tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-10920046989761540912024-03-07T22:06:05.085-08:00applestickermgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.comBlogger18125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-40247751127911582512008-06-10T08:50:00.000-07:002008-06-10T08:52:43.367-07:00Raspberry Muffins<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2568127184/" title="100_7712 by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3027/2568127184_ef13ee79f0.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="100_7712" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.joythebaker.com/blog/archives/76#more-76">recipe from Joy the Baker</a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2568060394/" title="oven by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3120/2568060394_5ac984dd2b.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="oven" /></a>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-91108705533315420702008-06-02T17:13:00.000-07:002008-06-02T17:32:37.623-07:00Strawberry Galette<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2546831916/" title="Dinner of Awesomeness by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3044/2546831916_8d81179383.jpg" alt="Dinner of Awesomeness" border="0" height="331" width="500" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Strawberry Galette with Basil Cream</span><br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;"></span>3/4 C heavy cream<br />1/3 C loosely packed fresh basil, chopped<br />2 Tbs sugar<br />3/4 C mascarpone cheese<br /><br />2 1/2 C AP flour, plus more for surface, sifted<br />1 1/8 tsp salt<br />1 tsp sugar<br />1 C (2 sticks) cold unsalted butter, cut into small pieces<br />1/3 C plus 2 tsp ice water<br /><br />1 lb strawberries, hulled<br />1/4 C plus 1 Tbs sugar<br />2 tsp cornstarch<br />1 egg yolk<br />1 Tbs water<br />1 Tbs cold unsalted butter, cut into small piecesmgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-70511274902037759132008-04-11T17:14:00.000-07:002008-06-02T17:16:45.675-07:00Shoot the Rainbow<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2406284514/" title="Shoot the Rainbow by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2189/2406284514_968d015b04.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="Shoot the Rainbow" /></a><br /><br /><a href="http://www.instructables.com/id/Shoot-the-Rainbow-Skittles-Vodka/">Instructables Post</a>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-1993792023971814782008-03-27T17:23:00.000-07:002008-06-02T17:25:19.108-07:00Not Mine...<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2382187251/" title="Alex's Gorgeous Raviolis & Pierogies by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2311/2382187251_68ee82f566.jpg" alt="Alex's Gorgeous Raviolis & Pierogies" height="377" width="500" /></a><br /><br />...but I did get to eat them, and gods were they good. Alex made the best raviolis I've ever tasted. Those pirogies in the background weren't shabby either.mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-83540370679108256302008-02-14T17:18:00.000-08:002008-06-02T17:20:36.917-07:00The Beet-Off<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2341096052/" title="Beet Shortbread & Beet Jello by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2047/2341096052_a70cd1b20f.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="Beet Shortbread & Beet Jello" /></a><br />Beet Shortbread & Beet Jello<br /><br /><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2340262147/" title="Chocolate Covered Beet by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3265/2340262147_d27e368334.jpg" width="500" height="377" alt="Chocolate Covered Beet" /></a><br />Chocolate-Covered Beetmgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-11700312339624749752008-01-27T20:47:00.000-08:002008-01-27T22:26:35.436-08:00Dinner: Cheese & Tomato TartinesMade a nifty new dinner tonight -- cheddar, butter, french bread, and tomatoes, layered together and broiled. Took all of ten minutes to prepare and was super tasty. Wish I'd taken a pic, but unfortunately I had to eat and run to work with no time to spare.<br /><br />long loaf french bread<br />3-4 nice-smelling tomatoes<br />block of good cheddar<br />butter<br /><br />Cut bread into short rectangular pieces (we got three sections out of ours). Cut each of these in half horizontally. (Optional: Lightly toast the bread sections -- just enough to make the bread a little crisp on top.)<br /><br />Butter each section. Layer on top sliced tomatoes. Cover with shredded cheddar cheese. (Optional: Broil each tartine for a few minutes until cheese melted.)<br /><br />Future tartine dinner idea: goat cheese and thin slices of cucumber.mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-26982759978678203792008-01-21T19:59:00.000-08:002008-01-27T21:31:30.193-08:00SHF #38 Baking With Candy<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2203497259/" title="stuff_0290 by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2038/2203497259_139395aa26.jpg" alt="stuff_0290" border="0" height="377" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br />As soon as I mentioned to my husband that this month's <a href="http://www.domesticgoddess.ca/pages.php?page=10002">Sugar High Friday</a> was all about <a href="http://candyrecapper.com/shf2008.html">Baking With Candy</a>, he immediately wanted to combine Werther's Originals with shortbread. I was definitely skeptical at first -- I thought the candy would be too hard in the middle of soft shortbread. But in the end, I was completely wrong and he was completely right. The little hard candies (which we crushed up) melted into the shortbread and had a chewy, easily crunched texture after baking.