Saltine Toffee (dubbed "Christmas Crack")

I can't believe it's been so long since I've last update my blog! I actually started this post back on December 21st, 2011 and I am now finishing it on January 8th, 2012. Yeesh! With all the parties, Christmas, my son's school concert and winter break, New Year's, two visits from the Tooth Fairy, and my husband's vacation, really cut into my "alone" computer time. While it was nice to have everyone home for a plethora of good ol' fashioned family fun, I'm actually glad to be getting back into the swing of a normal routine again.

So this past holiday season was all about survival-mode for me. I really didn't cook anything new, and I was basically trying to keep everyone fed and happy amongst the busyness. I had to look back on my camera to see if I had any recipe photos, and I only had two new ones from December since the last post. Just two...that's it!!! However, I am glad to report that what I lacked in quantity, I made up for fully with quality. The two recipes that I did try out were pretty darn great (this one included).

My friend, Claire passed this easy recipe on to me and I tweaked it a little based on what I had on hand. Here is my version of this delicious "cookie", although I guess it falls more under the heading of a toffee or bark. Either way, Claire and I decided to call it "Christmas Crack" since it is soooo freakin' awesomely addicting. I had to stop myself several times from going to the store and purchasing more ingredients for making additional batches. If you have a hankerin' for something easy to make and a little naughty, this recipe is for you!

Saltine Toffee (dubbed "Christmas Crack")
Adapted From: The Girl Who Ate Everything website

Ingredients:
1-2 sleeves of saltine crackers
2 stick (4 oz) butter
2 cup packed brown sugar
2 cups chocolate chips (I used 1 bag)
2 cups butterscotch chips (I used 1 bag)
crushed or slivered raw almonds
sea salt

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with aluminum foil and spraying the foil with nonstick cooking spray.

2. Arrange the crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet so that there are no empty spaces in between them. Crush any remaining crackers into small crumbs and set aside for now.

3. Place the butter and brown sugar in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Stir while the butter melts, and bring the mixture to a rolling boil. Once boiling, carefully pour the sugar-butter mixture over the crackers on the baking sheet in an even layer, trying to cover most of the crackers. If you miss some spots, don’t worry as the toffee will spread in the oven.

4. Bake the toffee crackers at 350 degrees for five minutes, until the toffee is bubbling all over. Carefully remove the pan from the oven and allow to cool for one minute.

5. Sprinkle the chocolate chips on top of the hot toffee, and allow them to sit for one minute to soften and melt. Once softened, use an offset spatula or knife to spread the melted chocolate over the entire surface of the toffee in an even layer. While the chocolate is still sticky, sprinkle the top with the reserved crushed crackers.

6. Refrigerate the pan to set the toffee and chocolate for about 30 minutes. Once set, break into small uneven pieces by hand, and enjoy! Store uneaten saltine toffee in an airtight container for up to a week.



The Result:
I gained a few pounds over the holiday break, and I think I owe it mostly to this toffee. I'm not exaggerating; it's that good and shockingly easy to put together.

Beer 'n' Black Bean Chili

I've had a couple absolute dinner disasters lately, so you may have noticed my lack of posting. The hustle and bustle of the holidays makes for some hurried dinner-making and inevitable recipe fails. I try to take shortcuts and some work out, but some don't. I totally ruined a pork recipe from a trusted source last week...so badly that my family couldn't barely choke it down. UGH! (I think I will try it again in a few months--when life is less hectic--and see if I can salvage the dish.) I almost suffered the same fate with this chili, to where I ended up not paying close enough attention to the instructions and rushing through it. Thankfully, this recipe was virtually goof-proof and this chili turned out to be pretty darn awesome. Whew! I think I'm gonna set a new rule in my house to only make dinners that I can pretty much just "phone in" during the holidays. The stress of trying (and failing) at something new is just not worth it. Hopefully, I will learn my lesson and remember this decree for next Christmas. In the meantime, here is the chili that restored my confidence in my cooking-off-the-cuff abilities...mistakes and all.

Beer 'n' Black Bean Chili
Adapted From: The Food and Flavors of San Antonio cookbook, by: Gloria Chadwick

Ingredients:
2 Tablespoons canola oil
1 lb. of beef stew meat (see notes)
1 large onion, diced
1 can of black beans, rinsed and drained
1 can of red kidney beans, rinsed and drained (see notes)
1 (4 oz.) can of green chiles (see notes)
1 can of tomato paste
1 cup of beer (see notes)
1 (15 oz.) can of beef broth (see notes)
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp oregano
salt and pepper to taste
1-2 tablespoons of corn starch
tortilla chips, for topping
shredded cheddar cheese, for topping
sour cream, for topping

Directions:
Heat oil in large pot, over medium-high heat. Add beef cubes and brown on all sides. Remove beef to a bowl with a slotted spoon and set aside to rest. If more oil is needed, add a little more (no more than a teaspoon or so). Add onions to pot stirring to incorporate all the beef drippings and oil. Add a pinch of salt and cook onions until they are soft and translucent. Push onions off to the side of the pot, and add tomato paste. Cook tomato paste until it starts to brown and caramelize on the bottom of the pot. Add beef broth, beer, green chiles, beans, all the spices, and meat back into the pot. Using a wooden spoon, scrape all the brown bits of the bottom of the pan and incorporate them into the chili. Bring to a boil and then reduce to a simmer. Cover and simmer for half an hour. Remove some of the cooking liquid to a bowl (about a 1/2 cup) and whisk in the corn starch until liquid starts to thicken. Add thickened liquid back into the chili and stir to incorporate. Cook for an additional 5-10 minutes or until chili is thickened to a desirable texture. Serve chili by placing in bowls and topping with some crushed tortilla chips, shredded cheese, and sour cream.

