Mix the first three ingredients together. Heat to 236 degrees on a candy thermometer, stirring constantly. Remove from heat. Add pecans and vanilla. Stir until mixture can no longer be stirred. Turn out on waxed paper and separate into small pieces with the fingers. This must be done quickly. Makes a little less than a pound.
1.Melt margarine in a large saucepan. Blend in peanut butter. Add crumbs, and stir until well mixed. Add sugar, and blend well.
2. Pat into a buttered 13x9x
2.pan. Pat down well. Melt chocolate chips in microwave and spread over base mixture. Chill in refrigerator for about 1 hour. Cut into squares. Does not have to be refrigerated. My notes: This was given to me by Mable Kirk who was the cafeteria manager at the first school I taught at. She used the "government surplus" peanut butter and this was a favorite with the kids. I have made this a couple of times for David using soy butter instead of peanut butter. The taste isn't quite the same, but it's a good substitute....since David thinks the way I do...there is nothing more comforting than a Reese's Cup when you're having a bad day.....
I only use Nestle's chocolate chips. Store brand sometimes uses peanut oil as an emulsifier. Be sure to read the label to make sure the chips aren't processed "on the same equipment that processes nut products" if you're trying to avoid an allergic reaction. Nestle's is safe.....so far.....
I purchase the already-made graham cracker crumbs. they're pulverised exactly as needed and they cost no more than regular graham crackers and then you have to do the crushing thing.
Mix first 8 ingredients in large glass pitcher; stir until > well blended. Refrigerate 2 hours to allow flavors to blend. > (Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated.) > >
Fill 8 tall glasses with ice cubes. Pour punch over. Garnish > each glass with orange slice and serve. >
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In medium bowl, mix buter or margarine, > flower and chopped nuts. Press into 9x13-inch pan. Bake at 350 for 20 > minutes. Cool completely. > In medium bowl, combine softened cream cheese and confectioners sugar; beat > until smooth, then spread over cooled crust. (Hint: Use a food processor > to mix this to creamy perfection in no time flat.) > In large bowl, combine pudding mixes with milk. Beat until smooth, and > spread over cream cheese layer. > Spread whipped topping over pudding layer. If desired, sprinkle with nuts > or chocolate shavings. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Makes 24 > servings. > Food Facts > >
DOES PEEKING DEFLATE A SOUFFLE?: Baking souffles is not a perilous > enterprise. Put a room-temperature souffle mix in a hot oven and it will > rise. Don't worry about opening the oven door. The mix can't fall unless it > actually begins to cool down, and even if that did happen, it will rise > again when it heats up again. > >
THE SEARING QUESTION: Despite what many believe, searing meat does not seal > in the juices. The crust that forms around the surface of the meat is not > waterproof. But searing does flavor the meat surface deliciously with > products of the browning reactions. > >
HOW TO BUY FRESH FISH: Fresh fish smells like sea salt or crushed green > leaves, and only slightly fishy. With whole fish, the skin should be glossy > and taut. The eyes should be bright, black and convex. > >
HOW ACIDS AND SALT TRANSFORM EGGS: There's no truth to the common saying > that acidity and salt ``toughen'' egg proteins. Acids and salt make eggs > thicken and coagulate at a lower cooking temperature but actually produce a > more tender texture. Cooks have known this for a long time. In Morocco, > Paula Wolfert found that eggs are often beaten with lemon juice before long > cooking to prevent them from becoming leathery; and Claudia Roden gives an > Arab recipe for scrambled eggs made unusually creamy with vinegar. > >
A TRICK WITH BEAN CURD: Freeze tofu, then thaw it and press out the water. > The result is a spongy network that is ready to absorb flavorful cooking > liquids, and has a chewier, meatier texture than ordinary tofu. > >
GREEN CARROTS AND BLUE WALNUTS?: Sometimes the solid ingredients folded into > bread and muffin batters turn disconcerting colors; blueberries, carrots and > sunflower seeds may go green and walnuts blue. This happens when the mix > contains too much baking soda or when the soda isn't evenly mixed in the > batter, so that there are > concentrated alkaline pockets. > >
NOT ALL MILK CHOCOLATE TASTES THE SAME: Milk chocolates made in Europe, > England and the United States have traditionally had distinct flavors. In > Continental Europe, milk chocolate is made using dried whole milk powder, > which has a relatively fresh milk flavor. In England, the common process > uses liquid milk and sugar, which is > concentrated then dried. The result is a cooked-milk, caramelized flavor. > And in the United States, manufacturers use enzymes that create a slight > note of rancidity, which blends well with chocolate flavor. > >
THE STORY BEHIND USDA BEEF GRADES: The system was conceived during the > agricultural recession in the early 1920s by cattlemen in the Midwest and > East who wanted to boost demand for their purebred, fat, corn-fed animals at > the expense of lean dairy and ``scrub'' cattle. > > The group set out to convince the country that meat was made tender and > flavorful only by the presence of plenty of fat. A well-placed breeder > personally tutored the secretary of agriculture, who soon offered to begin > free quality grading based on the amount of visible fat marbling. U.S. > ``Prime'' beef was born in 1927. And the United > States became one of only three countries -- the others being Japan and > Korea -- to make fat content a major criterion for meat quality. > > A few years later, government-funded studies found that heavy marbling does > not guarantee either tender or flavorful beef. Despite the prestige of prime > beef, the current consensus among meat scientists is that fat marbling > accounts for no more than a third of the variation in overall tenderness, > juiciness and flavor of cooked beef. The other important factors include > breed, exercise and feed, animal age, conditions during slaughter, extent of > post-slaughter aging and storage conditions before sale. > >
DOES GELATIN STRENGTHEN NAILS AND HAIR?: There is no good evidence that it > does. Nails and hair are made of a protein called keratin, and gelatin has > no advantage over other protein sources in supplying building blocks for > keratin production. > >
HOW TO MINIMIZE CRACKS IN CHEESECAKES > > Cheesecakes crack because the mixture expands and rises during cooking, then > shrinks and falls as it cools. To minimize: > > * Beat ingredients slowly, gently and only long enough to mix. > > * Bake slowly in a low oven. > > * Don't overbake. > > * Let cheesecake cool gradually in the open oven.