I realize that I’m a few days late for writing a post about an easy party snack that takes very little effort, is tremendously delicious, and is great for sharing since it is HIGHLY addictive and calorie-dense. My bad.

But lucky for us, there are more reasons to celebrate and indulge coming right up. Valentines Day! The Olympics! Saturday!

If you don’t have a good roasted nut recipe in your arsenal, this is an excellent candidate. I’ve previously relied quite heavily on these little gems, but I’m glad to now have another that doesn’t scream “HOLIDAYS!” quite so loudly. You can use any mix of nuts you like: I had planned to only use cashews and tossed in pecans on a whim, but I now think I like the pecans even more than the cashews.

This is pretty simple stuff: preheat oven, mix the nuts with some goop, try not to burn them in the oven. In fact that last part might be the most challenging. I dropped the temp of the oven from the original recipe because I (gasp) burned the crap out of my first batch. Pecans are especially susceptible to burning, so keep a sharp eye.

The result is a pile of shiny, glazed pecans and cashews that is a pleasant, slightly savory departure from your average honey-roasted fare. Best of luck keeping them around for very long.

Savory Honey-Glazed Nuts
Adapted from Joy the Baker Cookbook

1 c roasted & salted cashews
1 c raw pecan halves
1/4 c honey
1 T Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 tsp ground yellow mustard
a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper
salt

Preheat oven to 300°F. In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together honey, Worcestershire sauce, and mustard. Add nuts and mix well until all nuts are coated. Spread nuts out on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Add a few cranks of freshly ground black pepper.

Bake for 10 minutes, then stir the nuts, then bake for another 10 minutes. Remove nuts from the oven and immediately sprinkle lightly with salt. Allow the nuts to cool completely. Once you store them, the nuts will stick together slightly, but shouldn’t be sticky on your fingers.

This dish came out of one such rooting. An excess of white rice, leftover almonds from my holiday toffee-making, a can of water chestnuts, and chicken and peas from the freezer, seemingly disparate parts, became something great together as this Almond Chicken. With the addition of a green onion and a bit of sherry and soy sauce, it’s a quick meal that requires only a few minutes of stir-frying and a fluffy bed of rice.

I know that January, for many people, is synonymous with cleansing diets and post-holiday de-cluttering. For me I’ve added in the goal to focus on using up foods from my pantry. My tendency, especially since starting this blog, is never to make the same thing twice so I always have something new to share with you, which sometimes causes me to abandon my dry goods for excesses of fresh produce or obscure ingredients.

This dish, if anything, has reminded me that there’s a lot of good stuff hiding out in my narrow kitchen cabinet. With a little planning and creative thinking those random ends-of-this and half-packs-of-that can come together for a dish that is filling, flavorful, and new.

Almond Chicken
Adapted from Appetite for China

Serves 3-4

3 T canola or vegetable oil
12 oz skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into 1″ pieces
1 egg white
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp cornstarch
8 oz container sliced water chestnuts, drained
1/2 c frozen or fresh peas
1 scallion, chopped
1 c whole almonds
3 T soy sauce
2 T cooking sherry

Heat vegetable oil in a large frying pan or wok over medium heat. Chop chicken into one-inch pieces and combine in a bowl with the egg white, salt, and cornstarch. Mix well with a fork and set aside. Chop the scallion, drain the water chestnuts, and measure out the almonds, peas, soy sauce, and sherry: the meal cooks quickly once you begin.

Dump chicken pieces into the hot oil and sauté until it begins turning golden brown on the outside and the chicken is barely white all the way through. Add water chestnuts and sauté for another 2-3 minutes. Add peas, scallion, almonds, soy sauce, and sherry and cook, mixing often, for another 2-3 minutes.

Serve over steamed rice.

To kick off my favorite season here at 30 Pounds of Apples, I have something for you. I was trying to wait. I thought these would be good to share right when you are planning treats for Halloween parties. Maybe around Thanksgiving Or do I dare wait until the holiday season?

But they’re too good. I simply couldn’t wait to share this secret with you, because it will change your world. At least, it will change your world if you have pecans on hand and a deep or even moderate love of those tasty nuts that cost $10 a cone at any given festival or county fair. I’m here to report that you may never buy those again. Why?

Because you can make them yourself! And they are dangerously, frighteningly easy.

