Homemade Candy Canes

One of Deidra's favorite Christmas traditions is making homemade candy canes. Every Sunday night after Thanksgiving until Christmas she is likely to be found making candy canes with friends.

She made this short Instagram video a few weeks ago of the process.

And here's the recipe, if you feel adventurous and want to try it yourself!

Merry Christmas! Wish you were all near and could taste a warm, fresh candy cane!

Caramel Apple Bar

I try to take a birthday treat into work every year for my husband's birthday. This year he requested caramel apples, and since I aim to please, caramel apples is what he got!

I started with caramel apples. And then since this was a celebration, I drenched them in chocolate and added more goodies to the outside. These were loaded caramel apples.

You can't go wrong with Caramel and Chocolate.

The Snickers were a big hit.

But my personal favorite, Apple Pie. White chocolate with cinnamon and sugar sprinkled on the outside. Yum!

 I added little name tags to the apples, so his co-workers could know what they were working with.

Added a sign telling them what these were for, so when he wasn't next to it people would know why there were apples hanging out. And put it all on a parchment lined tray.

There was room to squeeze in a mini cutting board and a knife to help make the experience easier. Eating whole caramel apples is hard unless you cut them!

Do you have a go-to treat for the office?

Caramel Apples

Nothing says 'fall' like caramel apples.

The first step is to wash and shine the apples so they are all pretty. Then put them in the refrigerator overnight to chill. Or out in the garage if you don't have room in the fridge and your garage is already cold. This will help the caramel harden quickly and not slide off the apple.

Combine 1 C. light Karo syrup, 1 lb. light brown sugar, and 1/4 C. butter into a sauce pan. Bring to a boil and cook until all the sugar is dissolved.Remove the pan from the heat and add 1 can of sweetened condensed milk.

Put it back on the heat and cook—stirring constantly to prevent burning—until it reaches 230 degrees on your candy thermometer.

Insert sticks into the apples and dip them in the caramel. I placed them on a baking sheet lined with a Sil-Pat to prevent sticking.

 You can enjoy them just like this, or dip in chocolate and cover with your favorite toppings!

Tiny Spicy Chicken

 

Do you have family favorites that sometimes fall by the side, forgotten? This recipe had been forgotten until my husband recently requested it for his birthday dinner. I was happy to oblige, and made a small little tweak to keep the spicy factor down for our daughter.

Tiny Spicy Chicken

2 lbs chicken, chopped into bite-sized pieces (boneless, skinless thighs are my favorite)

Cornstarch and flour, about 2 TB each, to coat

Toss the chicken in equal parts cornstarch and flour, then pan fry in a neutral oil until starting to brown. Remove from pan and place on paper towel-lined plate. Then place in a 9x13 baking dish.

Sauce

1 C sugar

3/4 C ketchup

5 TB brown sugar

3 TB soy sauce

3/4 C white vinegar

3/4 C chicken broth

1 1/2 TB sriracha sauce

1 1/2 TB cornstarch

Whisk all ingredients together, making sure cornstarch is well dissolved, and pour over chicken in baking dish. Bake at 350° for 35-45 minutes, until sauce is thickened and bubbly.

Family Friendly Adaptation

Basically this requires you to use two pans and add the sriracha to only part of the sauce.

Divide chicken into two portions (depending on desired spicy/mild ratio) and place in oven safe dishes. Omit sriracha from sauce and pour enough sauce over mild chicken to coat. Then add sriracha to remaing sauce (using less sriracha, based on how much sauce is remaining), then pour over chicken for the spicy servings.

We serve it with fluffy white rice and sesame sauteed green beans.

Quick Dinners

Does it feel like dinner-time feels the squeeze this time of year at your house, too? More extracurricular activities, enforced bedtimes and busy days can lead to the evening panic, but it's not quite time for heavy stews simmering in the slow cooker all day.

Here are some of our favorite quick, late summer dinner recipes.

Smothered Grilled Chicken— When our family makes this, we include zucchini in with the sauteed vegetables. Served with garlic potatoes, it's my husband's favorite dinner. 

Salmon with Spicy Cucumber-Pineapple Relish— I left the spicy jalapenos out of a portion of the relish and my two-year old all but inhaled it. It was great served with a side of rice and sauteed green beans from the garden.

Squash, Mushroom and Black Bean Quesadillas— These are pretty amazing quesadillas.

Grilled Mediterranean Vegetable Sandwiches— The lone eggplant in our garden has a meeting with its destiny in this sandwich.

Spaghetti with Cherry Tomatoes— I can't be the only one whose cherry tomatoes are going crazy!

Taco Salad with Pinto Beans and Avocado— Deceptively simple, but so good. A great vegetarian option.

Pork Chops Smothered with Peppers and Onions— I'll admit: I was a bit weary of the fennel seed, but I think it totally makes this dish.

