Candy Corn Sugar Cookies

Pay close attention if you make these and be sure to use a loaf pan

Ingredients:

2 Sticks Butter, softened

1 Cup Granulated Sugar

1 Egg

2 Tablespoons Lemon Juice

2 Teaspoons Lemon Zest

1/8 Teaspoon Salt

3 Cups All-Purpose Flour

1/2 Teaspoon Baking Soda

Red Food Dye

Yellow Food Dye

1/2 Cup Granulated Sugar (for dusting)

Directions:

Combine butter and sugar in a large bowl; beat at medium speed until creamy. Add egg, lemon juice, lemon zest, and salt. Continue beating until well mixed. Add flour and baking soda, beat until well mixed. Divide dough into thirds. Press one-third of the white dough evenly into the bottom of a loaf pan that you have lined with foil, wax, or parchment paper. Place another one-third of the dough into a bowl and add yellow and red food dye to make orange (refer to the chart on the back of your box). Once it is mixed evenly, press orange dough evenly over white dough. In another bowl, add the final amount of dough and dye yellow. Press that evenly over the orange dough. Cover and refrigerate until firm (2 hours or overnight is best). Once chilled, invert your loaf pan and unwrap your dough. Flip it back over and place it on a cutting board. Cut loaf crosswise into 1/4-inch slices using a sharp knife, trimming edges to make even, if necessary. Cut each slice into 6 wedges. Place 1-inch apart onto ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 7-10 minutes in a pre-heated 375 degree oven. Place cookies straight into a bowl with sugar and coat. Place coated cookies on a baking rack to cool.

Granola

I love Granola!  I always have since I was young.  I guess it is the toasted oatmeal that appeals to me.  Last fall I was making it all the time.  What a healthy snack!

 

Homemade Granola:

In a large bowl throw together the following ingredients for the granola, substitute as you see fit.

• 6 cups rolled oats (we prefer thick rolled, do NOT substitute quick cooking)
• 1 cup slivered or sliced almonds
• 1 cup roasted sunflower seeds (or cashews or nut of choice)
• 1 cup shredded coconut

In a small bowl mix together:

• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 1 tsp kosher salt (reduce if any of the nuts are salted)
• 1/2 cup, packed brown sugar
• a scant (meaning not quite to the line) 1/2 cup vegetable oil (I use peanut)

Once this is stirred together, pour it over the oat mixture and stir until distributed evenly.
Spread on two baking sheets and bake for 1.5 hours at 250F, stirring once or twice. The oven doesn’t even needs to be preheated.  Allow to cool and store in an airtight container. -Now is when you stir in the dried apples, raisins, dried cranberries, whatever floats your boat.
Really can a recipe be any more simple?

Grits, Real Grits

The first step is to visit your local grocery store and buy a bag of grits. Do not buy instant grits, or five minute grits, but only the bag labeled "regular grits." And, God forbid, do not buy little individual packages of instant grits, which are mostly wheat flour.

Read the directions and use the amounts of water and grits suggested. Put the water into a saucepan which has a lid, but don't cover it yet. Sprinkle in a little salt. Bring the water to a rolling boil, then slowly add the suggested amount of grits, stirring all the while. As soon as the rolling boil returns, turn down the heat to medium, just enough to maintain a slow boil, and let it boil for one minute, stirring all the while to prevent boil-over.

After slow boiling for one minute, reduce the heat to the lowest setting available, let the boil cease, then, and only then, cover the saucepan. It will bubble once in a while, but about every five minutes uncover, stir thoroughly, and recover. Continue that for twenty minutes and you will then have real grits, not the fake instant or five minute junk. (Those have wheat flour added for rapid cooking, so are not real grits.)

Grits may be eaten with just a dab of butter, or a sunny side egg placed on top, or anything else to your liking, gravy, ham, bacon, even salmon. Believe it or not, some people spoon on jelly! (Not Southerners!)

Think of grits as an artist's canvas. They are bare until you adorn them.