I must confess, I had never considered making these little gems myself until I started pulling together recipes for this little wedding cake project I’m working on. I sort of expected them to be a challenge. After all, the first few recipes I ran across involved oil and frying and a precise level of humidity. Yikes. It seemed like a difficult process. But this particular recipe involves none of those pesky hurdles.

Pecans are first tossed in a little mixture of egg white, water, and vanilla. They just need a little bath so the really good stuff can stick to them.

The good stuff being sugar and spice (don’t pretend you didn’t just say “and everything nice” in your head).

Once the pecans are thoroughly coated in the sugar and spice (you did it again), they’re in for a quick ride in the oven.

And suddenly, magic. You should, of course, allow these to cool about after they come out of the oven, but you truly must try some while they are still warm. After that, they will make fantastic party snacks and beautiful gifts. And you can keep them for up to two weeks before they start to soften! But I can offer a 99% guarantee that they won’t last that long.

Sugar ‘n’ Spiced Pecans

Adapted from Simply Recipes

1/2 c granulated sugar
3/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp ground nutmeg
1 egg white
1 T water
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 c pecan halves

Preheat oven to 300ºF and line a large cookie sheet with aluminum foil. Lightly grease aluminum foil with cooking spray or canola oil.

In a medium bowl, combine sugar, salt, cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg and mix well. In a separate, smaller bowl, whisk together egg white, water, and vanilla extract until it become foamy, about 2-3 minutes. Add pecans to the egg white mixture and toss until all pecans are coated. Using a slotted spoon, lift coated pecans into the sugar mixture. Use a fork to gently stir the pecans into the sugar mixture until all pecans are coated. Be careful not to over mix or the sugar will begin to flake off of the pecans.

Spread pecans evenly over the lined cookie sheet and bake for 15 minutes. Mix and turn pecans with a fork and bake for an additional 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. You may have to break apart some of the pecans, as they may be stuck together with additional sugar.

Store pecans in an airtight container for up to two weeks. After that point, they will begin to soften.

This morning, we’re here to talk about breakfast.

Most of the other breakfast-y treats I’ve posted here are warm, savory treats: they tend to revolve around potatoes, eggs, or bacon. You might assume that I eat these hearty country breakfasts every day, when in truth, breakfast is usually more of a poached egg and apple sort of affair.

But maybe there’s a happy medium. Something hearty and tasty, but quick enough to pack before I run out the door in the morning. How about some homemade granola?

This granola is not boring. This granola is not bland. This granola is full of oats and almonds and coconut, all toasted together on an ugly old cookie sheet.

Okay, the cookie sheet doesn’t have to be ugly. Mine are just ugly. Nothing a little parchment paper won’t fix!

Once this oat-y mixture is toasted, it’s actually pretty delicious all on its own. But let’s add some extra pizazz.

Hearty portions of dried cranberries and golden raisins compliment the crunchy oats and almonds nicely. And to sweeten the whole mess up, an even split of brown sugar and honey. The honey gives the granola the ability to clump up a bit, and the brown sugar adds a slighty gritty-but-pleasant texture. You can regular honey, but I use my favorite from a honey factory in my hometown. Amaretto whipped honey Yes, please.

After a good strong stir, the whole mass of granola gets tossed in a cake pan lined with waxed paper for a ride in the oven. Don’t skip the waxed paper… it will prevent your granola from sticking firmly to the bottom of the cake pan. I learned that one the hard way… trust me.

While it bakes, make sure you toss it around a bit so that every little clump gets nice and toasty brown. After about 30 minutes in the oven and a couple hours to cool, this stuff is ready for storage. Like any cereal, it will start to soften as it absorbs moisture from the air if kept at room temperature. However, it stays nice and crisp in the freezer. A freezer bag or large airtight container works just fine.

Then you’re set! Serve this up like cereal with some milk or stir it into your favorite yogurt. Breakfast delight!

Honey & Almond Granola
Adapted liberally from Smitten Kitchen

Note: The original source recipe is for granola bars. I tried them as bars the first time and found they were quite brittle and didn’t hold their shape very well, not to mention that they were very difficult to cut. If you do try this as a bar instead of loose granola, I’d love to hear about your attempts.

