This will be my first (hopefully not last) Christmas candy edition blog post. During the holidays I absolutely love to make cookies and candies. I'm not sure which I like more - making them or eating them. This is my recipe for an extremely simple toffee recipe - all you need is 3 ingredients.
1 stick of unsalted butter
3/4 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips (I prefer semi-sweet, but you can use milk chocolate if you prefer)

*I don't like nuts at all so I don't use them, but it would be very easy to put them in this recipe


Begin by melting the butter and brown sugar in a pan over medium-high heat.


Bring to a boil. Set a time for 7 minutes and maintain a rolling boil while stirring constantly for 7 minutes.


Yes, 7 minutes. Your arms will get tired and you'll look at the clock ever 10 seconds toward the end, but if you don't keep stirring it will stick to the bottom and burn quickly. There is no reversing this and you'll have to start over. Also, note that I don't use a wooden spoon because the toffee will stick to the wood and it's extremely hard to get off.
It will begin to firm up and separate, very normal. Continue this until you get to a beautiful caramely brown color. Once your 7 minutes is up pour into a butter 8x8 pan. I just rub the wrapper of the butter on the pan after I take it out. There is plenty left on the wrapper to go around.
Immediately pour your chocolate chips over the top of the toffee then cover the pan with a large cookie sheet until the chocolate chips are softened.
Once the chocolate chips are softened/melted start to spread them over the top of the toffee evenly.
Cool on the counter, then chill in the fridge until the chocolate sets up.
Once the chocolate hardens, simply crack into it with a knife and break into pieces. 
Happy Holidays and I hope you all enjoy!

Oh I love love love this recipe! (Sorry Katie - it's another seafood-ish recipe) Crab Cakes are one of my favorite foods and this is an easy version to make at home but with Salmon and the flavor is really fresh and tasty. I actually found the recipe on a package of Chicken of the Sea® Salmon. They don't print the recipe anymore on the package but luckily I have it written down.

1/4 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped green onions
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon seasoned salt
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
Dash cayenne pepper
1 (7.1-oz.) pouch Chicken of the Sea® Premium Skinless & Boneless Pink Salmon
1 large egg, beaten
1 cup seasoned breadcrumbs (or crushed Saltine crackers)
3 Tablespoons butter (or EVOO)


In bowl, combine red pepper, green onions, mayonnaise, lemon juice, seasoned salt, garlic powder and cayenne pepper. Stir in Salmon, egg and 1/3-cup breadcrumbs (mixture may be sticky). Divide and form mixture into 4 balls. Roll salmon balls in remaining breadcrumbs; flatten into cakes about 1/2-inch thick. In skillet, melt butter or EVOO over Medium heat. Fry salmon cakes 3 to 4 minutes per side or until golden brown. Makes 4 servings. Note - this is good for a lunch or light dinner for 2. If you are serving more than two or want a more substantial meal, I suggest doubling the recipe.


Serve with mixed greens and either Basmati rice or whole wheat pasta tossed with butter and fresh Parmesan. Dollop these cakes with an easy Lemon Dill and Chive Sauce. Simply combine 1/3-cup of sour cream with a pinch of lemon zest and 1-teaspoon each of fresh dill and chives. My children's sophisticated palates prefer ranch dressing to dip them in!

One of my husband's absolute favorite things to eat is carnitas. For those that may have never heard of it before - carnitas is really slow cooked pork. It is typically made on some type of rotisserie and the skin is oh-so-crunchy and the meat is fall-apart-tender. It melts in your mouth. Truly delicious! Well...I'm scared of pork. I don't like cooking with it. I usually over cook it or under cook it, but it never turns out right. But, we love carnitas and I love my crock pot and I figured if I cook it for 10 hours it should be cooked all the way through! :) Anyway, I found a recipe that is very simple and it turned out incredibly good. There are a couple of spices in here that you may not have on an ordinary day in your kitchen, but I guarantee that you'll use them again just to make this recipe.

Here's what you'll need:

1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon garlic powder (NOT garlic salt)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon crumbled dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (2-4 pound) boneless pork shoulder roast
2 bay leaves
2 cups chicken broth


Mix together salt, garlic powder and all of the spices in a bowl.
Coat pork with the spice mixture.
Place the two bay leaves in the bottom of a slow cooker and place the pork on top.
Pour the chicken broth around the sides of the pork,  being careful not to wash off any of the spice mixture.
Cover and cook on low until the pork shreds easily with a fork, about 10 hours. Turn the meat after it has cooked for 5 hours. I cooked mine a little over 10 hours and it came out perfectly. Also, my pork was completely defrosted when I put it in.
When pork is done, remove from slow cooker and shred with two forks, using cooking liquid as needed to moisten the meat.
I used mine as taco meat and served with chopped onions and cilantro. It was YUMMY! But, you could also serve it as the main dish with a side of beans and rice as well. Enjoy!!