Honeycomb Candy (AKA Seafoam)

May 6, 2014 by

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Every time we went to the candy shop at the beach when I was a kid my Dad bought “seafoam” candy.  Sometimes it is called honeycomb as well.  It looks like either foam or honeycomb to me, with the airy pockets.  It melts in your mouth, sweet and crunchy, then quickly dissolves.  My favorite way is dipped in chocolate, but plain is good too, especially the little bits left over when you cut it sprinkled on ice cream.
As with any candy making, use only pure cane sugar and have everything measured and ready to go before you begin since candy goes from perfect to scorched and horrible in seconds.  This is a pretty easy candy to make though and requires few ingredients.  My youngest one loves how it dissolves in your mouth!

HONEYCOMB CANDY
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 cup sugar
2 tsp baking soda, sifted
Chocolate for dipping, optional

Line a baking sheet with a silicone mat or spray with nonstick spray.  Set aside.
In a large pot stir together the water, corn syrup, and sugar over medium heat.  Stir until it boils and then remove your spoon and add a candy thermometer.  Watch it carefully, as you just want it golden brown.  At 300 degrees quickly pull it off the heat and add the baking soda.  Stir very quickly until the baking soda is all mixed in then pour immediately into the prepared pan.  DO NOT SPREAD IT!  This will let it have little air pockets, which is what we are going for.  Let cool completely before cutting into pieces with a serrated knife.  (Save the little bits for putting on ice cream!)
I like to dip half of each piece in dark or milk chocolate, but you can leave plain as well.  Store in an airtight container at room temperature.  Will keep 1-2 weeks.

Filed Under: Candy / Confections

Amazing Amelia

April 30, 2014 by

In “honor” of autism awareness month I’m going to attempt to give a quick version of our autism journey..

When my Amelia was born it wasn’t under the best circumstances.   My organs were shutting down and to save both our lives I had to deliver her almost 2 months early.  When she came home from the NICU she was only 3 and a half pounds.
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Somehow, she gained weight quickly.  Even though she would stop breathing every time she ate and seemed to spit up more than she took in.  Her pediatrician nicknamed her “Amazing Amelia”.

When Amelia was 18 months old she came down with RSV disease and pneumonia.  It was scary.  Heart wrenching.  I slept by her bed every night with a timer to administer medication.  She seemed withdrawn after that.  Any language was gone.  For awhile we thought it was just from the trauma of the illness.. from being a preemie…  and then the diagnosis process began.  About a year later, after multiple groups of specialists sufficiently prodded and poked we received the diagnosis of Autism.  I didn’t feel upset, it was almost relieving to have a label to explain some behaviors.  I remember a “good” friend once turned to me and said “Is Amelia just slow?”.

We were all ready doing therapy, occupational at first and then speech as well.   The first assessment Amelia would hardly do more than bang her head on things and wanted to leave.    Gradually, things got a little better.  But therapy was still hard.  And I was at a breaking point.  I was exhausted from dragging her there, quite unwillingly.  When I had our second daughter we took a few weeks off and I was considering taking a longer break from therapy but we decided to try again, at least for a little while.   And it was like something clicked.  All of a sudden she wanted to go.  Things started to fall in place.  Not everything… I still remember sitting with her speech therapist and crying my eyes out, asking her if I would ever hear her say “mommy” again.
But as Amelia gets older, the thicker my skin gets too.  I know I have to fight for her at times, and be willing to wait as long as it takes to see her progress.  And just keep going.  And then go some more.  And then something magic happens.  When I am at my lowest point, exhausted (did I mention Amelia doesn’t really sleep?… well, not much anyways..)  and overwhelmed Heavenly Father gifts me these little windows.  Windows of Amelia in her true state.  When she takes my hand and says she loves me.  Or hugs me tightly.  I always felt that for Amelia the most important thing we could work on was affection.  Being okay with receiving and giving affection.  Because imagine you are a young child whose skin feels like it’s on fire simply because the tag on your shirt is itchy.  Now imagine you aren’t okay with going to your mom or dad for comfort.  Instead you just hit your head on a wall.   To stress “socialization” so heavily for children with autism seems backwards to me.  After all, if you are so uncomfortable with your OWN skin, how can you be comfortable with someone else?  For us, that has worked.
Amelia is sweet, loving, and a daily reminder of all that is good in the world.   Is it always easy? Nope.  But nothing worth anything is ever easy.
As she grows older, I am becoming increasingly aware of how those with disabilities are treated as adults.  It is one thing to bestow understanding on a child.  But adults?  That seems to get grey for some unfortunately.  And while people are increasingly aware of autism, it has become common for high functioning Asperger’s syndrome to be referred to as autism as well.  So it is difficult for some to understand the difference, and be understanding when Amelia can’t do the same things as someone with Asperger’s can.   Even children with the same disease will not all look the same, and react to therapy and treatments the same.
So I want to remind you, the next time you meet someone who seems different from you, remember they are someone’s baby.  And they are more than their differences.  I want to share some things my girl loves, maybe you’ll see something there you can relate to as well.

