This week I’ve been baking round-the-clock. Cookies, cakes, and candy have all emerged from my kitchen. I’ve done quite a bit of experimenting, too. Some experiments went straight to the trash, but the successful ones went to our neighbors. I can’t tell you how much I love surprising friends with plates of sweets. Well, come on, who doesn’t like that? A friend of ours became a Colonel on Tuesday, so I took a maple cheesecake to help them celebrate. Another friend returns home from the war on Saturday - after 7 months away. He’s requested a brownie pudding upon his homecoming. It’s really amazing how we can show others love and hospitality with sugar, butter, and a smile.
Hospitality hasn’t always been my strong suit. In my early years of marriage, I knew how to cook but I didn’t really understand what it meant to be hospitable. I was held back many times by thoughts like: “I don’t have all of the linens and plates we need,” “we don’t have enough furniture,” or “our dining area only seats 4.”
Do you cringe at the thought of entertaining? Do you worry about making everything perfect? The food. The cleaning. The decor? I met Sandy a couple of months ago at a blogging event. She writes the blog Reluctant Entertainer. We immediately got on the topic of entertaining and I could see a spark in her eye. Before we parted, she gave me her new book, The Reluctant Entertainer. Over Thanksgiving I took time to read it and was encouraged by her advice, wisdom, and ideas.
Over the years I’ve learned to not get caught up in the perfection of it all. I usually want my house to be sparkling, but let’s face it, not many of us have time for that. Honestly when I am a guest in a friend’s home and things there aren’t perfect, it makes me feel at ease. I’ve also learned not to be afraid of the mishaps. They will happen. And when they do, laughter and a sense of humor can make them into a blessing. In fact, just last week I had a huge mishap.
Friends were gathered at our home, we’d just finished our Thanksgiving meal and it was time to serve pie. I’d made two pecan pies, two pumpkin pies, and a pumpkin banana tart. I sliced, served and looked over at my husband. He’d just taken a bite of the pumpkin pie and had a sour look on his face. I quickly took a bite and made the same face. It tasted like soap! After a few minutes of speculation, I realized I’d prepared the filling ahead of time and stored it in a mason jar that hadn’t been completely rinsed. It tasted terrible. Really. A few moments later there was a knock on the door. More friends arrived for dessert. The door opened and one of the little kids ran up and said, “Hey! Come on in! But don’t eat any of the pumpkin pie. It’s nasty.” Laughter erupted and I told them the story. The pumpkin pies went into the trash and we sliced up the tart and pecan pies and had a great time.
I tell you this story to encourage you. It happens to all of us! My house isn’t always perfect, but I try to make easy-to-please food, welcome everyone in and enjoy the people. This holiday season, let’s all try not to get caught up in perfection. Call some friends you’ve wanted to get to know better, throw something in the oven (or order out) and enjoy the simple pleasures of serving someone else.
Almond Toffee
It’s important to work quickly once the toffee is ready to pour out of the pot. It will harden very fast so make sure to have everything ready. Adapted from Food Network
1 1/4 cups organic whole cane sugar or sucanat
1/3 cup maple syrup
1/3 cup water
1 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups whole almonds, roasted and chopped
8 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
Whisk the whole cane sugar, maple syrup and water in a large saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a boil, lower heat to medium low and simmer for 3-4 minutes. Stir in the butter and continue to simmer (do not stir, stirring can make the mixture grainy) until the mixture reaches 300ºF, about 30 minutes. Remove the pan immediately and whisk in the salt, baking soda, and 1 cup of chopped nuts. Stir quickly until well combined. Immediately pour the mixture onto a buttered baking sheet. Using an offset spatula, quickly spread the mixture out into a rectangle, about 10×13-inches.
While the toffee is cooling, melt the chocolate. Pour melted chocolate over the toffee and spread evenly. Sprinkle remaining chopped almonds on top. Cool for 1 hour before breaking apart. You can put the toffee in the fridge to speed up the cooling, if desired. Break apart and serve.
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I rave about myself every night at the dinner table, “Honey, can you believe I made this??” And it’s all thanks to you!! (and teaching me that organic butter is welcomed and embraced! No more fat free, yay!!
{ 29 comments… read them below or add one }
Great holiday treats Carrie! I can’t wait to read Sandy’s book. I need all the help I can get wit entertaining
That green door is so festive & beautiful! xo
that would be “with” XO
Carrie,
Does the chocolate harden well? Do you think this would ship? I am looking for good whole foods items to ship to family. This looks like it would fit the bill! Any other recipes on your site that you would recommend for that purpose?
As always…. nice one.
Molly
The chocolate hardens well. This should ship well, as long as there is some padding. The pecan sables, tiny pecan muffins, and graham crackers will ship very well too.
