The quickest to make was Walnut Fudge. The total time you spend working on this is around 20 minutes. It also needs to cool in the fridge for at least an hour.

FAST WALNUT FUDGE

Total Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

¾ cup evaporated milk

1 ¾ cups sugar

½ teaspoon salt

2 cups marshmallows (mini melts fastest)

1 ½ cups semisweet chocolate chips

2/3 cup walnuts or pecans (chopped)

1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions:

First, lightly butter a 9in square pan. Then in a medium saucepan combine evaporated milk, sugar, and salt over medium-high heat, stir constantly. Bring this mixture to a boil and let it boil for five minutes, stirring steadily the whole time. Remove from the heat, add marshmallows and chocolate chips, and stir rapidly until all marshmallows are incorporated (melted). Quickly add walnuts and vanilla. Continue stirring. Pour mixture into the 9inch square pan. Let cool in fridge for around an hour then cut into squares. This will make around 2 pounds of delicious rich & silky fudge.

Another great gift or side dish is Spiced Nuts. The total time you can set aside for this recipe is around 30 minutes. It’s a good idea to use a candy thermometer on this recipe. I found one at Hobby Lobby for around $5.00.

SPICED NUTS

Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients:

1 lb. Walnut or pecan halves (I used both)

1 cup sugar

½ cup water

¼ cup butter

1 tablespoon cinnamon

1/8 teaspoon allspice

1/8 teaspoon cloves

1/8 teaspoon salt

½ teaspoon real vanilla extract

Directions:

Toast your walnuts/pecans for 8-10 minutes at 350*f and set aside. In a medium saucepan mix sugar, water, butter, cinnamon, allspice, cloves, and salt. Over medium-high heat continue to cook and stir these ingredients until they reach soft ball stage(when dropped into cool water forms a soft ball) or around 240*f. Once the mixture reaches soft ball stage remove it from the heat, add vanilla and add the nuts into the syrup. Stir until all the nuts are covered with the syrup then pour onto waxed paper and let cool. Once they are cooled you can break them apart and package to give as gifts!

Toffee is a great treat especially when it’s homemade and fresh. My husband likes this one because it doesn’t stick in his teeth!

CAST IRON SKILLET TOFFEE

Total Time: 30 Minutes

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar

1 cup butter (2 sticks)

1 cup chopped roasted pecans

½ cup chocolate chips or 5 milk choc. Candy bars

Directions:

Spread your roasted chopped pecans into a 9” cookie sheet or cake pan and set aside. Cook sugar and butter in a cast iron skillet to hard boil stage (thick ropy threads form when dropped in cool water) stirring constantly (250-265*f). The key to toffee is too cook it to the nice amber color. The cast iron skillet helps to keep a nice consistent heat while your rapidly stirring. Once it’s a dark amber color pour over pecans. Then sprinkle or lay candy bars over the hot toffee mixture and using the back of a spoon spread the chocolate so that it’s even. Let cool, remove from pan, and break into pieces.

*The key is to make sure this gets to that dark amber color, I had many error runs because I didn’t let this cook enough and my toffee came out white and greasy.

The last candy I attempted was caramel. I thought it would be easy and it’s not! It takes a lot of time, but it is delicious and makes quite a lot of bite size treasures. Total time for caramel is around 1-2 hours.

CARAMELS

Total Time: 2 hours

Ingredients:

3 cups sugar

2 cups white corn syrup

1 cup butter

1 (12oz) can evaporated milk

Directions:

Butter a large cookie sheet that has sides and cut around 50 wax paper 3×3 squares, set aside. In large pot over medium heat melt butter. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Slowly incorporate the evaporated milk into your mixture. Add around 1/5 of the can each time. Make sure to keep stirring your mixture especially the bottom of the pan. Cook your caramel until it reaches 230-240*f and like the other candies keep stirring the whole time, mine cooked around 25 minutes so wait until it’s a nice amber color. Pour onto greased cookie sheet with sides. Let it cool completely. Once fully cooled cut with clean scissors and wrap with wax paper squares.

So remember, your holiday gift giving can be homemade and delicious with any one of these recipes. I am sure your family, friends, and co-workers would be thrilled to try your creations.

