I Promised Recipes Today...

 

I promised I'd share more recipes today, so here they are... 

 

EASY MAPLE NUT FUDGE

 

3 cups white chocolate chips

1 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp maple extract

1-1/4 c chopped nuts

pinch of sea salt *

            1. Spray an 8" x 8" pan with non-stick spray. I just lined my pan with parchment paper.
            2. In a saucepan over low heat, melt white chocolate chips and sweetened condensed milk.
            3. Remove from heat. Stir in maple extract and nuts. (I used pecans or hickory nuts  in mine,

                but use whatever you like. I bet cashews would be tasty, too!)
            4. Spread evenly in prepared pan. Sprinkle with more nuts and a pinch of sea salt (if desired)

                and gently press into the fudge.
            5. Refrigerate for at least two hours. Lift parchment with fudge out of pan and cut into desired size.

Enjoy! 

 

HOMEMADE BROWNIE MIX 

                        Ingredients:

                        3 c flour

                        6 c sugar

                        2 c unsweetened cocoa powder

                        2 t. sea salt

                        2 t. baking powder

                        Directions:

                        Preheat oven to 350º F. and grease an 8" x 8" or 9" x 9" baking pan.

 

                        Mix all ingredients together and store in an airtight container in a cool, dark location

                        (pantry).

                        To Make Brownies:

                        In a large bowl, mix 2 1/4 c. brownie mix with 1/2 c melted butter, 2 eggs and 1 tsp of 

                        vanilla extract. Mix until batter is smooth. You can add chips, peanut butter or nuts at this

                        point, if you'd like.

                        Pour batter into the prepared pan and bake for 20-30 minutes (depending on your oven),

                        or until toothpick comes out clean.

 

    Enjoy! 

 

 

BULK MUFFIN MIX

 

4 1/2 c. a/p flour

2 1/4 c. granulated sugar

2 Tbsp. baking powder

3/4 t. salt

 

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

 

When you're ready to make muffins, measure 2-1/2 c. mix, 1/3 c. melted butter or oil, 3/4 c. milk, 1 egg, and 1-1/2 c. of your favorite berries. Blend all ingredients together and spoon into greased muffin tins 

(or muffin papers). Bake at 375º for 25 minutes or until fully baked and lightly browned. Enjoy!!

If you want to package the brownie mix in individual batches like I did (2 1/4 cup of mix per jar), 

click on my original blog post for the link to the jars I used. Just click HERE to go to that post.

 

 

LIKE "JIFFY" CORNBREAD MIX

 

For each batch of cornbread mix:

2/3 c. a/p flour

1/2 c. yellow cornmeal

3 Tbsp granulated sugar

1 Tbsp baking powder

 

Mix together and store in pint size jars in a cool, dry place.

 

If you're making cornbread or corn muffins, add:

2 Tbsp oil, 1/3 c. milk and 1 egg

Blend until just mixed. Don't overmix.

Bake at 350º until golden brown and toothpick comes clean.

Enjoy!

 

 

HOT COCOA MIX

1 20 oz box of Instant Milk

1 2# box of Nestles Quick Mix

1 16 oz. jar of Coffee Creamer 

2 1/2 c. Powdered Sugar

1 - 1/2 c. Hershey's Unsweetened Cocoa

Mix well and store in an airtight container.

Note: I always add about a cup more coffee creamer to make it creamier.

To make cocoa, boil hot water (or milk) and add 3 heaping tablespoons per mug.

I packaged my gifts into wide mouth quart size jars, adding mini marshmallows 

either into the mix or on top of it once I had the mix in the jars.

                   

 

 

Herb Cheese Spread

 Yield: about  1 1/2 c. spread

(This tastes almost identical to Alouette™ Herb Cheese Spread)

1 pkg (8 oz) cream cheese, softened

1/4 c. butter, softened

1-1/2 Tbsp. milk

1/4 tsp. garlic powder

1/4 tsp. ground savory

1/8 tsp ground oregano

1/8 tsp dried dill weed

1/8 tsp. dried basil leaves

1/8 tsp. ground black pepper

 

                            In a small gowl, beat all ingredients with an electric mixer until well blended. 

