English Toffee

A yummy, EASY holiday treat :) 

English Toffee

From: mom

Time: 10-15 minutes

Ingredients

1 lb butter (yum!)

2 C. sugar

1 T white corn syrup (Karo brand)

¾ C. sliced almonds

6-12 oz (one bag or a little less) of semisweet chocolate chips

*candy thermome

Instructions

Spread almonds evenly onto the bottom of a nonstick, ungreased jelly roll pan.  Toast in the oven 350 for 5-10 minutes (watching carefully to avoid burning.)

Take the pan out of the oven and put on heating pads nearby so that it’s ready to have the toffee poured into it when it’s finished.

Using a heavy 3-4 qt. saucepan, cook the above ingredients over medium-high heat.  Stir constantly with a wooden spoon.  Use a candy thermometer to watch the temp.  Cook until the mixture reaches 310 (hard crack).  You can remove at 308 to avoid burning!

Pour toffee mixture carefully onto pan.  Spread out evenly.  Sprinkle chocolate chips and as they melt, spread over toffee mixture evenly.**  Cool toffee in the refrigerator (I place the pan on hot pads in the fridge).  Once cooled, break into pieces.  Can store in fridge for several days.

**I’ve seen people add sprinkles to the top while the chocolate is still melty.  Yummy & pretty

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bonbons

Peanut Butter Chocolate Bon Bons

From: mom

Time: 30 minutes prep (ish??)

Ingredients

2 C. sifted powdered sugar (you sift first, then measure)

1 C. graham cracker crumbs

¾ C. chopped pecans

½ C. flaked coconut

½ C. butter

½ C. peanut butter

½ C. semisweet chocolate chips

3 T shortening

Instructions

·      In a large bowl combine powdered sugar, graham cracker crumbs, pecans & coconut.

·      In a small saucepan, melt the butter and peanut butter (medium heat – slowly; stir once it gets liquidy). 

·      Once completely melted, pour peanut butter/ butter mixture over the coconut mixture.  Blend until the mixture is moistened.

·      Shape into 1” balls (being careful not to make them too big)

·      In another small saucepan over LOW heat, melt chocolate pieces with shortening. 

·      Dip the peanut butter balls individually into the chocolate/shortening mixture to coat.

·      Place balls on waxed paper after dipping.

·      Refrigerate before eating J

·      Store tightly covered, between layers of waxed paper in the fridge.  Do not freeze.  (They keep a long time in the fridge.)

Herb Roasted Potatoes

Blogging has fallen to the wayside, but we're having friends over for dinner this week and I'm whipping up this easy side dish, recipe courtesy of my mother (aka: chef extraordinaire).  Just thought I'd share in case you need an easy, tasty, cheap side dish :)

Herb Roasted Potatoes
from: mom
time: 10 minutes prep; 40 minutes in oven

Ingredients

¼ c. olive oil

1 ½ T. fresh lemon juice (I use lemon juice from a bottle sometimes... shh! don't tell! :))

2 tsp. garlic powder

1 tsp. dried thyme

1 tsp. dried marjoram

½ tsp. dried oregano

¼ tsp. salt

¼ tsp. pepper

2 ½ lbs small potatoes cut in half – or small bite sized pieces (washed)

Preheat oven to 400.  Combine all ingredients except potatoes in a LARGE bowl.  Stir to blend well.  Add potatoes to seasoning in large bowl, toss to coat well.  Transfer to large rimmed baking sheet; spread into a single layer.  Bake until brown and tender, about 40 minutes.  They turn out best if you turn them halfway through cooking.  

I'm serving them with marniated pork tenderloin (which takes about 10 minutes MAX to prepare, although you marinade and cook for a while).  Yum!

Enjoy :) 

anticipating

i can't quite find the words to articulate what these posts (below) make me feel... it's some combination of excitement, expectancy, hope, trust (in the Lord), and honor. but regardless of the fact that i can't articulate it well to you, i can feel in my heart - God is blessing us with the privilege of becoming parents. What a responsibility given to us, and yet it will lead us right back to him. I can't imagine how yet, but perhaps in 8 weeks, and then 8 months, and then in 8 years, i'll understand a little bit better.

 treasure the moments
teaching children truth

justified by faith

Our pastor is teaching through the book of Romans this year in church.  Thank goodness because there is a lot to learn from the book of Romans.

One thing he articulated while teaching through Romans 4 (an explanation of how Abraham was justified by faith alone) last weekend that I've been thinking about all week is this:

There is credible historical evidence for the life, death, burial and resurrection of Jesus Christ.  And we could debate that and discuss it if you'd like.  But once you've examined the evidence, you'd see the proof for those events.  And believing the proof for that isn't really faith.  However, I can't prove to you that what God says about Jesus' death & resurrection - that God accepts Jesus' blood as payment for your sin and it covers the debt completely and God therefore declares you righteous - I can't prove that part to you is true.  That part, you have to believe by faith.

faith-filled (and excited for Romans 5),
Renee

p.s. click here to link to the page where you can listen to or download the sermons from the series so far

stories from the classroom

Kindergartener (with very concerned, slightly agitated tone): "Mrs. Cook, why is your tummy getting so much bigger?"
Me: "because there's a baby inside and it's getting bigger."
 [background - all kindergartners in the room comment on how their mommies all just had a baby or are currently having a baby.] 
 Still concerned kindergartener: "well, when is it coming out?"
Me: January
kindergartener: "how?"
me: okay boys and girls, show me how you find your seats.

----------------------------

So I'm sitting at a table in the hall on the night of parent teacher conferences and this sweet 2nd grader comes up to the table with her parents. She waves shyly at me and then leans down under the table and waves (presumably to my baby in my stomach)?  :)

 ----------------------------

So I'm wearing a belt with an outfit somewhat like this

 looking, of course, much more pregnant than the skinny lady in this picture.  and this kid raises his hand & asks, "uh, mrs. cook. why are you wearing a belt all the way up there?"  and before I can answer, another kid responds "it's to hold her baby in."
i just left it at that.

----------------------------

2nd grade music class.  we do the same 3 activities at the beginning of every class:

practice a rhythm pattern on the board

the kids echo patterns i sing with solfege (you know, do-re-mi... i just make up different little tunes and they sing them back with the solfege.) 

then we sing a scale.

they love echoing back the patterns as they get trickier and trickier and they love singing the scale.  (I play this accompaniment on the piano... not sure why it's so enjoyable but they always want to sing it just one more time.)

anyway, yesterday in 2nd grade we learned our last solfege note in the major scale - ti. 

(order going up: do-re-mi-fa-sol-la-ti-do).

so up until now we have been singing a "5 note scale" where they sing do-re-mi-fa-sol and then go backwards.

well yesterday we practiced lots of patterns with "ti" and then I sang for them [drum-roll please] the major scale.  And they were so excited. and we sang it 5 times. and then just one more because they begged. and after the sixth time, a girl raised her hand.  when I called on her she said, "I don't know if anyone has already told you this but you have the most beautiful singing voice in the whole world."  and after i said "thank you," all the kids chimed in agreeably.

sometimes these kiddos are just too sweet.

more shower pictures :)

i posted about a baby shower a little while ago and i forgot to include these pictures! :) 

 cousins

love these beautiful friends!!

and these ones!

trying to take a picture

having more success

let's take one where we're all touching the bump...

I babysat this sweet girl from the time she was about 1 or 2 and she was the flower girl in our wedding a couple years ago.  can't believe how grown up she is!

so so so blessed :)