Peanut Planks

Hello!!  Whew!  It's been a while...

My hubby's been thinkin' about a candy from his childhood:  Peanut Planks.  So I went online to find out if they still make these things and if we could buy them... No such luck!  They are no longer manufactured, but I was able to find a recipe for them. (This site has several interesting peanut recipes.) We made them just a few minutes ago and they are yummy, sugar-coated peanuts.  It doesn't taste like peanut brittle... not buttery or airy like some brittles... just caramelized sugar-coated peanuts.

We used just a cheap brand of roasted, salted peanuts from the dollar store and sugar... that's all!  It took a while to melt the sugar, but then it went quickly.  We cooked it until it was all liquidy and brown, no taking its temperature.

The recipe does not say anything about using Pam on the foil-covered cookie sheet or the rolling pin, but I did it anyway.... Personally, I would rather err on the side of NO STICK, thank you very much!  The stuff handled very easily in that there was no sticking to the foil or the rolling pin.  It sets up pretty fast, so work quickly.

Hope you love this, too... maybe it's even a blast from your past!! 

Peanut Planks

2 cups granulated sugar

2 cups coarsely chopped peanuts

1.   Cover a baking sheet with aluminum foil.

cook sugar over medium heat, in a 10" cast iron skillet or similar heavy pan.

2.  Stir constantly until sugar is caramelized (turns brown).

3.  Removed skillet from heat and stir in peanuts.

4.  Immediately pour sugar-peanut mixture onto baking sheet.

5.  Using a rolling pin, quickly roll candy to a very thin sheet. (about the depth of the peanuts)

6.  Mark candy in squares with a knife or pizza cutter.

7.  Allow to cool, then break into squares.

8.  Store in an airtight container.

Yields about 1 1/2 pounds.

Enjoy!!

Cheese Dip/Ball

Sorry I haven't posted for a while.  I've been sort of hiding out... I've been dealing with vertigo for the last week and a half or so, preparing Sharing Times and a talk for church (I was  Big Mac's  speaking companion today for High Council Sunday) and haven't  had the time nor felt much like cooking. Besides, I really don't want to post recipes without pictures if I can help it...  so, if I didn't cook, well, there are no pictures! ***

However, I got hungry for something yummy and pulled out this recipe.  It is awesome!  I got it from my friend, L. Rothans, who shared  Steve's Kickin' Crackers  with me.  Thanks for another fantastic one, L . !!

Her original recipe is really good just as she gave it to me, I've made it that way so I can attest to it.  It's so easy and quick.  The longest part of the recipe is leaving the cream cheese out on the counter to soften!  This time, though, I added a little more garlic and onion powder than the last time, plus I added, oh maybe a 1/4 or 1/2 teaspoon of cayenne pepper and a sprinkling of crushed red pepper flakes just to kick it up a bit.  It goes perfectly, kicked up or not, with the Kickin' Crackers (pun intended!) or just about any other way you would want to eat it.  Oh yeah, and I actually drained my salsa because it was kinda watery, and added 2 heapin' tablespoons of the solids.  Then added in some of the drained-off fluid back in to get the consistency I was looking for.

Just to prove how good it is, Big Mac sat down with a plate of Steve's Kickin' Crackers (many more than shown!) and the bowl of dip, then proceeded to throw back a bunch of this combination of tasty delights!

So, here ya go... Enjoy! ... wait, maybe I'll go get some before I begin with the recipe.......

OK, I'm back.  Now for the recipe. :)

L. ROTHANS' CHEESE DIP/BALL

8 oz. softened cream cheese
1 T melted butter
2 T (or more) salsa
2 handfuls of shredded cheese
Onion & Garlic powder to taste
Opt. cayenne & red pepper flakes to taste

Whip all together.  Chill.  Serve.

If you don't chill, it's creamy and ready to eat, but letting it sit for a while does allow the flavors to mingle.... and we all know we like friendly flavors. (mingle, get it?! Oh well, guess I should leave the humor to the professionals...)     tee hee...   

*** BTW:  How do you feel about my posting recipes with no pictures?  Would you rather I post a recipe without pictures as opposed to getting no recipe at all, or would you rather know what the finished product looks like?  Give me your opinion, 'k?  Thanks!

Dad's Homemade Doughnuts

Oh, yes!  These will make my kids swoon and drool!  They all love them and get really jealous when we make them and they're not here to share in the yummy-ness of them!  Their dad has been making these for years.   Big Mac (Dad) made these all by himself this time while I was busy with Sharing Time preparations.  (Believe it or not, I actually tried to talk him out of making them... I can resist anything but temptation!  And my hard-to-lose, 25+ pound weight loss doesn't stand a chance against these things!  Sigh... oh well!  They're worth it, I guess!!)

They are crispy, sugary-crystal-coated-rustic-looking wonders.  Their appearance imperfections are so much a part of their charm.  He never re-rolls the dough (not that you can't), but just throws in the 'holes' along with the scraps in their various shapes and sizes... it makes them even more fun to eat.

