Robin's Egg Nests

I use to make these all the time and decided to start up again with the kids for Easter!  These are cute, yummy and so easy (but messy) to make!  Think cereal treats but without the cereal!

3 cups of mini marshmallows
3 tbs. butter
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
4 cups chow mein noodles
Malt robins egg candies, jelly beans or other candy of your choice.

Butter cupcake tin. In large saucepan, melt butter and marshmallows over med heat, stirring frequently. Once melted, stir in vanilla. Add chow mein noodles.   Here comes the fun part!  Get the kids involved, they will love it! Smear butter or crisco all over your hands.  Take a small glob of the mixture and press into one of the cupcake sections, making an indentation in the center. Once you have filled all cupcake sections, fill the centers of your nests with the candy eggs. Refrigerate for at least 30 minutes to allow the marshmallow to set. This makes approximately 15 nests.

Homemade Caramel Sauce

If you never try any of my recipes, you have got to try this!  I LOVE caramel! I don't think I could bring to words how much I love it.  On my ice cream, on apples or on a spoon! Delish!  And for me, few things are more rewarding in the kitchen than making my own caramel sauce!  Sure, it is easy to just go pick up a jar from the grocery, but this takes 10 minutes, if that, and you do not have to subject yourself to all the "extra" stuff in your fancy shmancy store bought jar of ice cream topper!  You must make this sauce today! Go ahead...do it!

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup water
8 tbs (1 stick) of unsalted butter, cut up
1/2 cup heavy whipping cream
2 tsp vanilla
pinch of salt

Pour sugar into a small heavy sauce pan.  Pour water evenly on top of sugar. With the stove on med-high heat, hold the saucepan handle and swirl around until sugar is dissolved all the way.  Once dissolved, turn heat to high, cover pan and boil for 2 minutes. 

Remove cover and continue to boil until syrup turns brown around the edges and turns to a nice amber color.

Keep going....When the syrup starts to smoke, it is done!

Perfecto!  Now, you want to remove from heat and whisk in the pieces of butter until all butter is melted and mixed in.  Be careful! When you put the butter in, the syrup will bubble and start to foam up.

Once butter is combined, stir in the cream.  If mixture gets lumpy, place back on heat until smooth.  Stir in the vanilla and salt.

This stuff is like molten lava! Be careful before putting any in your mouth!  It will be hard to resist temptation, but for the safety of your mouth..wait a bit!



Horrible lighting, I know! Im working on it!



Store in a mason jar in the refrigerator.  This makes enough for 1 pint. I do not know the exact shelf life of this.  I have had some last int he frig for several months. It does not happen too often as it usually gets eaten up in a week or 2!

I am a failure!

Well, not really but it sorta feels that way!  I have finally found something I am bad at!  And I really dislike doing it as well. 

While at the store the other day I picked up a candy making kit. It looked really cute. A complete kit from Wilton for making Valentine's Day chocolate lollipops and candies. I figures, what the heck, I can do everything else why not give this a try! How cute would that be to give the kids homemade chocolate pops from momma!

Boy was I wrong! A little tedious and time consuming.  Time being something I lack in my life.   The kit came with 2 plastic molds for pops and 1 for candies. After letting my masterpieces harden up I popped them out. HORRIBLE is one way to describe them! Some of the "chocolate" stayed stuck in the molds. The "chocolate" looks all frosty. NOT at all like the pictures on the box.

So there you have it. I cannot make candies! I will probably give it another try another day when I'm not in such a cranky mood. And yes, I will be giving the kids these for Valentine's Day and they wont care what they look like as long as they taste yummy!