Microwave Peanut Brittle

Ladies and Gentlemen, may I present a very special guest poster....

Grandma Joan Allen!

I know, you're all as excited as I am that Grandma is posting on the blog today.

So, with no further ado, let's talk about peanut brittle.

I remembered a recipe I always made at Christmas that Grampa Joe loved and could not leave alone either. I haven't made it since he left- but I have definitely made many many platefuls for the holidays over the years.

Grandma's story behind this: About 28 years ago I began demonstrating this recipe in different wards' homemaking meetings (Aunt Karen Cook Anderson also demonstrated this so it's actually connected to both sides of the family!). One night I was doing it at the old white church building on 4th Ave when someone ran in and said my daughter had been hit by a car and was at the hospital. Needless to say I did not finish the demo. I felt so guilty as Grampa was Home Teaching and I was teaching RS and a neighbor had to come to the church to let me know. And so you know that was your Mom, although at the time I thought it was Melani riding her bike. Truly, recipes do bring back memories.

The recipe:

• 1 c. sugar
• 1 c. raw peanuts
• 1/2 c. white corn syrup
• 2 T butter
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tsp vanila

1. Into a 4 cup measuring cup (Grama uses a pyrex quart cup) place sugar, peanuts, and corn syrup.
2. Put in microwave and boil 4 minutes- stirring at 2 minutes.
3. Add 2 T butter
4. Cook 5-6 minutes stirring half way through
5. Remove from oven
6. Add soda and vanilla and stir.
7. Pour onto greased cookie sheet
8. Cool and break into pieces

This is delicious and not too expensive and makes a lot. If it is overcooked even a tad it is too brown and burned. It depends on your microwave. They all heat differently.

Have a great Christmas. I love you.

-Grandma

Kelsey again. I thought I should take a moment to note the "daughter got run over by a car" part of that story. I always had a sense of pride in my elementary years that I could say "oh yeah? Well my mom got run over by a car!" I don't know, things like that just give you standing on the playground. Grama sent me an email telling me about it all....

Once upon a time, a man was drunk. he left the Kimberly police station (still drunk) and headed home because the police said they wouldn't cite him if he drove straight home. My mom and her friend Melanie happened to be walking on the road he chose to drive home on. Mom was 16 and got hit by the rear view mirror and was thrown into the borrow pit and shattered her elbow. A neighbor friend, Jon Wagstaff, put her in his truck and drove her straight to the hospital.
Grandma said she freaked out when she got to the hospital, but all Mom wanted was a blessing, which Grandpa gave her. She was in surgery for 3 hours because they had to pick out all the shattered bone. She couldn't use her left arm for a while and says it's still not the same.
Want to know what happened to the truck driver? He was cited for hit and run, no insurance, no driver's license, running a stop sign, and drunk driving, and was fined a whopping $14.50 in court fees. I don't think it would have gone over the same now.
I had to literally beg for this picture. But here's the scar down her arm where they had to put a plate in for a while. I'm telling you, this story is the stuff of celebrities at school.

Sugar Cookies

Another guest post! I'm thrilled. I have been meaning to make these sugar cookies to put on this blog because they really are part of our family. We make them in heart shapes for Valentines day, pumpkins and headstones and ghosts on Halloween, and ornaments and snowmen for Christmas. Since we're getting to the end of the year I figured Christmas was the last shot I got, but with the move it just hasn't happened! (I had to be banned from cooking the past few weeks so I could actually get something done).

So, I'm just so excited that Aunt Kim made these for the blog. Take it away, Kim!

Hi! This is Kelsey's favorite aunt, Kim. I have a picky husband and three year old, so if a recipe gets their approval, it must be good. This is a perfect cookie for any time of the year.

The recipe:

Cookies:

1 c. sugar + 2 Tablespoons

3/4 cup shortening 2 eggs 1/4 cup milk 1 tsp vanilla 3 3/4 cup flour 1/2 tsp salt 3 tsp baking

powder Cream sugar and shortening, beat in eggs; add milk and vanilla. Add flour, salt and baking powder, mix well. Chill in fridge (for about an hour). Roll out using as little flour as possible. Cut out, bake on greased cookie sheet at 375 for about 10 minutes (mine take 11.5). Remove from the cookie sheet after a few minutes.

Frosting:

1 Tablespoon melted butter

1 cup powder sugar

1 Tablespoon

milk (I usually double or triple the milk)

1 tsp vanilla

Frosting is best when it is slightly runny, but not too runny that it will run right off the cookies. I add the food coloring when I put a portion in zip lock bags. I cutoff a tiny bit of the corner so I can do designs. Remember a little goes a long way (except when you re-frost your three year olds cookie, then you just need a lot). The frosting will setup in about an hour, so you can s

tore them easier. If you want to eat them immediately, just use less milk. Enjoy!!

Sorry that picture's so small, Kim, I couldn't get it to go any bigger!

Chicken Broccoli Casserole

Great News! Even though nobody responded to the "group effort" idea, Katelin has volunteered to go first. (My profound apologies for not including her in the initial guilt list from last post.) This is proof that family recipes follow you no matter where you go. Even to the ends of the happiest place on earth. So take it away, Kate.

Hi there. Katelin here.

I don't have much to contribute, because I'm very lazy when it comes to cooking. But, today I busted out chicken broccoli casserole. It's not much, but it's something I learned from mom. So, here we go. (even though you all already know how to make this, let me feel like I'm helping.)

I like to have my chicken already cooked, it's fastest to poach it. aka boil it in some water while you watch Lost. So, after your chicken is done, let it cool down!

Get your pan out, line it with foil to make for easier clean up. (I'm all about saving time and energy) Throw in some broccoli. Frozen, fresh, whole, cut, whatever. It's casserole, you can pretty much do whatever you want. Then cut up your chicken and throw that in too.

Then whip out a can of cream of chicken soup. Throw that on there. Stir it if you want, but it'll probably end up the same if you don't. Then slap some cheese on top and bam! You got yourself a casserole! Almost!

Cover with foil and stick in the oven on like 350º then get your rice going, however you make your rice. I had to make it on the stove so it took a while. The casserole needs 20-30 minutes, so figure out the timing :)

Then whip em both out, throw onto a plate, throw the leftovers into some tupperware and take that to work with you. Eat while watching Lost. The end.

Group Effort

I haven't really cooked much lately. I don't know if I should try to give an excuse for that (finals, work, the holidays, moving), or just admit I've been slacking. Anyway, I have an idea. How about we make this more of a GROUP EFFORT?

We could do it "guest blogger" style or you can email me your pictures of the family recipes you make- Mom, I'm pretty much talking to you. I figure you, Mel, Courtney, Kim, Grama, Jen and Emily, especially Katelin - everybody makes the recipes we think of as "family recipes" so how about you just take a picture of your family eating the meal, or just the food itself and send it my way with the recipe? I realize only a few people will read this but we can still accumulate a few.

OK? Ok.