Tip Hero

I previously stated that I subscribe to Tip Nut but I was wrong.  I realized it today when I got my newsletter from Tip Hero.  This is the website where I have gotten many tips, freebies and coupons.  Just thought I'd correct myself if anyone was interested. : )  Click on the title of this post to view most current newsletter

PINA COLADA DIP

PINA COLADA DIP
---------------

  1 pkg. cream cheese
  1 pkg. dry pina colada drink mix
  3 tbsp. rum
  1 tbsp. milk
  2 tbsp. sugar
  Crushed pineapple (optional)

Mix well and refrigerate. Serve with fresh fruit. A
delicious summertime treat.

Garlic and herb marinade

• 1/3 cup water
• 1/3 cup vinegar
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• 1 teaspoon dried Italian-style seasoning
• 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
• 1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon ground black pepper

Directions

1. In a medium bowl, combine the water, vinegar, oil, garlic, thyme, Italian-style seasoning, poultry seasoning, rosemary, salt and ground black pepper. Mix well and apply to your favorite meat and marinate at least one hour (preferably overnight)

Dog Treat Website

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I like this website however I am not so sure I want to give my dogs garlic.  I have read some reports that garlic is bad for your dog.  Well, I am making the dog peanut butter treats as we speak.  They love peanut butter but I don't give them it very often.

New Favorite Website-How Sweet It Is

You may have noticed that I have a list of my favorite recipe websites on the left hand side of the main page.  Today I added How Sweet It Is.  Don't dismiss this website because of it's title because it isn't all sweet and sugary recipes.  This woman has a variety of recipes plus she has some blogs on fitness.  I like her blog and I hope you will take the time to browse it too.  

Sweet Potato Skins

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Homemade Kit-Kat Candy Bar Recipe

• 3 wrapped packs from club crackers divided (Keebler work well)
• 1 cup butter
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 cups crushed graham cracker crumbs
• 1/2 cup milk
• 1/2 cup semi sweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup butterscotch chips
• 2/3 cups peanut butter

Preparation:

Spray a 13x9x2-inch pan with cooking spray and line bottom with a single layer of crackers. Combine butter, sugars, graham cracker crumbs and milk in saucepan; bring to boil over medium heat and boil 5 minutes. Pour half of the sauce over crackers, then place another layer of crackers over the sauce. Pour remaining sauce over crackers, then arrange the third layer of crackers over sauce. In a saucepan combine chocolate and butterscotch chips, and peanut butter over low heat, stirring until smooth. Pour over top layer of crackers. Refrigerate until sauce is hardened. Cut into squares.
Makes about 20.

Better Than Twix Bars

Better Than Twix Bars..
1 stick (4 ounces) butter, at room temperature
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup flour
10 ounces caramels, unwrapped (I used 35 Brach's Milk Maid Caramels)
1 tablespoon, plus 1 1/2 teaspoons heavy cream
8 ounces milk chocolate
1 1/2 teaspoons vegetable shortening (I used vegetable oil), optional

Preheat oven to 300º. Line 8 x 8 inch pan with nonstick foil or greased regular foil.

Beat together butter, sugar and vanilla. Add the flour. Press evenly into pan...you may need to flour your fingers to prevent sticking. Prick crust with fork. Bake 35-45 minutes till crust is golden.

Immediately after removing crust from oven, run knife around edges to loosen crust. Cool completely.

Melt caramel and cream gently in microwave or in saucepan over low heat till smooth. Pour over cooled crust and chill for 30 minutes.

Gently melt chocolate in microwave or in double boiler over low heat. Add shortening or oil if too thick to pour. Pour over chilled caramel and spread to edges. Chill till chocolate is well set. Cut into squares to serve. Store covered in refrigerator, but remove a few minutes before serving.

Jello shots

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When I was younger, the girls and I would go out to the local bar once in a while and drink a "little".  If we wanted a shot of something the waitress would bring it in liquid form.  When Susan was in college I began hearing about these things called jello shots.  So I asked one of the younger tellers I worked with at the bank about them and she explained to me the basics of making them.  Years later, after I moved to Darlington, I had accidentally bought the wrong size Dixie cups for my bathroom cup holder.  I thought to myself that these were the size cups the teller told me to use when making "jello shots".  When I explained it to Susan, she laughed and said those were kind of big for jello shots.  A few months later when she and Andy came to visit us for the first time in Darlington she brought the shot cups and ingredients to make them.  So, Bob and I sampled jello shots for the first time ever.