Pecan Caramel Turtles

 Pecan Caramel Turtles 

I remember the first time I ever made Pecan Clusters. It was in my home economics class during my sophomore year in high school. The year was.....never mind the year.  My teacher's name was Anna Hanna and she taught us how to be spend thrifts and make our own Eastern candy one year.  We made up cute little baskets of these delicious little morsels and took them home to our families. She allowed us to eat the bad ones....the ones that didn't turn out to be pretty enough for our baskets. I could never seem to make mine look like turtles so I ended up eating more than I took home.  I still do that when I make them.  I find that I eat a lot more than I give away.  LOL!  

Pecan Caramel Turtles 

2 1/2 cups pecans
1/2 cups butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
7 ounces sweetened condensed milk (1/2 of a 14 ounce can)
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1 (12 ounce) package milk chocolate chips
1/2 teaspoon shortening (I use butter flavored Crisco)

Toss 2 1/2 cups of pecans into a large skillet. Toast them over medium high heat, stirring occasionally, until they have darkened just a bit and smell fragrant and wonderful. Should only take a few minutes.

Line 2 large cookie sheets with parchment paper and spray it with cooking spray. Arrange your pecans into clusters, three to a group works well. You want to leave some space (about an inch) between each cluster.

Make your caramel 

Place 1/2 cup butter into a medium-sized sauce pan. Melt it over medium high heat. Add  1 cup brown sugar, 1/2 cup light corn syrup and 7 ounces sweetened condensed milk to the pan. Increase the heat just a bit and stir continually. Cook and stir until it reaches 235-240 degrees. I generally remove it from the heat when it reaches about 234 degrees. It will continue to rise in temperature just a bit even without the direct heat, making the caramel just the right texture.  Stir in 1/2 teaspoon vanilla.

Carefully drizzle about 1 1/2 teaspoons of caramel over each nut cluster. You’ll want to work quickly, as the caramel will begin to set up. Be sure there is caramel touching all of the nuts in your cluster. The caramel works like glue, sticking the nuts together.

In a microwave safe bowl pour 12 ounces of milk chocolate chips. Heat in the microwave for 30 seconds at a time, stirring after each cooking interval. Add 1/2 teaspoon of shortening to the melted chocolate. Allow it to sit for a minute or two (so it can melt and make the chocolate chips more spreadable). Stir it all together.

Spoon about 1 1/2 teaspoons of melted chocolate over the top of the caramel and nuts. Swirl it around along the top making a pretty swoop with your spoon. Allow the chocolate to set up. Once it has hardened and cooled you can serve them immediately, or transfer them to an air tight container.  Enjoy!

Makes about 40 clusters

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No Bake Snickers Crunch Bars

 No Bake Snickers Crunch Bars

This recipe was my challenge for the month.  I always need a good challenge now and then to keep me on my toes. I decided that I needed to make something so delicious…so spectacular… so different.  So I made a combination of my two favorite candy bars…. Snickers and a Nestles Crunch!  What did I get?  Layers of chocolate mixed with crunchy Cocoa Pebbles, and an irresistible nougat center with lots of gooey caramel.  Can I say it was easy?  Easy yes, but  time consuming as you follow each step for all the layers. They are so worth it!  This recipe makes a lot so be prepared to freeze them or invite friends and family over to enjoy! 

No Bake Snickers Crunch Bars

 

Crunchy Top and Bottom Layer

12 oz semi-sweet chocolate chips divided

11 oz butterscotch chips divided

1 cup creamy peanut butter divided

3 cups Cocoa Pebbles divided

 

Nougat Layer

¼ cup unsalted butter

1 cup granulated sugar

¼ cup evaporated milk

7 oz marshmallow cream

¼ cup creamy peanut butter

1½ cups roasted lightly salted peanuts, coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Caramel Layer

11 oz bag caramels, unwrapped

¼ cup evaporated milk

Crunchy Bottom Layer

Spray a 9x13 baking dish with cooking spray and line with parchment paper. Set aside. Combine half of the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a large microwave safe container.  Microwave on high heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are fully melted and the mixture in smooth.  Stir in Cocoa Pebbles until fully coated. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.  Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

 

Nougat Layer

In a small saucepan, combine butter, sugar, and evaporated milk over medium heat, stirring until butter is completely melted and the sugar is dissolved.  

Bring mixture to a boil and cook for an additional 5 minutes, stirring frequently.  Remove from heat.

Stir in marshmallow creme until completely combined. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla extract until combined. 

Fold in peanuts. Pour the nougat layer over the chilled chocolate bottom layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.

