the waffler

mrs. pike is a good gift giver. during our time together, i've received some incredible gifts: a comfortable sleeping bag, a state-of-the-art croquet set and a sophisticated work backpack. these gifts are the kind that keep on giving. but this year's father's day gift may have topped them all.

mrs. pike and little girl asked me to open the gift saturday night, making me wonder all the more what the 15'' by 20'' brown amazon box carried. to my utter delight and surprise, the box contained a belgian waffle maker (referred to hereafter as the "waffler").

i love waffles. waffle crisp is my favorite cereal. i couldn't believe that mrs. pike had done it again - picking yet another gift that's bound to bless our family for generations (the device has a three-year warranty).

father's day breakfast was amazing.

while mrs. pike and i were cleaning up the kitchen, she asked me where i thought we should store the waffler. "under my pillow" i said.

thank you mrs. pike and little girl.

holiday treats -- the finale

to finish up my holiday baking, i was craving a yummy gingerbread. all those spices with a little molasses seem to sum up the holidays best. and i couldn't resist trying martha stewart's white chocolate-gingerbread blondies -- a twist on the traditional gingerbread treat.

these blondie bars are easy to make and delicious! (i used white chocolate chips that i chopped up a little -- since i had them on hand.) just watch your oven so you don't overbake. i had to take mine out a little early.

enjoy! and have a very merry holiday season!

holiday treats -- third installment

two treats i look forward to most during the christmas season are my grandma's caramels and judy's english toffee. and since we're not heading to my parents for the holidays, i just had to make some of these treats for mr. pike and me. (baby girl drools over them!)

i wasn't disappointed at my efforts! both hit the holiday sweet spot! and in the spirit of the holidays, i'll share the recipes! (you'll need a good candy thermometer for these recipes!)

grandma's caramels
2 c. white sugar
1 c. corn syrup
1/4 lb. butter (1 stick)
2 c. whipping cream, divided
2 t. vanilla

In a heavy sauce pan, combine sugar, corn syrup, butter, and 1/4 c. of whipping cream. Boil 5 minutes and stir constantly. Add 1/4 c. whipping cream and boil for another 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, add another 1/4 c. whipping cream, boil 5 minutes, and continue to do this until all cream is added.

Continue to boil until the caramel mixture reaches medium ball stage. Your mixture will be a dark caramel color. Add vanilla. (You can also test your caramel mixture by dropping a bit in a glass of cold water. If the caramel forms a ball, it's ready.)

Pour mixture into a buttered pan. Top with nuts if desire. Let cool for several hours. (I lined my pan with buttered tin foil, so I could pull the caramel out easy. Then pull off the foil and cut. I cut with a pizza cutter.)


english toffee
2 1/2 sticks of butter
2 1/4 c. sugar
1 t. salt
1/2 c. water
1 1/2 c. ground almonds
a bag of chocolate chips

Boil butter, sugar, salt, and water. Stir constantly. Continue to boil until mixture reaches 280-300 degrees. Pour into a buttered cookie sheet (with edges). Pour chocolate chips on mixture right away. Spread out until smooth. Top with ground almonds. Let cool for several hours. Break into pieces.

holiday treats -- two

the snow has stopped. the sun is out. but the cold has settled in. i woke up this morning knowing it was going to be cold outside -- around 9 degrees, feels like -9 degrees with the windchill -- but i didn't expect to see my kitchen windows iced over. (with the ice on the inside of the windows!)

now, don't worry! we've got very good heating. so, baby girl and i are not freezing. but we are staying indoors. and making treats for my friends' holiday cookie party tomorrow.

now two days ago, i was itching to make a holiday treat. and it may be a couple weeks passed its season, but i made martha stewart's pumpkin cookies with brown-butter icing.


the first dozen mr. pike and i ate without frosting (since i hadn't made it yet). the cookie is moist and cakey. the flavor of the pumpkin mixed with cinnamon, ginger, and freshly grated nutmeg will send you to heaven. it is so delicious!

once we frosted the cookies, it really tempered our eating! the icing is so good and oh, so rich! it takes these delectable cookies to almost sinful! i topped some of our cookies with chopped walnuts.

these pumpkin treats are worth adding to your holiday fare. (and if you prefer your pumpkin at thanksgiving, don't forget to make these then!)

holiday treats -- first installment

i am all about holiday treats this year. i want to make them, buy them, eat them. i'm not all greedy though, mr. pike and i do have intentions to give some away.

the holidays seem like the perfect time to make all those decadent recipes i know better than to make through out the year. the ones that you know will add an extra 20 pounds to your figure, sure to give you a few extra cavities -- but, oh, how heavenly they taste! and now i have an excuse to indulge, without feeling too guilty! 'tis the season, right?!

there are so many delicious treats i want to share, i know that this will be the first of several entries over the next few weeks. my first picks! from trader joe's.

CHOCOLATE HAZELNUT DELIGHTS
i love chocolate and i love hazelnuts. mr. pike and i brought a box of these to my sister's home at thanksgiving. and it was really hard for us to not eat them all in one sitting! so delicious. only $3.99 for 7.05 oz.



CANDY CANE JOE JOE'S
they may look like oreos but they taste so much better. the center creme is filled with crushed candy canes, giving the cookie just the right amount of peppermint flavor. they are so good, mr. pike and i finished off the box in just a few days. (they're on my grocery list for this week, too!) we love these treats with a cup of cocoa or glass of milk. i can't remember how much a box is, but they're worth it. and you can only get candy cane joe joe's this time of year -- so enjoy them while you can!