Toffee Squares

This recipe came from a friend's blog. However, I can't find the original post. (I know it was there at some point in time!)

This recipe is so easy. It is a cross between toffee and cookies.... yummy!!

Toffee Squares

1 cup Butter
1 cup Brown Sugar
1 Egg yolk
1 teaspoon Vanilla
2 cups Flour
1/4 teaspoon Salt
6 Hershey Milk Chocolate Bars

Beat butter, brown sugar, egg yolk and vanilla together until creamy. Slowly add flour and salt until well blended.

Bake at 325 for 13 minutes or until lightly browned. It will be soft, do not over bake.

Remove from oven and immediately place unwrapped chocolate bars on top of hot cookie base.
Let it stand a few minutes until chocolate is melted. Spread melted chocolate evenly to cover entire cookie base. Cut into squares after chocolate has cooled and set.

ENJOY!

Yummy Apple Crisp

This recipe is from the good ole' Betty Crocker cookbook. It was very easy and super YUMMY!

Apple Crisp

4 medium tart cooking apples, SLICED (I used Granny Smith)
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup flour
1/2 cup quick-cooking or old-fashioned oats
1/3 cup butter, softened
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg (I would probably do 1/4 tsp next time)

Heat oven to 375. Grease bottom and sides of 8x8 pan.

Spread apples in pan. Mix remaining ingredients; sprinkle over apples.

Bake about 30 minutes or until topping is golden brown and apples are tender when pierced with fork. Serve warm with ice cream.

Christmas Toffee

I found this yummy (and SUPER easy) recipe for Christmas Toffee. The original recipe can be found here.

Pamela's Christmas Toffee

1 cup butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup of your favorite nuts (optional)
1/2 package of chocolate chips

On the bottom of a 9x13 glass pan, spread a light coat of butter (or non-stick spray) and 1/4 cup of your favorite nuts. Optional - have a small bowl of ice water ready to test your toffee.

This recipe needs constant attention and stirring for about 10 minutes. In a heavy sauce pan, add butter and sugars - melt on high heat. Once the butter and sugars have melted and started to boil, the toffee will go through 4 stages.

Stage 1 - butter and sugars are melted, but not mixed. Keep stirring.
Stage 2 - butter and sugars are mixed and start to cook. Keep stirring.
Stage 3 - butter and sugars are bubbling. Keep stirring.
Stage 4 - butter and sugars change color, slightly (from light tan to dark tan). Toffee almost looks like taffy, it becomes smooth and not bubbly. Keep stirring and start to test for hard crack.

Hard Crack: take a small piece of toffee and when it hits ice cold water, it sizzles. This is whe the toffee is done.


****I just stirred until the mixture was no longer bubbling. If you wait too long, you will burn the toffee.****

Pour toffee into buttered 9x13 pan, do not spread or stir, just pour directly from saucepan. Sprinkle with your favorite chocolate chips on top, the hot toffee will melt the chips in a few minutes. With a spatula, spread the melted chips over the toffee and sprinkle with your favorite nuts.

Allow toffee to cool completely, break apart with a knife and ENJOY!!

Christmas Potpourri

This makes a great neighbor gift! Just add 2 slices of each a lemon, a lime, an orange, add 4-5 cinnamon sticks and a palm full of whole cloves. Once you put it on your stove, add water and it will fill your house with wonderful Christmas scents!

Attach a card that has these instructions on it:

Christmas Potpourri

1. Place ingredients in pot.
2. Fill Pot with water, covering potpourri mix.
3. Bring to a boil and turn down to low.
4. Let simmer & continue to add water as needed.

* potpourri will last approx. one week.

(Original picture and instructions can be found here.)

Dump Truck Cake

Here's an easy birthday cake that the kids will love:

Bake a chocolate cake. While the cake is baking, mix up a large package of chocolate pudding and let set in the fridge.

While cake is still warm - crumble the cake. Set aside 1/2 c. of the crumbled cake to sprinkle on top when done. (Sorry picture wouldn't rotate for me)

Put golden Oreos and regular Oreos in a zip lock bag and crush with a rolling pin.

Mix Chocolate cake crumbs, pudding, crushed oreos, and gummy worms together to make "mud". Spoon into dump truck and onto "road". Sprinkle the top with remaining crumbs to make it look like fresh dirt.

We used a "shovel" to serve everyone.
Super easy and yummy!

Christmas Stockings...

... Or as I like to call them the 6 YEAR Christmas Stockings! My wonderfully talented, awesome, friend (and neighbor at the time), Sonya gave me the pattern to make these over 6 years ago, and they are finally done in time for Cristmas 2008! I am so excited

Sonya embroidered the names on them and I love the way they turnd out. It was so weird that she had to put Mom and Dad on them... that's us now!!

Thank you Sonya and thank you momma Crook for helping me make sure they turned out correctly. There was a few scary moments there (I still have a stocking to prove when it went wrong)