Sweet and Salty Crack(er) Brittle!

I've adapted this recipe from Trisha Yearwood's Sweet and Saltines, as seen on The Food Network recently.  She said she referred to it as her "crack" because it's so addictive and, believe me, she's right!  Her recipe called for 8 oz. of semi-sweet chocolate for the topping; but she did say you can't have too much chocolate...of course, I chose to use the whole bag!

I experimented with different flavors of chocolate toppings for this brittle,  and I discovered I actually liked them all!  I also tried some finely chopped pecans on top (which I sprinkled on the milk chocolate version).  My favorite flavor of chocolate is generally dark; however, on this brittle, white chocolate may be my favorite!  My daughter liked all the options of chocolate toppings too, and her favorites were the white chocolate and the milk chocolate...she also liked the nuts on top!  I think when I repeat this brittle, it will be hard to choose which flavor of topping to use, so I may just make it with all the chocolate versions again.  I like variety anyway, plus the different colors create a great presentation and spark conversation!

This is a very easy recipe; however, because it moves so quickly, my biggest tip would be to have everything organized and ready to go before you start!  Also, this recipe requires you to work with a hot, molten mixture; so if you make it with children (Trisha made it with her teenage nephews), be sure the children are age appropriate and you all work with care!

      I Just Can't Decide...

                                       Guess I'll Have One Of Each!

Ingredients

• Butter-flavored cooking spray
• approx. 40, unbroken, saltine crackers w/sea salt
• 1 c. (2 sticks) butter w/salt
• 1 c. light brown sugar (packed)
• Select one bag from these chocolate topping options: 12 oz. bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, 11.5 oz. bag milk chocolate chips, 10 oz. bag dark chocolate chips or 12 oz. bag white chocolate chips
• 1/2 c. finely chopped pecans (optional)

                                

Directions

1. Line a 15 1/2" x 10 1/2" jelly roll pan with aluminum foil (make sure it comes well up the sides of the pan for easier release of the brittle) and spray with the butter-flavored cooking spray.
2. Preheat the oven to 425º.
3. Arrange the saltine crackers, salty side up, in a single layer on the pan.  (The crackers you use may have a slightly elongated side--place the elongated side vertically and you'll get more crackers on the pan.)
4. In a non-stick medium skillet, using a whisk (protect your hand w/a pot holder), stir and melt the butter and brown sugar together over medium heat.  Increase the temperature a little and bring the mixture to a rolling boil, whisking constantly.  Reduce the heat back to medium and boil the toffee for 5 minutes, still stirring constantly.
5. Put the pan of crackers on the stove top (this will help keep the toffee warm for easier spreading)--immediately remove the hot, molten mixture from the heat and, using care, evenly pour over the crackers.  Using a silicone spatula, quickly finish spreading the toffee, as evenly as possible, over the crackers. (If the toffee hardens before you reach all the corners, it will be easier to spread a little more when you take the crackers out of the oven.)
6. Place the pan in the oven and bake the coated crackers for 2 to 4 minutes, or just until bubbly, watching carefully (mine became bubbly each time after 3 1/2 minutes).
7. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and lay back on the stove top (this will help keep the brittle warm to melt the chocolate easier).
8. Pour a bag of chocolate chips of your choice, from the above flavors, equally over the crackers.  When the chocolate chips melt a little, spread as evenly as possible with a silicone spatula.
9. Sprinkle with the finely chopped pecans (optional).
10. Remove the pan from the stove top and cool the brittle a little; then place in the freezer for about 15 to 20 minutes, or until it is completely cold.  Break the sheet of brittle into pieces (the sizes and shapes will vary).  Store in an airtight container.  

(This brittle would make a wonderful take-along treat, and it would also make great gifts...present in decorative tin cans or cellophane bags tied with pretty ribbons...I need to remind you again around the holidays, huh?)

Surprise dad with this sweet and salty crack(er) brittle for Father's Day...be careful though, he'll enjoy it so much, it might become his new sin of choice!

Printable Recipe

Nomination For Food Stories Award For Excellence in Storytelling

One of the rewards of blogging is that along the way, you meet many wonderful, talented people who greatly support each other.  I am honored and delighted to have been nominated recently by Steve at The Black Peppercorn for a Food Stories Award for Excellence in Storytelling.  Steve is a very friendly blogger who shares wonderful recipes and photographs, so be sure check out his site.  Also, be sure to visit C. J. at Food Stories where she focuses on healthy foods and offers opportunities for bloggers to get to know each other.