*If you want more holiday candy recipes like these check out: www.recipezaar.com, www.cooks.com, www.bettycrocker.com, www.foodnetwork.com

Andrea Peters is a local Stillwater resident, wife, mother, and OSU Alumni. She currently is a SAHM (stay at home mom) working to become a WAHM(work at home mom)! All these recipes can be found online or if you have any questions contact: andrea@littlesquigglers.com

Reason I call this Freckles Fixin’s is because my twitter name is heyfreckles and my hubby calls me Freckles, and I have lots of freckles!

Meat Sauce Layer:

2 pounds italian sausage

1 pound ground beef

BROWN & drain off fat

add 1 large onion chopped

cook until onion starts to get clear

add 1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 can tomato paste

2 tbs italian seasoning

3 large garlic cloves chopped or pressed

1 tsp salt

1 tsp ground pepper

2 tbs red wine or 2 tbs red grape juice

1 tbs white sugar

Let all this cook on high for 20 minutes then let it simmer for another hour.

Cheese Layer:

16 oz Ricotta

16 oz Cottage Cheese

8 oz Cream Cheese room temp

STIR together until all combined

THEN ADD

1 cup shredded mozzerella

2 eggs

1 tbs fresh chopped basil or 1 tbs premade pesto

Stir until all of it is the same consistency

BUILD IT

Meat

Lasanga Noodles

Cheese

Noodles

Meat

repeat

ending with meat on top then add

2 cups mozzerella and ¼ cup parmasean cheese

before freezing you will need to add ½-3/4 cup water to each pan of lasagna this will help with baking.

Cover and freeze or put in fridge until you want to serve

This makes SIX-5×8 medium sized pans for me.

COOKING/PREP time: 1.5 hours

To prepare:

1. Turn on oven to 400 degrees f

2. Remove all packaging

3. Replace the Foil

4. Put in the oven and bake for 1 hour

5. Remove the foil

6. Bake for another 15 minutes until cheese is golden and yummy looking

7. Take out let set for 10 minutes

ENJOY! Great to serve with Salad, Green Beans and Garlic Bread!

-Freckles (aka: Andrea Maciula-Peters)

Andrea’s Shredded Beef Enchilada Casserole

In your crock pot add:

1: 1-2 lb arm/chuck roast or whatever roast cut you like leave fat on

1 chopped white onion

1 can chopped green chilis

3 pressed garlic cloves or chopped

1 tbsp cumin

1 tsp onion powder

1 tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chili powder

2 tsp salt

2 tsp sugar

1 tsp black pepper

1 beef bouillon cube or if you have taco seasoning you can use that too

¼ cup cold coffee

2-3 cups water enough to cover the meat

Cook on high for at least 4-6 hours, the best for me is around 5 hours on high and then 2 hours on low.

Remove meat from liquid let rest until you can handle it. Cut off the fat, then using two forks pull the meat apart into shredded style. Taste your meat if it’s not flavorful add 1 tsp cumin, 1 tsp salt, 1 tsp garlic powder, ½ tsp onion powder and stir.

Mix 8 oz cream cheese with your shredded meat, I knead it in with my hands.

Then in a casserole dish:

Pour one can or 1.5 cups yellow corn

Tear up flour tortillas into strips layer that on top

then a layer of cheddar cheese & refried beans if you like beans

then tortillas

Then meat mixure

Then Pour one can of red or green or ½ and ½ enchilada sauce on top

Top with more cheese

Bake at 400 degrees for 30-45 minutes

Let cool for a few minutes serve with sour cream and salsa,

black olives, green onions, and more green chilis can give it some pop if needed!

A very filling dinner and it’s great the next day too!

Turkey & Squash Lasagna

1 zuchinni squash washed and cut into thin lasagna noodle like strips

1 yellow squash washed and cut into thin lasagna noodle like strips

1/4 cup onion chopped

1/2 lb ground low fat turkey meat

1 jar favorite pasta sauce

5 melba toast crackers (crushed)

1 cup low fat cottage cheese

1/4 cup parmesean cheese

2 cups low fat mozzerella

Cook turkey and chopped onion with 1 tbsp olive oil, add italian seasoning to the meat, and stir in the sauce once all pink is gone. Mix together 1 cup mozzerella, all cottage cheese, all parmesean cheese.

Layer sauce, squashes, cheese, squashes, sauce, cheeses, sauce, pour on crushed melba toast the remaining cup of mozzerella cheese.

Bake at 350 for 30-45 minutes.

Gets 5 stars from Chris, the carb lover!

Low carb, low fat, high taste!