1.Winter.  Everything winter.  The lights, the snow hats, scarves, and gloves, decorating cookies and gingerbread houses.

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2. Glamour.  Does this picture not say it all? She has even put this tutu on her dog so they can be fancy together. 🙂

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3. Her Charlie boy.  It’s hard to believe this little fur ball is now over 100 lbs but I’m sure that’s in part to her making and sneaking him peanut butter sandwiches.

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4. Birthdays.  This was her 7th birthday and the first year she enjoyed being sung “happy birthday” to.  She beamed and seemed to all at once understand that this was a special day for her.

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5. The beach.  Amelia is a different girl at the beach.  She loves to feel the wet sand in her toes and collect seashells.  I can see her shoulders drop and a calmness come over her at the coast.

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6. Her little sister.  Just when they both couldn’t drive me more crazy I catch them doing this.

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7. Her rhino trike.  This girl can’t get enough of it!  No matter how we tried Amelia couldn’t ride a bike.  But thanks to her occupational therapist, Amelia discovered the joy of a bike.

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8. Mr. Rogers.  I think it would be impossible to find a bigger Mr Rogers fan.  Proven by her Mr Rogers Birthday party here.  Sometimes if Amelia is having a hard time doing something I just have to tell her some encouraging words “from” Mr Rogers and she can get through it.

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9. The Aquarium.  She would go every day if given the option!

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10. Glamour, again.  Seriously, this is how we look for school time many days!

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11. Snuggles.  I catch my two babies doing this all the time and it makes my heart so happy.

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12. The zoo.  Okay, pretty much all animals.  Farm animals as well.  She finds chickens to be insanely hilarious.

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And one last thing.  People.  She loves people.  Saying hi, offering a hug to a waitress or cashier, or telling the little boy in a wheelchair “cool chair!”.
This girl finds the rose on every thorny bush.  I pray the world will see for the beautiful rose that she is, and understand some thorns will come with that.

 

 

Filed Under: Autism, Ramblings

Blackberry Basil Lemonade

April 21, 2014 by

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This is the best lemonade you’ll ever have.  Promise.  And if you don’t agree.. well, I don’t think I know you anymore.  At the bottom of the recipe I have directions for freezing this ahead of time and I can’t tell you how many times I’ve used it that way.  It makes a great quick summer treat and is great to have on hand for BBQ’s.. or mondays…
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BLACKBERRY BASIL LEMONADE

For the basil simple syrup:
1 1/2 cups water
1 1/2 cups sugar
1/2 cup (packed) fresh basil

To serve:
6 cups water
1 1/2 cups lemon juice (fresh is best)
2 cups blackberries (fresh or frozen)

Make the basil simple syrup.  Put the sugar, water, and basil in a pot and bring to a boil.  Let cool then strain.
Puree the blackberries and strain.  You should have 1/2 cup.  Mix with the lemon juice, water, and basil simple syrup.  Chill, serve over ice.

For a fizzy drink, replace the 6 cups water with seltzer water.
To make ahead: Place a batch of basil simple syrup in a freezer container with the 1/2 cup blackberry puree.  When ready to serve add water and lemon juice.  I don’t even thaw it, it will quickly thaw enough to mix together and makes for a very cold refreshing drink.

