"I Feel Like Such a Heifer" Marshmallow Squares | Clueless #FoodnFlix #JaneAustenBites

I had a lot of fun flashing back to the mid-90's flick Clueless for Food 'n Flix this month. Clueless is a modern day (well, modern as compared with the original) retelling of the Jane Austen classic, Emma.

Shortcut Homemade Turtles for Enid inspired by The Walking Dead

We're three days into Dead Eats: Recipes inspired by The Walking Dead now, and I really hope that you're enjoying seeing the food that Dionne, Kim, and I have been inspired to make by this show and cast of characters that we love. Today I'm sharing something that I knew I'd make from the moment we saw the demise of our serene turtle friend.

If you need a refresher, I'm going back to episode 2 of season 6 again. The episode is titled "JSS" after the mantra that Enid created for herself - just survive somehow. We finally get a glimpse into Enid's past. We see how she loses her family and makes her way to the walls of Alexandria.

Salted Cashew Caramels

Christmas Week sweetness continues with these soft, chewy caramels that are studded generously with cashews and sprinkled with sea salt. Looking at my first two contributions to holiday baking, you can probably sense a theme - simplicity. Both sweet treats have ingredient lists that you don't need more than the fingers on a single hand to count.

Soft caramels have always been a weakness of mine. There's just something comforting about sinking your teeth into a rich, burnished chunk of transformed sugar. I'm also the girl that can polish off a tin of cashews all myself without coming up for breath, so the two of them colliding may be more of a danger than anything else.

Ginger and Rye Truffles

This is a sponsored post written by me on half of Templeton Rye and Simply Organic on behalf of The Baddish Group. All opinions are my own.

My grandparents have a turntable cabinet in their kitchen, and I was fascinated by it when I was little. It's where they kept boxes of cereal, snacks...and liquor bottles. I didn't really think anything of it, but it gives me a good giggle now. I suppose we use our space the best we know how.

The liquor bottles always stayed in the same spot (that I knew of) until the holidays rolled around, then they were pulled out and set on the counter with a big bottle of gingerale. I know now that those were bottles of whiskey.

On the other side of the counter were plates and extra tins full of chocolates, candies, and cookies that my grandma had made all week long. The family would gather at my grandparent's house, chocolate and whiskey-ginger cocktails in the appropriate hands as the day wore on.

Apple Cider 5-Spice Caramels

Who loves apples?  Hand raised. With authority. Who loves caramels?  me. me. me. me. me. me. meeeeeee. Who really, REALLY loves Fall and all things associated with it?  You guessed it, this girl!

And I've got all three of those things rolled into one right here, right now - today.  The first official day of Fall.  See how I'm looking out for you me you me you (I mean, you love all three of those things, too....right!?).

Homemade Seafoam Candy

Growing up in Grand Rapids, Michigan, there was this great little candy shop called Sweetland Candies not far from our house.  My best friend and I used to hop on our bikes and ride down the street, and then turn and all the way up the next street, which ended in a hill, to see Sweetland's sitting atop that hill.  And across a busy street.  Like, a really busy street... a main thorough-fare.  And while we rode our bikes all over that town (or so it seemed at the time), we didn't often venture across Plainfield.

Homemade Peppermint Taffy | Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory #FoodnFlix

Confession?

While making this taffy, there was a moment when I almost went full-out Veruca Salt.  If I hadn't been alone in my kitchen, I would have insisted that whomever was with me, get me an Oompa Loompa.  But dahh-deee, I want an Oompa Loompa now!

Peppermint Fudge

I love it when things that are super simple to make are also well received.  This fudge couldn't be easier, yet every single person who tried it, loved it.  Maybe it's just the holiday season.  Maybe it's that people find peppermint irresistible this time of year.  Maybe it just is that tasty.

And personally?  What I think gives it that little-something-extra?  The type of white chocolate that you use.  I don't like just any white chocolate (yes, I know that white chocolate isn't actually chocolate, but I'm still going to call it that with the understanding that we can all just accept it)... so many taste artificial.  But if I'm purchasing locally, I have a choice of store-brand, the brand that starts with an 'N', the brand that starts with an 'H', and Ghirardelli.  Ghirardelli is miles above the rest.  For reals.

I mean, I actually have to have a purpose for it if I'm going to buy it.  Can you guess why?  Mmm-hmmm, it's true.  Because otherwise I will eat it all.  Even if I put it up so high in the cupboard that I need a chair to reach it.  That just causes more wear and tear on the floor between the table and the cupboard.

