Erin’s Carmels

2 c. brown sugar

1 can condensed milk

1 c. light corn syrup

1 c. butter

Place all ingredients in a large heavy pot. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring constantly. Once the mixture comes to a rolling boil, remove from heat, continue stirring, cook it until it reaches soft ball stage, about 15-20 minutes after it starts to boil or 230°.

Erin's Caramels

2 cups brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 cup butter

Cook to soft boil. Careful, it burns at the bottom of the pot easily.

Pour into greased 9x13, cut, and wrap.

Marshmallows - Martha Stewart

INGREDIENTS 

• 2 1/2 tablespoons unflavored gelatin
• 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
• 1 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 tablespoons pure vanilla extract
• Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
• DIRECTIONS 
• Combine gelatin and 1/2 cup cold water in the bowl of an electric mixer with whisk attachment. Let stand 30 minutes. 
• Combine granulated sugar, corn syrup, salt, and 1/2 cup water in a small heavy saucepan; place over low heat, and stir until sugar has dissolved. Wash down sides of pan with a wet pastry brush to dissolve sugar crystals. 
• Clip on a candy thermometer; raise heat to high. Cook syrup without stirring until it reaches 244 degrees (firm-ball stage). Immediately remove pan from heat. 
• With mixer on low speed, slowly and carefully pour syrup into the softened gelatin. Increase speed to high; beat until mixture is very thick and white and has almost tripled in volume, about 15 minutes. Add vanilla; beat to incorporate. 
• Generously dust an 8-by-12-inch glass baking pan with confectioners' sugar. Pour marshmallow mixture into pan. Dust top with confectioners' sugar; wet your hands, and pat it to smooth. Dust with confectioners' sugar; let stand overnight, uncovered, to dry out. Turn out onto a board; cut marshmallows with a dry hot knife into 1 1/2-inch squares, and dust with more confectioners' sugar.

Cranberry Sauce

· 1 1/2 cups dried cranberries 

· 3/4 cup water or preferably cranberry juice or pomegranate-cranberry mix

· Zest of one orange, then juice the orange

· 1/4 teaspoon salt

· Juice from zested orange

· 2-4 tablespoons raspberry jelly

· 2 tablespoons of cornstarch mixed into 4 tablespoons water

Add all ingredients except the cornstarch to a pan, bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the cranberries plump up. Then add the cornstarch slurry slowly while at a slow simmer until the sauce is thick and of the right consistency. You might not need it all. Makes about 2 cups.

Ward Party Turkey Dressing for 20-25

Ingredients:

1 ¾ - 2 loaves thick sliced bread

8 stalks celery chopped

1 ½ cups butter or margarine, reserve ½ c to spread on top

2 onions chopped and fried

½ cup oxo chicken broth mixture

3 Tablespoons poultry seasoning

¼ tsp garlic salt

¼ - ½ tsp cayenne pepper

2 Tablespoons parsley flakes

3 cups chicken broth or turkey neck broth

1 cup cooked rice

Break up bread into chunks. Lay out on cookie sheet to dry overnight. When dried, put in a greased large tin foil pan or roaster. Fry celery, 1 cup of butter, and onions until soft. Add broth and seasonings – simmer. Add rice to bread chunks. Slowly add broth to bread mixture until saturated. You may not need all the broth. Spread ½ cup soft butter on top. Cover with tinfoil and bake in oven at 275’ for approximately 1 ½ hours, stirring every half hour. 

Chloe's Caramels

Dairy-free Caramel

1 cup Earth Balance margarine
2 cups sugar
1 can (14.5 ounce) coconut milk plus enough almond milk to make a total of 2 cups (coconut milk and almond milk combined)
1 cup light corn syrup replacement (see below) or light corn syrup
1 1/2 teaspoon gluten free vanilla

Prepare your pan/s:  Line an 8 inch x 8 inch pan with parchment or, if dipping apples, cover a baking sheet with parchment and poke the sticks into the apples.  I do this by  very lightly oiling my pan, then laying in the parchment so the parchment does not slide around. If you will be coating apples, you can cover a few apples and then place the remaining caramel in a smaller parchment lined container such as a bread loaf pan for the caramel you will have leftover.  If making caramel sauce, have a canning jar and lid ready.  I use a canning jar, pouring the sauce into a clean canning jar, letting the sauce cool before capping and storing in the refrigerator.  Heat caramel sauce by putting uncovered jar in a sauce pan with water and heating to desired temperature.  