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: left;">About 1/2 one small bag of Werther's Originals<br />2 sticks softened unsalted butter (1 cup)<br />3/4 cup sifted confectioners sugar<br />1 tsp vanilla extract<br />2 cups sifted flour<br />1/2 tsp salt<br /><br />Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Combine butter, vanilla, sugar, flour, and salt in a mixing bowl with a wooden spoon. Stir until combined but not too creamy. Put all the Werther's in a plastic bag and crush with something heavy (we used a meat tenderizer).<br /><br />Divide dough into two equal parts. Press one of the two halves into an eight-inch square baking pan. Sprinkle about half the crushed candies over the dough, making an even layer. Press the other half of the dough on top of the candy. (We did this slowly so as not to disturb the candy layer -- basically, we just took small pieces of the dough and pressed them down on the candy layer little by little. Then we smoothed them together.) Sprinkle the other half of the crushed candies over the top, again making an even layer.<br /><br />Bake until firm and golden, about 30 minutes. After baking, let the shortbread cool for about 20 minutes. Then run a knife around the edge of the pan and remove the cookies from the pan. Cut into little squares once the block is completely cool.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2204288788/" title="stuff_0300 by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2372/2204288788_dddc58f4e7_m.jpg" alt="stuff_0300" border="0" height="149" width="240" /><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></a><span style="text-decoration: underline;"> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2203497345/" title="stuff_0293 by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2316/2203497345_8600e2164c_m.jpg" alt="stuff_0293" border="0" height="92" width="240" /></a></span><br /></div><span style="text-decoration: underline;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Adding Ganache</span><br />Although the cookies are good by themselves, they're super good coated with chocolate ganache.<br /><br />4 oz semi-sweet chocolate<br />2/3 cup heavy cream<br /><br />Coarsely chop chocolate. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering. Pour over chocolate in a bowl. Let stand for 5 minutes. Stir for a few minutes until smooth. Let the ganache cool until it's slightly thick. (We let ours sit for about 20 minutes, stirring it a couple of times while we waited.)<br /><br />Once you've got your ganache you can do lots of things with it. We tried three things: 1) we dipped the cookies, so that one end was covered; 2) we drizzled the cookies with thin diagonal lines; and 3) we poured ganache over the top so that the cookie was mostly covered.<br /></div><br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2203507617/" title="Werther's Shortbread with Ganache by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2259/2203507617_3840322375.jpg" alt="Werther's Shortbread with Ganache" border="0" height="377" width="500" /></a></div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-82522658916112577802007-12-21T00:00:00.000-08:002008-01-27T22:37:36.820-08:00solstice cookies & marshmallows<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2129145834/" title="giveaways by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2371/2129145834_08ee1d339c.jpg" alt="giveaways" height="377" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2128368503/" title="mallows in bags by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2415/2128368503_69d799e178.jpg" alt="mallows in bags" height="377" width="500" /></a><br /></div><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/2129149482/" title="cranberry shortbread by applesticker, on Flickr"><img src="http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2266/2129149482_b174352b28.jpg" alt="cranberry shortbread" height="377" width="500" /></a><br /></div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-3329358034940805422007-05-30T10:49:00.000-07:002007-05-30T10:53:29.477-07:00Granny Square Blanet Redux<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/521826727/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/200/521826727_36c733581e.jpg" alt="Granny Square Blanket" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />Another look at the Granny Square Blanket I've been working on.mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-24845057675963495502007-05-21T11:37:00.000-07:002008-01-22T10:51:06.746-08:00SHF #31 Shades of White<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/508109443/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/232/508109443_cfe374787e.jpg" alt="Marshmallow!" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This month's Sugar High Friday is <a href="http://sevenspoons.net/2007/05/shf-31-neutral-territory.html">The Many Shades of White</a> -- so I created a dessert that is quintessentially white: marshmallows. I decided to make this fluffy, pillow-like candy in two flavors, raspberry and champagne. Because I made them from scratch they were all natural and at least the raspberry ones were artificial flavoring and coloring free.