Merry Christmas to everyone. I hope you all over ate (I did) and baked and cooked untill you were happy. (We did at our place)
Christmas is over and I am sitting in my recliner playing with my brand new Kindle. All four kids and all seven grandkids made it. BUT as always there had to be a mishap and this one was a dozy. Our four year old granddaughter broke her leg sledding. It was our second day on the hill (yesterday) she is a tough little kid but when she said she needed to go to the doctor we knew it was hurting. Now it is all cast up (hip to foot) and in about eight weeks she will be as good as new. Thank God for grandkids, good doctors and quick healing for four year olds.
Showing posts with label christmas cooking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label christmas cooking. Show all posts
Saturday, December 25, 2010
Saturday, December 18, 2010
Yea Christmas Vacation
My first day of Christmas vacation-two weeks before I go back. First day and I already over ate. How can I do that--well Grandma (my wife) and two young (6&4) grand kids made Christmas cookies today. I became the designated taster. Then Pizza tonight. Remember those old Alka-Seltzer adds from years ago? I look and feel like one of those guys -- think I will go get some exercise. Maybe watch a football game on TV.
Tuesday, December 7, 2010
My Dad's Peanut Brittle
By Neil Waring
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen and honored citizen.
I just read another recipe for “Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle” made with dry roasted peanuts in a microwave. THIS IS NOT OLD FASHIONED-THERE IS NOTHING REMOTELY OLD FASHIONED ABOUT MICROVAVES OR DRY ROASTED PEANUTS (dry roasted peanuts are tasty but not old fashioned).
So with thanks to my dad, who really made, “old fashioned peanut brittle” here it is the real stuff.
Here’s what you need – we will call it the Ingredients
1 ½ cups of white sugar - I try to find beet sugar instead of cane sugar. It might not matter but I live in Wyoming where farmers grow sugar beets, a tad too cold here for sugarcane.
½ cup of white corn syrup – this stuff pours out really slow, use your finger to wipe out the excess. Lick excess or let grandkids have it (I favor the grandkid approach but it tastes pretty good)
¼ cup water – Tap water only –do not use the bottled stuff – REMBER –OLD FASHIONED
1 ½ cups of raw peanuts- raw –never been cooked or freeze dried
½ teaspoon salt – Sorry but if you are on a low salt diet you must still put this in – my wife says, “don’t change it, and don’t leave anything out.”
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda – Soda not powder, they do look alike but soda is often in a bigger container. I remember one time when I switched (accidentally) soda and powder. It was before I had become the famous cooking expert that I am now. Anyway it was six or seven years ago –NO—wait a minute it was yesterday. At any rate, don’t mix them up. (Sorry for the bad joke)
How to do it - “ie” - Directions
(Ever wonder what “ie” means and why people use it? Well this is not only a great tasting candy recipe it’s a bit of an English lesson also. It can mean a lot of things but in this case “ie” is from Latin "id est" meaning "that is" or "in other words".
It is widely used to speed up writing because it takes such a long time to say, “in other words or that is.”
So here we go –“ie”- here we go
-Directions-
1. Rub some margarine on cooking sheets – coat them good (old fashioned no cooking spray – Okay use it if you must I do. Ever wonder why no one calls margarine oleo anymore?
2. In a 4 quart saucepan (the big ol’ pan no one ever uses) over medium-high heat, dump in the sugar, corn syrup and water and stir um up. Heat to boiling (lots and lots of bubbles) toss in the raw peanuts. Cook until peanuts turn kind of gold in color and syrup mixture beads off peanuts when raised out of pan. (Use a spoon to make this check, if you stick in your Jack Horner thumb it will blister).
3. Now real Quick mix in the salt and baking soda until well blended. (But don’t overdo the mixing) This is so cool it foams up volcano like and you need to be ready to pour or it will come right out of the pan—please do not think that this has happened to me, but be ready.
4. Pour it onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I love to say prepared cookie sheets like the TV fake chefs). Allow mixture to spread on its own. (Don’t use a fork – took me a while to get the hang of this). Cool completely, and break into pieces. Store in plastic bags. Freeze if you want to save it for awhile before use. Plus when I freeze it I will stay out of it and that can be good.
This is a great recipe – true old fashioned Peanut Brittle –Try It! –Can we say Yum here?
