Slush for Brains & Caramels

This past weekend the area in I which live was hit by a moderate snowstorm immediately followed by temperatures that would make a polar bear grab a scarf. It's so cold that the salt that the crews put down on the roads hasn't really worked so there's still slipping and sliding all over the place.

Into this scene I begin my brief narrative. I hopped in my car at 6 am this morning, immeasurably grateful for an attached garage. The temperature was right around zero with a wind chill of -10. I drove down my street in the eery pre-dawn blackness. There, ahead of me were ethereal lights bobbing yellow and white like little eskimo fireflies.

Okay, enough with the drama. The little lights were the reflectors on a certifiably insane runner out before dawn in sub-zero temperatures, running on ice. I thought to myself, I like running, but obviously not as much as that guy because you will never find me doing that. Halleluiah for a treadmill.

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My wife and I have been slaving away over sugar pots for the last week finishing up our Christmas chocolates. I've already posted the recipes for two of the staples, Almond Joys and Buckeyes. Today I'm posting a new favorite that we've worked on for a couple of years and finally found the perfect winner.

Soft Caramels

1 quart heavy cream (32 oz)

4 cups sugar

2 cups corn syrup

1 can evaporated milk

1 tsp salt

1 tsp vanilla extract

Combine the cream. sugar, corn syrup, evaporated milk and salt in a large pot and heat on medium, stirring regularly until it reaches 235 degrees (soft ball stage). Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour into greased 9X13 cake pan. Chill thoroughly. Cut into bite sized pieces and roll in squares of wax paper.

Notes:

-Use a large pot because it will bubble up to more than double in volume.

-It will heat up pretty quickly until it hits about 215 degrees then it will go much more slowly. It could take an hour or more. Be patient, it's worth it.

-Works wonderfully to dip in chocolate and sprinkle with a little sea salt.

Recipe from Wendy Russon. Her annual Christmas gift of caramels was the single most coveted goody in our house.

Wanted: Buckeyes & a Fear of Failure

As I've mentioned before, I've always struggled with my weight, which fluctuates a lot based upon the unsustainable diet of the moment. Almost two years ago I began my current effort using the low-tech "Eat Less, Move More" diet. I've lost 50 pounds and kept it off for more than a year. Although I wouldn't mind losing another ten, I'd be happy to stay where I am.

One of the problems that I've had with past diets has been that the exercise portion hadn't stuck. I’ve done a lot of things including basketball and even running but it wasn't until I started setting running goals that I was able to stick with something long enough to maintain the weight loss.

My first goal was to run a 10K, then I increased it to a half-marathon, then a marathon, then another. I'm now at a crossroads. I've finished a couple of marathons and while I know that it would take a lot of work to be ready for another, I know that I could do it. The fear of failure that has driven me in the past is gone.

So I've been browsing around for new things to challenge myself. There are several options:

Marathons or half marathons with faster time goals
Pros: Cheap. Familiar. Works well with my schedule
Cons: Might not provide enough motivation to keep me pushing

Triathlons
Pros: Something new, fun, excuse to get a bike
Cons: Expensive (see bike above). Have to get access to and arrange time at a pool

Ultramarathon (running anything longer than a marathon, usually 50 or 100 miles, but sometimes as long as 135)
Pros: Challenging
Cons: Time consuming. Crazy

For now I've decided to go the easy route and try for some faster times. My next race is the Martian Half Marathon in April. If that fails to provide sufficient motivation then I'm sure you'll read about it here. Maybe I'll eventually have to rename the blog "Will Run Until My Feet Turn Blue and Fall Off for Dessert".

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It must be Christmas time because people around me have started to inquire when they will receive their annual bag of homemade chocolates. My wife and I gave out about 70 bags last year to friends, neighbors and coworkers. Almond Joys are always there (see recipe in previous post) as are Buckeyes. They are awesome.

Buckeyes

1 ½ cups creams peanut butter (12 oz.)
½ cup butter, softened (1 cube)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups sifted powdered sugar (1 lb)
1 cup rice crispies
Milk chocolate for dipping

Mix peanut butter, butter, vanilla, and powdered sugar. Dough should be smooth and stiff but not too dry. Add rice crispies and mix gently until distributed. If you mix too much you'll crush them. Shape into balls and place on wax paper lined tray or cookie sheet. Chill thoroughly (I freeze them solid. Seriously, in the freezer for two days.). Prepare chocolate in a double boiler and dip chilled balls. You can drop, coat, and pull out with a spoon, leaving part of the peanut butter mixture exposed looking like a real buckeye nut. What we've found works best is to stick the frozen balls with a bamboo skewer, let drip, put onto wax paper, and pull out skewer. You can press the top to get rid of the little hole later. Return to wax paper and chill to set.

Chocolates from the Sky, Literally (Including Recipe for Almond Joys)

Well, yesterday I had a fantastic time with my sisters completing the Veterans Half Marathon in Columbia City, IN. It was great to take it easy and just enjoy the time together since we all had complications with our training that stopped us from going all out.

So I bet you are wondering what that has to do with chocolates falling from the sky. Well, I’ll tell you. Last night, to reward ourselves for the run we decided to make homemade Almond Joys. When we were done we couldn’t find room in the fridge so we put them on top of the van in the cool garage to have them set. (Some of you may already see where this is going.)

Early this morning I got up to take my mom to the airport. When I got home my wife asked me where I had put the chocolates. I said I didn’t know anything about them. A minute later she asked again, “No, really, where did you put the chocolates that were on top of the car?” I told her, “I’m serious, I don’t know anything about them”.

I quickly got into the van and retraced the route to the airport looking for a tray full of chocolates scattered over the interstate, with no luck. After church we gave it one more shot. (Okay, if you know my wife you’ll know that she gets a little obsessed when she loses something, but in addition to the chocolates and the pan, we had used our new silicone baking mat.)

There, rolled up on the side of the freeway entrance was our baking mat and a bit further on were a dozen or so Almond Joys mixed with the roadside debris. The pan was nowhere to be found. It must of taken off like a kite when I began to pick up speed.

I can just imagine some poor unsuspecting motorist, minding their own business early on a Sunday morning, suddenly getting pelted with Almond Joys. That'd wake you up!

Almond Joys:

5 oz. sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp. Vanilla extract
1 ¾ cups powdered sugar (not packed)
14 ounces shredded coconut (can use flaked as well)
¾ cup roasted slivered almonds
Almonds to top chocolates- slivered or whole
Chocolate for dipping
¼ cup milk

Blend the condensed milk and vanilla. Add the powdered sugar a little at a time, stirring until smooth. Stir in the coconut and almonds. Mixture should be firm. When you stop mixing, you see some slight settling but it should not be too sticky or runny. Add a little milk if needed to get it to the right consistency. Pat the mixture in a greased 9x13 pan and chill until firm. Cut into 1x2 inch bars to dip. OR roll chilled mixture into walnut sized balls and then chill (chilling before making balls makes it less sticky to hands.) A cookie scoop is helpful for getting uniform ball sizes. Chill again if necessary, the colder, the better. Use a double boiler to melt chocolate. Dip chilled bars or balls. Top with almonds. Chill on wax paper. Recipe makes 25 balls with medium scoop.