<br /><br /><span style="font-weight: bold;">Basic Marshmallow Recipe</span><br /><br />Ingredients:<br />2 Packets of Unflavored Gelatin (Very important: must be unflavored)<br />1/2 cup water<br />1 & 1/2 tsp flavoring oil or extract (In this case LorAnn Champagne flavor or McCormick Raspberry extract)<br />1 & 1/2 cups sugar<br />1/2 cup corn syrup<br />pinch of salt<br /><br />1. Put 1/4 cup of water, gelatin, and one flavoring oil into standing mixer. Allow to sit for a few minutes so that the gelatin can "bloom."<br /><br />2. In a large saucepan put the remaining water, corn syrup, sugar, and salt. Clip a candy thermometer to the side of the pan. Bring to a boil without stirring. When the mix reaches the soft ball stage (234 - 240 degrees) remove from heat.<br /><br />3. Pour sugar mixture into standing mixer. Bring mixer up to high. Allow this to mix for about 8 minutes.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/508109643/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/217/508109643_935bf16e66_m.jpg" alt="Marshmallow Making!" height="180" width="240" /></a><br /></div><br />4. Pour the now white mixture into an oiled deep pan. Allow to set for about 8 hours.<br /><br />5. Cut into squares (or other shapes) with an oiled knife. Dip all sides of the marshmallows into corn starch to make them less sticky.<br /><br />Some notes:<br /><br />* I've used this recipe with lots of different flavorings, including mint, and orange. I find that flavoring oils seem to work the best. I've seen posted online recipes that call for using crushed candies in place of some of the sugar -- this would probably be a great thing to try.<br /><br />* The type of pan you use to set the marshmallows will determine how big they are. A deep pan will mean thick marshmallows. A very wide pan could mean very thin ones.<br /><br />* If you have a standing mixer and candy thermometer, this is one of the easiest recipes in the world. If you don't have those things it can be kind of tricky. I have made them without both pieces of equipment, it just means being really careful at the stove and then standing around for a long time with a hand-mixer. It can definitely be done.mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-45528265079519508062007-04-12T10:13:00.000-07:002007-05-30T10:53:50.169-07:00Granny Square Scarf<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/502557073/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/229/502557073_c0240c3a16.jpg" alt="IMG_4036.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />This winter I spent a lot of time making Granny Squares. They were simple things, easy to make in-between projects when I wanted to crochet *something* but had no clear ideas. Then Pat's mom suggested that they could be sewn together on a diagonal to make a scarf -- and here we are.<br /><br />I made these squares out of homespun gotten from Michael's. Each is relatively small, crocheted just twice around. I stuck them together using red thread. I figure, even if they come apart they can easily be sewn back together again -- not like a usual crocheted scarf that would just unravel.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/502557429/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/197/502557429_2a02a5d22c_m.jpg" alt="IMG_4038.JPG" height="180" width="240" /></a></div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-62254873664690813052007-03-14T09:46:00.000-07:002007-05-18T09:52:09.358-07:00Pi Day Pie<a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/502526292/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/212/502526292_4e3b9f01ab.jpg" alt="IMG_4074.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a><br /><br />For this year's Pi Day I created two (count 'em two) beautiful pies. Keep in mind, I've never made a pie before in my life, let alone made two different ones.<br /><br />The first pie is cherry, made with frozen cherries. That's the one with the lattice over top. The second pie is mixed berry, with blueberries, raspberries, and strawberries. This second pie I covered with cut-outs of leaves. In both pies I increased the amount of almond extract to be equal to the vanilla. Not entirely sure why I decided to do that -- I think it has to do with the smell of it.<br /><br /><div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/502563235/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/206/502563235_6dacf11720_m.jpg" alt="IMG_4070.JPG" height="180" width="240" /></a><br /></div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-33212957328313577312007-02-28T10:44:00.000-08:002008-01-22T10:52:26.770-08:00SHF #28 Food to Seduce<div class="entry"> <p>I absolutely couldn’t help myself — when I saw the theme for <a href="http://cardamomaddict.blogspot.com/2007/01/shf-28-sweet-seduction.html">this month’s Sugar High Friday (food to seduce)</a> I immediately had two great ideas: a Raspberry-Clementine Trifle and Raspberry-Prosecco Gelatin. The first recipe comes from my darling sister-in-law Tessa, who made trifles for our family’s winter solstice dinner. We called them “Get Laid” trifles — because they are so good and so tasty. The second is a recipe I love because it involves my favorite type of wine: prosecco. They’re an adult take on traditional jello and because the fruit is frozen while the gelatin is only cold, it creates a pleasing set of different temperatures in your mouth.