NOTES:
I did not have two cans of black beans, so I substituted one can of kidney beans. Pinto beans would also work in a pinch; or use all black beans since the recipe is written as a "black bean chili". ;)

I only had one lb. of stew meat, so I cubed the meat into smaller pieces before browning. You could add another pound of stew meat if needed, but I didn't have it on hand so I stretched what I had stocked.

Also, I think our chili could have used more liquid. Adjust the liquid quantities based on the number of people you are serving. Next time, I'll probably use a full bottle of beer and a cup more of beef broth. We had enough to serve two adults and three kids, but the leftovers were scarce.

For the green chiles, I used some frozen Hatch chiles I roasted over the summer. My chiles were super-spicy so I cut the quantity way down for this application (probably by at least half). Follow the recipe quantity if you are using a mild green chile, but consider cutting it back if you are using a really spicy chile pepper.

The Result:
No photo, sorry. This was a delicious and satisfying chili. So different from my normal chili, and we all really loved the new twist. I love hearty stews and soups on a cold day, and this recipe totally hit the spot!

Casserole Series #3: Bubble Pizza Casserole

I promised my kids a "fun" Monday night dinner, since we've had a rough go of it lately. We had a monumentally stressful week last week, followed by the freaking flu. I thought a recovery meal was in order to help restore everyone's spirits back to normal. In our house a "fun" dinner equals pizza of some sort, but I didn't want to make the same ol'/same ol'. (I think my son would eat pepperoni pizza 24/7, if we'd let him.) Usually, I reserve these types of uber kid-friendly recipes for our Friday night meals, but considering the circumstances, I wanted to shake things up a bit. I found this recipe on a website I frequent that has cheap, easy, and kid-tested recipes on it. This bubble up pizza caught my attention because of the exciting title. Pizza that bubbles???? Yes, please! We have never been known to turn down any form of pizza (or casserole for that matter) in this house.

Bubble Pizza Casserole
Adapted From: MomsWhoThink.com

Ingredients:
1 lb. ground beef
1 can tomato sauce
1 teaspoon of garlic powder
1 Tablespoon minced, dried onions
1 teaspoon oregano
1 teaspoon thyme
1 teaspoon dried basil
salt and pepper to taste
2 tubes refrigerator biscuits
2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Directions:
1. Brown the beef in a skillet and drain. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
2. Stir pizza sauce and spices into browned hamburger and simmer until heated through.
3. Quarter the biscuits and place in a 13-in x 9-in x 2-in greased baking dish. Top with beef mixture.
4. Bake uncovered at 400 degrees F for 20 minutes.
5. Sprinkle with cheeses and bake 5-10 more minutes, until cheese is bubbly and slightly browned.





The Result:
Oh man, can I tell you that I felt a little dirty while enjoying this meal??? Is that weird? Okay, don't respond to that...I don't want to know. It was all the canned biscuit dough that did it. I know there is little--if any--nutritional value in canned biscuits. With that said, this was AWESOME. The only way it could have been better is if there were $100 bills baked into the dish. Cheesy, doughy, beefy, pizza-ish...Y-U-M! AND it was cheap to make! AND it was easy to put together! This was a hit with kids and adults alike. Fan-freakin'-tastic!

Taco Chicken Bowls

I found an interesting, money-saving meals website through Pinterest called Budget Bytes. It looks to have some fairly easy, inexpensive and family-pleasing dinners listed. I haven't done a whole lot of exploring on the site yet, but I am sure planning on delving a little deeper into it after this tasty dinner. As promised, these Taco Chicken Bowls were a hit with my brood and made with a lot of ingredients I stock on a normal basis. This was a hearty meal we polished off quite quickly.

Taco Chicken Bowls
Adapted From: Budget Bytes via Pinterest

Ingredients:
1.5 lbs. chicken breasts (I used 1 1/2 large, chicken breasts)
1 (16 oz.) jar salsa
1 (15 oz.) can black beans, drained
1/2 lb. (8 oz.) frozen corn
1 Tbsp chili powder
1/2 Tbsp cumin
1/2 Tbsp minced garlic
1/2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups dry rice (I used brown rice)
8 oz. shredded cheddar
5 green onions, diced for garnish
1/2 bunch cilantro for garnish

Directions:
Add everything except the rice, cheese, and cilantro to the slow cooker along with 1/4 cup of water (for good measure). Give everything a good stir and make sure the chicken is covered in the mixture. Secure the lid on your slow cooker and cook on low for 8 hrs.

Near the end of the cooking time, cook the two cups of rice according to the package directions (Bring the rice and 3 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot with a lid in place, as soon as it reaches a boil, reduced the heat to low and let simmer for 20 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving).

After 8 hours of cooking, carefully remove the lid of the slow cooker. Stir with a fork to shred the chicken (it should be super tender and will shred easily). Build the taco bowls by placing rice on the bottom, then the taco chicken mix, shredded cheese and fresh cilantro.

ALTERNATE METHOD:
Combine all ingredients except rice, cheese, and cilantro to a glass casserole dish, sprayed with cooking spray. Cover chicken breasts in mixture and bake at 425 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until chicken is thoroughly cooked. Remove chicken to a cutting board when cook time is up and shred with two forks. Return shredded chicken to casserole dish and combine with other cooked ingredients. Serve by spooning cooked rice into a bowl and topping with chicken mixture. Garnish with shredded cheese, green onions and cilantro.



The Result:
I didn't have time to go the slow cooker route with this recipe, so I made up the "alternate method" instead. Our chicken bowls were still delicious, so really I think it worked out great. Either way, this recipe is a winner!