Caramel Layer  

Combine unwrapped caramels and evaporated milk in a microwave-safe container and heat on high for 1 minute. Stir and heat on high in 30 second intervals until caramel is completely melted.  Spread caramel over the top of the chilled nougat layer.

Crunchy Chocolate Top Layer

Repeat the bottom layer. Combine remaining half of the chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, and peanut butter in a large microwave safe container. Microwave on high heat in 30 second intervals, stirring in between, until the chips are fully melted and the mixture in smooth. Stir in Cocoa Pebbles until fully coated. Pour mixture on top of the chilled caramel layer. Refrigerate until firm, about 30 minutes.

Bars should be refrigerated until ready to eat. Cut and serve.

  




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Beef and Broccoli

 Beef and Broccoli

 

This beef and broccoli dish is so easy to make and incredibly delicious. There’s a secret to making it delicious. You will need to take a couple steps to make it more than just beef and broccoli thrown together in a skillet. There is nothing worse than eating this dish with touch chewy meat. You want to marinate the beef so that it’s melt in your mouth delicious. The trick is the baking soda marinade.  This is a common practice in Chinese restaurants to create extra juicy and tender beef. All you need to do is add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda (NOT baking powder) to the marinade, mix it in and let it marinate for at least 30 minutes before cooking. I like to use fresh shaved beef or stir fry beef I find in the grocery store meat case. But you can use any tougher cut of meat because of the marinade.

 

Beef and Broccoli

 

1 lb flank steak, skirt steak, or any other cut (I like shaved beef)

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon cornstarch

1/2 teaspoon baking soda 

 

Slice the beef against the grain into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Transfer to a small bowl. Add soy sauce, peanut oil, and cornstarch. Gently mix until all the slices are coated with a thin layer of sauce. Marinate for 30 minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Sauce

1/2 cup beef stock 

2 tablespoons dry sherry

2 tablespoons regular soy sauce

1 teaspoon dark soy sauce 

2 teaspoons brown sugar 

1 tablespoon cornstarch

 

Combine all the ingredients for the sauce in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well and set aside.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stir-fry

1 head broccoli, cut to bite-size florets

1 tablespoon peanut oil

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ginger, minced

 

Add the oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the skillet. Turn the heat to medium high and have your ingredients ready. You want to work fast. Sear the meat quickly by spreading it in a single layer. Sear the meat for about a minute until brown.  Turn the meat to the other side for a few seconds. Stir and cook until lightly charred and the inside is still pink.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Add the garlic and ginger. Stir a few times to release the flavor and fragrance. Next, add the broccoli to the skillet and sauté lightly for about 3 minutes. Stir the sauce again to dissolve the cornstarch completely and pour it into the skillet. Cook and stir until the sauce thickens, about 1 minute. Transfer everything to a plate immediately. Serve hot as a main dish.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 Notes

If you choose to use a cheaper cut of meat like for example, chuck, brisket, or round roast, add 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda to the marinade and marinate the beef for 30 minutes before cooking. This method tenderizes the beef and will create a very juicy result.

Dark soy sauce will add an appetizing dark color to the sauce with a hint of caramel taste. If you can’t find it you could add  1/2 teaspoon molasses to enhance the flavor.

If you do not have peanut oil, you can drizzle 1/2 teaspoon of toasted sesame oil at the end of the cooking after turning off the heat and mix together. It will boost the flavor.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Broccoli Cheese Casserole

 Broccoli Cheese Casserole

Broccoli Cheese Casserole

1 (32oz.) bag of broccoli florets, frozen

2 tablespoons of butter to saute’ onions

1 medium onion, chopped

½ cup mayonnaise

½ cup sour cream

1 can of cream of celery soup

2 eggs, beaten

1 cup of shredded cheddar cheese

½ stick of cold butter (1/4 cup), cut into cubes

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon garlic powder

½ teaspoon pepper

Topping

1 sleeve Ritz crackers, crushed 

1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Boil water in a large pot and add the broccoli florets to the boiling water for 5 minutes. Drain the broccoli and allow to it to cool before chopping.  Set aside. Pour melted butter into crushed Crush crackers and mix well. Set aside.

In a small sauté pan, over medium heat, sauté the onions in 2 tablespoons butter until just tender.

While onions are cooking, add mayonnaise, sour cream, soup, and eggs, salt, pepper and garlic powder and stir.  Next fold in cheese and mix well. Add the chopped broccoli and the onions and give one final stir. Spoon the ingredients into a 13”x 9”x 2” baking dish and drop ¼ cup of cubed butter all over the top. Cover with the buttered cracker crumbs. Bake at 350 degrees for about 40 minutes or until the crackers are browned and the casserole is bubbly.

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