One of the requirements of the nomination is to nominate five other bloggers for this award.  This is extremely difficult; as there are many creative food blogs that inspire and amaze me, but here are my nominations:

                                      

Lisa @Parsley, Sage, Desserts and Line Drives 

  Monet @Anecdotes and Appplecores  

                                   

Cheryl and Adam @Picture-Perfect Meals  

Amanda @Amanda's Cookin'

Jill @Dulce Dough

I'm also suppose to share one random thing about myself:  I love old movies, and my favorite is Gone with the Wind...I can't watch it too many times!

Great Balls of Grits!

This is my favorite way to eat grits...buttery and crunchy, they're absolutely delicious!  Show dad he rocks on Father's Day and serve him his favorite omelette along with these...

                                               Great Balls of Grits!

Serves about 6

Ingredients

• 5 c. water
• 1 c. old fashioned grits
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 4 TB butter with salt (1/2 stick), room temperature  - cut into chunks

For The Skillet

Butter-flavored cooking spray

Approx. 6 TB butter with salt, divided

 

Directions

The Grits
Bring water to a brisk boil in a medium saucepan.  Slowly stir in the grits and salt.  Reduce heat to low and simmer uncovered until thickened (about 15-20 minutes), stirring often.  Remove from the stove and immediately stir in the 4 TB of butter.   Refrigerate overnight.

The Grits Balls

1. Use a medium ice cream scoop to shape the grits into balls...set aside or freeze (keeping the balls separated) one layer at a time.  (The grits balls can be cooked frozen.)
2. Spray a large, non-stick skillet with the butter-flavored cooking spray.  Add 4 TB of the butter to the pan and melt over medium heat.  Keeping them separated, add the grits balls to the pan.  Flatten the balls a little into patties with a silicone spatula as you go, keeping the round shape best as possible, and cook until the butter is absorbed (about 15 minutes). 
3. Carefully flip the patties with the spatula and add 2 more TB of butter to the pan.  Saute another approximate 15 minutes, or until golden brown each side.  Serve warm.

(I doubt you'll have any, but leftovers can be kept in the fridge about one week:  just reheat in a non-stick skillet sprayed with a butter-flavored cooking spray.)

Include these on a Father's Day brunch buffet for a real conversation item!  See the bottom of this link for a yummy omelette suggestion.  (They also make a great side dish for any meal!)

  Grits Fun Facts
 
Here's a photo taken a couple of months back of my grandchildren with their dad...he's the best!

                                             Enjoy Father's Day!

Printable Recipe

A Very Tall, Buttery Pound Cake ~ Mother Taught Me How

My mother would serve a piece of cake to you, then immediately rip it out of your hand so she could examine the texture...always a big concern of hers.  Now, my children complain they can't enjoy anything I make without my barraging them with questions about it...like mother, like daughter, I guess!  

I have a cute little story to share with you:  When we were young, we had a neighborhood grocery store.  My mother sent my sister (she was probably about seven or eight years old) to the store to get a pound cake.  She was gone quite a while; and when we checked on her, she was weighing every cake in the store to find one that weighed exactly one pound!  We submitted this story to the local newspaper's magazine section, and it was printed along with a cartoon drawing of her weighing the cakes...which we felt looked just like her, ponytail and all!

I adapted this pound cake from a recipe I found in the newspaper many years ago, and it has quite a history. The Reverend Beverly Asbury named his cake The Bishop Asbury Pound Cake.  There was a Bishop Francis Asbury; however, Reverend Beverly Asbury was unaware of any family connection.  This is as close as I've seen to a true pound cake, which would actually have one pound each of the main ingredients.  It's tender and buttery and definitely the tallest and richest pound cake I've made...so, if you want to wow everyone with your pound cake, this would be it!

                                                      Oh, Wow!

                         
                                          That's One Tall Cake!
                                          

Approximately 12 large servings

Ingredients

• Non-stick baking spray
• 1 lb. butter with salt (4 sticks - or - 2 cups), room temperature
• 4 c. sugar
• 2 c. eggs (about 10 large or 8 extra large), room temperature
• 2 TB fresh lemon juice
• 2 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/8th tsp. ground mace spice
• 4 c. all-purpose plain flour, sifted (In the South, we use White Lily--it is ideal for creating light and fluffy baked goods, as it is milled from only 100% pure, soft, red winter wheat.)

                                           Oh, What a Pretty Texture!

                                          Mother Would Be Proud!

