I Like Turtles -- Turtle Candy That Is!

Are you guys familiar with the young boy who, on live TV, uttered those three words, “I like turtles”? Last year, the youngster in question had just gotten his face painted like a zombie for Halloween when a TV reporter asked him during a live news segment what he thought of his face painting (or something like that). The young boy, having never been interviewed by a TV crew before, stoically blurted his now cult like famous words ... “I like turtles.” It was priceless. Have you seen it? The news reporter kind of stumbled for a moment before regaining her composure and the segment came to an end. This took place here in Portland, and I remember watching it live when it happened. It is now a You Tube phenomenon. Just do a quick Google search with the words I like turtles and you, too, can join the millions who have given this boy his 15 seconds of fame!

Today’s recipe deserves its own cult following. Do you like turtle candies? These little gems are a trio of pecans, caramel, and chocolate. When I was growing up, my mom always made sure that my dad received a box of turtle candies for Christmas. It was a special thing, and to this day, I always remember how happy the whole family was when my dad unwrapped his candy box. I’m big for rituals like that. Little things that families do for each other year and year that brings a smile to everybody’s faces. We had lots of them. Just little things, but they meant a lot. What rituals do you have?

So, as I’ve been snow bound for a week and the Christmas holiday is well, right around the corner, I’m scratching my head wondering what I can give my dad for Christmas. He’s always been really hard to buy for. He’s the type that when asked what he’d like, he always says ... “A smile on my girls’ faces is all I want.” He means it, too. He’s not a materialistic guy at all, and would much rather receive a homemade card than a store bought one. Anyway, with that in mind and with the stores being closed anyway due to the weather, it was time to get creative. The turtle ritual came to mind, and so I thought ... why not make them?

A quick internet search provided about 3 million recipes to choose from, and they were pretty much all the same. This is super-d-duper easy and the results, well, let’s just say that I have to guard the ones I made because my family is trying to eat the gift!!! This is by far the easiest thing ever to make. All you need is:

Wrapped caramel candies (I used Kraft)
Chocolate chips (I used a mixture of semi sweet and milk chocolate)
Pecan halves
Parchment Paper

Preheat your oven to 300 and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Unwrap the caramels.Arrange 3 pecan halves into a star shape cluster, and place a caramel on top of the center of each cluster. Put into the oven for about 5 minutes or until the caramel have softened and mostly cover the pecans.
The tips of the nuts should stick out. Remove from the oven, and use the back of a spoon to help spread the caramel if needed. Allow to cool completely.This is the underside of the candies. See how the caramel “glues” the nuts together? Melt chocolate chips in the microwave or over a double boiler.Spoon the melted chocolate over the cooled caramel. Don't worry about making them neat and tidy. The swirls and patterns of each individual candy are prettier than a uniform look. Allow the chocolate to fully set, store in the fridge, and fight off family members trying to steal the candies.Just look at these babies (ignore the nails that still desperately need a manicure)! Oh, and these turtle goodies are gluten free all the way, baby!
In addition to making a great gift, they also would be a welcome addition to a holiday buffet, and, of course, Santa would love these in lieu of cookies.

Speaking of Santa, he’ll need chains on his sleigh to deal with the ice in my yard. We have just about a foot of snow that is covered with a thick layer of ice.Here is a picture of my snowmen holding up the top layer of ice from our yard. Yep, they are outside at night. Snow is a big deal here and this is the most snow we have EVER had. It’s so bright outside at night that the kids wanted to go play by the snow glow! Did you ever do that when you were a kid? Oh, and happy winter solstice everyone!

You Wanna Piece of Me? ... Buckeye Candy That Is!

In the time before there were Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, there lived a lovely treat so decadently delicious that it was hard to tell if it was a candy or a cookie or a dessert. Candy won the final toss, and these wonderful, joy inducing treats became widely known as “Buckeye’s”. Why Buckeye, you ask? It’s quite simple, really. The little beauties resemble the nut from the Buckeye tree. Just about everyone from the wonderful state of Ohio knows what a Buckeye is, and now it is my pleasure to introduce all of you to .... Buckeye Candies!

