food fun Friday - Caramels

We are going to visit the twins for their birthday this weekend... so I have to make my traditional Caramels (after 3 years its a tradition right?)

CARAMELS
1 C brown sugar
1 C white sugar
1 C light (clear) Karo Syrup
1/2 lb butter
1 can condensed milk
1 tsp. vanilla
-cook over slow heat, stirring constantly until it forms a stiff ball in water.
-remove from heat, stir in vanilla
-pour into buttered pan and cool

now here are the things I've learned.
-DO NOT double the recipe.
-you cook it over the stove for AT LEAST an hour, yep an hour!
here's Mr. Produce helping me stir:
It forms a darker caramel color as it bubbles:
it forms a ball of sorts in water when it is done:
I prefer the thermometer method. The books say it should reach between 238 and 248... although I only got mine to go to 230- and it still turned out ok.
pour it into a buttered pan and let sit all night.
You then cut it into smallish squares.
pop them out (the first one is always bad, so eat that one!)
wrap them up in squares of wax paper:
and there you have it a tasty new tradition

Wednesday Wisdom

Mr. Produce thinks I'm crazy when I talk about my blog friend Sue or my blog friend Karyn..... but i do feel a connection with all my blog friends. I follow several blogs are so enjoyable to read and glimpse a part of their lives that they feel comfortable enough to share.
Cathy, here, who is an amazing graphic artist make the above sentiment. She is first so talented and second very generous with sharing all sorts of art and crafts and even a fun and yummy birthday celebration ice cream cake. She announced her brothers unexpected death last week and I still can't help feeling so sad for her.

Blog friends are real friends. They share all sorts of stuff, good and bad, thoughtful and yummy and newsworthy.

I love my blog friends.

my obsession

I am obsessed with Old Glass Christmas ornamentsThis is one of the ways I use them. I have been collecting pictures of ornament wreaths for YEARS! I noticed up here that all the senior citizens are "downsizing" and getting rid of all their old ornaments. So happily I buy them.
I have quite a collection.
I pull the silver hang tags off of them and glue them to a greenery wreath.
I love the SHINNY ones.
then after they are all glued and no sparse areas or holes, I quickly "blow dry" them so all the hot glue hairs are melted.
I have recently begun to use the ornaments with flocked prints on them. They look cool too.


This one was made using a hanger, something I saw on a blog here at Eddie Ross. I LOVE THE PINK AND SILVER. actually I have about 6 boxes of silver and pink to use to make a REALLY LARGE heart wreath for Valentines day. I think I finally have enough pink to finally make it!
This is a Really Large wreath (about 40 inches round) That I am still working on. Hopefully I will be done in a couple of days and put it over the fireplace.

do do do, lookin out my front door

This is the view out my front door this morning.
beautiful
clouds of pink & gold
A beautiful Thanksgiving day.
I was feeling gloomy about not having my girls here for Thanksgiving. We are having only 2 of the boys (Mr. produce now has someone to watch Football with). We have a VERY LARGE turkey and we are a small group.
I am thankful that everyone is in good health, and fairing well.
Maybe a fun get together next year.
signed,
gloomy gus

Happy Thanksgiving

what I'm working on

Just a hint of what I'm working on.
Service project. for the community shelter..
there is a due date and that is STRESS

My Turkey Tutorial

I now have a gaggle of Turkeys
A package of Oreos made 18. Here's what you need:
Reese's, Malt Balls, Candy corn ( I used carmel candy corn-brown- frosting in a bottle, Chocolate chips
For ease, I used frosting in a bottle and put just a little in the top of the oreo to stick the candy corn in.
Here's my counter top.
Melt the chocolate chips and put a dab on the bottom of the Reese's pieces and malt Ball and stick it on the cookie. Better to let it harden this way (gravity helps)
Then you want a big dab of the melted chocolate chip on the bottom of the Reese's and stick the whole top on the cookie.
Now lets talk about the "face" You can use the white tip of a candy corn for the beak. (I didn't have enough so for the rest I just put frosting.) Then you can use a toothpick and put on eyes.
So here are the 3 ways they turned out:
1. Frosting for beak and eyes
2. Candy Corn tip for beak and no eyes
3. And.. oh yea, another Candy Corn tip for beak and no eyes.
* I like the eyes*
yep, made 18 of them and only have 2 more people for dinner, great WHAT AM I GOING TO DO WITH 14 Turkeys?