-N-
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen and honored citizen.
I just read another recipe for “Old Fashioned Peanut Brittle” made with dry roasted peanuts in a microwave. THIS IS NOT OLD FASHIONED-THERE IS NOTHING REMOTELY OLD FASHIONED ABOUT MICROVAVES OR DRY ROASTED PEANUTS (dry roasted peanuts are tasty but not old fashioned).
So with thanks to my dad, who really made, “old fashioned peanut brittle” here it is the real stuff.
Here’s what you need – we will call it the Ingredients
1 ½ cups of white sugar - I try to find beet sugar instead of cane sugar. It might not matter but I live in Wyoming where farmers grow sugar beets, a tad too cold here for sugarcane.
½ cup of white corn syrup – this stuff pours out really slow, use your finger to wipe out the excess. Lick excess or let grandkids have it (I favor the grandkid approach but it tastes pretty good)
¼ cup water – Tap water only –do not use the bottled stuff – REMBER –OLD FASHIONED
1 ½ cups of raw peanuts- raw –never been cooked or freeze dried
½ teaspoon salt – Sorry but if you are on a low salt diet you must still put this in – my wife says, “don’t change it, and don’t leave anything out.”
1 ½ teaspoons baking soda – Soda not powder, they do look alike but soda is often in a bigger container. I remember one time when I switched (accidentally) soda and powder. It was before I had become the famous cooking expert that I am now. Anyway it was six or seven years ago –NO—wait a minute it was yesterday. At any rate, don’t mix them up. (Sorry for the bad joke)
How to do it - “ie” - Directions
(Ever wonder what “ie” means and why people use it? Well this is not only a great tasting candy recipe it’s a bit of an English lesson also. It can mean a lot of things but in this case “ie” is from Latin "id est" meaning "that is" or "in other words".
It is widely used to speed up writing because it takes such a long time to say, “in other words or that is.”
So here we go –“ie”- here we go
-Directions-
1. Rub some margarine on cooking sheets – coat them good (old fashioned no cooking spray – Okay use it if you must I do. Ever wonder why no one calls margarine oleo anymore?
2. In a 4 quart saucepan (the big ol’ pan no one ever uses) over medium-high heat, dump in the sugar, corn syrup and water and stir um up. Heat to boiling (lots and lots of bubbles) toss in the raw peanuts. Cook until peanuts turn kind of gold in color and syrup mixture beads off peanuts when raised out of pan. (Use a spoon to make this check, if you stick in your Jack Horner thumb it will blister).
3. Now real Quick mix in the salt and baking soda until well blended. (But don’t overdo the mixing) This is so cool it foams up volcano like and you need to be ready to pour or it will come right out of the pan—please do not think that this has happened to me, but be ready.
4. Pour it onto the prepared cookie sheets. (I love to say prepared cookie sheets like the TV fake chefs). Allow mixture to spread on its own. (Don’t use a fork – took me a while to get the hang of this). Cool completely, and break into pieces. Store in plastic bags. Freeze if you want to save it for awhile before use. Plus when I freeze it I will stay out of it and that can be good.
This is a great recipe – true old fashioned Peanut Brittle –Try It! –Can we say Yum here?
-N-
Sunday, November 21, 2010
Christmas Candy Bar Cake
By Neil Waring
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen and honored citizen.
My favorite time of the year is almost here, Christmas time, today one of my favorite holiday recipes.
Here is what you need. Let’s call it the ingredients. -I like Christmas list better-
5 full size candy bars –here is a little hint—buy yourself one of those 6 packs of candy bars. You got it, one to eat while cooking—VERY COOL!
I know, I know, what kind of candy bars? –Hey what do you like? Milky Way, Snickers and Three Musketeers seem to work the best. They need to be a candy bar with the nugget-ee stuff in the middle. (Can’t believe the spell checker didn’t like nugget-ee)
8 regular candy canes - (regular means peppermint, peppermint is what candy canes are supposed to be).
1 cup butter- (real and unsalted)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs- (put the whites in one bowl and the yellows in another bowl)
2 ½ cups flour – One time I thought the recipe said flowers (may have been making something that called for a bit of wine) I used flowers instead of flour –now that was a big mistake but long before I became the revered Wyoming Chef that I am today.
