EASY PRETZEL PEANUT TOFFEE

SWEET & SALTY = Delicious Toffee

Ingredients:

Bottom Layer:

2 cups pretzel pieces

1 cup lightly salted peanuts

Toffee:

1 lb butter (frozen)

1 ½ cups sugar

2 tablespoons cold water

Top Layer:

1 cup chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli or other premium chocolate)

1 cup peanut butter chips

1 cup lightly salted peanuts

1 cup pretzel pieces or square pretzels

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, extending it over edges of pan.

Evenly distribute  peanuts and pretzels over parchment paper.

In a 3 - 4 quart heavy saucepan combine  the frozen butter, sugar, and cold water. Cook over medium heat to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until thermometer registers 290 degree F (soft-crack stage), about 15 minutes. Butter/ Sugar Mixture should boil at a steady rate over the entire surface.  The butter and sugar will change color when it is ready…it will be a light brown color. (Adjust heat as necessary so that mixture does not boil over.)

Remove from heat; remove thermometer.  Pour toffee (butter and sugar) over pretzels and peanuts.  Wait a few minutes and mix the chocolate chips and the peanut butter chips, then sprinkle the chip mixture over the toffee.  Wait about 3 minutes to let the chips melt, then ,using a spatula (I like to use an angled spatula), spread the melted chips over the toffee.  Add  1 cup peanuts and 1 cup chopped pretzels and gently press into the chocolate. Carefully Lift the parchment from the baking sheet and set on a cooling rack to let it evenly cool.    Let sit overnight or up to 24 hours in a cool dry place.  Break into pieces (I used a multi pronged ice pick) and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

Ingredients

Pretzel Peanut Layer

Getting Ready to Make Toffee

Toffee and Sugar Cooking

Almost Done

Done

Pretzel, peanuts, and chips

setting

Ready to Serve

EASY CHOCOLATE ALMOND TOFFEE

Ingredients:

1 cup chopped almonds

1 lb butter (frozen)

2 cups sugar

2 tablespoons cold water

1 ½ cups chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli or other premium chocolate)

½ cup sliced almonds

½ cup Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits, optional

Directions:

Line a baking sheet with foil or parchment paper, extending it over edges of pan.

Chop almonds and evenly distribute over parchment paper.

In a 3 - 4 quart heavy saucepan combine  the frozen butter, sugar, and cold water. Cook over medium heat to boiling, stirring to dissolve sugar. Clip a candy thermometer to the pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until thermometer registers 290 degree F (soft-crack stage), about 15 minutes. Butter/ Sugar Mixture should boil at a steady rate over the entire surface.  The butter and sugar will change color when it is ready…it will be a light brown color. (Adjust heat as necessary so that mixture does not boil over.)

Remove from heat; remove thermometer.  Pour toffee (butter and sugar) over chopped almonds.  Wait a few minutes, then sprinkle the chocolate chips over the toffee.  Wait about 3 minutes to let the chocolate melt, then ,using a spatula (I like to use an angled spatula), spread the melted chocolate chips over the toffee.  Add the sliced almonds and the Milk Chocolate Toffee Bits   and gently press into the chocolate. Carefully Lift the parchment from the baking sheet and set on a cooling rack to let it evenly cool.    Let sit overnight or up to 24 hours in a cool dry place.  Break into pieces (I used a multi pronged ice pick) and store any leftovers in an airtight container.

PEPPERMINT BARK WHITE CHOCOLATE CHEESECAKE

Crust: 
1 (10 oz. package ) Grasshopper Mint  cookies, crushed
6 tablespoons margarine or butter, melted
(you can also buy a pre-maid chocolate crumb crusts )

Filling:
1 envelope unflavored gelatin
1/8 cup cold water

¼ cup boiling water

½ cup sugar, I use extra fine baker’s sugar
1 (8 oz package) cream cheese, softened
1 cup sour cream
8 oz. white chocolate baking bar, melted (reserve 3 tablespoons of the melted white chocolate)
1 cup whipping cream
2 drops peppermint extract, divided

1 ½ teaspoons peppermint sprinkles 

1 drop of red food coloring

Peppermint Bark Swirl:

3.5 oz. peppermint bark, chopped

2 ½ tablespoons whipping cream

Whipping cream, chocolate sauce* and crushed candy canes for garnish

Directions:

In small bowl, combine crust ingredients; mix well.  Press in bottom of 8-inch springform pan.  Set aside.

In small saucepan, pour gelatin over cold water; let stand 1 minute.  Add boiling water and sugar; stir over medium heat until mixture is hot and gelatin and sugar are dissolved.

In a heavy saucepan or double boiler on low heat, warm 2.5 oz. tablespoons whipping cream.  Add chopped peppermint bark chocolate.  Constantly stir until almost melted.  Remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth. It will finish melting as you stir it. Set aside.

In a heavy saucepan or double boiler, melt white chocolate on low heat, stirring constantly until it is almost completely melted.  Remove from heat and continue stirring until smooth.  It will finish melting as you stir it.

