Creamy Peppermint Patties

I've had a few failures this year as I have made Christmas candy.

Some because I tried a new recipe (from an author who swore it was the easiest recipe for toffee), which resulted in a pound or two of butter + sugar + chocolate thrown away in the trash can.

I'm pretty sure I've dumped at least 4 pounds of butter this year.

AAAUUUUGGGHHH!

Other failures most likely came from my rush to git 'er done, or my never-ending attempts to multi-task, neither of which have done me any good.

But you're here to see a success story, so here it is.

My daughter, Lex, and her baby are staying with me for a few months while she patiently waits for her new home in Alabama to be built. Her husband is already working there, but she said she'd rather wait the majority of the 6-month process at my house than spending it (and a lot o' money) in a little apartment in a town where she hardly knows anyone. I'm thrilled to have her and my cute grandson here with us, so I think it's a win-win. 

Lex is the one who suggested we make the peppermint patties, since they were her favorite homemade Christmas treat when she was in high school. I haven't made them for a few years, but I'm almost ready to make them exclusively from here on out because they are easy and nearly no-fail (unless you accidentally leave them. after you have carefully packaged them in cute cellophane bags tied with twine, on the table where the winter sunshine pours in each morning-to-midday...then they melt and get stuck together. Don't ask me, in this year of many failures, how I know that haha).

Lexee's Favorite Peppermint Patties

1 (8oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

2 tsp. peppermint extract

9 cups powdered sugar

1 cup milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

3 Tbs. shortening

In large bowl (I use my 6 qt KitchenAid bowl) beat cream cheese and peppermint extract until smooth. (I use my cookie dough attachment.) Gradually add in powdered sugar, beating well. 

**Note: sometimes I only use 8 cups of powdered sugar, depending on how stiff the mixture feels. You want it to hold together well, so if it gets too dry it doesn't do that. 

Shape into 1" balls (I use a little cookie scoop, then roll in my hands), and place on waxed paper-line baking sheets (I use a silpat liner). Flatten into patties (I use the bottom of a glass, which I occasionally dip in flour to prevent the patties from sticking to the bottom of). 

**Note: I usually make 6 to eight balls at a time, then flatten - if you go too long before flattening the balls, they tend to dry out a bit and the edges crack. 

Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until chilled.

In microwave, melt chips and shortening (I usually put them in for 1.5 minutes on cook power 7); stir until smooth and all lumps are gone. Dip patties in melted chocolate. I have done this using a fork, tapping it on the edge of the bowl to let excess chocolate drip off, but I now have a candy-dipping tool that is a little easier to use. Place patties on waxed paper (or silpat liner) and refrigerate until the chocolate is firm. 

Once the patties are firm, you can trim any unruly chocolate edges with {clean}scissors. Store in the refrigerator. Makes about 4 dozen.

No, I am NOT a stylist or a photographer, but hopefully you can get the gist. Yes, I am a bit sloppy and ALWAYS in a hurry haha.

I have received a ton of compliments on these this year, and since no candy thermometer is involved, they are easy and pretty much no-fail (let's just say I've NEVER had to throw away a batch).

Way better than York, just sayin'.

Apple Dumplings a la Trisha Yearwood

I don't have a fabulous finished picture of these, but let me tell ya, they are the BOMB. Seriously so so good! My friend Susan brought these to our conference luncheon last month, and I've made them several times since. I think they will become my new breakfast menu item for special occasions. They are also totally awesome as a yummy dessert topped with ice cream. Either way, there is no losing on this one!
Thanks, Trisha ;-)


Apple Dumplings a la Trisha Yearwood
(adapted from this recipe)

2 Granny Smith apples (I would get 3 for good measure - I like my slices pretty thick)
1 lemon (you can use bottled lemon juice) + water
1 cup sugar, divided
1 cup water
1/2 cup (1 cube = 1 stick = 8 Tbs. = 1/2 cup = 1/4 lb... just to be clear!)
1/4 tsp. vanilla extract
1 can Grands Flaky Layers Buttermilk biscuits (8 biscuits total)
4 tsp. ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Slice, peel, and core the apples into 8 slices each. Squeeze (or pour) the lemon juice into a bowl of water and add the apple slices to keep them from browning.

Separate each biscuit into 2 layers. (Don't miss this step!)

Wrap a biscuit layer around a slice of apple, stretching the biscuit slightly to overlap, and seal the edges.

Place the wrapped slices in a 9" x 12" casserole dish.

In a medium saucepan, mix 1 cup water, 3/4 cup sugar, butter, and vanilla. Bring the mixture to a boil over medium heat.

Pour the hot sugar mixture over the apple slices.

Mix the remaining 1/4 cup sugar with the cinnamon, and sprinkle the mixture over the top of the apples.

Bake until golden brown, about 35 minutes.

