Holiday treats galore :)

When the holidays came around, I always knew I could count on my mom as well as Aunt Alicia to make some family recipes.  Most of our cookies are easy to accomplish so I decided to embark on some of the harder ones...candies!  My mom would always make caramels as well as carmel corn and Aunt Alicia and Grandma Braun would make fudge.

The best part of making these today is that I was able to do it with my friend Elizabeth and a fellow blogger herself (coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com).  Elizabeth made a few great cookie recipes as well and the pictures below will show how wonderful they were.  It wouldn't be the holidays without making treats with friends and family!

RECIPE:
Carmel Corn
16c. popped popcorn
2 sticks butter
2c. cream
2c. brown sugar
1/2c. corn syrup
1t. salt
1/2tsp. soda
1tsp. vanilla

Combine butter, cream, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt together.  Boil for 5 minutes.  Pull immediately off heat and add soda and vanilla.  Pour over popcorn and mix well.  Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour stirring every 15 minutes.

Aunt Alicia's Fudge
2c. sugar
2T. heaping cocoa
2c. cream
1/2c. dark corn syrup
1tsp. vanilla

Mix sugar and cocoa together in a large kettle.  Add cream and syrup and bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Turn down to medium and cook until 245 degrees or soft ball stage.

Immediately remove from heat and add vanilla.  Keep stirring until cooled.  Add a tsp of cold water while stirring to help cooling process.  Pour either into a pan or form into little balls.

They turned out perfect!

Carmels

2c. sugar

2c. cream

1 1/4c. corn syrup

1/4c. butter

1tsp. vanilla

1/2tsp. salt

Combine sugar, cream, corn syrup, and butter over low heat stirring constantly until sugar is dissolved.  Turn unto high heat until it boils and then turn down to medium.  Stir constantly until mixture reaches 245 degrees or soft ball stage and take off heat immediately.  Add salt and vanilla.  

Pour into greased pan.  When starting to cool, cut into small squares so indentations will be made.  

*Note:  Do not pour caramels into parchment paper in pan.  It will stick on paper as I soon learned.

Here are a few sneak peek pictures of Elizabeth's cookies, Russian tea cookies and White Chocolate Pomegranate Cookies.  Remember visit her blog coppertopkitchen.blogspot.com

Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays from my family and enjoy some of our heirloom recipes :)

Pigs in the Blanket

Earlier this week our secretary at work was saying how cabbage was on sale, which got me inspired to make a great family recipe--Pigs in the Blanket.  Both of my Grandmas made this dish, but with varying ingredients.  I used to only eat the meat and rice as I hated the cabbage, now the cabbage is the best part.

Now I must admit, I modified the recipe a bit.  I'm not a stay at home and it's difficult to make a dish like this while working.  I instead decided to use my crock pot to make the dish.  I also wanted to be a bit healthier so I decided to use brown rice instead.  

RECIPE:
1 pound hamburger
1/2c. uncooked white rice or 1/2c. partially cooked brown rice
salt and pepper
~1/2tsp. cinnamon
1/4 onion
1 can tomato soup
1 cup water
Cabbage leaves

Mix hamburger, rice, salt, pepper, onion, and cinnamon together.

Form into balls and place in cabbage.  Wrap meat into cabbage tightly and place in crock pot.

Add a few pieces of cabbage leaves.  Pour can of tomato soup over the cabbage rolls.  Add 1 cup of water as well.  Cook 4 hours in crock pot or on stove until cabbage leaves are tender and hamburger cooked.

Eat and Enjoy!!

NOTE:  The crockpot worked great and I would definitely do it again.  This is such a great easy family recipe, perfect for the fall.  The brown rice was great and no difference compared to the white rice was noted.

Heirloom recipes...Am I crazy?

I love cooking and have many fond memories growing up cooking with my Grandmas as well as mom.  Great conversation, scrumptious food, and lasting bonds were created in the kitchen.  As my Grandmas have begun to age and my interest for cooking has increased, I've decided to try to start a journey of heirloom recipes.  My goal is to archive all these great recipes into one cohesive place so that whenever I want a dish from home, I know where to turn.  There will be one VITAL missing ingredient during this process, my Grandmas and mom.  Attempting to cook these German dishes is definitely going to be a learning process but one that will last for generations...A guarantee that the dishes passed down from ancestors will be around for future family members!