Old Fashion Nougat Candy

 Who remembers the Braches Jelly Nougat candy? 

I remember seeing them in the candy baskets at the candy stores or in restaurant lobbies. They were never one of my favorites. I would always lean more toward the powdered candy or those little waxy drink filled molds. 

Well, for those that enjoyed this kind of candy, I am going to share the recipe that’s quick and easy. I made a batch for the first time. I think I actually like it now. Ready? Ok. Get out a mixing bowl.

Old Fashion Nougat Candy

• 1 bag of mini marshmallows.
• 1 bag of white chocolate chips.
• 2 tablespoons of butter.
• 1 box of Dots candy -Cut each piece in half. 

1. Place butter and white chocolate chips in a microwavable bowl and microwave 30 seconds at a time until melted. Put in the marshmallows and microwave 30 seconds at a time until you can mix it all smooth together. 
2. Fold in the Dots candy and pour into a square dish lined with parchment paper (this will help get it out).
3. Place in fridge for 2 hours or best overnight. 
4. Once cooled, take it out of the pan and cut into pieces. 

Can be left out but best stored in the fridge.

Just look at how pretty they are.

These little candies have the consistency of taffy. People will be surprised at how good they actually are. I took some into the office to share and they disappeared in no time. 

Tomato Haul to Tomato Pie

Our walk the other day started out like any other walk. We walk around the whole neighborhood community which consist of about two and a half miles round trip. We see and talk to neighbors we know and wave at the ones we do not know. Everyone around here seems friendly.

We were about halfway through our walk, when we heard a neighbor, that we have never met yell, "Hey do you guys eat tomatoes? We turned around and walked toward their yard. "Sure we do, we love tomatoes". That's when the young boy turned to his wife as she was unloading her car. She pulled out 25 lbs of red juicy tomatoes from Hillside Hydro Co. "Well, y'all can have these", he said. The neighbor also suggested that we can leave them there until we finish our walk and just come back with the car to pick them up later. Nick said, "Oh it's fine, we can carry them home. Thank you so much!"

So we took turns hauling a 25 lbs. box of tomatoes home. We were about a mile from the house.
Boy was that a workout!!!
I have to say the tomato haul was worth it.

We only had to throw out a couple bad ones that had been smashed. We gave away a few to my parents and a few to our next door neighbors. I think everyone had a tomato sandwich that night.

Of course we had to have a good ole tomato sandwich too. I also made a jar of Pico De Gayo. This is one of our favorite Mexican sides. Made with onions, tomato, cilantro and lime juice, It goes great with so many dishes.

I also made a Tomato Pie. I had reached out to my facebook friends for a good recipe. My best friend Anne was the first to respond with an easy recipe. I ran with it.

This was the first time making a tomato pie and it was delicious.
The recipe is originally from Bush-N-Vine Farms.

I made it according to the directions, but instead of dicing the tomatoes, I sliced them.

It was delicious and rich with flavor. I will be making this again for sure. It’s a great way to use up an overrun of tomatoes.
We still have a lot of tomatoes left, but the way we have been eating them, they will not last much longer.

Note: I may have had a few fried green tomatoes too. So yummy.

Air Fryer Veggies

I'm a little behind on my blogging. I have been pretty busy though. Every afternoon it seems there is something to do. We go for our walk if it’s not raining. I have been filling some crochet orders. This means trips to Hobby Lobby. I love going there so when someone asks me to crochet something for them in a color I do not have, I’m like “yes!” I need to go to Hobby Lobby. Then I'm in there for 30 minutes just to pick up a roll a yarn.

Ha.

Now that I'm finally settled down, I want to share with you some veggie recipes that I've made in my new air fryer. I have used it every day since I got it. Everyone asks me what kind of air fryer I got. It is a 5 qt.“Gourmia digital air fryer”. It was a sweet gift from my daughters boyfriend. Yep he's a charmer.

Since I have been eating healthier, fried foods is something I have stayed away from. But now I can enjoy the taste of fried foods without actually frying them. We usually cook anything we want to be crispy on a baking sheet and place in the oven. The oven takes 10 minutes to preheat, and baking something for 20 minutes can heat a kitchen up therefore keeping the air condition running during the Summer. We usually take it to the grill at that point but sometimes that's a hassle. Now I have this cool little cooking vessel that will cook just about anything an oven or microwave will cook without using oil and in just half the time. 

Here are a few veggie sides that I have made so far. 

Enjoy.

Zucchini Fries (rolled in pork skin).

Wash and cut zucchini. Roll in egg and milk mixture and toss in 

crushed pork skins as you would bread crumbs. 

Spray with olive oil.

Cook 400 degrees for 15 minutes.

Frozen Veggie Tots

Open bag pour into fryer. 

Cook 400 degrees for 10 minutes. Shake to toss half way through.

Chick Peas

Drain can of chick peas. Pat dry and pour into air fryer. 

Season to taste (I just added a little salt and pepper).

Cook 400 degrees for 15 minutes. 

*These turned out like crunchy nuts and made a great healthy snack. 

Frozen Broccoli

Open bag and pour into air fryer. Season to taste.

