Caramels

Have you ever eaten homemade caramels made with real butter and heavy cream? Then you know how good caramels can really be.

Caramel Candy Recipes...

And... They are among the easiest of candies to make.

Pans for caramels should be lightly buttered.

If you forget to do this you will have real trouble trying to get them out.

But all need not be lost! Heat the bottom of the pan slightly over a stove burner and you will be able to turn them out.

Caramels keep well - preferably in a cool place as with all candy - and taste even better the second or third day than the first.

But like any homemade candy without preservatives, they are best eaten while comparatively fresh.

Our favorite recipe of the ones that follow is the cream caramel but we think the milk caramel an unusually good inexpensive candy.

The secret of quick caramels is a simple one. The sugar and syrup are cooked to a very high tempera­ture before adding the butter, milk and cream, which are then added bit by bit and bubble up and evapo­rate quickly.

The caramels taste better cooked this way because long cooking of milk or cream tends to toughen candy and often causes curdling. If evapo­rated milk is used this method is not necessary be­cause half the moisture has been removed from the milk already and it will cook quickly anyway.

Enjoy - DT

20 Ways to Add Personality and Punch to Your Cooking!
Joi Sigers
122f Let's get right to it!

1. Add Sour Cream to your mashed potatoes.

2. After icing your cinnamon rolls, dust the tops lightly with cinnamon.

3. Always use special napkins - use seasonally-appropriate patterns and colors. If your family has a favorite sports team, serve their colors on the days they're playing. If you are NASCAR fans, by all means, go with your driver's colors on race day!

4. Never underestimate the elegance of candles. They set the mood and add mood to your setting.

5. Use freshly-grated Parmesan and leave the cans on the shelves.

6. Serve only coffee that has been freshly-ground and freshly-brewed. Top this coffee off with a dollop of whipped topping, and if you're really feeling high brow, fresh shavings from a block of chocolate.

7. Use REAL crumbled bacon on top of your salads and baked potatoes. Leave the plastic containers of wanna-be bacon bits on the shelves beside the Parmesan.

8. Speaking of salads, add crumbled feta cheese to your tossed salads. You'll never want salads without it again!

9. Never, ever, under any circumstances - make salsa without fresh cilantro. If your store is out, drive to the next store. If, three stores later, you still haven't found any cilantro, skip the idea of salsa all together! Yes, it's that important.

10. Add zip to your loaf of French Bread. Spray, or brush, the top of the loaf with olive oil. Then sprinkle on dried red pepper flakes and dried onion flakes. Bake as usual.

11. Get a rounded ice-cream scoop of ice cream, roll in crushed nuts and serve on top of a plate that's been swirled with caramel or chocolate syrup. Then squeeze more over the top.

12. Do the same as above, but use coconut in place of the crushed nuts. This time, place the balls of coconut-covered ice cream on top of slices of pound cake. Now, pour some pineapple bits, juice and all, on top of the servings.

13. Serving Italian food? Softly play Italian music in the background.

14. Invest in several sets of dishes, as many as your budget will allow. Match the mood of your meal you're serving with the mood of the dishes you'll be serving it on. For example, if you're serving seafood, either a Lighthouse dish pattern, or blue dishes would be perfect. Asian food is great on black or floral dishes. Hamburgers? Red, white and blue!

15. When making grilled cheese sandwiches, use a thin layer of cream cheese alongside your typical slice of cheddar. Serve with a knock-out salad or your favorite soup.

16. Set aside a Saturday for Candy making. Try out fudge, taffy and even molded candies. If you have someone in the kitchen with you, it's even funner. If not, at least you don't have to share your spoils!

17. Make a tradition out of trying a new, challenging bread recipe on the first Sunday of every month (or any day of your choice, of course!) Start out with the basic loaf, then move on to Sourdough, Wheat, Irish Bread, French Bread, Twisted Loaves, etc.

18. Place sprigs of parsley on special dishes. Your family will appreciate the extra-special thought and it looks really pretty!

19. Buy thick Texas Toast for making French Toast. Prior to dipping into the egg bath, cut a slit in each of the bread's corners, fill each with 1 Tablespoon of softened cream cheese. Prepare as you normally would. Serve with syrup, a dusting of powdered sugar and a few fresh, plump strawberries. Delicious!!!

20. When serving Refried Beans, warm a small amount of Sour Cream until it has the consistency of whipping cream. Top each serving of beans with a teaspoon of the sour cream and top with chives or diced green onions.

Remember: Cooking is an art, so get creative and have fun with it!

About the Author

This article, and others, can be found at /www.buttermilkpress.com target=_blank>http://www.buttermilkpress.com>http://www.buttermilkpress.com, as can recipes, cooking tips, products, and more. Feel free to contact the author at joi@buttermilkpress.com

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Thanks - Enjoy