Filed Under: Drinks, Freezer

Marinated Mozzarella

April 21, 2014 by

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Have you ever bought something only to say.. hey, I could make that.  Well, I do that A LOT.  It has become a bit of a hobby I suppose.  The good thing is no matter what it is, the homemade version pretty much always tastes as good if not better.  And knowing exactly what went in it and being able to adjust the flavor to our liking? That makes it way better in my book.  This was a quick experiment and quickly a favorite.  The first attempt was too good to fiddle with.  And the flavor only got better a day or two later.  Serve on sliced tomatoes with balsamic vinegar, in pasta, pasta salads… or with a spoon.  Not that I would know about that…
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MARINATED MOZZARELLA

1 1/2 cups olive oil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 cup fresh herbs (I used a mixture of basil and parsley)
zest of 1 lemon
1/4 cup sun dried tomatoes, finely chopped
pinch red pepper flakes
1/2-1 tsp kosher salt, to taste
pinch black pepper
1 lb fresh mozzarella, cubed

Combine all ingredients except mozzarella in a large jar, cover and shake to combine.
Add mozzarella, cover, and refrigerate.
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Filed Under: Appetizers / Dips / Snacks

Peanut Butter Truffle Eggs

April 16, 2014 by

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One of our favorite Easter books to read is The Golden Egg.  So I used an chocolate making egg mold to make some golden eggs to go with the book.  Using my trusty Peanut Butter Truffles recipe, I adapted it to be softer for a filling and it worked perfect.  A little gold luster dust and there you go, golden eggs!  If you really wanted to you could use a yellow candy melt and coat with gold luster dust, or make them in Easter colors.  I’ve never had a complaint for the classic peanut butter and chocolate combination before though!  These do freeze well, so they are great for making ahead of time as well.  For a sweet Easter gift these are so sweet presented in an egg carton or small basket too.

PEANUT BUTTER TRUFFLE EGGS (OR GOLDEN EGGS)

Chocolate of choice for coating (or candy melts)
1 cup smooth peanut butter
1/4 cup butter, at room temperature
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 cup Rice Krispy cereal
7 oz jar marshmallow creme
gold luster dust, optional

In a medium bowl cream together the peanut butter, butter, and powdered sugar until smooth.
Add the cereal and marshmallow creme and stir in until combined well.
Melt the chocolate and coat the egg mold.  Let chocolate set until firm, then fill cavity with peanut butter filling.
Add melted chocolate to cover the back.

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When chocolate is set remove from molds and if desired, dust with gold luster dust.

Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Easter

Rice Krispy Treats Panoramic Eggs

April 14, 2014 by

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Does anyone else remember making sugar panoramic eggs as a kid?   I picked up some molds at the Decorette Shop in Portland a few years ago and was determined to make them with my girls.  I found a handful of recipes online and tried them all… and they all failed.  This last time I thought maybe I was going to get lucky..

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Uhhh, nope.  I gave in.  Too many failed batches.

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But I still wanted to do something fun with the panoramic egg idea.  So I decided to try using rice krispy treats instead of the sugar mixture.  And guess what? It worked amazing!  I added a coating of candy melts to keep their shape, and you could certainly do any color of those you like.   I liked the colorburst ones, which are white with little dots of color.
The best part is making these with kids.  If you don’t want to use royal icing, you could always just use additional candy melts to glue the 2 halves together and let firm up ahead of time, then just use plain frosting or more candy melts for the kids to glue their pieces inside.  And if all else fails, just let them eat them. 🙂
Oh, and if you can’t find some molds just look down the Easter aisle and you should be able to find a big egg shaped container to use.  Just look for one that has the seam going lengthwise and not down the width.