½ tsp of Baking soda
1 ¼ cups Buttermilk – don’t have buttermilk? Let’s face it, who really has buttermilk?
Guess what? You can make your own buttermilk by simply adding one teaspoon (for the real bakers out there that would be 1 tsp – anyway add one tsp of vinegar to 8 ounces of milk and Wa-La you got yourself buttermilk.
1 cup chopped nuts –good stuff, no peanuts although I do like peanuts. Pecans are best but if you are a touch on the cheap side try English walnuts. I like to mix walnuts, pecans and almonds, but remember one cup—no more.
Now here is where it gets difficult—putting all this stuff together.** In a small sauce pan (my dad used to call all canned fruit sauce, don’t think anyone does that anymore).
Anyway in a small sauce pan over low heat melt together the candy bars with ½ cup of butter. Cream sugar with the rest of the butter (stir-um-together)
Add candy and stir together.
Add egg yolks, one at a time mixing as you go. (Don’t need to kill it just blend um up some)
Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add alternately with flour to the candy mixture – make sure you end with flour (not sure why you need to end with flour but I think it may be an alphabetical order thing)
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into candy mixture with the pre chopped nuts (I try to use the mixer for this to speed things up – it never works do it by hand. But if you are in a hurry use the mixer and if the peaks don’t happen just pour the crap in, who will know the difference anyway?
Pour mixture into a cake pan –deeper is better- (make sure you pre-greased and floured it)
Now for the topping and this is really cool – chop up the candy canes mix about ½ and ½ with regular granulated white sugar and sprinkle on top 20 minutes before taking out of the oven. (You may have to take it out to do this to save wear and tear on the oven but then put it back for the final 20 minutes.
Bake at 325 degrees for 65-70 minutes
Or you might try to crank up the oven to six or seven hundred and see if it will bake in 15 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!
**One time I just stirred up the whole mess together threw it in the oven at 400 degrees-tasted great, didn’t look too good.
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen and honored citizen.
My favorite time of the year is almost here, Christmas time, today one of my favorite holiday recipes.
Here is what you need. Let’s call it the ingredients. -I like Christmas list better-
5 full size candy bars –here is a little hint—buy yourself one of those 6 packs of candy bars. You got it, one to eat while cooking—VERY COOL!
I know, I know, what kind of candy bars? –Hey what do you like? Milky Way, Snickers and Three Musketeers seem to work the best. They need to be a candy bar with the nugget-ee stuff in the middle. (Can’t believe the spell checker didn’t like nugget-ee)
8 regular candy canes - (regular means peppermint, peppermint is what candy canes are supposed to be).
1 cup butter- (real and unsalted)
2 cups sugar
4 eggs- (put the whites in one bowl and the yellows in another bowl)
2 ½ cups flour – One time I thought the recipe said flowers (may have been making something that called for a bit of wine) I used flowers instead of flour –now that was a big mistake but long before I became the revered Wyoming Chef that I am today.
½ tsp of Baking soda
1 ¼ cups Buttermilk – don’t have buttermilk? Let’s face it, who really has buttermilk?
Guess what? You can make your own buttermilk by simply adding one teaspoon (for the real bakers out there that would be 1 tsp – anyway add one tsp of vinegar to 8 ounces of milk and Wa-La you got yourself buttermilk.
1 cup chopped nuts –good stuff, no peanuts although I do like peanuts. Pecans are best but if you are a touch on the cheap side try English walnuts. I like to mix walnuts, pecans and almonds, but remember one cup—no more.
Now here is where it gets difficult—putting all this stuff together.** In a small sauce pan (my dad used to call all canned fruit sauce, don’t think anyone does that anymore).
Anyway in a small sauce pan over low heat melt together the candy bars with ½ cup of butter. Cream sugar with the rest of the butter (stir-um-together)
Add candy and stir together.
Add egg yolks, one at a time mixing as you go. (Don’t need to kill it just blend um up some)
Dissolve baking soda in buttermilk and add alternately with flour to the candy mixture – make sure you end with flour (not sure why you need to end with flour but I think it may be an alphabetical order thing)
Beat egg whites until stiff peaks form and fold into candy mixture with the pre chopped nuts (I try to use the mixer for this to speed things up – it never works do it by hand. But if you are in a hurry use the mixer and if the peaks don’t happen just pour the crap in, who will know the difference anyway?