Thank you! I’m definitely going to try it. My mother-in-law will flip!
Oh my, I could eat a pound of this stuff! I probably shouldn’t make it but I am going to:)
I really need to read that book! Felt like you were speaking to me….”“I don’t have all of the linens and plates we need,” “we don’t have enough furniture,” or “our dining area only seats 4.” This describes me….I love to have people over & I love gatherings, parties & events but the cleaning, planning & prep to get there usually stresses me out to the point I end up not doing anything, even though I really want to. This post was totally inspiring! Thank you….I needed that kick in the pants
I’m glad I could give you a little nudge.
I love Sandy dearly and love her book!
Your toffee looks fantastic!
Thank you, friend. The only thing missing here is our families having dinner together. Wouldn’t that be a blast? I love the toffee recipe, actually toffee is one of my favorite treats! Thanks for your encouraging post today. I’ll be linking to it.
That would be so fun! Thank you for the inspiration for this post. You are a gem!
i definitely wasn’t expecting to see this amazing toffee when i clicked over after seeing Shauna’s tip about your blog. yummmmm.
That is such a lovely wreath!! This almond toffee looks so easy to make….gift idea!
This looks so awesome, Carrie!! I can’t wait to try it (for the kids, of course!!). That is so cool, your mention of “The Reluctant Entertainer”….last week I enjoyed a great review of it in World magazine and considered getting it. Now I’ll have to b/c I know you recommend great things!! (shocked that I posted?!)
I made this tonight. It tasted yummy however my toffee was really crumbly. I let it heat to 300. . .what do you think I might have done wrong? Some of it was fine. . .and the part that crumbled apart, I stored in a bag and am going to use when i make cookies tomorrow! I can say that the sugar I used was raw organic sugar. Could that have been my problem??? I LOVE your blog!!!! Thanks for all the inspiration!
If you stir the mixture too much it can cause the sugar to crystalize and the toffee will be very crumbly. I don’t think that using raw sugar would make a difference. Next time try to stir less and you should have a hard toffee. Glad you liked the taste!
It’s like you were a fly on the wall of my kitchen!!! I did stir the heck out of the mixture! Oops! I was so afraid it would stick to my pan! I will try again and STIR LESS!!! Thanks for the tip!
Oh, and I used the crumbled toffee in the cookies tonight! The family loved them! So, i guess it wasn’t all bad!
Be Blessed!
Amy
haha..that’s great! I’m glad you figured out what happened! Toffee in the cookies? Yum…
i love the idea of omitting the notorious corn syrup from the recipe. we are a house filled with toffee lovers and if i can make it and omit the culprit, i am all over it! thanks, carrie!
Oh this looks super sinful! I wonder if I make it – and eat it – if Santa’s going put me on his naughty list?
Amanda. . .only if you eat it all! LOL!!!
Merry Christmas!
I love this post. Thank you for sharing your entertaining stories with us and helping us remember not to fuss too much
The toffee looks fantastic!
Great, I just made some last week but used regular sugar not knowing it would work with the unrefined sugar, now I know
How long do you think this will keep for?
The toffee will keep for about a week in an airtight container. I makes a great gift!
I can’t seem to get the temp to more than 235 degrees. Any suggestions? And it smelled burned….
Candy can be a tricky thing to make. I’m not sure why it won’t go above 235 degrees. It could be that your thermometer isn’t calibrated (I had that happen once and burned a whole batch!). Also, if you stir too much it can cause the mixture to become grainy and possibly not heat as it should. Also, it needs to heat at medium heat and then medium low, no higher. Slow and steady – and it can take sometimes up to 25 minutes. Also did you use sucanat (also called organic whole cane sugar)? Another sugar could take longer than what I tested with. I know it’s a lot of different factors, but making candy is a tricky process. Let me know how it goes and if you have any other questions, please feel free to write!
I made this the first time—it came out amazing. I’ve since made 6 batches and get the same result—grainy.
Yes, I read the part about stirring. The only less stirring I could do is not at all.
I boil it for 3-4 minutes, cut in butter then turn down the heat to rolling boil. Anything slower and it takes almost 30 minutes to get to 300.
Can the baking soda be bad?
The crumbles taste good but it’s not like I can ‘bring this to a party”.
Any thoughts?
Interesting that it turned out great the first time and not afterwards. It could be the baking soda or that it’s cooking to quickly. It should take about 30 minutes to bring the sugar to 300 degrees F. I adapted the recipe from this one: http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/wolfgang-puck/chocolate-covered-almond-toffee-bars-recipe/index.html Maybe their instructions could give you more insight.
I also found this post. It has lots of great tips about making toffee: http://www.joyofbaking.com/candy/Toffee.html
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