RICE KRISPY TREATS PANORAMIC EGGS

Various candy for filling, or pictures
candy melts in desired color (I used Wilton’s colorburst)

For Rice Krispies:
3 T butter
10 oz regular marshmallows (about 40), or 4 cups mini marshmallows
6 cups Rice Krispies, cocoa krispies, or fruity Pebbles (or like sized cereal)

Melt butter in a large pot on medium low heat.  Add marshmallows, stir until combined and melted.
Remove from heat, stir in cereal until well coated.
For Royal Icing:
1 lb powdered sugar
2 T meringue powder
6 T water (or replace water and meringue powder with 3 egg whites)
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Mix all icing ingredients together and whip to stiff peaks.

Spray mold lightly with nonstick spray, then using fingers or the back of a spoon push rice krispies into mold, keeping thickness under 1/2 an inch.

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Turn out egg shapes onto a tray and place in the fridge or freezer to firm.  After firm use a small knife to carefully carve out a window in one of the halves.
Alternatively, you can cut an end off both halves for a different view.  If you don’t have a base mold go ahead and cut a flat edge for the egg to stand.

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Melt the candy melts and coat the inside of the egg halves.  (I placed them back in the mold for this, then popped in the freezer for a moment to firm.)

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When the candy melts are set up turn egg halves back onto a tray.
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Now coat the outside of the egg halves with more candy melts.  Use a pastry brush to get them evenly coated.  Let candy melts set up until hard.
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Make the royal icing and use to glue the 2 halves together (and fill any gaps).  Then pipe some grass inside the egg through the opening (alternatively you can position the candy figures or pictures before gluing the front half on, then fill in the front through the opening).  Pipe over the glued edge and around the front opening.
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For this style you will want to make your little scene before gluing the halves together:
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We used little gummy bunnies, peeps, and jelly beans…
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I love the bases.  With a little bit of royal icing for glue the eggs stay on well.
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And my little one had to have hers pink… with 2 pink bunnies inside of course 🙂
I let my daughters decide how they wanted them done, and assisted with doing the piping.  We’ll see how long they last.  But I would much rather they eat these than the pure sugar ones!
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Filed Under: Candy / Confections, Easter

Baby shower cookies

April 11, 2014 by

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These were a last minute idea.  As in the morning of a baby shower I woke up at 2 am.. well, my daughter was us since 2 am so hence I was as well.  Such is life with autism.
I was going to a baby shower that afternoon for a dear friend and thought I’d pass the time by making something to bring.  Unfortunately, I forgot to put the sugar in the cookie dough.  In the SUGAR COOKIE dough.  Yes, sleep deprivation will melt your brain.  I am proof. :p
I covered it up by using a sugar glaze to frost (plus I didn’t have time or energy to make royal icing).  Next time I would use royal icing, the glaze didn’t harden as much as I wanted it to.  And I would also remember to put the sugar in the SUGAR cookie dough. 🙂
I had some marshmallow fondant hanging around so I decided to use some molds to add decorations.  I used Martha Stewart molds sold for papercrafting but I think they’re safe for the few seconds you have the fondant in to shape them.  Just press a piece into the shape and pop out, then cut out the excess.

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I think I’ll be making the flower cookies for other occasions too.  The roses would be pretty in red too I think.  Maybe with some coloring or luster dust painted on the edges.
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I could see these decorating a cake too…

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And how cute is that quilted heart?  I’m remembering that one for next Valentine’s day for sure.

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Filed Under: Cookies

Sour Cream and Chive Mashed Potatoes

April 8, 2014 by

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I know it’s spring when these guys are going nuts in my herb garden.
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Did you know chives are perennial?  I have a couple plants that were quite small when I purchased them and they have gone nuts for quite a few years.  One was in a pot actually and I thought it had died.  Dumped the dirt somewhere else and what do you know? It popped back up in the spring!   I use them to make champ often, one of my hubby’s favorite things.  But the other day I had the idea to add sour cream for that classic sour cream and onion flavor.  And I think we have a new favorite dish to use chives in!  These would make a great side for Easter too.  I have made them with both russets and gold potatoes and we liked them equally.  If you want creamier, richer potatoes, use double the butter and cream cheese and maybe a little cream too.  This was just right for us.

