Last year I drafted a four-part Elven Idea Factory series for making your own holiday presents, take a peek back for recipes of Irish cream, salsa, biscotti, bathcookies, and more.
This year I sorted through 3 years of recipe gathering and reduced my huge binder of sloppy recipes to a medium sized reusable gift box, making my recipes both easier to find and easier to use. I didn't know why a binder wasn't easier to use when I created it, it takes up a lot of counter space, gets spilled on, and the sheets pull out of the hole punch too easily... I switched back to mom's method of using old fashioned "index cards" so I can pull several recipes out at once (realized this was key during the holidays!) AND they're small enough for a magnet to hold them to the metal stove hood while in use. No spills, and at eye level! Great new system.
In sorting through the mess, I found four of my favorite holiday recipes to share with you, to wrap and share with your friends and family as a last minute holiday gifty! Here are the first two:
EasyPeasy Peanut Brittle
Ingredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
(I frequently double this recipe during the holidays for better sharing)
(have butter and soda portioned out ahead of time)
Tools
2 quart saucepan
Wooden spoon
Cookie sheet
Candy thermometer (a must!)
Two forks
Directions
Grease a large cookie sheet, set aside.
In saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F.
Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With two forks, lift and pull apart the mixture to cover entire cookie sheet in a thin layer.
Cool, snap into candy pieces.
Wrap, and give!
Martha Stewart's Sweet-Tooth Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
Seeds from one large pumpkin, washed and dried briefly.
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon of each:
salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger
Pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 250, and bake seeds dry and plain for one hour.
Combine spices and 3T. sugar in bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil over high heat until hot, add seeds and remaining 2T of sugar.
Cook until sugar melts and seeds caramelize (45-60 seconds)
Transfer to bowl with spices and mix well.
Bag in small baggies and give!
This year I sorted through 3 years of recipe gathering and reduced my huge binder of sloppy recipes to a medium sized reusable gift box, making my recipes both easier to find and easier to use. I didn't know why a binder wasn't easier to use when I created it, it takes up a lot of counter space, gets spilled on, and the sheets pull out of the hole punch too easily... I switched back to mom's method of using old fashioned "index cards" so I can pull several recipes out at once (realized this was key during the holidays!) AND they're small enough for a magnet to hold them to the metal stove hood while in use. No spills, and at eye level! Great new system.
In sorting through the mess, I found four of my favorite holiday recipes to share with you, to wrap and share with your friends and family as a last minute holiday gifty! Here are the first two:
EasyPeasy Peanut BrittleIngredients
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup peanuts
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1 teaspoon baking soda
(I frequently double this recipe during the holidays for better sharing)
(have butter and soda portioned out ahead of time)
Tools
2 quart saucepan
Wooden spoon
Cookie sheet
Candy thermometer (a must!)
Two forks
Directions
Grease a large cookie sheet, set aside.
In saucepan, over medium heat, bring to a boil sugar, corn syrup, salt, and water. Stir until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanuts. Set candy thermometer in place, and continue cooking. Stir frequently until temperature reaches 300 degrees F.
Remove from heat; immediately stir in butter and baking soda; pour at once onto cookie sheet. With two forks, lift and pull apart the mixture to cover entire cookie sheet in a thin layer.
Cool, snap into candy pieces.
Wrap, and give!
Martha Stewart's Sweet-Tooth Pumpkin Seeds
Ingredients
Seeds from one large pumpkin, washed and dried briefly.
5 tablespoons sugar
1/4 teaspoon of each:
salt, cumin, cinnamon, ginger
Pinch of cayenne
1 1/2 tablespoon peanut oil
Directions
Preheat oven to 250, and bake seeds dry and plain for one hour.
Combine spices and 3T. sugar in bowl. Set aside.
Heat oil over high heat until hot, add seeds and remaining 2T of sugar.
Cook until sugar melts and seeds caramelize (45-60 seconds)
Transfer to bowl with spices and mix well.
Bag in small baggies and give!
Comments
Post a Comment