Directions

1. Grease and flour a 10" tube pan (not a Bundt pan...the batter will overflow) with the non-stick baking spray.  If you use a tube pan with a removable insert, please see my Very Happy Birthday Pound Cake with Rich Chocolate Frosting with photos on how to line the pan with wax paper.
2. Lay a sheet of aluminum foil on the rack below the one you will bake the cake on, just in case your pan leaks a little grease and/or cake batter.
3. Preheat the oven to 325º.
4. Cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy.  Scrape the bowl.
5. Using a medium mixer speed, add the eggs one at a time just until the yellow disappears...be careful not to over mix!  Scrape the bowl again.
6. Add the lemon juice and vanilla.
7. Whisk the mace into the flour and incorporate about 1 c. of the dry ingredients at a time to the batter.
8. Scrape the bowl one last time and give the batter a little extra mix.
9. Pour the batter into the pan* and bake for approximately 1 hour and 45 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted and the cake springs back when gently pressed with your finger.
10. Cool overnight.  (For a moist cake, Mother instructed me to cover it with a clean dish towel and let "sweat" while cooling.)
11. Gently run a very thin-bladed knife around the edges and tube of the pan, then invert the cake onto a serving dish.  Carefully remove the tube and wax paper, if used.

*Tip:  Mother taught me to achieve a pretty texture in a cake, run a knife in opposite directions through the batter; but since the pan I use for this cake has a removable tube, I don't run it all the way to the bottom of the pan. Also, when I use my pan with a removable tube, I skip the next step which would be to drop your filled cake pan(s) on the counter a few times to release air bubbles.  When I do drop any cake pan(s) with batter on the counter, I always land up with batter on my ceiling, or unpredictable places, but I surely do have a cake with a pretty texture!

Pound cakes are best when you let them rest a day or two, and they freeze great (which makes them even more moist)!  I like to serve this wonderful pound cake as shortcake with a premium vanilla ice cream and/or whipped cream with crushed strawberries or fresh, sliced peaches.  See my Black Forest Cherry Trifle for preparing the whipped cream.  For the strawberries, I just wash, remove the stems, slice, crush and serve with no added sugar!  Also, don't hesitate to enjoy this cake plain or toasted with a good cup of coffee. 

Having a good pound cake around is a Southern must...it's so versatile and perfect for drop-in guests!

                                                 Come On In...

                                          Have a Piece of Cake!


And Enjoy Mother's Day!


Printable Recipe

Polynesian Turkey Meatballs ~ And Family Dinner

I do it too...flip through magazines for recipe ideas.  I was inspired to make this dish by a recipe I recently found in a magazine which was promoting Dole canned pineapple and Minute rice.  Just mention pineapple in a recipe and you've got my attention!  I've "doctored" the original recipe quite a bit, and I feel you'll find it really easy and delicious for a weeknight meal.

The magazine recipe called for brown rice in the meatballs.  I'm generally not a fan of brown rice, so I used instant white rice and it worked great!  In hindsight, using brown rice inside the meatballs would have probably been fine with me...now you know you can use either!

You should always read a recipe thoroughly before starting; but I suggest you really read this one first, because a few of the ingredients are divided.

                 Take Them To The Islands In The Middle Of The Week...

             
                                  And You'll Have A Happy Family!

                            
Makes approx. 16 ea. 2" meatballs - about 6 to 8 servings

Ingredients

• Non-stick cooking spray
• 1 pkg. 20 oz. ground turkey
• 1 tsp. salt
• 1/4 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. ground nutmeg
• 2 c. instant white or brown rice, uncooked
• 1 ea. 20 oz. can crushed pineapple in juice, drained & divided (juice reserved)
• 1 c. green onion, thinly sliced (tops & all), divided
• 1/2 c. teriyaki sauce, divided
• 1 egg, slightly beaten
• 1/4 c. orange marmalade
• 1 ea. 20 oz. can  pineapple chunks in juice, drained (juice reserved)
• 1/4 c. seeded & chopped plum or roma tomato (for garnish)

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Spray a foil-lined baking sheet that has sides with the non-stick cooking spray.
3. In a large bowl, mix the turkey, salt, black pepper, ginger, nutmeg, rice, 1/2 c. (drained) crushed pineapple, 1/2 c. green onion, 1/4 c. teriyaki sauce and egg.  
4. Using your hands, shape the turkey mixture into approximately 2" balls, being careful not to over handle. 
5. Place the meatballs on the baking sheet and bake approximately 25 minutes, or until done.
6. While the meatballs are baking, make the sauce:  In a medium saucepan, combine the remaining crushed pineapple and reserved juice, the rest of the teriyaki sauce and the orange marmalade.  Heat to boiling and reduce the heat to simmer.  Add the (drained) pineapple chunks and cook uncovered approximately 3 to 4 minutes.  Stir in 1/4 c. green onion.
7. On a serving dish, place the meatballs over hot-cooked rice and top with the sauce.  In a small microwave-proof bowl, heat the juice from the pineapple chunks in the microwave on high for about 10 seconds, or until warm, and pour over the dish.  
8. Garnish with the remaining green onion and tomato.

