The SWEET Taste of Summer at our place

  I was just over at BJ's @ "Sweet Nothings" 
 Just looking at her posts always makes me hungry. She has this incredible gift of displaying, that makes your mouth just water... Oh that girl can cook!!
And she has a GREAT give-away going on.... 
   Check out her sweet Blog  Here

Well, in my comment to her, I stated "that I can't cook for beans" ... so true, I don't know how, don't like to, don't want to really try & learn.... When I had 3 teen boys in the house I HAD to cook... but it was usually 5:00 & I would say to myself, "What can I do with a lb. of frozen hamburger"  No one complained...( not that I remember :)  SOoooo  Spaghetti, tacos....
      My line was always,  "If I sew all day, I have a new outfit, If I cook all day all I have is dirty dishes"  

   On the weekends up north, hubby does all the cooking.... He LOVES it. (seriously ) we have HUGE meals.... Everything that you could possibly have on a breakfast table, he provides...something on the grill at night...
   BUT every weekend we go, I make the candy..... I know my sweets  : ) 
It started yrs. ago when I brought my candy to a potluck....Now I can't even think about going without bringing some.... seriously folks will ride by on their boats & yell, "Did you bring candy?"

  So I thought I would share my super easy recipes.....

      Here is what I use............       My crock pot candy
 In your crock pot on low
    - Put in 1 can of salted, dry roasted peanuts
    - 1 can un- unsalted, dry roasted peanuts
    - 1  12 oz. pkg. choc. chips
    - 1 12 oz.  pkg. white  choc. chips
    - 1 20 oz. brick of choc. candy quik ( or something similar like Bark ) broken up into the squares.
 Do not stir, just leave it as you throw it in peanuts on the bottom.  Leave on low for 1 hr.      
 Then stir well, un plug  & drop on to parchment paper  
  This recipe usually makes for me, about 75 - 85 nice sz. candies.... 
  The easiest, BEST chocolate covered peanuts you will ever make

  Then if I have time, I will make my sought - after caramel corn

 

       Here is the recipe I use.... I'll add my tweaking at the end.

  Caramel corn
      -  4 qt. popped corn
      -  1 cup brown sugar
      -  1 stick maragarine
      -  1/4 Cup white syrup
      -  1/2 teas. salt
      -  1 teas. vanilla
Boil together until thoroughly dissolved.  Remove from heat & add 
      -  1 teas. soda
Pour over corn - mix together. Bake 1 hr. @ 250   Stir every 15 min.
  The recipe I use is from an old Church recipe book & it says to put on cookie sheets, but I have been doing this for yrs. & I always use my Grandmothers old, HUGE turkey pan ( see pics)
  by stirring every 15 min. or so, it turns out better than good : )

    Now for the IMPORTANT tweaking..... I always make 1 1/2  - 2  times the recipe....
 I use REAL BUTTER   (important ) not margarine
 & then a few yrs. ago, I was making it & found that my popcorn was not popping all that big, so I decided to try microwave popcorn..... I used "Butter"    microwave popcorn
   OH MY !!!  Does that ever make the difference
     I usually use the whole 6 pkgs. in the box
Of course we are not talking diet food here..... but for a treat every once in a while....
   It is Fabulous!!!!
       Try them sometime, you are guaranteed to LOVE it.... If not, just send the leftovers over here & I will bring them to the neighbors, up north.