What's cooking Suzanne?

By Staff
Suzanne Langcuster
Franklin County Times
Planning for Halloween can be a lot of fun for all. Making something homemade lets them know you care and makes them feel loved.
The recipes we are giving you today are easy to prepare and as Lucy Arnez said ,"So tasty, too!" This is candy week. You might want to try several of these recipes before you decide which one you want to use for Halloween or a Festival.
Store in tins and make ahead of time and save these recipes for holidays coming up soon.
No-Fail Peanut Brittle
2 c. shelled raw peanuts
1 1/2 c. sugar
2/3 c. White Karo syrup
2 t. soda
Mix peanuts, sugar, and Karo. Boil over medium heat in skillet until honey colored and peanuts begin to pop. Remove from heat and stir in soda. Beat vigorously. Pour on buttered cookie sheet. Cool. Break into pieces.
Hand-Dipped Chocolates
2 boxes powdered sugar
1 can Eagle Bran
1 stick butter
1 c. chopped pecans
1 c. coconut
1 block paraffin
1 lg. bag chocolate chip
Roll first 5 ingredients into small balls. Melt paraffin and chocolate chips. Dip balls into chocolate mixture to coat.
4 1/2 c. sugar
3 pkg. chocolate chips
1 stick butter
2 T. vanilla
1 lg. can Pet milk
1 -8oz. jar marshmallow cream
2 c. nuts
Put sugar and milk in a pan and stir over medium heat. When mixture comes to a rolling boil, cook 6 minutes in clear weather or 8 minutes in rainy weather. Mix other ingredients in a bowl and pour hot mixture over, stirring until smooth. Pour into greased pans. Makes 5 lbs..
Church Windows
6 oz. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 c. margarine
2 c. colored mini-marshmallows
Melt chocolate chips over low heat. Cool mixture. Add marshmallows, stir until marshmallows are coated with chocolate. You may add 1/2 c. coconut and 1/2 c. chopped nuts. Turn mixture onto powdered sugar-covered wax paper and form in roll. Roll waxed paper around roll and refrigerate until firm. Slice in 1/2 to 1 inch slices for serving.
Turtles
Put two pecan halves together, flat side in pan. Place one caramel square on pecans. Put in medium oven for five minutes. Put Hershey Kiss on top of hot caramel. Use toothpick to swirl chocolate around when it softens.
Martha Washington Candy
Filling
1 stick margarine
2 boxes powdered sugar
1 t. vanilla
1 can coconut
1 1/2 c. pecans
Coating
3 t. margarine
12 pkg. chocolate chips
Soften margarine. Add powdered sugar, pecans, vanilla and coconut. Mix well. Form into balls and dip into melted shortening and chocolate.
Almond Brittle
1 1/2 c. whole almonds
3 T. butter
1 c. sugar
4 T. water
Preheat oven to 350. Arrange rack to center position. Spread almonds on baking sheet in a single layer and toast for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Melt butter in small skillet. Add toasted almonds and cook, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Set aside. Butter a large baking dish. Set aside. Combine granulated sugar and water in small saucepan. Bring to a boil, stirring to dissolve sugar. Use a small brush dipped in cold water to wash down sugar crystals that cling to the sides of the pan. Do not stir. Bring syrup to a boil until it turns a golden color. Remove from heat and stir in the almonds and melted butter. Quickly pour the mixture onto the buttered baking sheet. Allow to cool and harden. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container at room temperature. Recipe yields about a pound of brittle.
Chocolate Fudge Oatmeal Drops
2 c. sugar
1/2 c. milk
1/2 c. cocoa
1/2 c. butter
1 t. vanilla
1/2 c. peanut butter
3 c. uncooked oatmeal
Combine sugar, milk, cocoa and butter in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Heat for one minute. Remove from heat an add vanilla, peanut butter and oatmeal. Mix well and drop by teaspoonfuls on wax paper. Allow to cool and remove from waxed paper. Store in a closed container.
Super-Moist Chocolate Mayo Cake
12 servings
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
1 box (18 ounces) chocolate cake mix
1 cup Hellmann's or Best Foods Real Mayonnaise
1 cup water
3 eggs
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (optional)
Preheat oven to 350¡F. Grease and lightly flour two 9-inch round cake pans*; set aside.
Beat cake mix, Mayonnaise, water, eggs and cinnamon 30 seconds in large bowl, with electric mixer on low speed. Beat on medium speed, scraping sides occasionally, 2 minutes. Pour batter into prepared pans.
Bake 30 minutes or until toothpick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes on wire rack; remove from pans and cool completely. Sprinkle, if desired, with confectioner's sugar or fill and frost.
Or, prepare cake mix as above in 13 x 9-inch baking pan and bake 40 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
Homemade candy bar
1 (24-ounce) bag chocolate chips
5 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 (24-ounce) bag pretzel sticks (recommended: Snyder Old Fashioned Dipping Sticks)
1 1/2 cups skinless hazelnuts
3 tablespoons powdered sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Put the chocolate chips in a bowl and place the bowl over a pot of simmering water. Stir until the chips are melted. (Alternately, put the chips in a microwave safe bowl and microwave on medium for 30 seconds. Stir and microwave in 30 second intervals until the chocolate has melted. It should take 2 to 3 minutes.) Add 3 tablespoons of the vegetable oil and stir well.
To form the base, dip two pretzel sticks in the chocolate and lay them side by side on a waxed paper-lined baking sheet. Repeat until you have 24 bases made. Put the baking sheet into the refrigerator to harden the chocolate. Pour the remaining chocolate into a squeeze bottle.
Meanwhile, add the hazelnuts, sugar, and vanilla to the bowl of a food processor. With the machine running, pour in the remaining 2 tablespoons vegetable oil. Continue processing until the nuts form a smooth spread. Scoop the spread into a plastic bag and snip off a corner to make a piping bag. Remove the bases from the refrigerator and pipe a strip of hazelnut spread between each pair of chocolate covered pretzels.
Squeeze chocolate over the top of each one to cover and return the baking sheet to the refrigerator for at least 1 hour. Trim off any excess chocolate with a knife and wrap each bar individually. Keep refrigerated.