Showing posts with label purple chocolat home. Show all posts
Showing posts with label purple chocolat home. Show all posts

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Oh. My. YUM! Toffee!!!

Confession time. Candy thermometers scare me! Why? I don't know but anything that requires one just seems so hard. I mean it's a tool like many others in my kitchen. I have gadgets. I've asked for things as gifts that Mr. Chocolate swears I've made up until he goes to the store to ask for them and they're real. But I've always wanted to make the kinds of delectable candies you see this time of year that require this frightening tool and so I clip recipes and tuck them away. Like toffee for example.

Enter Jacqueline from her absolutely stunning and elegant blog Purple Chocolat Home who posted yesterday about a friend's family toffee recipe that DOESN'T REQUIRE A CANDY THERMOMETER! ( Caps to indicate my total giddiness...not shouting at you). And like the title of this post says: Oh. My. YUM! I just had to try this last night because, well, I did.  And if you're like me and hide in the corner at the thought of having to use a candy thermometer, come on out of the dark and try this recipe!  
I'm not going to post the recipe here  so you'll just have to go on over to get it ( and you'll stay and look around I promise you because she is AMAZING) . I didn't take step by step pics because I didn't want any evidece of failure. I watch CSI...no evidence, no failure! But I am pleased to say it worked just like the recipe said and I didn't mess it up!

Here it is all ready for cooling:
Do you know how hard it was not to stick my face in this?

I'm out of parchment paper so I used waxed paper which worked in a pinch but I think I'd rather use parchment paper. "Grandma's" recipe called for pecans but I didn't have those so used almonds. Here's the final product:
A little goes a long way so I cut these into smaller pieces
And most important of all....it earned the Mr. Chocolate double thumbs up seal of approval :)

Friday, October 29, 2010

Giving Thanks

I know Thanksgiving is next month, but it's certainly not the only time when we should express our gratitude. Without making myself sound like some sort of saint ( cause I "ain't") I do try to have an attitude of gratitude always. Lately, I have been really honored to have had some lovely things happen and come my way and I wanted to say thanks to some wonderful bloggers who are responsible for that.

Today, Tracy at Tracy's Trinkets and Treasures has featured my blog as her blog of the week. Tracy started this series as a way to "pay it forward" and recognize and promote a new blog each week. One thing I absolutely love about blogging is the way that bloggers look out for each other. Stay tuned for my own "pay it forward" series starting next week. In the meantime, please go visit Tracy's wonderful blog. She never ceases to amaze me with her creations and talent.  Like her painted fall color:

Thank you Tracy!

Last week, the hysterically funny and talented Suzy, of Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom with ever present green room guest Tom Selleck, made me her guest of the week. Suzy is both witty and crafty. For example: 
Suzy has a tute on how she made this beautiful quilled monogram. Go visit!
Suzy's Artsy Craftsy Sitcom

I've been really fortunate to win a couple of things lately. I get absolutely giddy when that happens don't you? Jacqueline at Purple Chocolat Home recently had a drawing for a CSN gift card and I was the lucky winner! A new Cuisinart 9 Speed Hand Mixer is on it's way to help me make lots of chocolate concoctions for the holidays. Jacqueline has some amazing projects that are so elegant and beautiful beyond words. I mean look at her island for Halloween entertaining:
Swoon!

And I'm anxiously awaiting the arrival of the Elmer's XACTO giveaway I was doing a happy dance when I learned I'd won from Craft eNVy.  Nicholette and Vanessa ( see how creative they are to use their initials in their blog name!)  have got all kinds of crafty goodness at their place and of course the weekly "Saturday Spotlight" link party they host. Go visit for some inspiration and tutorials.

I'm also grateful ( and amazed) to those who have featured my projects and for the continued support of my followers. This has been such a great experience and little did I ever think that almost 400 people would follow my kookiness but I'm getting close to that.

So stay tuned for a new feature starting next Friday and for another giveaway when I hit 400! In the meantime, thanks everyone and wishing everyone a happy, fun, and safe Halloween!