Spinach, Grape and Bacon Salad— Bacon makes main dish salads manly, right?

Grilled Pizza— Topped with little more than cheese, fresh tomatoes and fragrant basil, this is a winner!

Avocado and Turkey Paninis with Ranch Dressing— I really think garden (or farmer's market) fresh tomatoes should get billing in this recipe.

Creamy Chicken and Spinach Pasta— A rotisserie chicken makes this quick and easy.

Chickpea Salad with Lemon, Parmesan and Herbs— Note that you'll want to double this to serve four.

Pasta with Tomato Sauce and Lemony Beans— Sub out the canned diced tomatoes for fresh ones, if you've got them.

Five Friday Finds :: Great Canning Resources

If you would like to start canning, but don't know where to start, here are five excellent places to look for inspiration. Before long, you might be hooked and preserving all the bounty you can get!

1. A friend who cans. Canners love to share their knowledge, and having someone walk you through your first recipe can bolster your confidence enough to venture out on your own. Ask around and see if you have a friend who would be willing to help you get started or loan you some of their equipment.
2. Ball Blue Book Guide to Preserving (a great first step) or  Ball Complete Book of Home Preserving (for more info, recipes and methods). After a friend initiated me into the ways of canning on my own, without my mom, this was the next step. These books will show you the ropes, help define different terms—headspace? When to start timing a water bath processing? Fingertip tight? Adjusting for altitude? These books have you covered. And once you have the terminology mastered, canning is just like following any other recipe.
3. Your local Cooperative Extension office. A fantastic resource for what's going on locally and most offer pressure canner testing, to put your mind at ease before venturing into pressure canning by making sure you're equipment is working well.
4. Fresh Preserving. Another canning primer, a vast recipe database (searchable by all sort of different factors), troubleshooting, pectin calculator and more. 
5. Food in Jars. Especially Beginning Water Bath Canning and Canning 101, which has answers to all sorts of questions. Marisa includes lots of new, unique and fresh ideas when it comes to canning recipes and products.

Zucchini Recipes

 

I don't know about you, but our zucchini production is in full swing and my counter is being overtaken by the green beasts. Here are 7 delicious ways to use up your harvest!

 

 Zucchini Orange Cupcakes from No Biggie

 Zucchini Cupcakes from Taste of Home

 Lemon Zucchini Bread from Hopeful Homemaker

 Baked Zucchini Sticks and Sweet Onion Dip from King Arthur Flour

 Sausage Stuffed Zucchini from Skinnytaste

Pineapple Zucchini Cake from Skinnytaste

Chocolate Zucchini Cake from The Idea Room

Peas + Basil

Hello Nikkala,

I've recently discovered the combo of peas and basil. First I made a sort of pea pesto (peas plus basil, chicken stock and seasonings) tossed on pasta. Now, I've moved on to pea soup.

Being a lover of the color green, this soup was just plain pretty. And the husband, being a lover of crisp bacon thought the soup better for it.

Despite the bacon, a whole bowl full of veggies can't be too unhealthy, right? Bonus that it's super easy and quick to make!

Pea and Basil Soup, with Bacon

Three slices bacon, chopped
One half onion, diced
One clove garlic, minced
One bag frozen peas
Chicken stock
Fresh basil (approx. 4-5 large leaves), roughly chopped
Salt and pepper to taste

Sautee bacon until crisp in the bottom of your pot. Remove once crisp. Sautee onion in some of the reserved bacon grease. Add garlic when onion starts to soften and cook until fragrant. Then add peas and chicken stock. Cook until peas are soft, then add basil and puree. (Don't cook too long, or you'll end up with dull green, icky peas!) Season with salt and pepper, if needed. Garnish with crisp bacon and a basil leaf. Makes about 3 servings.

With a piece of homemade bread, it made a yummy light lunch. Though I have to admit, I think I liked it better not thinned down so much, with pasta and cheese. Though isn't everything made a bit better with carbs and cheese? Then again, it wouldn't have been such a light lunch with those!

Do you think your veggie love boys would go for this?

Bon Appetit!
Deidra

Steve-O's Chicken Salad

Hey Nik,

We're having to mix it up with the variety of salads we eat around here. Lucky for me, the husband is a big fan of "girlie salads" (his words, not mine).

We had a Steve-O's chicken salad the other day for dinner. Since we're not close enough to get a fix at the restaurant, we have to improvise and make our own.

A bed of crunchy romaine, topped with grilled chicken, sliced olives, thinly slice red onion, cucumbers, carrots, homemade croutons and our version of their dressing. Since the husband is a tomato-hater, I don't buy tomatoes very often. I'm waiting for the 9 plants outside to start producing ripe ones. Otherwise, there would be tomato, too.