                            Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator. Can add a bit more to make it 

                            creamier, or let it sit out for a few minutes before serving to allow it to soften.

                            Serve with crackers, vegetables, or even over hot pasta.

Enjoy!

                    

On the left are the goldfish crackers I made. I'm not going to share the recipe for those at this time, because I'm not happy with the texture after a day or so. They're not very crispy at all, so I'm going to play with the technique a bit before I share (or write off the recipe).

The Kitty Litter Bites were simple this time. I put about 2 c. of quick Quaker Oatmeal into a food processor and ground it into a flour consistency. Then I mixed that with enough unsweetened applesauce for the mixture to hold together. I added a little more oatmeal just to give them more texture. Drop by small spoonfuls onto parchment paper and bake at 300º until crispy brown, but not burned. If they're too moist, they'll mold in the container. You want to make sure they're completely dry when you take them out of the oven. The dogs will love them! 

Hope you'll add these recipes to your arsenal for year round gift-giving occasions. I made the brownie, muffin, and cornbread mixed to stock my own pantry, too, rather than buy prepackaged mixes with all the "extra" additives. Fresher always tastes better, and I don't have to run out to the store when I want to make those things.  

Whew! That was a lot. I hope you'll try a recipe or two and let me know what you think. See you again tomorrow.

No Stitching for Me...

 

...at least not yesterday. About the time I was preparing to sit down and settle in with a bit of needlework, I developed an ocular migraine. They're not painful (usually), but the shimmering right in my line of vision is annoying as all get-out.

Usually, it disappears after about twenty minutes, but not this time. It went away and came back three times, so I finally said "uncle" and, following Handsome's suggestion, went to bed. By the time I got upstairs, I had an accompanying dull ache, so two Tylenol, a change of clothes and I was done for the day. My post is late, because I didn't even get that accomplished on time. Sorry. 

My day will be light duty today. I'm going to take it easy, and just concentrate on getting out our Christmas cards. If I'm up to it, I may stitch later.

 

Homemade Maple Nut Fudge

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. We were on our own this year, as each of our son's families had someone sick. We opted to avoid inviting illness, so we'll gather with them when everyone is healthy again. Instead, I baked, made a few gifting goodies and watched movies with my guy. It was really nice, actually.

Homemade Brownie, Cornbread & Muffin Mixes, and Hot Cocoa Mix

•••••This post contains my affiliate links, and I may receive commissions on sales•••••

 

I purchased THESE empty plastic jars and seals to mix up homemade batches of brownies, cornbread and basic muffin mix (choose the berry of choice when mixing), as well as our homemade hot cocoa mix (link to cocoa recipe in top menu bar) with marshmallows. These are 22 oz jars, but I'm also going to get THESE 10 ounce jars for other mixes.

I also made people (homemade goldfish crackers on the left) and dog treats (my ol' standby "Kitty Litter Bites") on the right. This years' kitty litter bites only have oatmeal flour and applesauce, and the dogs all love them just the same. 

This is the label that I tie on the packages when we share them with dog friends. This year, our kid's dogs, Hudson and Lulu will again be the recipients.

 

I made a savory Garlic and Herb spread that's a dead ringer for Alouette's Garlic and Herb spread. It costs about the same as their spread, however it makes almost three times more from my recipe. Just a little light snack before dinner.

The perfect amount for two...a beef rib roast (1 rib to share), and a small gratin of potatoes, olive oil, and parmesan cheese.

I didn't forget the barn ladies, either. They got a day of cuddles and snuggles from me...along with some of their favorite treats.

I'll be tying up some loose ends today, scheduling a trip to our carpenter's to paint the pantry cabinets before he installs them next week. I'll also check in with the subs (plumber and electrician) to make sure we're on track with them, too. Lastly, I'll take another shot at stitching this afternoon. I'll share more with you tomorrow.

Happy Boxing Day!!