2 c rolled oats
1 c sliced almonds
1 c shredded unsweetened coconut
1/2 c wheat germ
1/3 c honey
1/3 c brown sugar
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c dried cranberries
3/4 c golden raisins

Preheat oven to 350 °F. Line a large cookie sheet with parchment paper. On the cookie sheet, mix together the oats, almonds, and coconut and spread evenly across the pan. Place cookie sheet in the oven and toast oat mixture for 12-15 minutes or until coconut is starting to turn golden brown.While mixture is toasting, line a 13″x9″ cake pan with waxed paper.

Reduce oven heat to 300 °F. Remove cookie sheet from the oven and pour oat mixture into a large mixing bowl. Add all remaining ingredients and mix well with a wooden spoon. Pour granola into the lined cake pan and spread out evenly and loosely. Bake for 30 minutes or until granola is golden brown, stirring every 6-8 minutes.

Remove from the oven and allow to cool to room temperature. Store in an airtight container in the freezer to keep it crunchy! You can also store it in the pantry, but it will lose its crunch after a week or so. Serve alone, with milk, or with yogurt.

My, summer has gone quickly, hasn’t it?

While most of my friends sense summer only through the seasonal changes, my university job means the seasons are still distinctively marked by the ends and beginning of semesters. It seems so recent that I was fighting graduation traffic on campus, sending Brad off on an internship, and excitedly making a list of all the recipes, garden projects, canning extravaganzas, and social outings I’d surely have time for in the balmy months of summer.

But here we are, at the beginning of August. Aaaaaaand the list is still really long. Is it possible that it’s longer?

It is. Probably because I keep ignoring the recipes I have on my list to make because I get cravings to make something out of left field. Like this.

I told you a few months ago about the shocking realization that I love turkey salad, so one day when I didn’t feel like cooking but felt like eating something tasty and new, I decided to try a version with chicken, instead. Crunchy little nuts & veggies, chewy golden raisins, and a healthy heap of rosemary make this salad quite a treat.

But most importantly, it’s a quick, filling dinner full of flavor and crunch, for these hot summer evenings when the temperatures are high and the lists are long. School is starting soon – it’s time to get busy and check things off!

Rosemary Cashew Chicken Salad

1 1/2 cooked chicken breast, chopped
3/4 c salted cashews, roughly chopped
1/2 c golden raisins
1/2 c celery, chopped
1/2 c red onion, diced
1/3 c mayonnaise
1 tsp ground rosemary
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp dijon mustard (optional)

If you’re starting with raw chicken breast, trim of fat and cook to your liking. I rub black pepper and seasoned salt into mine and pan sear it until cooked through. Once chicken is cooked, allow to cool for 10 minutes before chopping into cubes.

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl and mix well. Adjust seasoning to taste if desired. Serve with crackers or, if you prefer, on a sandwich.

Simple, savory
And makes enough for lunches:
My kind of dinner

Rice dressed to the nines
Wearing herbs, mushrooms, and nuts
To complete the look

Rice cooks in water
The rest sautés in a pan
Waiting to meet up

Suddenly, dinner!
Full of texture and flavor
Quite worth repeating

Rosemary Wild Rice with Mushrooms & Cashews
Adapted from All Recipes

Makes about 4 cups

1 c wild rice
1 3/4 c chicken stock
1-2 tsp olive oil
1/2 c onion, chopped
1 c mushrooms, chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T rosemary, chopped
1 c cashews, roughly chopped
salt & pepper to taste

In a medium sauce pan, combine chicken stock and rice over medium heat. Once liquid begins to boil, stir once, cover, and reduce heat to low. Simmer for 15 minutes.

While the rice cooks, heat oil in a large frying pan over medium heat. Add onion and sauté until lightly caramelized. Add mushrooms, garlic, and rosemary and sauté for 3-4 minutes or until mushrooms soften. Add cashews and sauté for 2-3 more minutes.

Once the rice is cooked, remove from heat and fluff with a fork (there may still be a bit of liquid in the bottom of the pan, and this is fine). Add rice and any remaining liquid to the frying pan and combine with mushroom mixture. Stirring often, sauté for 2-3 more minutes.

Remove to serving bowl. Excellent as a side or even as an entrée.

For the last couple of weeks, my Google Reader has been buzzing with “game day” recipes. Game day party decorations. And game day craft projects (which seems a bit bizarre, don’t you think?), all in preparation that un-official American holiday: the Super Bowl!

