Saltine Cracker Toffee

Holiday cooking and baking is my favorite time of the year to be in the kitchen.  I have some tried and true recipes that always make an appearance, but I like try out a few new recipes also!  This month was perfect to be a part of the Secret Recipe Club and I was matched up with an amazing blog that provided ample treats to choose from!

Lisa at Authentic Suburban Gourmet is a San Franciso native (lucky girl!) and has a passion for "entertaining, wine tasting, collecting cookbooks, farmers market at the San Francisco Ferry Building on Saturdays.".  Her blog is also filled with mouthwatering pictures of her recipes.  She does a great job staging her photos and it really makes everything look so enticing!  I loved reading about her dinner parties and was really able to use her blog in planning my own holiday party this past weekend!  

Curious to know more about the Secret Recipe Club? Each month you are assigned to another member's blog and you get to choose one recipe from it to make and share. The fun twist is that you can't tell anyone whose blog you have - it's a secret, shhhh - until you finally post about it. You can read all about it out here.



It was really hard to choose just one recipe from Authentic Suburban Gourmet!  I amassed quite a long list of recipes to try in the future, but chose a simple recipe that I heard about several years ago - Saltine Cracker Toffee.  I promise that this is one of the easiest desserts that you can make, with impressive results!  It was fun to pass it around at our party last night and watch the expressions when everyone tried it. 

Saltine Cracker Toffee

1 1/4 c. butter (original recipe calls for 1 1/2 c.)
1 c. brown sugar
35 saltine crackers
12 oz. Dark chocolate chips - milk chocolate works great also!
1/2 c. Chopped and toasted pecans

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Farenheit.

Start off by chopping the pecans and toasting for a few minutes on the stove.  Keep an eye on it so they don't burn.  Set the toasted pecans aside to use later in this recipe.

Spray a large cookie sheet with your favorite non-stick spray.

Place crackers in a 5 by 7 row close together to form bottom layer.

In a 4 quarter Pyrex measuring cup, place butter and brown sugar and heat on high in the microwave for 5 minutes.

Remove from microwave and whisk for 2 to 3 minutes until light, creamy and well combined.

Note: The original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of butter.  The first time I made it with that amount, I was not able to whisk the mixture to a creamy state.  I chose to reduce the butter to 1 1/4 cup on my second try, and it was perfect!

Spread evenly over crackers using a spatula or a knife.

Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes.

Remove from the oven.

Don't worry if the toffee still looks like this when you take it out of the oven...

It will settle a bit and look like this...

Use a butter knife to push the crackers back together and any toffee that spread too far on the sides.

Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the top.

And wait a few minutes before spreading to an even layer with a spatula or butter knife.

Sprinkle with the pecans that we toasted earlier.

Cool in refrigerator and then break into pieces. Keep in an airtight container in the refrigerator for best results.

I love this saltine toffee and can't wait to try Lisa's German Chocolate version! 

Thanks for the great recipe Lisa! 

Christmas Simmer

I love walking into a house that smells like baking and good holiday scents.  It is just so warm and inviting!

This Christmas Simmer recipe does just that....but without the calories!


here's what you'll need

3 orange slices
5-6 whole cloves
3 cinnamon sticks
a shake or two of nutmeg
a healthy splash of vanilla

Directions

Fill a small saucepan with water.  I just filled about half full.

Add the ingredients listed above.

Bring the saucepan to a boil and then reduce to a simmer.
Simmer as long as you want and continue to replenish water as needed.

*You can tweak this recipe to add any of your favorite scents.  Play around with it, but this is a great recipe to get started!
Recipe from Pen and Paperflowers

Goat Cheese Appetizer

Awhile back, my husband and I were invited to our friend's house for dinner.  Ashley loves to cook just as much as I do and recreated an appetizer that she really liked from a restaurant.  You just can't go wrong with tomato, cheese and pesto, right?  I couldn't stop snacking on it and have to say that it is now my favorite appetizer....hands down!

Thanks for the recipe Ashley!

