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Food, Christmas

Christmas Crack

meghanewhite

If you are looking for a sweet, last minute, homemade gift, this is the one. This addictive toffee candy is fantastic. It hits all my requirements, simple and delicious. Don’t let the toffee intimidate you because it couldn’t be easier since you are not making actual toffee. No candy thermometer required, and you probably already have the ingredients on hand.

Customize the candy to your liking. Add nuts, sprinkles, and salt, or drizzle another type of chocolate on top. Christmas crack makes a nice gift for friends and family. It’s also great to have for your holiday gatherings. I hope you will give this delightful recipe a try.

Merry Christmas!

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Christmas Crack

 

 

Ingredients

1 to 2 sleeves saltine crackers (35 to 50 crackers)

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

12 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 375°.
  2. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment. 
  3. Place saltine crackers evenly in a single layer filling the baking sheet.
  4. In a medium sized sauce pan place brown sugar and butter. Over medium low heat, melt the butter. Turn up heat to medium/medium high and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Once boiling, set a timer for 3 minutes, stirring constantly.
  5. Pour hot toffee evenly over crackers.
  6. Bake in the oven for 5 minutes.
  7. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the hot layer and let sit for a few minutes. Spread melted chocolate evenly across the hot toffee layer.
  8. Add any toppings like nuts, salt, or sprinkles.
  9. Place in the refrigerator for 1 hour to set up.
  10. Break into pieces and enjoy!

Notes

  • Add any toppings you prefer like nuts, salt, sprinkles, or drizzle melted chocolate.
  • It’s recommended to store the toffee in the fridge, but I keep it in a sealed container at room temperature.
  • I always use salted butter for all my baked goods. Use whatever you like.
  • For a 18 x 13 baking sheet it takes approximately 50 saltines.
  • For a 10 x 15 baking sheet it takes 35 saltines.
  • Pretzels, graham crackers, or other crackers can be used for the bottom layer.
  • Use your choice of chocolate: dark, milk, white, etc. 

Food, Uncategorized

Butter Swim Biscuits

meghanewhite

These biscuits are easy to make and so delicious. This recipe is simple, and no fuss, with wonderful results. Fluffy, buttery, flaky biscuits will come out of your oven after a few simple steps. If you do not normally bake, these biscuits could change that.

Yes, the dough is swimming in butter while they are cooking. All that beautiful butter absorbs into the dough creating the perfect biscuit with a crispy crust. You don’t have to fold or knead the dough. Just combine and voila.

I love the versatility of biscuits. Top them with sausage gravy, or make breakfast sandwiches, or add some butter and honey. Biscuits are great for holidays or any day. Classic biscuits are a winner and this recipe is a home run. Enjoy!

Happy Eating!

This is the day that the LORD has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:24

Butter Swim Biscuits 

Yield: 9 biscuits

Ingredients

½ cup butter 

2 ½ cup all purpose flour

4 tsp. baking powder

4 tsp. granulated sugar

1 tsp. salt

1 ¾ cups buttermilk

 

Instructions

  1. Preheat the oven to 450°.
  2. Melt the butter and pour into an 8X8 baking dish.
  3. In a large mixing bowl whisk together flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. 
  4. Add the buttermilk to the flour mixture and mix until just combined.
  5. Drop the biscuit dough by spoonfuls into the butter filled baking dish.
  6. Carefully spread the dough evenly across the pan.
  7. Use a bench scraper and cut the dough into 9 equal squares.
  8. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until golden brown on top.

 

Notes 

  • I recommend spraying the baking dish with cooking spray before you add anything. It is not required, but the biscuits will stick to the pan with no spray.
  • The dough is very sticky. When you add the dough to the baking dish with melted butter it’s easier to drop it into 9 equal piles, then spread it out. 
  • I always bake with salted butter, use unsalted or salted butter. It’s up to you.
  • You can melt the butter right in the baking dish in the microwave.
  • This recipe doubles easily and bakes well. 


Food

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

meghanewhite

Love it or hate it, it’s pumpkin time. I love pumpkin spice coffee creamer and usually buy it in the fall. I’m a half and half in my coffee drinker, but I make an exception for the spicy goodness of this flavorful creamer. If you love pumpkin spice coffee creamer like I do, you can just as easily make your own. It’s super simple.