These are one of our family's favorite food traditions.  I hope they become a favorite in your house, too!

Dad's Homemade Doughnuts

2 cups sugar

2 eggs

2 t. soda

1 t. nutmeg

6+ cups flour, enough to make a stiff dough

2 T shortening

2 cups sour milk (or sweet milk with 1 t. vinegar added)

1/4 t. salt

Shortening or oil to deep fry

1.  Combine and mix all dry ingredients together.

2.  Cream sugar and shortening together.

3.  Add eggs and mix well

4.  Add sour milk and dry ingredients and mix to

        make, adding flour to have a nice stiff dough

        that's not sticky.

5.  Roll out on floured surface 1/4" thick,...  yes 1/4"!

        They really puff up when frying.

6.  Cut into doughnuts or your desired shapes.

7.  Deep fry in 350 degree oil or melted shortening,

        turning them over after they have floated to the

        surface and are golden brown.

8.  As you remove them from the cooker, drop them,

        one by one, into a big paper grocery bag

        containing granulated sugar.  Give the bag a

        shake then take them out and set them on

        newspaper to cool.

Then eat 'em up!

Steve's Kickin' Crackers

Before I begin, I must first make a disclaimer here: "Steve" does not refer to MY Steve... This Steve is a brother-in-law of the gal I got this recipe from: L. Rothans.  My Big McK wanted to lay claim to this great little treat, but I wouldn't let him!

I   have   a   very  good  resource  for 

awesome recipes... from awesome cooks!  Each Friday morning, Big Mck and I serve at the Snowflake Arizona Temple of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  We have a circle of friends, some of the nicest people to be found on the planet, to spend this time with.  The women are really some of the best cooks you'll ever find.  They bring in wonderful things to help everyone stave off hunger attacks since many of us don't feel like eating that early in the morning.  The men, especially, can be found hovering close by these delectable offerings, more than willing to taste test them and give their reports.  Sometimes there is a huge array of goodies... baked goods, soups, fruit, dips & chips... oh man, my mouth is watering even as I write this.  OK... moving on now...

I have made these crackers 3 times already since receiving the recipe.  We have to keep them in a cabinet, out of sight, or we just nibble on them all day!

One change I've made to the original recipe is I use EVOO, extra virgin olive oil, instead of canola oil.  I have done a little research into it and believe it is very good for us... not just 'not as bad' as vegetable oil, etc., but actually GOOD for us. 

Also, I believe any kind of cracker would be wonderful in this recipe, taste-wise.  Having only tried saltines, I don't know how other types of crackers like club, wheat thin-type, Ritz-type, etc., would react with the oil mixture.  Next time I plan to add a few of whatever other kinds of crackers I have in the house to see if they'll work, too.  The saltines, I know, hold up beautifully and are crisp, not soggy at all.  The first batch I made was with Bashas' (a grocery store found mostly in Arizona, but some in NM and CA) store brand whole wheat saltines and they were really, really, really good!  The second and third time I used Nabisco's Premium Saltine Crackers with Multi-grain topped with Sea Salt (because that was the brand one of my daughters picked up for me).  These are also very good, but I think I prefer the whole wheat ones.  I am looking at the ingredient list from the Nabisco crackers and the first ingredient is unbleached enriched flour with whole wheat flour listed nearer the bottom.  The w.w. crackers are a little dark in color and I prefer that appearance.  But truthfully, if blindfolded, I don't think I could pick one out from the other... with that much cayenne and red pepper flakes, plus the ranch dressing mix, I really don't think the cracker is anything more than the 'carrier' of the flavor. 

These crackers are awesome with dips, salads, soups or anything... or all by themselves.  I feel they're not a bad-for-you snack either.  I mean, with whole wheat, EVOO and cayenne, we could almost call them a health food, right?! 

I hope you love them as much as we do...  Thanks Sis. Rothans!  I'll post your cheese ball recipe soon.

Steve's Kickin' Crackers

1 1/2 C.   Canola Oil (or EVOO)

1 1/2 tsp. Cayenne Pepper

1 1/2 tsp. Crushed Red Pepper Flakes

1 pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch Dressing Mix

1  1-lb box of whole wheat saltines, off/store brands
           are fine & cheaper

1.  Mix the first 4 ingredients together, very well.

2.  Open all 4 sleeves of crackers and carefully place
            them in an unscented kitchen garbage bag.

3.  Stir liquid mixture again and add to bag with
            crackers. 

4.  GENTLY turn and 'massage' bag to coat the
            crackers. 

5.  Place coated crackers on 2-3 large cookie sheets
            and let sit, uncovered, for 30 minutes
            to absorb the mixture. 

6.  Store in an airtight container.  These will keep for
            a very long time.

(Not that they'll really last as long as they will keep!)

Enjoy!