So, if you're looking for a creamy, peppermint-laced, white fudge to add to your holiday tray this year, I recommend this one.

Peppermint Fudge

by Heather Schmitt-González

Prep Time: 5 minutes + 4 hours in fridge

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Keywords: dessert white chocolate sweetened condensed milk candy canes Christmas candy American winter

Ingredients (~36 squares)

• 17 oz. (3 c.) best quality white chocolate chips (I like Ghirardelli)
• 2 oz. (½stick / ¼ c.) unsalted butter
• 1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk
• ½ tsp. pure peppermint extract
• tiny pinch sea salt
• 5 regular-size peppermint candy canes

Instructions

Line a square (8"-9") baking pan with foil, leaving about 6-inches of overhang on each side. Grease the foil and the exposed sides of the pan well with cooking spray. Spray the overhangs, too. Unwrap the candy canes and place them into a zippered baggie. Bash them with the bottom of a small pan until you have tiny pieces and a bit of peppermint dust (should equal ~½ cup).

Place the white chocolate chips, butter, and sweetened condensed milk in a glass bowl and microwave for 1 minute; stir with a wooden spoon. Stick back into microwave and heat in 30 second intervals, until the butter and the chips have melted entirely.

Add peppermint extract and salt and beat by hand for 30 seconds to 1 minute, or until the mixture is smooth. Stir in about ⅔ of the crushed candy canes.

Dump the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Sprinkle the remaining crushed candy canes over the top and press lightly. Bring the foil overhangs (greased) up and set them gently over the fudge, to cover.

Refrigerate for at least 4 hours, or until firm. Cut into squares.

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Welcome to day #2 of Christmas Week, a multi-blogger event co-hosted by Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic and Jen of Juanita’s Cocina. Today’s theme for Christmas Week is “Peppermint Surprise”. Make sure you visit all the participating bloggers today to see what special dish they whipped up for you.

• Peppermint Marshmallows from Kim of Cravings of a Lunatic
• Peppermint Chocolate Chip Cookies from Jen of Juanita’s Cocina
• Candy Cane Blossoms from Liz of That Skinny Chick Can Bake
• Candy Cane Cocoa in a Jar from Anuradha of Baker Street
• Peppermint Brownie Trifle from Kristen of Frugal Antics of a Harried Homemaker
• Candy Cane Mocha from Isabelle of Crumb
• Peppermint Hot Chocolate from Erin of Dinners, Dishes and Desserts
• White Chocolate Peppermint Covered Pretzels from Erin of Spiffy Cookie
• Candy Cane Milkshake from Ramona of Curry and Comfort
• Peppermint Fudge from Heather of girlichef
• Minty Brownie Bites from Cathy of The Dutch Baker’s Daughter
• Candy Cane Oreo Cheesecake Cookies from Chung-Ah of Damn Delicious

Dulce de Frijol {Bean Candy}

As I sit next to the window thinking about a new year and a renewed outlook, I see raindrops battling the cold.  The cold is wrapping itself around the falling water as it slants through the sky, turning it white.  But the minute it hits the cobbled bricks, the white spreads into a shimmering sheet of water.  A crow as big as a chihuahua is pecking for sustenance in the moist earth, anticipating a freeze, I imagine.   The sky is bright, yet muted with fat grey clouds.  Fierce winds whip through the barren trees and the wind chime with the faded yellow glass pendulums that I forgot to take down is clanging urgently.  I can feel a static charge in the air, yet it's as if the world around me is stuck in limbo.  Change is coming.

I don't make resolutions.  I won't keep them.  No matter how resolute I am.  It's more like striving to be in a better place...or mind set...always looking forward.  Embracing the good and holding negativity at bay.  Since this is the way I hope to live daily, it's much easier to keep up throughout the year.  Of course I do hope to get a bit healthier, see a new place or three, and take more time to write; I just don't want to announce it so solidly that I'll surely shrug it off in a month or two.  Since that's what I do.  

So, as I ease myself toes first into this new year vast with possibilities, I offer a change...a transformation, if you will...that is at the time baffling and comfortable.  The bean, a humble work-horse in the kitchen becomes a rich, seductive sweet worthy of the ooohs-and-aaahs it induces.  Most people's eyes grow wide with disbelief when they find out the humble origins of this cinnamon-tinged gooey sweet studded with raisins and rolled in a thin jacket of sugar.  It reminds me that subtle twists and shifts in direction can lead to bright, unexpected paths.  Happy 2012.