Note: I think you could reduce the amount of cinnamon/sugar you sprinkle over the top. It makes a delicious crust, but the first time I made these, I didn't use all of the cinnamon/sugar mixture and they were still perfectly cinnamon-y and crusty, and I didn't have sections of un-dissolved/caramelized sugar as shown in the above pic. They come out looking a little "burnt," but it is only due to the amount of cinnamon in the topping... they don't taste burnt at all.

I'm telling you... delish!

Mini German Pancakes

The first time I had a German pancake was when I was in 8th grade. I had gone to my friend's house after school, and she whipped one up for us. I was super impressed that she knew how to make something edible that required baking in an oven (I seriously don't think I baked anything until after I was married). She slathered the finished puff with butter, then sprinkled on brown sugar and lemon juice. It was the yummiest thing EVER.

I have made many German pancakes over the years, but a few years back I came across the idea to make individual ones in a muffin tin. That is the only way I've made them since.

I've made them twice in the past 10 days - once on the first day of school, and again on the first day of Seminary (yes, Seminary that starts at 6:10am!). They are a favorite around here, for sure.

Mini German Pancakes

1 cube (= 1 stick = 1/2cup) butter (can use less and they turn out fine)
6 large eggs
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
1/2 tsp. salt (because I use salted butter - you could add 1 tsp. salt if you use unsalted butter)

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Slice butter into 12 equal pieces and put in the bottoms of 12 muffin cups. Put into oven and melt butter. IMPORTANT: I use 2 LARGE 6-count muffin tins - I have not tried them in regular sized (12 count) muffin tins.

Blend remaining ingredients in a blender (or you can whisk by hand). Once the butter is melted in the bottom of the muffin cups, pour batter into tins, dividing equally. I use a scoop, but you can eyeball it. It's better to have batter left over, then add it to the batter already in the cups, than to run out and have a muffin cup with melted butter and no batter. That butter will burn and possibly catch fire. Just sayin'.

Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, or until pancakes are puffed and brown on the edges.

Sometimes they look like this...

...and sometimes they look like this.

Serve immediately. Note: the beautiful little puffs that come out of the oven quickly deflate... but they are so, so delicious anyway.

I am still a HUGE fan of topping these with brown sugar and lemon juice (if you've never tried it, you need to!), but you can also top them with regular maple syrup, or berries and whipped cream... or whatever your heart desires.

Serves 6... or 4... or 3, depending on how many each person wants to eat.

YUMMMMMMM.....

Family Favorite Smoky Tilapia Tacos + Cabbage Slaw and Lime Crema

These are the best!

They are simple and quick. Another thing to love about them.

I combined a couple of recipes - one from Cooking Light, Sept 2014, the other from here.

I've made the spice rub from the Spicy Fish Taco recipe, and can also say it is delicious. I've just never tried it with snapper, since tilapia is so gosh darn easy to find at Costco {wink}. 

I love the fish recipe and cooking technique from Cooking Light, but didn't care for the texture of the completed recipe - no crunch, just mush (it only calls for a mashed avocado topping).

Here's my slightly adjusted combined recipe:

Smoky Tilapia Tacos with Cabbage Slaw and Lime Crema

The thing that takes the most time for me is thawing the frozen tilapia. I'm not on the ball enough to get it in the refrigerator the night before, so I usually thaw it in my sink, covered with cold water, weighted with a casserole dish to keep it submerged, for about an hour. If you are organized enough to skip this step, you can seriously have dinner on the table in 20.

Spice rub:
1 tsp. garlic powder
1 tsp. smoked paprika
1/4 tsp. ground coriander
1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/4 tsp. kosher salt

5 tilapia fillets (easily feeds 5 to 6)

Preheat broiler to high.
Combine spice rub ingredients.
Brush fillets with oil, then sprinkle with spice mixture (both sides)
Place on baking sheet.
Broil 8 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Note: Broiling makes this a no-fuss dish. The tilapia cooks so fast, put it under the broiler just before you are ready to serve - literally 8 minutes before you are sitting down to the table to eat.

Cabbage slaw:
4 cups shredded cabbage (I use the coleslaw mix from the store - makes this super quick)
1/3 cup chopped cilantro (I didn't have this for my pictured tacos because my cilantro was slimy - gross!)
2 green onions (I also didn't have this because I had used all my green onion the night prior - seriously adds to the flavor of the slaw, so try not to leave it out!)
3 Tbs. distilled white vinegar
1 tsp. kosher salt
2 tsp. sugar

Toss all slaw ingredients together in a bowl.

Lime crema:
1/3 cup sour cream (I use light)
3 Tbs. mayonnaise (I never use light)
juice and zest of 1 lime
salt, to taste

Whisk ingredients together and season to taste with salt.