Place the margarine, sugar, coconut/almond milk mixture and corn syrup replacement in a large saucepan.  Clip candy thermometer to saucepan.  Slowly bring ingredients to a low boil stirring very, very often.  Keeping things at a low boil prevents the caramel sugars from forming grainy crystals, prevents boil over and hot sugar spatters.  

Cook over medium-high heat while continuing to stir often until candy reaches 248 degrees F. For softer caramels cook to 243 for softer caramels.  If you are making caramel sauce for dairy-free ice cream or for less sticky caramel (like I did for my daughter with braces) cook the caramel to 230 degrees.  This takes quite a while generally 1 ½ to 2 hours with my stove, so I will do this while I have other things I am puttering around with in the kitchen.  Trust me it is worth it!  You could cook it at a little higher temp than I do so it goes faster, but then you need to stir continuously.  It starts out very milky looking, but will become a nice caramel color when cooked.  Mmmmm…

Remove saucepan from heat and stir in vanilla. 

If making caramels:  Pour into the prepared lined baking pan.  Cool the caramel completely.  Us the parchment to lift out the caramel.  Snip with an oiled kitchen scissors or sharp knife .  Wrap in waxed paper.

via: Angela's Kitchen

Split Pea Soup

(Sleepy Soup)

1 lb dry green split peas
1 meaty ham bone
1 cup chopped onion
1 tsp chicken bouillon
1/4 tsp pepper
1 c finely chopped carrot
1 c finely chopped celery

1/2 c evaporated milk

2 slices bacon

Simmer ham bone for a few hours. Remove bone & add peas. Simmer another 1 1/2 hours. Chop meat and return to pot with vegetables and seasonings, simmer until tender, stir in milk. Garnish with bacon bits.

Sugar Cookies

2 c butter

2 c sugar

4 eggs

2 t baking soda

1 t salt

5 c flour

Refrigerate 2 hours, flatten and bake at 350 for 13 minutes.

Almond Shortbread Cookies

1 pkg Robin Hood Shortcake

1 pkg ground almonds

1/3 c butter

1 tsp almond extract

325 x 9 minutes

Whipped Shortbread

1 lb soft butter

1 c icing sugar

3 c flour

pinch salt

vanilla

Beat together.   Form cookies with cookie press, bake 325 x 10 min just till golden.

Eggnog

1 litre milk

4 eggs – separated

4 T sugar

beat whites and 2 T sugar, add yokes and rest of sugar

Add hot milk and vanilla. Allow to cool, strain.

Caramels

3 c white sugar

1 c corn syrup

2 c heavy cream

Stir over heat until boils. Reduce heat slightly. Continue cooking until medium-firm ball in water test.

Pour into metal 9” by 13” pan. 

Fondant

4 c sugar

2 c cream

¼ c lily white

Test using water – medium ball.

Gingerbread Men

1/2 c shortening

2 1/2 c flour

1/2 c sugar

1/2 c molasses

1 egg

1 T vinegar

1 t baking powder

1 t ginger

1/2 t baking soda

1/2 t cinnamon

1/2 t cloves

Mix wet and dry, add together. Cut with cookie cutters (dough should be ¼ inch thick) and bake at 350 for about 8 minutes

Nuts and Bolts

1 box shreddies

1 box rice chex/crispix

1 box cheerios

1 bag pretzels

2 bags bugles

2 T seasoning salt

1 lb butter

1 t garlic powder

1 t onion powder

¼ tsp paprika

2 T Worcestershire  sauce


Combine all cereals in large roasting pan. 
Melt butter and combine with spices.
Spoon butter mixture over cereal, stir cereals to evenly distribute spices.
Bake at 200' for 2 hours, stirring every half hour.