galumph

The Word of the Day from m-w.com

galumph - to move with a clumsy heavy tread

Where has this word been all my life?

Christmas Time = Caramel Time

I made my first batch last night. Yummy, yummy, yummy. Tell me again why winter is not the best season ever?

PS don't be intimidated by the notes. I just wanted to make sure you had all the information you needed to make your first batch of caramels a success.

Caramels

4 c sugar

4 c corn syrup

2 cubes butter

1 pint heavy whipping cream

1 can evaporated milk

1 tbsp vanilla

Put sugar and corn syrup in a pot. Cook on medium until it comes to a good, hard boil. Add first stick of butter and let it completely melt. Add second stick of butter and let it completely melt. Alternately add cream and milk (four or five times). Clip on candy thermometer and cook until 238 degrees. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla.

Pour into buttered cookie sheet. Let cool. Turn out onto buttered cutting board and cut into delicious, eatable pieces.

NOTES:

I always butter my cookie sheet either before I do anything else, or while the sugar and corn syrup are trying to get hot enough to boil. My method usually involves tearing half of the paper off a stick of butter and then, using the wrapper that is still there has a handle, slathering it on. More butter is always a good idea. You will hate your life if your caramel sticks to your cookies sheet.You can also use this same butter to butter up your knives before you cut the caramel to pieces.

Make sure you use real butter. Margarine just doesn’t work.

I stir with a wooden spoon. Some people say you need to stir constantly while the mixture is getting up to temperature (after everything is added except the vanilla). I don't. Though I do increase my stirring as the temperature rises.

Make sure you use a tall pot. The candy boils up pretty high. It is also important to have a thick pot. The candy burns easily. I use a pressure cooker. Thick and tall.

You can cook the sugar and corn syrup at a higher temperature. I don’t. It takes longer but it is safer. You can also leave the temperature on medium, but it is far more likely that your caramel will burn. So I start on medium and then turn the burner down to medium low. I’d rather take a little longer to get to delicious caramel than go super fast to burned caramel.

Sugar boils differently than water. It boils slower, but there will be lots and lots of bubbles and they will build on each other. That is a good, hard boil in sugar terms.

When you are turning out the caramel, you need to be committed. If you tip it, and you have buttered it well enough, the caramel will start sliding and bunching. Yay! for not sticking. Sad face for bunched up, smashed caramel. Ready, set, flip!

It took me four and a half hours to do the whole process, from putting the sugar in the pot to wrapping up the last caramel in wax paper, including the cooling time. (I did run to the store for bread, heat up dinner, eat dinner, do dishes, and a few other things during different parts of the process. Don't feel like you will be chained to the stove for four hours, cause you won't be.)

Enlist people to help with the cutting and the wrapping of the caramels. Your life will be so much happier. Promise.

I have no idea exactly how many it makes. With the size pieces I made (most people eat them in two to three bites), I got at least 200. Maybe even closer to 300.

Birthday Love

1. Princess birthday cake
2. Time off work
3. My favorite dinner with my favorite fam
4. Almost twinners sis-in-law ( i am older by one day )
5. Whew! Made it through one more year. Yes, I'm awesome!

Names

My name is Megan. My nickname is Peggy. (Megan - Pegan - Peg - Peggy)
My sister's name is Chelsey. Her nickname is Kelly. (Chelsey - Shelsey - Shelly - Kelly)

Why? Cause we like doing it old school. If your name was Mary 200 years ago, probably those who knew you best would call you Polly. Yes, Polly. If your name was Robert, there is a good chance you would have been known as Dobbin. Don't worry. It makes sense.

Signing off - Peggy

F

The first letter in my future husband's name, according to the delicious apple I ate today.

Frederic
Francis
Favio

It is rather a good thing that most people do not rely on the prophetic abilities of apple stems. Anybody with a name beginning with letters 11-26 would be out of luck.

December Love

1. Snow
2. Twinkling lights, snowflakes, hot chocolate, smiles
3. Winter smell
4. Under blanket, next to fire reading
5. Remembering what it is all about