Folks, let me tell you that this is one treat that will wow your friends and family. Have you seen these before? Ever tried one? I remember first trying these as a kid, and then a couple years ago, I attended a Christmas Cookie Swap Party and saw these sitting on the exchange table. They were just terrific, and their unusual “look” really makes them appropriate for festive fare. Creamy, rich, and very decadent, these treats are a favorite among kids and grown ups. Even better, they are gluten free, super easy to make and,(picture me pulling down both arms in a victory motion saying “yessss”) my teenaged son volunteered to help make them.

Let’s begin. You won’t believe how easy these are to put together.

2 cups smooth peanut butter (Sorry, not the natural, no stir kind. I used regular Skippy.)
½ stick butter – softened
1 box powdered sugar (1 lb! Perhaps this is why they are called candy!)
2 cups chocolate chips (I used semi sweet)
2 Tablespoons shortening (I used Crisco; you could substitute a bit of paraffin instead)

In a large mixing bowl, beat the peanut butter and softened butter until creamy. I used an electric hand-mixer, but a regular mixer would probably have been better. Then add the powdered sugar and mix until incorporated. The whole box of sugar (yikes!). You’re on the right track if the mixture is crumbly looking.
Now it’s time to line two cookie sheets that will fit in your freezer with wax paper. Then simply form the peanut butter mixture into one inch balls and place on the waxed paper lined cookie sheet.I used my handy dandy 1” scoop, but you could just use a spoon and eye ball it. Now, from the top down, stick one toothpick all the way into each peanut butter ball.Place in the freezer to firm up for one hour.

Next, in a medium sized microwaveable bowl, place the choc chips and the shortening.It’s kind of shocking to see all that shortening, huh? I mean how often do you use shortening by the spoonful? Let's not think about it, 'kay? Movin' on ... Microwave for 1 minute and stir. Keep microwaving and stirring in additional 15-30 second intervals until the mixture is very smooth and runny. (It took me a total of 1 minute 45 seconds.)

Remove the tray from the freezer, and using the toothpick, remove one peanut butter ball from the tray and dip into the melted chocolate.Dive into the pool of chocolate!That’s my son’s hand at work there. He’s got his dad’s big mitts. Cover most of the ball with chocolate, leaving only the top section uncovered. Transfer back to the wax paper.Repeat with each one. Remove all the toothpicks, and with a slightly damp fingertip, lightly “swirl” out the toothpick hole. Place the tray in the fridge this time to firm up the chocolate. Serve as soon as chocolate is set. Keep extras in the fridge, as the balls soften up easily. My children and husband went crazy over these. They are a waaaay upscale version of a Reese’s peanut butter cup.Helloooo Beautiful! These will be the first to go on any dessert tray you set out for the holidays. Yeah, they’ll be wantin’ a piece of Buckeye Candy! How about you? Shall I save one for you?

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KNIT ONE/SAVE ONEOn a separate note: Look what my oldest daughter and I did together! Aren’t these just the cutest little baby caps EVER! As part of her Religion studies, my daughter participates in community service projects of her own choosing. This has been a wonderful experience for her as it has shown her how one person performing acts of kindness can make the world a better place. Last Spring, she made a darling no-sew fleece baby blanket through Project Linus. For this current Fall season, she had originally wanted to volunteer at the Local Food Bank, but they have too many volunteers (that's a good thing). Since she really tries to think of ways that she can make a difference, we searched the internet to find something that would allow her that opportunity. My daughter is the most stewardship minded 13 year old on the planet. Plus, she doesn't desire recognition for her efforts; she just does it because she thinks it's a good thing to do. I, of course, am very proud of her. I never did anything remotely like this when I was her age. Anyway, she decided to knit little baby caps for the Knit One/Save One program through the Save the Children Organization. This wonderful organization is determined to improve the quality of life and survival rate for newborn babies in underdeveloped nations. The little babes are soooo tiny in those areas, and providing something as simple as a cap for their little noggins makes an enormous difference in their survival rate. She immediately made the connection to all of her own newborn pictures that showed her with a little cap on her own head. I was very proud of my daughter and her empathy, and enjoyed teaching her how to knit. Oh yeah ... she had to learn how to knit first. Plus, she sent an email to President-elect Obama asking him and his policy makers to keep the children of the world in mind as they make world-wide impacting decisions during his tenure as President. Not bad, eh? Knit One/Save One ... she did a good thing. For more information, here’s the website: http://www.savethechildren.org/get-involved/