I must confess, (braces for judgement) I’ve never really watched the Super Bowl. Neither of my parents were ever particularly big sports fan, and more often than not, we would go skiing or see a movie on Super Bowl Sunday to take advantage of empty slopes and matinee tickets. In fact, I was in college before I sat down to watch my first Super Bowl work on a paper in the corner at my dorm’s game day party.

But the food, the food! Such a celebratory spread of mind-bendingly delicious snack food I’ve never seen! Wings and ranch and chips and dips and cookies and sodas and crackers and cheeses and and and and… it’s an ode to snacking as much as it is to football. And I’m not a hater. If I could live on chips and salsa, I would totally do it.

But it’s pretty rare to see something green and fresh at a Super Bowl spread. Perhaps a veggie tray, accompanied by an obligatory bucket of dip, obviously. So I have a proposition for you: if you haven’t decided what to bring to your Super Bowl party of choice, make these.

These are warm and savory. These are crunchy and zippy. These are interactive and fun to eat. These are full of nuts and veggies and chicken and wrapped in a crisp leaf of lettuce.

Now wait! Don’t stop reading just because this is iceberg lettuce. I know, I know, iceberg lettuce isn’t winning any foodies’ choice awards these days. But it’s perfect for peeling apart, leaf by leaf, to form crisp shells that stay, cool, crunchy, and fresh despite the addition of the warm and saucy filling. Save the field greens (ha, football joke) for another day. (My god that was bad.)

Double this. Triple this. It will disappear even faster than the wings.

Chicken & Cashew Lettuce Cups
Adapted from Sierra, who adapted it from Real Simple

Serves 8 as an appetizer, 4 as a side, and 2-3 as an entrée

1/2 T canola oil
12 oz boneless skinless chicken, raw (or about 8 oz if using chicken that is already cooked)
1/2 tsp black pepper
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 T grated ginger (or 1 tsp ground ginger)
16 oz water chestnuts, drained and diced
3 T soy sauce
3 T honey
1/2 c roasted cashews, unsalted
1 bunch green onions, chopped
1 head iceberg lettuce

Remove outer layer of lettuce and discard. Working carefully, separate each leaf of lettuce from the head to form several “cups”. Store in the refrigerator until just before serving.

Cube chicken into bite size pieces. Mince garlic, grate ginger, and chop water chestnuts & green onions before you begin cooking. In a small dish, combine soy sauce and honey and mix well.

Heat oil in a large pan over medium heat until oil shimmers. Add chicken to pan and season with pepper. Cook just until browning begins. Stir in garlic & ginger and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in chestnuts and soy mixture. Stir fry until chicken is cooked through. Remove from heat. Add scallions and cashews and toss to mix well. Remove from pan to a serving bowl.

To serve, spoon chicken mixture into lettuce leaves and wrap leaves around mixture, forming a wrap of sorts.

January.

Generally quiet, cold, and frugal, it’s never been my favorite month. The anticipation of the holidays has passed, and the next break seems distant. But I’m still juuuuuuuuust close enough to December that I am still savoring the memories of a holiday baking project conducted in my parents’ kitchen.

Potica (pronounced po-tee-tza) is one of those recipes that my grandma made rarely but talked of often as a favorite family treat. It apparently is known by many names and varies dramatically depending on which eastern European recipe you happen to be following. To create this spiral nut bread, a sweet dough is rolled extremely thin and slathered with a mixture of butter, pecans, and sugar before it bakes into lovely loaves, fitting for a simple breakfast or a stunning gift.

It is, however, a lengthy process. Once the dough comes to just the right consistency, it must raise three times before it is rolled out thin enough to be translucent. Needless to say, it is a project perfect for a family ready to lend a helping hand.

I spend a lot of time cooking and baking on my own. And that’s normally the way I like it, especially when I am stopping to take photo after photo from various points in my kitchen. But it is lovely, too, to have these opportunities to tackle large projects with my family.

And what a project it is. My sister and I actually had time to leave the house, go Christmas shopping, and drive home before the dough’s three raises were complete.

Once the dough was ready for rolling, it had to be rolled VERY thin. We split the dough in two, and even then, it took up most of the island in our kitchen. I don’t even think I could make this in my apartment… circling around the island with a rolling pin is much easier than working against a wall. It’s also even easier when dad took half the dough and rolled it out himself!

Meanwhile, the sweet, nutty filling came together very quickly. We sent some pecans for a whirl in the food processor and a bath in a pot of sugar, then spread it evenly across the vast expanse of dough on the counter.