Pour mixture into a cake pan –deeper is better- (make sure you pre-greased and floured it)
Now for the topping and this is really cool – chop up the candy canes mix about ½ and ½ with regular granulated white sugar and sprinkle on top 20 minutes before taking out of the oven. (You may have to take it out to do this to save wear and tear on the oven but then put it back for the final 20 minutes.
Bake at 325 degrees for 65-70 minutes
Or you might try to crank up the oven to six or seven hundred and see if it will bake in 15 minutes.
Eat and enjoy!
**One time I just stirred up the whole mess together threw it in the oven at 400 degrees-tasted great, didn’t look too good.
Wednesday, December 24, 2008
Merry Christmas and Happy Cooking
Merry Christmas to all and let’s not forget we are blessed every day of the year by friends, family and readers. My wish for you is that this Christmas will be your best ever.
God bless and enjoy the day like none other.
Christmas Stocking Stuffer
Haul into the house from the wood shed one large lump of coal
Take coal to workshop
Strike coal with hammer multiple times
Pick out the nicest and shiniest pieces –about the size of a golf ball will do
On Christmas Eve sneak up to the stockings and put one lump of coal in each stocking—except your own—in your own put a roll of shinny new quarters
Go back to bed and sleep tight
In the morning act as if you have no idea why Santa would pull such a dastardly deed
God bless and enjoy the day like none other.
Christmas Stocking Stuffer
Haul into the house from the wood shed one large lump of coal
Take coal to workshop
Strike coal with hammer multiple times
Pick out the nicest and shiniest pieces –about the size of a golf ball will do
On Christmas Eve sneak up to the stockings and put one lump of coal in each stocking—except your own—in your own put a roll of shinny new quarters
Go back to bed and sleep tight
In the morning act as if you have no idea why Santa would pull such a dastardly deed
Friday, December 12, 2008
Christmas Sugar Cookies
Christmas Cookies—Almost like mom used to make
-by-
Neil Waring
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen, award winning author, retired politician and honored citizen.
Put the following Ingredients (all of them) into a big bowl—your Sunday afternoon Popcorn Bowl will do just Fine.
* 1 cup butter (the real stuff) Find the cup with the stuff marked on the side, if you can’t find that one use a coffee cup (make sure it’s empty) smush the butter in.
* 2 cups white sugar (brown sugar is for sissies and yuppies)
Attention > Do not, under any circumstances use sugar substitutes, there is not such a thing as a substitute for sugar
* 2 eggs, (and beat them up with a fork) Take shells off eggs before beating
* Pour is some milk (most recipes say two tablespoons—who wants to measure milk with a spoon. The only time I use a spoon with milk is to stir in the chocolate)
* Couple of shots of vanilla
* 3 cups flour (and while we are talking about flour—maybe this would be a good time to order some flowers for who ever is going to clean the kitchen after the cookies are completed) Remember you are the chef and have you ever seen the chef clean up on any TV cooking shows. I don’t think so!
* 2 teaspoons baking powder (if you don’t have baking powder—save your time and gas—don’t go to the store—lots of stuff look like baking powder—corn starch, baking soda, gravy mix—maybe not that one. Anyway just put in some white fluffy stuff, who is going to know anyway?
* 1/2 teaspoon salt –As a chef I prefer the term a pinch of salt
* And maybe some more sugar, granulated, and a touch of flour just in case too much milk got poured in or in case a little beer got spilled into the dough.
-Preparation – Or, how to make the cookies-
Now here is where the old Wyoming chef can save you some time.
If the recipe says stuff like cream the butter or beat in something slowly or let set at room temperature or blend in, cut in or do anything slowly—Forget It.
Remember that big Popcorn bowl? Pour everything in and grab a big ol’ chili spoon and stir it up till it looks about right.
Now for the tricky part—most recipes say to cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Hey, how does that work? Drooling over the mere thought of sugar cookie heaven and now we are supposed to wait. No Way.
Stick the big bowl in the freezer for about 20 minutes and it’s time to make cookies.
