One of my favorite recipes!

All right, I promised you a reccipe and this is one of my favorites! Homemade Caramels in about 20 minutes.

Here are the ingredients and supplies you need:

• A microwave safe bowl. I like to use a large glass measuring cup or "batter bowl". If you've ever been to a Pampered Chef party you know exactly what I'm talking about. It's that huge measuring cup that can also be used to bake a cake in and turn it into a doll cake. I try not to think about this. I had a lovely doll cake at one of my birthday parties. My Grandma made it for me and it was gorgeous. Until we lit the candles. Then the Barbie doll's hair caught on fire. Melted plastic barbie doll on your birthday cake is fun for no one.
• Smaller liquid measuring cup ( I like the new kind that you can read from the top, it's so much easier than bending over. I spend enough time doing that when I shovel snow. I don't need to do it when I'm cooking. %&^!$* Wisconsin weather)
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 4 tablespoons of butter, (Half a stick)
• 1 cup heavy whipping cream
• 3/4 cup light corn syrup (light in color, soooo not light in calories!)
• non-stick cooking spray
• candy thermometer ( I use a digital thermometer because it's faster)
• a 8 or 9 inch square baking dish
• a sharp knife (I use a bench knife because I find it easier to cut straight lines)

Step 1 - Mix 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cups corn syrp & 1/2 cup whipping cream together in the microwave safe bowl. (I find it easier to pour the corn syrup if you spray your measuring cup with Non-stick cooking spray first. It slides right out into the bowl ) Microwave this mixture for 3 1/2 minutes on high power.


Remove from microwave and pour in the remaining cream & add the butter. Stir until the butter is almost melted. Return to the microwave and cook for another 3 1/2 mintes on high power.
Remove from microwave and check the temperature for the first time. You are trying to get in the range of 234-243 degrees. You do not want to get your mixture hotter than 243 or you will have candy that is impossible to chew. Place back into the microwave for 1 1/2 -2 minutes. As you get closer to the desired temperature you might want to make it shorter and shorter intervals.

You want to make sure you watch your mixture. Depending on the size of your bowl, it could possibly boil over. Mine has come dangerously close to the top but never boiled over on me. That would be a mess. Remove from the microwave and take the temperature again. You can see the mixture is getting darker the longer it cooks. Back into the microwave yet again.
Once you've hit the target range of temperature you can take your mixture and pour it into your greased pan.
Let the caramels cool in the pan. To speed up the process you can put the caramels in the refridgerator or freezer for a few minutes.

When you are done you will have a pan full of delicious caramel. You can do many things with the caramels at this point. You can cut them and wrap them in wax paper. You can make chocolate covered carmels by cutting them and dipping them in melted chocolate. You can also make turtles. To do this place waxed paper or parchment paper on a cookie sheet. Place 2 pecans together. Place a caramel on top of the pecans. Repeat until your cookie sheet is full of nutty caramal goodness. To melt the caramels, place in your oven on the very lowest setting for just a couple of minutes until the caramel begins to melt. Remove from oven and let cool again. Dip in melted chocolate. This recipe is one of my favorites. I make them every year and people always love them! It's so much easier to make them in the microwave. You are saving almost 30-40 minutes by making them in the microwave.

Cookies for Santa!!

Here is a fun, easy, only slightly messy Christmas craft to make. I made this craft with the kids who came to our ugly sweater party last week. First you need clear plastic plates, a sharpie, foam paint brushes, white, tan, & red acrylic paints, and glue. (we used glitter glue)

Directions:

1. Convince small children it will be fun to slather their hands with paint.

2. Pull shirt sleeves up to their armpits to keep from ruining their ugly sweater.

3. Paint, the top of their hand and their thumb red, the middle of their palm tan, and their fingers white.

4. Remind them to keep their hand totally flat, so that the paints don't all run together. (If your victim...or artist is younger than 4 this is very difficult! Their hands are like gumby!)

5. Press their hand on the plate firmly so that as much paint as possible comes off on the plate.

6. Point children in the direction of the nearest sink to wash as much paint as they can off their hand. (You may want to pick up and carry small children by their free arm so they don't make santa handprints on the walls of your rental home) The landlord will thank you!!

7. Allow the paint to dry.

8. Go back and paint on the extra details, like the mouth, the mustach & the ball on Santa's cap. The sharpie works great to make Santa's eyes. You can also use the sharpie to mark the date & names of the kids hands on the plate. This way when you are older you can look back with fondness on the year when you still had enough energy to tackle such projects.

9. Put glitter glue around the outside of the plate and then place a plain clear plate on top of your painted design.

10. There you go, you're done and you've got a nifty plate to serve Santa his cookies on Christmas eve.