SOUR CREAM AND CHIVE MASHED POTATOES
3 quarts peeled and chopped potatoes (about 5 lbs)
1 cup chopped chives
1/2 cup sour cream
4 T softened butter
4 oz cream cheese
salt and pepper, to taste

Place potatoes in a large pot and cover with water.  Bring to a simmer and cook until potatoes are easily pierced with a knife.
Drain, then mash with butter, sour cream, and cream cheese.  Add milk if needed to make the right consistency.
Add chives, mixing thoroughly.    Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Filed Under: Side Dishes

Asian Quinoa Salad

March 27, 2014 by

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This is the quinoa salad to end all quinoa salads.  I can’t even tell you how many times I have made this in the last couple months.  First time I made it I half expected my hubby to grimace and say “bird seed?”… but he didn’t.  Not even after his third helping. 🙂  The dressing I used on it is my all purpose asian dressing I use for lots of things and it adds alot of flavor to the quinoa.  Since quinoa doesn’t really have much flavor of all on its own it is great for soaking up whatever you’re layin’ down.
You could adjust the salad veg to whatever you have or like, but this is most definitely our favorite way.   I even keep a container of finely chopped cooked bacon in the freezer for this salad alone.  If you are local I highly suggest you make a stop at the most amazing Bob’s Red Mill Whole Grain Store and you can buy quinoa in bulk for a fraction of the cost too.  Now go forth and eat quinoa my friends.

ASIAN QUINOA SALAD

1 cup quinoa
2 cups chopped broccoli
1 cup diced carrots
1 cup diced celery
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup finely chopped cooked bacon
1/3 cup thinly sliced green onion
1/4 cup or more chopped cilantro leaves

Asian Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
2 T sesame oil
1 cup rice vinegar (or white vinegar or half of each)
2 T soy sauce
2 T sugar or honey
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1 T sesame seeds
2 tsp dried ginger (or 1 T grated fresh ginger)
4 cloves garlic, minced or grated
2 tsp dried onion

Bring 2 cups of water to a boil in a medium pot.  Add quinoa and return to a boil.  Cover pot, reduce heat to low, and let simmer for 15 minutes.
Fluff quinoa and let sit 5 minutes, covered, and off the heat.   This will make 4 cups cooked quinoa.  You will know it’s cooked because the outer hulls are popped off.
Place all the dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well.  Pour about half over quinoa and chill.  Add remaining salad ingredients.  Serve chilled or at room temperature.
Serve with additional dressing if desired.

Filed Under: Salad / Dressings, Side Dishes

Mickey Mouse Party

March 21, 2014 by

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I’m attempting to go through my pictures and catch up on getting them printed… and I keep finding pictures I meant to post here… and thought I did… but never had. :p  Blogging is probably not the best hobby for me.  🙂
A couple years ago my daughter was quite in love with anything Mickey Mouse so of course that was her theme for her birthday party.
I came up with a few cute and easy treats to go with that theme.
For the cake I did 3 layers.  2 for the cake and one I cut out a large circle and 2 smaller circles for a mickey shape.  First I frosted the cake yellow, then placed the 3 circles on top and carefully frosted it red.  Added some Mickey sprinkles and 2 skewers…

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Then covered the skewers with some striped paper straws…

 

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Then added some bunting.  Made from string, paper, and scrapbooking stickers.

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For the candy cups I made some cups from red candy melts using my chocolate cup mold:
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After the red was set I placed a scoop of fruity pebble rice crispy treats in each:
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Then I dipped the top of each in melted semi sweet chocolate.
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Before the chocolate set I added 2 m & m’s for ears, then used a little chocolate for glue to add some large sprinkles to the red cups for buttons.

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I also made some with chocolate bases, white chocolate on top, and sprinkled with mickey sprinkles.

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For the Oreo pops I added a popsicle stick to the middle of each cookie and used chocolate to “glue” in some ears. (Mini oreos).

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Add the top back on…

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And add a ribbon.  Or dip in chocolate first.

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The favors were simple.  Made ears from cheap headbands and some felt, the gloves were from the dollar tree in the makeup section, and some Mickey coloring sheets and a ball.

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Put each in a red bag (I got a set of them super cheap.. I think at Michaels?)  I had a mickey mouse paper punch so I used that to decorate the tags.

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Filed Under: Parties