Shape the dough into golf ball sized clumps. This will make a nice big cookie, that way you will be able to truthfully say, “I only ate three or four.
Get out the best baking sheet in the house—a big flat chunk of some kind of metal stuff, the one used for heating up frozen Pizza before the invention of the microwave.
Flatten the golf balls with the bottom of your beer or soda can all over the baking sheet
Pour on some sugar and cinnamon—to taste, so, cover um up.
Bake at 367 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until edges look about right. **
Remove and enjoy!
Makes about 2 and 2/3 dozen Christmas cookies
**If you are in a hurry heat oven to 800 degrees and bake for three minutes
-----*****************************************************************************************************************-----
If you are like me and you want the ones with all the frosting—see my famous frosting receipt or just go buy a couple of big block Hershey’s Bars and follow the instructions below.
Unwrap bars and place in the big white mixing bowl (everyone has one)
Put in microwave for 2 minutes on high—Super high if you have it.
Take bowl of liquid chocolate from microwave and pour on cookies.
DELICIOUS! !
-by-
Neil Waring
Revered Wyoming Chef, outdoor cooking expert, admired woodsmen, award winning author, retired politician and honored citizen.
Put the following Ingredients (all of them) into a big bowl—your Sunday afternoon Popcorn Bowl will do just Fine.
* 1 cup butter (the real stuff) Find the cup with the stuff marked on the side, if you can’t find that one use a coffee cup (make sure it’s empty) smush the butter in.
* 2 cups white sugar (brown sugar is for sissies and yuppies)
Attention > Do not, under any circumstances use sugar substitutes, there is not such a thing as a substitute for sugar
* 2 eggs, (and beat them up with a fork) Take shells off eggs before beating
* Pour is some milk (most recipes say two tablespoons—who wants to measure milk with a spoon. The only time I use a spoon with milk is to stir in the chocolate)
* Couple of shots of vanilla
* 3 cups flour (and while we are talking about flour—maybe this would be a good time to order some flowers for who ever is going to clean the kitchen after the cookies are completed) Remember you are the chef and have you ever seen the chef clean up on any TV cooking shows. I don’t think so!
* 2 teaspoons baking powder (if you don’t have baking powder—save your time and gas—don’t go to the store—lots of stuff look like baking powder—corn starch, baking soda, gravy mix—maybe not that one. Anyway just put in some white fluffy stuff, who is going to know anyway?
* 1/2 teaspoon salt –As a chef I prefer the term a pinch of salt
* And maybe some more sugar, granulated, and a touch of flour just in case too much milk got poured in or in case a little beer got spilled into the dough.
-Preparation – Or, how to make the cookies-
Now here is where the old Wyoming chef can save you some time.
If the recipe says stuff like cream the butter or beat in something slowly or let set at room temperature or blend in, cut in or do anything slowly—Forget It.
Remember that big Popcorn bowl? Pour everything in and grab a big ol’ chili spoon and stir it up till it looks about right.
Now for the tricky part—most recipes say to cover and refrigerate for several hours or overnight. Hey, how does that work? Drooling over the mere thought of sugar cookie heaven and now we are supposed to wait. No Way.
Stick the big bowl in the freezer for about 20 minutes and it’s time to make cookies.
Shape the dough into golf ball sized clumps. This will make a nice big cookie, that way you will be able to truthfully say, “I only ate three or four.
Get out the best baking sheet in the house—a big flat chunk of some kind of metal stuff, the one used for heating up frozen Pizza before the invention of the microwave.
Flatten the golf balls with the bottom of your beer or soda can all over the baking sheet
Pour on some sugar and cinnamon—to taste, so, cover um up.
Bake at 367 degrees for 9-10 minutes or until edges look about right. **
Remove and enjoy!
Makes about 2 and 2/3 dozen Christmas cookies
**If you are in a hurry heat oven to 800 degrees and bake for three minutes
-----*****************************************************************************************************************-----
If you are like me and you want the ones with all the frosting—see my famous frosting receipt or just go buy a couple of big block Hershey’s Bars and follow the instructions below.
Unwrap bars and place in the big white mixing bowl (everyone has one)
Put in microwave for 2 minutes on high—Super high if you have it.
Take bowl of liquid chocolate from microwave and pour on cookies.
DELICIOUS! !
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