Warmed corn tortillas, for serving.
Note: I like to cook my tortillas directly on my ceramic cook-top burners. This technique is super fast if you use two burners at a time. I use a tortilla keeper (I found mine at Bed, Bath and Beyond for about $6) to keep them warm and soft. Corn tortillas are my fave.

Even my daughter who doesn't like fish, likes these tacos (she says it's a texture thing, so the cabbage slaw helps). I made them for a 14-year-old guest last night and she loved them. I ate leftovers for lunch and they were STILL delish (it helps if you know how to reheat meat/fish in the microwave - the trick is a lower cook power {I typically use cook-power 7} for a short period of time {a minute or less} - you can always add more time, but if you nuke it to death it will NEVER taste good).

Easy peasy lemon (or lime) squeezy. And oh-so good!

My Favorite Caesar Dressing + Crouton Bonus

I've been making my own salad dressing for a while now. Occasionally I will buy a bottle or two - for ease - but I usually end up throwing them out long after their expiration date. It's just as easy, and so much yummier, to whip up a little batch of dressing each time you make a salad.

This salad, in particular, is super simple, fast, and requires few ingredients. Perfect.

Even though I'm usually not great at photo-documenting my recipes, for whatever reason (back in Dec. 2014) I took a lot o' pics of this one. Probably because I really, really like this dressing.


Quick and Easy Caesar Dressing

 1/4 cup mayo

 Juice of 1 lemon

 (Always a good idea to strain those pesky seeds out)

 1 garlic clove

Peeled, crushed, and chopped fine (or you can put in through a garlic press. I went about 2 years without one, so had to crush and chop. Good news: I now have a garlic press once again).

1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese.  (Yes, Kraft Parmesan. I've used freshly grated also, but if you're looking for easy, Kraft comes in supa handy AND still tastes delish.)

Mix it all together and add some freshly ground black pepper. I like quite a bit, but you can adjust to your personal preference.

Note: If you are a stickler for a more authentic Caesar, you can add 2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped, or a squeeze of anchovy paste.

Chop up your romaine,

then add the dressing to the lettuce and toss.

You can add more black pepper, if desired.

For whatever reason, while I was carefully documenting this recipe, I neglected to snap a pic of the finished salad with croutons tossed in. You can visualize it, right?...


Consolidated recipe:
Quick and Easy Caesar Dressing

1/4 cup mayonnaise
Juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup Parmesan cheese
1 garlic clove, finely chopped (or pressed)
2 anchovy fillets, roughly chopped (optional - and use the blender method of mixing)

Whisk ingredients together and pour over salad. For a smooth dressing, mix ingredients in a blender.



I love homemade croutons, too. If you're looking for supa {crazy} easy, just use the kind you get at Costco. Homemade, however, are way more amazing, easy to customize, and really simple.


Homemade Croutons

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.

Cut into cubes: French bread, French baguette, Italian bread, Sourdough bread, or plain ol' white bread (day-old preferred, but not necessary).

Drizzle with olive oil (or canola oil... or melted butter...), and toss.

Sprinkle with salt and freshly ground black pepper, toss again.

Other customizable additions: red pepper flakes, Parmesan cheese, dried herbs (basil, oregano, rosemary), garlic powder.

Spread cubes evenly on a sheet pan and bake for about 15 minutes. Toss once or twice during baking.

These croutons are good enough to snack on, and perfect for a Caesar salad.

Best Ever Soft Caramels (aka Mrs. Allen's Candy)

I'm transferring this post from my family blog (circa 2010) here for easier look-up and access... for myself (wink) and my family. Britt texted me just the other day to get the recipe and it took me a while to find it on the blog (and Pinterest). No more.

I'll be making my first batch of these today. I can't wait.


(12.07.10)
I was trying to find the only picture I recall of my Grandma G. making Christmas candy. I can see the picture clearly in my mind... she's wearing purple, and holding a pan of some kind of sweet homemade confection. But this hasn't been my lucky picture-finding-morning (still haven't run across it), and as usual, I don't have much time.

In my search, however, I ran across this picture (circa 1985):

This is a picture of my Aunt Carol's family at the funeral of her husband (Uncle Dick). Grandma G. is on the bottom right, next to Aunt Carol (middle). I am only left to assume that the sweet elderly lady on the left is my Aunt Carol's mother.

What does all that have to do with making Christmas candy? From my recollection, I believe that my Aunt Carol's mother is the famed "Mrs. Allen." In the Goldsberry family, we have been making Mrs. Allen's Candy at Christmastime for as long as I can remember. When I would ask who Mrs. Allen was (we were making HER candy, after all), I would be told that she was Aunt Carol's mom. (Note: this has been confirmed by my cousin.)

I still use the copy of the recipe I made back in high school for a Home Ec class, meticulously typed on a typewriter, laminated years later for preservation.

In the spirit of giving, I thought I would share this family favorite.