Cook 400 for 15 minutes.

2 Ingredient Bagels

(I know this is not a veggie, but too cool not to share)

Make a dough using 1/2 cup Greek yogurt and 1/2 cup Self rising flour.

Shape into bagels. Brush with egg wash.

Cook 350 for 15 minutes. 

I prefer fresh or frozen veggies over the breaded veggies but I really wanted to try those tots. We also did okra and sweet potato chips. 

Here are some tips to remember.

If using frozen foods there is no need to spray with oil.

If using fresh or canned you should spray with cooking spray. 

I have yet to cook any meats in the air fryer but you can actually cook a whole turkey breast or chicken in this thing!

Do you own an air fryer? If so, what are some of your favorite things to make in it?

Potato Crab Cakes- Nutrisystem

It's been a while since I posted a recipe using Nutrisystem foods. If you follow me, you know my success with Nutrisystem. You can also read my journey by clicking the tab at the top of my page or if your reading by smart phone, just click HERE.

I have been on Nutrisystem over four years now. The past two years I have been on the maintenance plan. This is where I eat a lot of foods on my own but still keep Nutrisystem foods at hand. I still have a least one Nutrisystem meal a day. I like it that much. It tastes good. It's convenient and I know I'm eating something that's good for me. Taking what I've learned about healthy eating habits and balancing my diet, I have been able to keep the weight off and I feel great!

People often ask me if I ever get tired of eating Nutrisystem foods. I say "not really". Why? because Nutrisystem is always adding new meals to their menu and they have a large variety of different foods. Also, I like to play around with some of the foods and make my own recipe.

Today I want to share with you this delicious recipe using Nutrisystem's loaded potato.

*Makes 4 patties (photo shows 3 because one was tested first).

**counts as one meal plus one power fuel.

Potato Crab Cakes

1- Nutrisystem loaded potato (cooked as directed).

1/4 cup- mix of finely chopped onions and peppers.

1- Snack pack imitation crab meat (about 1/2 cup) finely chopped .

-Saute' the onions and peppers until soft and add all ingredients together.

-Mix well then form into 4 small patties.

-Cook in a non stick pan or use cooking spray ( I use both because I have trust issues in the kitchen).

 cook until browned on both sides.

I experimented and made a dipping sauce (since I did not have any tarter sauce) and it turned out perfect. My husband even gave it two thumbs up.

1- Tablespoon of mayonnaise.
1/2 -Tablespoon horseradish.

Sprinkle of dill weed.

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

I lost 50 lbs on Nutrisystem in just 8 months. 

Start your weight loss journey today. "If I can do it, you can do it".

Click HERE for 40% off your first order.

Expect to lose 1-2 lbs per week.  

Christmas Goodies

This is the only time of year I will spend hours in the kitchen baking cookies, cakes, candy and fudge.

This is the first year I have made sugar cookies. For some reason I have always felt it was a hard task. (or maybe I thought I might like it). I have put it off long enough. I usually always make pecan butter cookies or Biscotti. Not this year. I tried all new recipes that I have never attempted.

Sorry no photo of the sugar cookies yet because technically it’s only 8:00 in the morning and I haven't made them yet. I wanted to get my post out before I start with all of my Christmas Eve festivities. 

I made a batch of Italian Canestrelli cookies. They turned out delicious! The slight taste of lemon and powder sugar, set these cookies away from the typical butter cookie.
Since I have an Italian husband, It's always fun to throw in a special Italian recipe in the mix.

Recipe

I'll never be able to compete with my mom or the little Italian grandmother that once held this green handled rolling pin. But its always fun to take a shot at it.

I have been wanting to try out my extra large muffin pan so I made a dozen apple muffins. I did not have any large muffin cup liners so I made my own using parchment paper. They looked like they were right out of the bakery. Dontcha think? I ended up eating one and giving the rest away. I may make some more of these later. My dad has requested some. I can't say no to daddy.

Recipe and liner instructions

I also made some shortbread cookies. These were the easiest ever! With just three ingredients they turned out great. Perfect with morning coffee. 

Did I say "only three ingredients"?

Recipe

Then there was the Fudge. I have an easy fudge recipe, but when I saw the award winning peanut butter fudge recipe over at Andrea's blog, I had to give that one a try. I love peanut butter fudge and when she mentioned it could be made in the microwave, I was sold! Mine did not turn out as pretty as hers but it was still delicious! Thanks Andrea.

Recipe

Today we will make a trip to a few neighbors and hand out boxes of homemade goodies. Later we will head over to mom and dads for some family time with dinner pickups and gifts for the kids. 

Before I close, I want to show you this darling Christmas ball that my favorite friend made me. The movie “Die Hard” is one of my favorite Christmas movies....Ok not really, but it is the most exciting Christmas movie....Ok maybe technically I should call it a Holiday Movie....

Anyway, she made me a Christmas ball that represents one of the main phrases in the movie. You have to see the movie to understand. 

I love it. Thank you Anne!!!

Yall please remember the true meaning of Christmas. 

Jesus is the best gift of all.

I WISH YOU ALL A MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!