"Be the change you wish to see in the world."  -Mahatma Gandhi

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Dulce de Frijol {Bean Candy}

by Heather Schmitt-González (adapted from My Sweet Mexico by Fany Gerson)

Prep Time: overnight

Cook Time: 2 hours 15 minutes

Keywords: dessert legumes cinnamon Christmas Day of the Dead Dia de los Muertos Easter candy Mexican

Ingredients (~40 pieces)

• 1 c. dried pinto beans , picked & rinsed
• 2 qts. water
• 1 stick canela (Mexican cinnamon)
• ½ tsp. sea salt
• 2 c. sugar
• 2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice
• 1 tsp. finely grated orange zest
• ¾ c. raisins

for rolling:

• ½ c. sugar
• 1 tsp. freshly ground canela

Instructions

Cover the beans with cold water by a couple of inches and soak overnight in the fridge.

Drain beans and place in a medium pot with the 2 quarts of water and the stick of canela. Bring to a boil, then lower heat to a gentle simmer. Cook until beans are tender, ~60-75 minutes. Remove canela and stir in salt. Remove from heat and let cool.

Purée in a food processor or blender together with any remaining liquid (which shouldn't be more than 1 cup). If there is no liquid left after cooling, you could add a bit of extra orange juice to help it move smoothly through the food processor or blender, if needed.

Combine sugar with the orange juice and zest in a medium pot over medium-high heat and cook until slightly syrupy, ~10-15 minutes.

Add the puréed beans and continue to cook, stirring almost continuously with a wooden spoon, over medium-low heat, until there is no more liquid and you can see the bottom of the pot when you pull a wooden spoon through the mixture, 35-45 minutes. The mixture should be thick and hold together when you lift it.

Turn off heat and stir in raisins. Transfer to a bowl to let cool. I think it's easiest to work with once the mixture has been refrigerated overnight.

Combine sugar and cinnamon. Using a scant Tablespoon of the mixture, roll into gumball-size balls. Drop into sugar-cinnamon mixture and toss to coat. Store in an airtight container in the fridge.

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MLLA 43: hosted by Claire at Chez Cayenne

Sesame Seed Toffee Snaps (...or brittle for short)

I love buying those gigantor disks of brittle-type snacks when I stop by the Mexican market.  Do you know the ones I'm talking about?  They are basically the size of one of those huge rainbow-colored, twisted lollipops.  Minus the stick.  It's a hardened caramel or toffee packed with cacahuate, pepitas, mixed nuts, or sesame seeds all formed into a neat disk and wrapped in cellophane.  I like any kind and the type I choose usually depends on my mood.  And though I've never even tried to replicate it at home before, it is crazy simple.  I'm just afraid of how much I will eat if it's readily available at any moment of the day or night.  But today I decided to make a batch, just to see what would happen.  And guess what happened?  Exactly what I knew would.  My belly is lamenting it...as are my thighs and bum and love handles.  When it's just sitting there, it really hard to pass it by without snapping off a little bite.  Well, 57 little bites probably equal more than the one disk I bring home from market.  Good thing I only made a third of what the original recipe intended.

Sesame Seed Toffee Snaps

...that's British-speak for Sesame Brittle

adapted from Happy Days with the Naked Chef 

~3.34 oz. sugar

3 Tbs. water

2¼ oz. sesame seeds

Put your sugar and water into a pan on medium heat.  Stir a few times until it comes to the boil, then don't you dare stir it anymore (crystals will form and you'll be shnookered).  When the syrup reaches a light golden color, pour in the sesame seeds.  Swirl the pan around a bit so that the seeds get coated, but remember not to stir.  Continue to cook until the color is dark golden.  Immediately pour out onto a silpat (or a nonstick pan that has been oiled).  Use a palette knife to spread it out until it is ~¼" in thickness...or even thinner, if you can.

Let it sit and cool for ~15 minutes.  Now you one big slab of brittle ready to break into shards and bits.

Use immediately or store in an airtight container.  This is awesome crumbled over ice cream...with or without some hot apple pie alongside that ice cream.  Or try with pudding or mousse or anything you want to add a bit of crunch to.  The nuttiness of the sesame seeds tames the sweetness a bit.  Or just eat it out of hand; it is hard to resist.  I'm totally trying it with pepitas next time.  Which will be approximately 159 days from now.  You know, once I've worked this batch off.  Hurry up and get home family of mine, otherwise I'll eat it all by myself...

Our theme at IHCC this week is POTLUCK (anything Jamie Oliver goes).

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