</p><p><br /></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/390430538/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/390430538_623e4e4a1c.jpg" alt="IMG_3960.JPG" height="500" width="375" /></a></p> <p>Clementine-Raspberry Trifle</p><p><br /></p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/390431108/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/126/390431108_a036a1f467.jpg" alt="IMG_3949.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Raspberry-Prosecco Gelatin</p> <p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Clementine-Raspberry Trifle</strong><br />Makes 6</p> <p><br /></p><p>The day before:</p> <p><br /></p><p>2 Pt. Raspberries<br />1/4 C. Sugar<br />2 tsp. Lemon juice<br />1″ Fresh Ginger, peeled and thinly sliced</p> <p><br /></p><p>Combine and toss, let sit two hours then refrigerate overnight. Discard ginger and reserve juice.</p> <p><br /></p> <p>The day of:<br />3 Clementines, segmented and peeled<br />2 sprigs Mint, torn or chopped<br />2 tsp Honey<br />½ Vanilla bean, split and scraped [couldn’t find the beans, so I used Vanilla extract, which worked fine]</p> <p><br /></p><p>Combine all ingredients in small bowl and set aside</p> <p>1/2 C. Water<br />1/2 C. Sugar<br />1/4 C. Clementine juice</p> <p><br /></p><p>Combine in small saucepan, bring to boil. Cool. Add optional splash of raspberry syrup</p> <p>1 1/2 C. Heavy cream<br />2 Tbl. Sugar</p> <p><br /></p><p>Whip together to soft peaks.</p> <p>1/2 C. Gingerbread cookies, crushed [or Shortbread cookies - I couldn’t find the gingerbread]<br />6 Lady-fingers or Italian coffee cookies</p> <p><br /></p><p>Garnish:<br />6 Gingerbread cookies<br />Sprigs of mint</p> <p><br /></p><p>To assemble, in six parfait/wine glasses:</p> <p>Soak one half of lady finger in syrup for a few moments, place in glass<br />Top with spoonful of raspberries<br />Top with spoonful of clementines<br />Spoon in some whipped cream<br />Top with some crushed cookie<br />Repeat each layer and garnish with mint and a cookie.</p> <p><strong><br /></strong></p><p><strong>Raspberry-Prosecco Gelatin</strong><br />1 (6-ounce) package raspberry-flavored gelatin<br />1 cup boiling water<br />2 cups Prosecco or other sparkling wine, chilled<br />1 1/2 cups frozen raspberries, not thawed</p> <p>Whisk the gelatin and boiling water in a medium bowl until the gelatin is dissolved, about 2 minutes. Refrigerate until lukewarm, about 25 minutes. Stir in the Prosecco. Cover and refrigerate until the gelatin thickens but does not set, stirring occasionally, about 1 hour. Stir in the raspberries (bubbles will form in the gelatin mixture). Divide the gelatin among 6 Champagne flutes or individual dessert bowls. Cover and refrigerate until the gelatin is set, at least 2 hours and up to 2 days.</p> </div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-76220089035436920162007-02-02T10:43:00.000-08:002007-05-17T15:08:40.229-07:00first spinning<div class="entry"> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371341268/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/167/371341268_c8bae46afb.jpg" alt="IMG_3749.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a></p> <p>My very first skein of spun wool. Very exciting.</p> </div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-47915259305595988632007-02-01T10:43:00.000-08:002007-05-30T10:53:13.943-07:00granny square blanket<div class="entry"> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/376569113/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/376569113_73cc57d056.jpg" alt="IMG_3885.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a></p> <p>The cat sortof throws the scale off — because he’s a very large cat on a relatively large almost-blanket. I made this blanket by simply making a really large granny square. The yarn is a really soft boucle, and it tends to bind to itself, creating a very flexible, soft fabric. Because it’s binding so well the checkerboard holes from the granny square pattern aren’t as big as they normally are in a granny square — so I think this will be a pretty warm blanket even with all the holes.</p> </div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-28874219780576392522007-01-24T21:01:00.000-08:002007-05-17T15:07:53.309-07:00Almost Samosas and Couscous<div class="entry"> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/376134701/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/171/376134701_637269e5d0.jpg" alt="IMG_3877.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a></p> <p>Dinner tonight: fake samosas and couscous. By fake samosas I mean pie crust pockets filled with curry-cumin-cayenne flavored potatos, peas, carrots, onions and garlic. Next door to the samosa imposter is a box couscous flavored with mushrooms and herbs.