Tips

• The original recipe suggested ground turkey or chicken.  I've not made this with the ground chicken.
• I confess I used a heavy-duty mixer for the meatballs and gently combined, but the consensus is that hand mixing creates lighter meatballs.  I was happy with the results using a mixer; but whatever your choice, just don't over process.
• Running cool water for your hands helps while shaping the meatballs.
• For even more flavor, you can try browning the meatballs in a little oil on the stove top before baking and adjusting the oven time as necessary.  I would have tried this if I'd thought of it before I started; but I was still pleased with the final results of just baking.  Also, you can save time and calories by not browning first on the stove top.

Your family will love a taste of the islands in the middle of the week, and you'll enjoy how easy it is to take them there!

Printable Recipe

Black Forest Cherry Trifle

This time it was my son's birthday; and since I'd made three cakes in a row,  I thought I'd keep it easy and also "change it up" a bit.  Because my son loves cherries, I thought I'd do a twist on the black forest cherry cake I'd made for him in the past and make a dessert everyone loves...trifle!

After the birthday dinner, everyone was trying to guess what dessert would be...

                                              It's Not A Cake...

                                       It's Not A Pie...It's Trifle!

Approximately 12 servings

Ingredients

The Cake

(The cake layer is adapted from the Farm Journal Home-Made Ice Cream and Cake Cookbook: Brown Mountain Cake)

• 1 c. soft butter
• 2 c. granulated white sugar
• 3 eggs (room temperature)
• 3 c. sifted flour
• 1 tsp. baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 3 TB cocoa
• 1 c. buttermilk (for the buttermilk blend substitute, see my Morning Muffins w/Bran & Raspberries)
• 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 c. warm water
• Non-stick baking spray

The Cherry Filling

• 2 ea. 21 oz. cans red tart cherry pie filling (I like Kroger's extra cherry w/no high fructose corn syrup)
• 3 TB brandy (or 1 1/2 tsp. brandy extract)

The Whipped Cream

• 1 1/2 pints (3 c.) whipping cream
• 1/2 c. powdered sugar

The Garnish

• 1/4 c. semi-sweet chocolate, grated (you'll use about 1 TB)

Make Sure I Get A Little of Everything!

Directions

First Things First...Chill the bowl for the whipping cream.

The Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350º.
2. Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Scrape the bowl.  
3. Beat in the eggs, one at a time.  Scrape the bowl again.
4. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cocoa.
5. Add the dry ingredients alternately with the buttermilk to the creamed mixture.  Scrape the bowl.
6. Stir in the vanilla and warm water.
7. Spray a 13"x9"x2" baking pan with the non-stick baking spray.
8. Pour the batter into the pan and bake* for about 45 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly touched with the finger and a toothpick comes out clean. (The cake will pull slightly away from the edges of the pan.)
9. Cool on a cake rack.

*While the cake is baking, prepare the cherry filling and the whipped cream:

The Cherry Filling

• Mix the brandy with the cherry pie filling.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

The Whipped Cream

• In the chilled bowl, whip the cream and powdered sugar until stiff peaks form and the mixture holds its shape.  Set aside in the refrigerator.

The Assembly

This makes enough for a large trifle.  I used a medium-size trifle bowl which measured 7 1/2" x 4 1/4", and I had enough left over for one extra layer of trifle (which went home with the birthday guy!). The proportions offered on the layering are for a trifle bowl similar in size to the one I used.

1. Cut the cake into about 2" chunks.
2. For the first layer: Fill the bottom of the bowl with one layer of the cake chunks.  Spread about 1 c. of the cherry filling over the cake.  Spread about 2 c. of the whipped cream over the cherry filling.
3. For the second layer: Repeat the above: cake, cherry filling and whipped cream, but use about 1 1/4 c.  of the cherry filling and about 2 1/2 c. of the whipped cream.  Sprinkle the top with about 1 TB of the grated chocolate.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

Enjoy all the jaw-dropping raves as your trifle makes it's grand entrance!

Printable Recipe