Darienne

Several weeks later. Wrote to Waterbridge on the twelfth of December and heard nothing in return. Quelle surprise! Ed bought me some bars of President's Choice Dark Chocolate 70% thinking I might like them. Kerry Beal spoke of them posts ago. We did eat some...strangest 70% chocolate I've eaten...so sweet...and so unlike regular say Lindt 70%. Still, it will get used up one way or t'other.

I photographed today's dessert and went to put it up, noting the odd provenance: My Blueberry Cobbler Recipe and then remembered that I had put together three different recipes into one to make it. So it really is mine. (sort of...) Ed thinks he'd like some whipped cream on it. Talk about gilding the lily.

Wonderful seasonal dishes....and what is Happy Accident Candy???

Twenty-five years ago I was a knitter/designer when Carpal Tunnel syndrome hit. I've worn braces at night since then. I gave up knitting and took up a craft called coiling which had a different direction to the stress factors. although it too is small movements which are repetitive. I decided some years ago, that despite my great interest in chocolate that I could not become a chocolatier, which I had intended when I first joined eGullet ten years ago. I've now had to give up all coiling also and am now finally facing surgery as I have nowhere else left to go for relief. I've also left my involvement with the internet pretty much because even typing causes problems. I realize that this post is not encouraging to you but it is what has happened to me. Just typing these sentences is likely to result in a worse morning than if I had not typed them. I wish you all the best.

Not too exciting. Leftover vegetables and some bits of Spiral Ham went into a black bean soup. So nice to eat something that is completely down to earth and isn't 'festive'.

I'm fine with pepperoni or salami...summer sausage I love...thinly sliced good Italian prosciutto...yum. But sausages have little gristly things inside them...yuck. Takes me back to the horrible sausages of my childhood. Don't go there... I'll think about something sweet to go into them maybe. Thanks Shelby.

Shelby's dish looked delicious...but the ingredients were a problem for me. Well, one ingredient...the sausage. I don't do sausage...sorry, Shelby, David...

OK. Now it is 'my' recipe. The first ones were not a winner: too dry. But then I'd never made them before...in fact, I'd never eaten one or even seen one. Dumped the finished product into the food processor, pulverized the mess...then added more chocolate and more rum. A success. And they're all gone. Well, I did gift the neighbors also. He has the flu. Needed something like that. Just made a second batch. No problem. And this time took less time and less skill. Mostly they take rum. Delicious.

These look great. What are they? With puff pastry?

Now that's funny.

It's not 'my' recipe'. It's from The Spruce Eats. https://www.thespruceeats.com/rum-balls-521518 and I have no idea of whether it's a good recipe or not. Sorry. And no, they don't take any time or much skill as far as I can see. Mostly they take rum.

Made my first Rum Balls ever today. Not exactly a stretch...

Gorgeous Kim. I've not had problems with the chocolate coming off, but then it was the famous Chocolate Doctor, Kerry Beal, who first told me to dust the toffee with cocoa before putting on the melted chocolate. And how did you do the second side? And truthfully, I've never done much of what you might call 'storing' the toffee and never in a fridge. I'll have to think of that one. I package it up and get it out of my reach (and mouth) as quickly as possible. I once made a batch for the previous owner of our rented condo in Moab, Utah, and he ate the entire thing by himself. Astounding. No storing going on there.

Absolutely.

My childhood memories of Poughkeepsie include a mental institution. Perhaps they will have room for you.

David Lebovitz, The Perfect Scoop, p.170, Creamy Caramel Sauce. The only one Ed will accept on his homemade ice cream. And Magic Shell Chocolate Sauce. Don't have a written recipe for it...simply know how to make it. 150 gm chocolate; 100 gm coconut oil. Melted and mixed. Add a dash of salt. That's it. It solidifies depending upon room temperature. So in the winter, it stores solid and I heat it a bit in the microwave before serving. Kids and "youthful" (gave up trying to find a suitable adjective) men like it. Oops. Does not need refrigeration.

Ed and I used to do craft shows with our decorated gourds. The chair situation was never a problem as I recall...my problem was by the third day I was..."Buy something...don't buy something...just don't talk to me".

Our local library was disposing of about 10 years of Gourmet. I dragged them all home and went through them one by one, returning them all for someone else...sans a few pages here and there, of course. The cost of mailing them would have been prohibitive.

Can't say about the unsalted butter any better than you can. OTOH, I am dumbstruck that I never mentioned the chocolate in this recipe. I'll fix that one in my printed recipe. I have NEVER used milk chocolate. I HATE milk chocolate. I've used only dark and darker and sometimes half dark and half darker...you know 54% and 70%. Done.

I've done it a couple of times and it worked out. I did wonder as I did it though....

Done.

Two sides always. I watched the Enstrom video of making this toffee last year and so changed my method somewhat. I turn the toffee out of the cookie pan as soon as it's cool. Turn the pan upside down and use it that way. Warm chocolate on one side, sprinkled with ground almonds...cool...turn the toffee over, and the same procedure on the second side. Last batch, the toffee was so cold (garage in the far frozen north) that I used a hair dryer to keep the melted chocolate from hardening too quickly. Sure helps if there are two people taking care of this step. (Secretly: I do think about doing one side only with some regularity...but seeing as it's my yearly gift to the recipients I wonder if they would notice...)

Three batches of Almond-sprinkled, Chocolate-coated both sides Butterscotch Toffee (copycat Enstrom recipe). All packaged up a la Christmas to be delivered to a variety of folks with whom we do business. Christmas tradition on the farm. A few pieces leftover. I think I'm getting too old for this...

I would have thought the recipe called for evaporated. Condensed milk is very sweet but then there are lots of dishes out there which are unknowns to me. All best......

There is a special 'stretchy' waxed paper you can buy for wrapping caramels. I bought some years ago and it worked beautifully.