Goat Cheese Appetizer

1 Goat or Goat/Sheep Cheese Log
1 Can of Italian Diced/Chopped Tomatoes
3 TB. Basil Pesto


Directions

Set the cheese log out on the counter for approximately 20 minutes to take the chill off

Pre-heat the tomatoes on stovetop until bubbly

Spoon 3/4 of tomatoes into baking dish (i.e: ramekin, oven safe baking dish, etc.)

Place cheese log on top and spoon remaining tomatoes over the top

Spoon pesto over the top and sides

Bake at 350 degrees F until heated through - appoximately 20 to 30 minutes

Serve with french baguette slices or "mini" toasts

 
 
Recipe from Ashley Armstrong

Ham and Cheese Sliders

Here is another appetizer that was quick and easy to make ahead of time for our annual Holiday Party!  You can use leftover ham from your holiday dinner or just go the easy route and hit the deli counter for some thick sliced ham and baby swiss cheese.  I was able to assemble these sliders that day before our party and keep them in the refrigerator until right before our guests arrived.  A quick 15 minutes in the oven to melt the cheese and crisp the bread and you are ready to eat! 

This recipe is a keeper and I can see myself making these for parties year 'round.  They also would be perfect to make a batch for my husband's lunches!

*picture courtesy of The girl who ate everything

Ham and Cheese Sliders
24 pieces good honey ham*
24 small slices Swiss cheese*
1/3 cup mayonnaise
1/3 cup miracle whip

*I made the mistake of getting 24 slices of ham and cheese at the deli counter.  I didn't take into account the small size of the slider buns and ended up quartering each slice and would have actually only needed 6 slices of each.

Poppy seed sauce
1 Tablespoon poppyseeds
1 1/2 Tablespoons yellow mustard
1/2 cup butter, melted
1 Tablespoon minced onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

Slice your dinner rolls (I used Hawaiian Bread rolls...yum!) to create the slider rolls.

In a small bowl, mix together mayonnaise and miracle whip. Spread onto both sides of the center of each roll.

Place a slice of ham and a slice of Swiss inside of each roll. Close rolls and place them into a large baking dish or heavy cookie sheet.

Place very close together.
In a medium bowl, whisk together all of the poppy seed sauce ingredients.

Pour evenly over all of the sandwiches. You do not have to use all of the sauce! Just use enough to cover the tops. Let sit 10 minutes or until butter sets slightly.

Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Uncover and cook for 2 additional minutes or until tops are slightly brown and crispy.

Serve warm.
*sandwiches can be assembled a day ahead and kept in the refrigerator ready to bake.
 
 
 
Recipe from The girl who ate everything

Antipasto Skewers

Last night, we hosted our annual Holiday Party. This time around, I decided to just serve a variety of appetizers instead of a full on meal. I took to my favorite wesbite, Pinterest, to find some tasty new appetizer recipes to try. I came across this recipe for Antipasto Skewers and thought it was a great bite-sized version of an antipasto salad. Even better, it looked like a super easy appetizer that I could make ahead of time! I assume it was a hit at the party, because they were the first appetizers to go!

Antipasto Skewers

9 oz package of Three Cheese Tortellini (I used Buitoni)
1 can Medium or Large pitted Black Olives*
5.75 oz jar Green Olives *
medium sized container of grape tomatoes*
2-12 oz containers of marinated mozzarella balls (I used regular since I couldn't find marinated)
30 slices of Salami, cut in half
60 pieces of pepperoni
1 cup Balsamic Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
60 Skewers

*These are the original amounts in the recipe that I used.  I found that I ran out of green olives and tomatoes early, so you may want to double these ingredients.  For the black olives, I still had some to use but might double this also next time.

Directions

Cook the tortellini as directed on the package.  Drain and cool a bit before placing in a gallon ziploc bag or bowl.  Pour in the salad dressing on the tortellini and marinate in the refrigerator to chill for a few hours. 

Place one of each item onto the skewer using the pointy side.

These skewers can be made a few hours in advance. Just cover tightly and place in the refrigerator.

Enjoy!


Recipe from The Hungry Housewife