MRS. ALLEN'S CANDY
(you can call it Best Ever Soft Caramels, if you'd like)

1 (1 lb) pkg brown sugar (2-1/3 cups packed)
Scant cup light corn syrup ("Scant" meaning slightly under 1 cup)
1 can Eagle brand sweetened condensed milk
2 cubes margarine (I use butter)... 2 cubes = 2 sticks = 1 cup = 1/2 lb. (I'll clear that up right now)

Mix and cook in a large, heavy-bottomed pan on medium-high heat until comes to a boil. Turn to low and cook for 12-1/2 minutes, stirring all the time. Pour on buttered pan (9x13) over broken walnuts (walnuts are optional - I love them, but most of my family prefers no nuts). Cool and turn out and cut. We wrap these in waxed paper and keep them in the freezer (That helpful hint is on the back of my original recipe.)

NOTE: This recipe is NOT rocket science. Sometimes my candy turns out a little soft, sometimes a little on the harder side. I once boiled it for the 12-1/2 minutes on med/high heat, which I wouldn't recommend. I've learned that the dark, anodized aluminum pans tend to keep the heat in, so I don't use them when I make this candy because it turns out too hard. It's important to keep the heat low(ish) for the 12-1/2 minutes, however, on my stove, the low is too low, and the candy turns out a little too soft (sounds like the story of the three bears). I've tried using a candy thermometer so it could be more of an exact science (just right), but have since thrown exactness to the wind and make it in the spirit it was originally intended - ease... and delight at the perfect batch (which is about 95% of the time - the odds are in your favor).

Enjoy!

Stove Top Mac-n-Cheese

I made this last night in an effort to put dinner on the table FAST. I've used various mac-n-cheese recipes over the years, but thought I would try something different and I knew I had pinned a few recipes on Pinterest. They all, however, called for cream cheese or cream, of which I had neither. I also wanted to avoid the lengthy second step of many recipes that call for baking in the oven. I needed FAST. After spending too much time looking for a recipe, I turned to good ol' reliable google.

"best stove top mac and cheese"

This recipe popped up on top of the list, so I glanced through the ingredients. Hmmmm... interesting. It called for eggs. No flour roux, no cream, no cream cheese. I figured I might as well give it try.

I used this pasta

and doubled the recipe, planning for summer-day-lunch leftovers.

Bill's comment: "I think this is the best mac-n-cheese you have ever made."

Shilo's comment: "I need this recipe for college. This is so good."

Mauri's comment: "I ate more than I thought I would." (She had just had a pancake an hour before dinner - go figure.)

I didn't snap a pic of my final product, and figured a pic of the refrigerated leftovers might not do it justice. Imagine cheesy, creamy deliciousness. Next time I make it I'll try to remember to memorialize it.


The Best Mac-n-Cheese I Have Ever Made (a la Alton Brown)

1/2 lb. elbow macaroni (I used Cellentani, and doubled the recipe)
4 Tbs. butter
2 eggs
6 oz evaporated milk
1/2 tsp. hot sauce (I used Cholula)
1 tsp. kosher salt (I used slightly less)
Fresh black pepper
3/4 tsp. dry mustard
10 oz. sharp cheddar, shredded (I used medium cheddar, since that's what I had on hand)

In a large pot of salted boiling water, cook pasta al dente, then drain. Return to the pot and melt in butter (I pre-melted the butter in the microwave to speed things along). Toss pasta to coat.

Whisk together eggs, milk, hot sauce, salt, pepper, and mustard. Stir into the pasta and add the cheese. Stir over low heat until cheese is melted and sauce is creamy and smooth, at least 3 minutes.

Note: This was super creamy and rich, which my family {loved}. My personal preference (from growing up on milkier/runnier mac-n-cheese) is a slightly "looser" texture. In my double batch next time I'm going to try eliminating one egg, and slightly increasing the milk quantity. I'll post the update.

Easy.
Yummy.
Quick.

Happy family.

Gotta love that.

Favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup

I love this recipe because I have made adaptations with the ingredients I have on hand, and it has always turned out yum-o.  The kids all love it, too.

Favorite Broccoli Cheese Soup
Recipe adapted from here

1 medium onion, chopped (can use dried onion)
4 Tbs. butter
6 Tbs. flour
4 cups milk
2-3 cups broccoli, steamed and chopped
1 can chicken broth (or 4 tsp. chicken bouillon + 1-1/2 cups water)
Pepper, to taste
1 Tbs. garlic salt
4 cups cheddar cheese, grated

In large pot, saute onion in butter until tender (if using dried, add with liquid ingredients).  Stir flour into butter until smooth.  Let cook until flour is lightly brown, stirring constantly.  Gradually add milk and chicken broth (or bouillon and water).  Cook and stir until thickened.  Add pepper, garlic salt, and cheese.  Heat through.  Stir in cooked broccoli and serve.  Makes 8 to 10 servings.