Culinary Mission Accomplished!

 
Couldn't resist and tried a batch of the Honeycomb candy recipe I posted earlier. It was very easy to do. I tested the sugar mixture for 'doneness' by dropping a dab in a cup of cold water. When it held and hardened, it was time for the baking soda. My only change would be to sift the baking soda into the pot for more even distribution. I got a few, tiny white lumps but it still tastes good.

My son suggested drizzling chocolate and white coating on the pieces after they are cracked into serving sizes. Less mess than coating them all and then cracking the candy.

I now have something new for my Christmas giving this year.

The candy is crispy, chewy, hard and tastes like toasted honey. Not bad at all!

Homemade candy . . .

One of my favorite treats is honeycomb candy. It is rather expensive in the store so I haven't had it in years. I was browsing through a magazine, today, and it flipped open to a recipe for that very, same candy! Since I was waiting for my daughter to get done with her haircut, couldn't access her purse for a pen/paper, I memorized the recipe but didn't get down all the steps. Hey, I was amazed to remember the ingredients but it sounds pretty straightforward.

The Ingredients

1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 tablespoons corn syrup
1 tablespoon honey
2 tablespoons water
1 tablespoon baking soda

Basically, from what I can remember, you mix everything except the baking soda in a good-sized pot as the mixture will boil up at the last stage.

Prepare a baking sheet with foil and vegetable oil spray it lightly.

Slowly cook the first four ingredients until they come together, stirring constantly. All that sugar would just love to burn. When the sugar is well-dissolved, bring to a rolling boil. Brush down the sides with a wet pastry brush to get rid of any sugar crystals. Return to a boil, add the baking soda now (It is supposed to really bubble up at this point!) and quickly stir just to incorporate, and pour onto your prepared baking sheet. Just let it spread. When it has set, about 30 minutes, you can crack it into pieces. I'm assuming you need to reach the 'hard-crack' stage in the candy-making language.

Not guaranteeing anything here as I've just given you what I quickly read and remembered. I'm going to try it as it isn't too big an investment in a fun experiement. I'm thinking that dipping the hardened pieces (assuming it hardens as hoped for!) in melted chocolate would be good.

Just sharing a moment so you take your chances here.

Life can be strange for a dog . . .

 
When I came into the house, this morning, my dog pushed her way in - which is not allowed! I tried to get her out but she was strongly focused on . . . something. I followed her line of sight and she was seeing a stuffed animal one of my children had left on the front door landing. She wasn't trying to attack it but was serverely disturbed by the fact that we didn't seem upset about a CAT being in our house. My daughter brought her over to the cat toy and the dog approached very carefully. She tiptoed up and carefully sniffed it extensively. She looked confused as it didn't smell like a CAT. She went back to her place by the backdoor but kept her eye on the CAT.

I'm thinking how confusing it must be for a dog trying to figure out what is going on at all times. Chick is still trying to figure out why we have three 'food' boxes yet give her so little of their contents. Although she is interested in the refrigerator 'food box' and the freezer 'food box', she would really like to get into the garbage can 'food box'. She sighs a lot as she can see that WE just do not understand how we could make HER life so much more happy!

Heavenly Inspiration . . .

As usual, my pattern choice for a quilt is a scrap quilt. Although I enjoy using up my bits and pieces of fabric, my scrap quilts usually have some formation/pattern to them. The one I'm working on now consists of 8x8-inch squares. Twelve of the squares have straight bars of random fabric. Another twelve have the bars going at a slant. The third set will be basic fabric with a circle of various fabrics. I was stuck for the fourth set as it seemed I had used all the inspiration in the first three sets. I put it aside, put away my ironing board, and went to daily Mass.

I was looking straight ahead at Mass, doing my best to avoid distractions when a latecomer crept into a pew a few pews ahead of me. Her shirt was interesting and bold and, yes, it distracted me. It was black and white with squares of pattern with wavey strips for the design. No rhyme or reason, just these various ripples. Then it hit me that my fourth set would be colorful fabrics sewn down in a ripple effect with, as the noticed shirt, no rhyme or reason, just random waves and ripples.

I managed to behave my thoughts the rest of Mass but the quilt pattern was tickling the back of my brain. As soon as I got home, the ironing board was retrived, the sewing machine turned on, and the boxes of scraps scattered over the table. I got seven of the twelve 8x8-inch squares pieced and am happy with six of them. It was the exact completion I needed for my envision scrap quilt. Sigh . . . Unfortunately, as soon as I finishe my mail and blogging for the day, I have to take my daughter for her back-to-college haircut. Gosh, I sacrifice so much for my art, don't I? :-)

Cookies in a Hurry!

When cake mixes are on sale, I stock up for those times when I need something quick. If you can get a boxed cake mix for a dollar or less, it is almost cheaper than from scratch baking. Almost, not quite! It's faster, in most cases.

Basic Cookies within Minutes!

8 ounces cream cheese
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 teaspoons orange zest
1 teaspoon orange extract
1 18.5-ounce package yellow cake mix
1/4 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 F. In a medium bowl, cream together the cream cheese and butter. Stir in the egg and vanilla. Add cake mix, and stir until well blended. Roll into 1" balls and then roll the balls in the powdered sugar. Place 1 inch apart onto an ungreased cookie sheet. Bake for 10 to 13 minutes. Remove from baking sheets to cool on wire racks.

Ideas . . .
Seems to me that we can experiment with this recipe! For instance, what about chocolate cake mix and 1/2 cup chopped nuts added to the mix. Omit, of course, the orange flavorings.

One-half cup toasted coconut would be good.

Do the recipe exactly as stated only use a spice cake mix. Drizzle baked cookies with a lemon glaze.

Add 1/2 cup chocolate chips.

"Silly things do cease to be silly if they are done by sensible people in an impudent way."
       -- Jane Austen

 

"Charm is the quality in others that makes us more satisfied with ourselves."
       -- Henri-Frederic Amiel

 

"An adventure is only an inconvenience rightly considered. An inconvenience is an adventure wrongly considered."
       -- G. K. Chesterton

 

"A billion here, a billion there, pretty soon it adds up to real money."
       -- Senator Everett Dirksen

Sometimes, however, 'love thy neighbor' is difficult . . .

We make our friends; we make our enemies; but God makes our next-door neighbour.

Gilbert Keith Chesterton