A lot of coffee creamer recipes involve heating up the milk and sugar on the stovetop. This recipe involves zero cooking because you use sweetened condensed milk. There’s no sugar to melt. Simply whisk everything together and that’s it. You can adjust the spices to your likeness. Half and half works well in this creamer, but use your preference of milk.

The flavor of this homemade creamer is more subtle than the store bought stuff, but very good in my opinion. It’s nice to make your own creamer and know exactly what ingredients are inside. Pumpkin spice coffee creamer would make a nice hostess, teacher, or holiday gift.

Happy Eating!

For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 1 Timothy 6:7

Pumpkin Spice Coffee Creamer

Ingredients 

1 (14 oz.) can sweetened condensed milk

1 3/4 cup half and half 

3 Tbsp. pumpkin puree

1 tsp vanilla extract

1 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 tsp. nutmeg

1/2 tsp. ginger

1/4 tsp. cloves

Instructions 

  1. In a large mixing bowl combine sweetened condensed milk, half and half, pumpkin puree, vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and cloves. Whisk until combined.
  2. Pour into a container with a lid. Refrigerate and shake before each use. Enjoy!

 

Marriage

30 Years

meghanewhite

Three decades of life together. Where does the time go? It flies faster than I can ever catch it, and hold it, and try desperately to stop it. I wouldn’t change any of it. The beautiful moments, exhausting struggles, the victories, the defeats, the mundane. All of it has made this lovely tapestry of thirty years together.

Have you ever looked at the back of a tapestry? It’s a mess of strings sticking out with no clear picture of what the artist is creating. You can’t tell for sure what exactly is going on just by looking at the back of a tapestry. But serious work is being done in the back, the part no one will ever see. Needle and thread poke through back and forth making a giant mess. Flip it over to the front and it all begins to make sense as a magnificent work takes shape.

It’s like marriage. There are messy painful parts. There are trials, tribulations, and trouble. There are also joyous times filled with fun, laughter, and sheer happiness. There are ups, downs, and sideways threads that come through that tapestry and sometimes you can’t see it. You don’t see the big picture. But oh wow, when the artist lets you take a peek at the work in progress a stunning design is revealed.

God brought Tom and I together in the covenant of marriage. He wove together our strengths and weaknesses to make a unique tapestry. It’s our story that God uses to make this beautiful piece of art. It’s our life together covered by God’s grace. He is still writing our story as he weaves more colors into our tapestry. Sure it can get messy, but the Master Artist is creating a masterpiece.

Happy 30th Anniversary, Tom! I love you with all my heart.

And I love all of you.

Meghan

Therefore what God has joined together, let man not separate. Mark 10:9

Food

Pimento Cheese

meghanewhite

On a recent trip to San Antonio I had the pleasure of eating pimento cheese for the first time. It’s been on my list of Southern foods I have been wanting to try and I’m so glad I finally did. It’s creamy with the right amount of spice. Perfect for crackers, chips, veggies, or bread. It’s common to make a sandwich using this delicious cheese. I think it would be fantastic on sourdough, or any kind of baguette, and warmed under the broiler.

I found this recipe on Allrecipes. If you prefer extra spicy, add jalapenos, which I highly recommend. Pimento cheese would be nice at a potluck or party. If you have never had this quintessential Southern cheese I hope you give it a try. It’s a winner.

Happy Eating!

Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me. John 14:6

Pimento Cheese

Ingredients

8 oz. cream cheese, room temperature

½ cup mayonnaise

¼ tsp garlic powder

¼ tsp cayenne pepper

¼ tsp onion powder

salt and pepper to taste

2 cups (16 oz.) extra sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded

1 (4 oz.) jar diced pimentos, drained and then chopped

1 jalapeno pepper, seeded and minced (optional)

Instructions

  1. In a medium bowl place the cream cheese, mayonnaise, garlic powder, cayenne pepper, onion powder, salt and pepper. Using a whisk or rubber spatula mix until thoroughly combined. Taste and adjust the spices.
  2. Mix in the shredded cheese, pimentos, and optional jalapeno.
  3. Enjoy with crackers, veggies, or make a sandwich.