In large bowl, beat cream cheese and sour cream until creamy.  Gradually add melted baking bar, gelatin mixture , whipping cream, one drop of peppermint extract and 1 ½ teaspoons peppermint sprinkles.  Beat until smooth.  Pour into crust lined pan. 

In the reserved white chocolate, put one drop red food coloring and 1 small drop of peppermint extract.  Mix well.

Spoon about 5 teaspoons full of the peppermint bark mixture onto the top of the cheesecake in a circular pattern.  Put a small dollop of the reserved white chocolate on each chocolate peppermint bark  teaspoon dot.  Using a knife in a circular motion, gently swirl the peppermint bark mixture into the cheesecake.  Gradually add more dollops of the peppermint bark to make more swirls with the knife.  Continue to add more of the peppermint bark until your cheesecake has the desired amount of swirls.

Cover; refrigerate 1 ½  to 2 ½  hours or until firm. 

Just before serving, run knife around edge of pan to loosen cheesecake.  Carefully remove sides of pan. Garnish with whipping cream, crushed candy cane and chocolate sauce. Store in refrigerator. 

*To make chocolate sauce, melt 2 oz. semi sweet chocolate with 3 – 4 Tablespoons whipping cream and voila you have your sauce.

Ingredients

Grasshopper Mint Crumbs

Crumbs in Springform Pan

White Chocolate to Melt

Peppermint Bark and Whipping Cream to Melt

Melted Peppermint Bark

Melted White Chocolate

Gelatin

Cream Cheese and Sour Cream Mixture

Adding the white chocolate, whipping cream and gelatin

Adding the peppermint sprinkles

turning the reserved white chocolate pink

white chocolate with color and sprinkles

filling in pie shell

making peppermint bark swirls

ready to garnish

garnished and ready to set

BOW TIE CHICKEN NOODLE SOUP (NO EGG) MOSTLY HOMEMADE

INGREDIENTS:

2 Boneless Skinless Chicken Breasts

1 bag of baby carrots (chopped)

1 small onion (chopped)

1  (32 oz.)box Swanson’s Chicken Broth

3 cups water

2 garlic cloves minced

2 teaspoons Better than Bouillon Soup Starter paste (or Knorr Homestyle Stock)

Garlic Salt (to taste)

Italian Seasoning (to taste)

Onion Mrs. Dash (to taste)

Garlic Powder (to taste)

Coarse ground pepper  (to taste)

1 package Bow Tie Pasta

DIRECTIONS:

Boil a stock pot of water and boil chicken until it is done all the way through (about 20 minutes if they are frozen).  In a large crock pot on High, add the water, broth, and bouillon.  Cover. 

Coarsely Chop the carrots (I used a electric Food Chopper) and add to the crock pot.  Peel and finely chop the onions.  Mince the garlic cloves and add to the crock pot.  Chop the boiled chicken in a chopper or use kitchen shears to cut it into manageable pieces.  Add the chicken to the crock pot. Add all the seasonings to taste.  Cook on High for 3 or 4 hours until the carrots are tender.  20 minutes before serving boil water for pasta.  Boil Pasta according to package directions, drain pasta and set aside.  Serve pasta individually in soup bowls and ladle soup over pasta then mix (this keeps the pasta from absorbing all the extra moisture in the soup).

Ingredients

Cubed Chicken

Ready to Eat

WHITE CHOCOLATE PUMPKIN SPICE MOUSSE

Ingredients:

¼ cup cold water

1 package unflavored gelatin

¼ cup boiling water

1 tablespoon sugar

½ cup white chocolate chips or baking chocolate

2 tablespoons butter

¾ cup pumpkin puree

1 ½ teaspoons pumpkin pie spice

¼ cup sugar (to taste)

1 ½ cups heavy cream, whipped

Whipping Cream for Garnish

Directions:

Pour the cold water into a small bowl and sprinkle with the gelatin.  Let stand for 2 minutes.  Pour the boiling water over the gelatin  and add 1 tablespoon sugar and whisk until the gelatin is dissolved.

Melt the butter over low heat until it is mostly melted, add the white chocolate, stirring constantly.  Just before it is completely melted, remove from heat and continue stirring.  Set aside..

Place the gelatin mixture, pumpkin,  pumpkin pie spice and sugar into a blender or the bowl of a food processor and puree smooth.  Add the white chocolate and blend again until combined.

Whip the cream until soft peaks form. Pour the pumpkin mixture over the whipped cream and gently fold the ingredients together.  Spoon the mixture into parfait or stemmed glasses.  Cover, and refrigerate for at least 3 hours. 

Garnish whipped cream  and pumpkin pie spice.

Ingredients

Melting Chips and Butter

Melted White Chocolate

Gelatin over Cold Water

Gelatin with boiling water and sugar

Pumpkin and Spice

Pumpkin and white chocolate mixture

All Mixed

Ready to Set