Home for the Holidays and special treats

[Steve's Mom]

has your sailor asked you to bake something special? If so, would you like to share the recipe?
Steve has already asked me to send peanut brittle, even though he is going to be home, he wants to share it with his buds.

2 c. raw peanuts
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. Karo syrup, light
2 tsp. baking soda

Cook peanuts, syrup, and sugar until honey color. Peanuts will start to pop when ready. Add soda. Remove form heat. stir and Quickly pour onto buttered dish. Spread. Cool and break into pieces.

[Teresa (Erek's Mom)]

This is such a good idea!!

[Deb~Airman and Fire Tech's mom]

Great idea!

[Steve's Mom]

spice cake in a jar

1 (18.25 ounce) package cake mix
8 straight-sided wide-mouth pint canning jars with lids and rings
DIRECTIONS
Prepare the cake according to package instructions, or use any cake recipe. add 1/2 tsp allspice
In pint size, straight-sided wide-mouth jars, put 1 cup of batter in each greased jar. Make sure to keep the rims of the jars clean. Put in preheated oven 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Place jars on a cookie sheet to keep from tipping over while baking.
Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into cake comes out clean.
While they are baking, have your jar lids boiling in a pan of water. When the cake is done, take one jar out at a time and add the hot lid and screw on your jar ring and let set and cool.
It will seal as it cools. Place the jars on the counter and listen for them to 'ping' as they seal. If you miss the 'ping', wait until they are completely cool and press on the top of the lid. If it doesn't move at all, it's sealed.
After it cools it will pull away from the jar and when you are ready to eat, open and pop out the cake and enjoy.
I substatute the all spice for chocolate chips

[Steve's Mom]

cider

4 cups apple cider
1/2 can frozen orange juice
2 cinnamon sticks
4 whole cloves

Directions
Put the cider in a large saucepan.
Heat cider over medium heat, then simmer very gently until fragrant, about 15 minutes. Serve.
or just toss it in the stove top coffee perculator that you use whenyou go camping

[Steve's Mom]

Salted Brown Butter Crispy Treats

What’s different about these? Oh, just a bit more (coughdouble) butter which you toast until it’s brown and nutty and help along with some coarse salt, just minor things. But it changes everything.

Makes 16 2-inch squares or 32 1- x 2-inch small bars

4 ounces (1/4 pound or 1 stick) unsalted butter, plus extra for the pan
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows
Heaping 1/4 teaspoon coarse sea salt
6 cups Rice Krispies cereal (about half a 12-ounce box)

Butter (or coat with non-stick spray) an 8-inch square cake pan with 2-inch sides.

In a large pot, melt butter over medium-low heat. It will melt, then foam, then turn clear golden and finally start to turn brown and smell nutty. Stir frequently, scraping up any bits from the bottom as you do. Don’t take your eyes off the pot as while you may be impatient for it to start browning, the period between the time the butter begins to take on color and the point where it burns is often less than a minute.

As soon as the butter takes on a nutty color, turn the heat off and stir in the marshmallows. The residual heat from the melted butter should be enough to melt them, but if it is not, turn it back on low until the marshmallows are smooth.

Remove the pot from the stove and stir in the salt and cereal together. Quickly spread into prepared pan. I liked to use a piece of waxed or parchment paper that I’ve sprayed with oil to press it firmly and evenly into the edges and corners, though a silicon spatula works

[JanelleSrJoel]

This is such a good idea. I sent my son Fudge and Chocolate Chip Cookies.