combine sugar and water, boil 2 minutes.  Remove from heat and add spices(I put mine in a cheese cloth bag  tied with a string) Cover and allow to stand for  1 hour.  Add juices and cider and bring quickly to a boil and serve.

Marshmallows

Dad has become quite the expert at making homemade marshmallows.  Plain, crushed peppermint, and dipped in chocolate to eat or melt inside 2 graham crackers to have a yummy S'more. Try dropping one of these fluffy mallows into a cup of hot chocolate...amazing goodness.

INGREDIENTS

•  Neutral flavored oil, for greasing the baking dish
• 3 envelopes unflavored gelatin
•            1 1/2 cups sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• ¼ teaspoon  salt
• 1 tablespoon  vanilla extract
•          1/4 c powdered sugar mixed with 1/4 c. cornstarch 

PREPARATION

1. Lightly oil an 8-by-8-inch baking dish. Combine gelatin with 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Set aside while you prepare the syrup.
2. In a medium saucepan, combine the granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1/2 cup cold water. Stir the mixture just enough to combine the ingredients then cook over medium-high heat, swirling the pan occasionally, until the mixture reaches 240 degrees on a candy thermometer, about 10 minutes.
3. With the mixer on low speed, carefully pour hot syrup into gelatin mixture and mix until gelatin is dissolved. Add the vanilla  extract.
4. Turn the mixer to high and whip the batter until it is very thick, stiff and opaque, about 10 minutes. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and spread it with a knife.
5. Let sit uncovered until firm, about 4 hours at room temperature or 2 hours in the fridge.
6. Sift a generous amount of confectioners’ sugarwith cornstarch onto a work surface, use a knife to cut around the edges of the pan and unmold marshmallow onto the sugar. You will have to pull it out of the pan with your fingertips; it will be very sticky but will pull out in one piece. Dust the top of the marshmallow with confectioners' sugar and use a long, sharp knife to cut the marshmallow into roughly 1 1/2-inch cubes. Clean and dry your knife periodically throughout this process when it gets too sticky. 
7. Toss the cubes in the confectioners’ sugarmixed with cornstarch to make sure they are coated on all sides and store them in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

Tip

• Variations: Add 1 teaspoons of peppermint extract for peppermint marshmallows. Leave out vanilla extract for a pure peppermint flavor. At this time if you want add crushed peppermint. Dip in melted milk chocolate and let dry for chocolate covered marshmallows.

Clotted Cream British Topping

 

When Dad and I were in England we found a new love for crumpets(alot like an English Muffin) with jam and a dollop of clotted cream on top.  

Ingredients

• 2 c heavy cream (not ultra-pasteurized)

Instructions

Day 1

• Preheat your oven to 170-180F.
• Pour the cream into a shallow casserole dish or glass baking dish. (The cream should only come up the sides about 1-2 inches. The key here is to have a lot of surface area.)
• Place the cream in the oven for 12 hours, uncovered. (This works great overnight.**)

Day 2

• After heating for 12 hours, the cream will develop a skin. Carefully remove the dish from the oven and let it cool to room temperature. Once cool, cover the dish and refrigerate it for 8 hours (or overnight again).

Day 3

• After chilled, gently skim the thick layer of clotted cream from the surface, leaving the thinner liquid behind. (It will feel like you’re pulling a layer of slightly softened ice cream from the top of a layer of milk*. The skin in fine, it will soften as it is mixed into the cream.)
• Gently stir the skimmed clotted cream to create a smooth texture. (If your cream is too thick for your liking, you can always stir a little bit of the thin liquid back into your cream, until it reaches your desired consistency.)
• Store the clotted cream in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to two weeeks. (Clotted cream can also be frozen and thawed in the refrigerator, if desired.) 

Porcupine Meatballs

 Meatballs

2 lbs groundbeef

1 c jasmine/basamati rice

1 diced onion

1 diced green pepper

1 large clove garlic minced

3 T chopped Parsley

1 t Italian Seasoning

2 eggs

1 1/2 t salt

1/2 t pepper

Sauce

2 15oz cans of tomato sauce

1 1/4 c chicken broth

2 t worchestershire

1 T chopped parsley

shredded mozzerella cheese  for serving(optional)

Mix meatballs and shape into balls.  Put  in 9X13.  Cover with the sauce and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

You can brown in a skillet  carefully turning and simmer in skillet with sauce for about 30 minutes. 

Southern Skillet Cornbread

 This cornbread is my family tradition.  It s true southern cornbread baked in a black cast iron skillet.

It is not a  sweet cornbread.  I  break it up and put it in  a glass of milk and eat it with a spoon.  My mother and grandfather would put it in  a glass of buttermilk and eat with a spoon.

Heat a heaping Tablespoon of Crisco shortening in black cast iron skillet in oven at 350.

In a bowl mix

2 cups White Lily self rising corn meal( you can take your cornmeal and make it self rising by adding 3 T baking powder and 1 t salt)(not as good as the White Lily)

2 eggs

2  Heaping T white flour

Pour some of the melted crisco into the batter and then add buttermilk until it resembles a cake batter.  Pour into hot cast iron skillet and bake 30 minutes.

Turn out onto plate to cool