The croutons were just little rounds of multi-grain bread from the grocery (pre-sliced, like for bruschetta). I cut them to bite size, tossed them with olive oil, some Lawry's seasoning salt, fresh ground pepper, some garlic and onion powder and some dried herbs. I broke my summer rule about turning on the oven and baked them at 400° until they were good and crunchy.

The piece de resistance of this salad is the dressing. Store bought ranch gets a healthy dose of red wine vinegar and dried dill. Then be generous with it. I figure that the vinegar thins it out and makes it healthier, so I can use more of it.

With the left-over croutons we've also been able to have chicken Caesar salads/wraps. Mmm. The crouton making was totally worth it. Any one want to contribute more salad ideas? I'm hard up for some! (We had a heat advisory warning yesterday with the heat index somewhere between 105°-110°. Humidity is evil.)

Love, Deid

Fixing Up Cupcakes

There's nothing new about gourmet cupcakes. Cupcake shops have popped up across the country, but did you know getting that gourmet taste at home is easy? It's true.

I'm a fan of from scratch cupcakes, but mixes work fine as well. The secret is to layer the flavors. This is a caramel pumpkin cupcake. The first time I made it using Martha Stewart's pumpkin cupcake recipe and the second time just I added some pumpkin puree to a spice cake mix. The base isn't nearly as important as what you put on top! Swirl a little Smuckers caramel ice cream topping on and top with cream cheese frosting. I left the caramel peaking through and people went crazy over it!

This is a raspberry chocolate cheesecake cupcake, impressive sounding right? It is just a chocolate cupcake, frosted with a thin layer of Nutella, a little raspberry jam, and then frosted with cream cheese frosting. Heavenly.

What's your favorite kind of cupcake?

General Conference Cinnamon Rolls

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I'm excited for our  General Conference weekend, and not just because we get to watch church on the TV like my boys are (but that is nice too!). But because of the little traditions we have for conference weekend, like the traditional brunch with friends complete with conference cinnamon rolls. And while we're watching I hope to finish up a couple of projects. I seem to listen better if my hands are busy. There's a butterfly mobile for the new niece that I need to put together and in the mail before Deidra heads to the hospital. And I'm planning on making a ton of paper flowers for this wreath. She says you need like a million, so that should keep me busy! While I'm crafting I plan to keep the boys entertained with these conference packets.

While the cinnamon rolls are tradition, each of us sisters and our mom all use different recipes. Here's my favorite:

Sandy's Cinnamon Rolls
2 c. warm water
1/2 c. sugar
2 T. yeast
1/2 c. shortening
1 tsp. salt
5-6 c. flour

Add in order till dough pulls from the side of mixer. The dough will still be a little sticky. Put in a lightly greased bowl and over. Let rise until double. Roll out the dough and cover with butter, sugar, cinnamon (and I like to add a little brown sugar). Roll up and slice (I prefer the dental floss slicing method), place on pan and let rise until double. Back at 350 for 25-30 minutes. Frost while still warm.


Do you have conference weekend traditions?

Run for the Roses

 via

Phew! We are having one of those afternoons at our house and I know it is all self-imposed! You see, a few weeks ago I got a phone call asking me to bring a "fancy" cake to our ward's Relief Society birthday dinner tonight.

I've spent the last few weeks looking for ideas and recipes--because I would much rather eat a yummy cake than a pretty one covered in nasty frosting or fondant. I've finally settled on this lemon cake decorated with roses like this. I envision it being beautiful and delicious...if all goes as planned.

Last week, a friend said she had baked her cake and put them in the freezer for today. That's not my style, I'd much rather run around frantically and have everything go wrong and be a crazy mess than to start days in advance. But definitely not because it is me at my finest. Just ask my kids. Or my husband, who called at 10 this morning to see if I needed help with the cake. Oh he knows me so well!

That's why I started the entire cake process just a bit ago, and if you notice the recipe says it takes 4 hours. I'm really hoping to have it all done in 3.5 hours since the party starts in exactly 4 hours from my start time. Nothing like cutting it close!

And in case you were wondering, no I've never used this recipe or made roses like that before. So this is both the trial run and final project. Apparently knowing how to follow a recipe and owning the right tip are all I think I need.

Wish me luck!

Campfire Trail Mix

Perhaps it's the new sleeping bags we bought over the weekend, but there's definitely a spring fever running high in our house. This Campfire Trailmix is as close as we are getting to a camping trip right now--it just happens to be the treat of choice for my boys and the husband.

And it couldn't be any easier to make. All you need are mini marshmallows, Golden Grahams and chocolate chips. Add enough of each until the ratios look just right and you will have portable s'mores!

Package individual servings in ziplocks to go, or it would make a cute party favor with a tag and ribbon on a cellophane bag.

What's the favorite snack time treat at your house?