Cracker Candy

In honor of one of my bestest girlfriends Sue, today I'm posting her cracker candy recipe.  I got it from her in 2006 and make it every single Christmas.  It's super simple with super yummy ingredients.  Sugar, butter, peanut butter chips, chocolate chips.  How can you go wrong, I say!   

Sue's Cracker Candy:
Sue Lauricella 2006     

Saltine Crackers - enough to cover a large baking sheet
1 cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter = two sticks
8 ounces peanut butter chips
10 ounces mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Line a baking sheet with tin foil and line up your saltine crackers in a neat and orderly fashion. 
I must admit that the saltines that I had when I made this all looked like they had been run over by a truck.  It was rather difficult to find whole crackers!  So, please pardon my haphazard cracker arrangement...

In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, place the butter and sugar.
It will look like this...

Stir constantly and it will start to look like this...

Then it will start to boil. 
Continue the constant stirring for 3 minutes so it looks like this...

Immediately pour the butter/sugar mixture over the crackers, spreading to cover all saltines involved.

Bake in the oven for 10 minutes until it has a nice caramel color.

Remove pan from oven and immediately pour 8 ounces of peanut butter chips onto the crackers.  As they melt spread them around.  Oh My!

Next, pour the mini chocolate chips on.  Sue's recipe states to press down on the crackers.  I prefer to do a fancy swirl to mix the peanut butter chips with the chocolate ones.  

Put the pan in the freezer until the concoction hardens.  For me this means going down the scary steps to the even scarier basement.  But I do it.  For this recipe I would do anything.

Once they are nice and frozen, crack them into bite-sized pieces in the pan removing the tin foil as you go along.

Options for toppings are chopped nuts or crushed candy canes.
I'm a purist though and the original is my favorite.

Thanks Sue!  
Happy Holidays!        

Citrus Bacon Turkey

Do you need a Christmas or Thanksgiving Dinner Headliner? 

Look no further than this turkey.

And today we have a guest blogger! 

Chad is here to tell us how he makes his delectable and moist bacon-wrapped citrus turkey. 

It's so dang good and raved about across the county...well, throughout our family anyway.

Citrus Bacon Turkey:

Chad Pramuk 2007

Big Turkey (this one is 19 pounds and is self-basting.  If you use an unbasted turkey you will need to baste every 30 minutes with pan drippings.)

2 Oranges

2 Lemons

3 Limes

4 Garlic Cloves

Olive Oil

Hickory or Maple Bacon

Salt

Pepper

10 Peppercorns

Herbs de Provence

Unsalted Butter

Preheat Oven to 375 degrees.

Assemble your ingredients.  Remove the giblets and neck from the turkey.  Save those for gravy or freeze them for a later use (homemade chicken stock perhaps?!)

  

Chad used Herbs de Provence for the first time this year.  It was a great and flavorful addition.

Herbs de Provence are a mixture of thyme, basil, fennel, savory, rosemary, lavender and tarragon. 

ALERT: Culinary History Lesson Ahead:

Herbs de Provence originated in Provence, France as simply herbs typical of that region.  In the 1970's it became commercially available.  The name Herbs de Provence is a generic term and there is no guarantee that the Herbs de Provence you buy have indeed come from Provence.  The vast majority of these blends come from central and eastern Europe, North Africa, and China.*  Unless of course you buy it in Provence, France then it will be cheaper and hence, from Provence.

On with the show...    

Take it Chad -

Take 4 cloves of garlic and crush them and put inside the turkey.

Place 10 peppercorns inside the turkey.

Drizzle olive oil over entire turkey and rub it in.

Take the citrus fruits (2 oranges, 2 lemons, 3 limes) and cut in half and squeeze the juice all over the turkey. 

Put the just squeezed fruit into the turkey.

Cut 4 tablespoons of unsalted butter into1 tablespoon pieces.

Run your fingers under the skin on the breast to separate the skin from the breast.

Push the butter (2 tablespoons per breast) underneath the skin. This will help keep the white meat moist.

Salt and pepper the whole turkey (be generous).

Place 6-8 pieces of bacon over the breast. This will also help keep the white meat moist.

The reason for this is white meat cooks faster than dark meat and you don't want dry white meat.

Cover the entire turkey with the dried herbs.

Place the turkey in the oven on the bottom rack and cook for 1 1/2 - 2 hours until a thermometer reads 165 degrees.

Thanks Chad.

Jen here -

When it's done cooking, take it out of the oven and let it rest for 20-30 minutes before carving.

Doesn't this look delish?! 

 Oh my turkey goodness!  What a nice color!

The meat is juice, juice, juicy and full of flavor.

Enjoy!

* Wikipedia