</p> <p><br />Almost-Samaso Recipe</p> <p>Ingredients:<br />Pillsbury Just-Unroll Pie Crust (or store brand)<br />1 Large Yukon Potato<br />Mix of Frozen Peas and Carrots<br />Half an Onion<br />Teaspoon Minced Garlic<br />Teaspoon of Veg. Oil<br />Cayenne Pepper<br />Cumin<br />Curry Powder</p> <p>Cut potato into small chunks, put in a pot with water to cover, and boil for about 20 minutes. Saute chopped onion and garlic in the oil. Add spices and mix. When the onion is cooked, remove from heat and add peas-and-carrots mix to the pan. When potato is done, add potato chunks to everything else. Possibly add more spices if the mix looks a little lonely. Take the pie crust, roll it out a little thinner than to begin with, and cut out six rounds. Take the scraps, squish them together, roll it out, and then cut another two or so rounds. Fill each round with a small amount of the mixture. Fold the dough over to create half-circle shapes. Use a fork to squish the edges together. Arrange on a baking sheet and bake at 425 degrees for twenty minutes. Yum.</p> <p><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/376245697/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/166/376245697_eb197f72a3.jpg" alt="IMG_3882.JPG" height="375" width="500" /></a></p> </div>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-45186271281650309172007-01-23T21:02:00.000-08:002008-01-27T22:47:02.253-08:00hard candy<div style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371343302/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/174/371343302_eb8c63b628.jpg" alt="IMG_3791.JPG" height="500" width="375" /></a><br /></div><br /><p>For this experiment I used LorAnn flavorings for the first time. Because the bottle said that the product was “super concentrated” I used a lot less than my recipe called for — big mistake. Each candy tasted mostly like corn syrup and only a little like strawberry flavoring. Next time I’ll probably add a whole bottle to one batch of candy.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371341832/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/139/371341832_a3133d44ae_m.jpg" alt="IMG_3757.JPG" height="240" width="180" /></a></p> <p>The actual candy making process wasn’t that difficult.</p> <p>1 & 3/4 cup sugar<br />1/2 cup corn syrup<br />1/2 cup water<br />flavor oil<br />liquid food coloring</p> <p>Stir all the ingredients together in a medium pot. Cook over medium heat until temp reaches 300 degrees (or hard crack stage). Immediately remove from heat at 300, allow bubbles to subside, then add flavoring and food coloring. Probably about 1 & 1/2 teaspoons of flavoring (or a whole bottle of LorAnn flavoring) will work. Drop in food coloring until you reach a color that you like.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371342136/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/181/371342136_db655f705b_m.jpg" alt="IMG_3770.JPG" height="240" width="180" /></a></p> <p>I used a plastic oriental soup spoon to stir and ladle the candy into the mold. I’ve seen recipes that recommend using a small funnel to make sure all the candy ends up in the mold. Although I had some strings and globs on my mold (since I don’t have a funnel), they weren’t a big issue.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371342323/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/130/371342323_c54b0f3848_m.jpg" alt="IMG_3775.JPG" height="180" width="240" /></a></p> <p>A word about the molds: For this batch I used silicone ice cube molds that I bought at Target (I’ve seen them many other places as well). These babies worked like a dream. I poured the candy in (without oiling the mold), let the candy set, and then twisted the mold to pop the candy out. No mess, perfect candy.</p> <p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371342958/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/183/371342958_1faf021c68_m.jpg" alt="IMG_3788.JPG" height="180" width="240" /></a> <a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371343131/" title="Photo Sharing"><img src="http://farm1.static.flickr.com/172/371343131_4d5fd765d9_m.jpg" alt="IMG_3790.JPG" height="240" width="180" /></a></p><p style="text-align: center;"><a href="http://www.flickr.com/photos/applesticker/371342958/" title="Photo Sharing"> </a></p> <p>Cleanup: Let me warn you right now: cleaning up hard candy can be difficult. I put my pot (with some candy still in the bottom) in the sink, added some water, and *poof* — pot full of rock hard candy. It turns out that soaking a pot in hot water for about half an hour disolves and loosens the candy enough for it to come out of the pot.</p>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1092004698976154091.post-52513207003284649592006-01-01T21:44:00.000-08:002008-01-27T22:28:48.002-08:00posted recipesJust an index of recipes. I don't particularly like bloggers tagging system, so I'm replacing it with a static list that I'll update from time-to-time.<br /><br /><b>Apps</b><br /><br /><b>Mains</b><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2007/05/almost-samosas-and-couscous.html">Almost Samosas</a><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2008/01/dinner-cheese-tomato-tartines.html">Cheese & Tomato Tartines</a><br /><br /><br /><b>Desserts</b><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2008/01/shf-38.html">Werther's Originals Shortbread</a><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2007/05/shf-31.html">Basic Marshmallows</a><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2007/05/shf-31.html">Clementine-Raspberry Trifle</a><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2007/05/shf-31.html">Raspberry-Prosecco Gelatin</a><br /><br /><br /><b>Candy</b><br /><a href="http://applesticker.blogspot.com/2007/05/hard-candy.html">Hard Candy Hearts</a>mgghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02236267995128102648noreply@blogger.com0