Once that was spread (and the spoon has been thoroughly and completely licked clean), we carefully rolled up and sliced into loaves, then waited once more for it to rise before baking.

Yes. This it was sort of a day-long process.

But the result made the time and effort very worthwhile.

The potica is gently sweet with a subtle crunch and makes a pretty little statement on a plate. But the truest treasure lies in the memories of making it. Can you do it alone Sure. But it’s better to round up some friends or family and savor it together.

Potica
From Emma H. in Recipes & Rememberences

Makes 4 standard loaves

A note on flour: You may notice there is quite a large range on the quantity of needed flour. The proper consistency of this dough is tricky to obtain, and weather and humidity can dramatically affect the amount of flour needed. My advice Use a light hand and add slowly to ensure you don’t add too much!

For the Dough
1 c warm water
1 1/2 T yeast dissolved in 3 T warm water
1 T salt
1 c white sugar
1/2 c butter or margarine, melted
1 c evaporated milk (unsweetened)
3 eggs
5-8 c all-purpose flour

Thoroughly grease a large bowl with a lid and set aside.

In a standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment, beat together water, yeast, salt, sugar, butter, evaporated milk, and eggs. Swap our the paddle attachment for the dough hook and begin adding flour, one cup at a time, and blend well between each. Continue adding flour, slowly, until dough is climbing the dough hook and is only slightly sticky to the touch. Transfer dough to the greased bowl and cover with lid. Place dough in a warm place until it rises.

After dough has risen, remove it from the bowl and knead on a lightly floured surface for 5-10 minutes. Return to bowl and cover, allowing it to rise again. Remove once more and knead 5-10 more minutes, then allow dough to rise in the bowl once more.

During the last rise, prepare the filling as directed below.

For the Filling
1 lb chopped pecans
1 c hot milk
6 T butter
1 c sugar
2 eggs, fairly beaten
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp cinnamon

In a large pot, combine nuts, milk, butter, sugar, and eggs and bring just to a boil. Remove from heat and add salt, vanilla, and cinnamon. Adjust seasoning to taste as desired. Mixture should be thin enough to spread, closer to oatmeal than peanut butter.

Constructing Loaves
Grease 4 standard loaf pans and set aside.

Flour a large surface. Lightly knead the dough and then cut it in half. Return half of the dough to the bowl. Roll out dough as thin as possible, no thicker than 1/4″ and preferably thin enough to read through. Using a spatula, gently spread half of the nut mixture evenly over the rolled out dough. Starting on one of the long sides of the dough, carefully roll the dough in on itself. Once the roll is formed, gently press in on the ends to compress the roll. Cut in half and place each section into a loaf pan. Repeat process with remaining dough and nut mixture until 4 loaves are formed.

Preheat oven to 300 °F. While oven preheats, place loaf pans on top of stove and cover with a cloth to allow loaves to rise. Once dough stays indented when pinched, place loaves in the oven on a middle rack. Bake for one hour, watching closely near the end to ensure the crust does not burn.

Remove from oven when crust is golden brown. Run a knife around the edges of the pans to loosen loaves and place on a cooling rack. If desired, lightly brush the top of each loaf with butter. Once loaves have cooled, wrap tightly in aluminum foil. Serve cool or warm. Loaves can also be stored in the freezer for later use.

Since the day I decided to start this blog, I’ve wanted to share this recipe. But it turns out I only make it at Christmas, and making it at other times o year would feel like, I don’t know, cheating I’ve been patient, but halfway through December, it’s FINALLY time.

In fact, I want to share it soooo much that I’m giving away one pound of this, my favorite holiday treat, to one of you! Yay contest!

We’ll get there. Promise. But first, some background.

My Grandma Emma has been making toffee now for decades. She taught my mom early in my parents’ marriage, and now mom has been making it ever since. I watched in awe, all through my childhood as my mom cooked batch after batch of toffee, broke it up into pieces, and carefully placed it in tins to give to our friends and family. And many a neighbor has been to our house so she could teach them to make this decadent candy.

Despite all this, I was freaked. out. the first time I made toffee on my own, without my mom looking over my shoulder. Almonds can pop, boiling sugar can sproing out of the pan, and the difference between not quite done and burned is mere seconds. Nevertheless, it CAN be done, and I totally think you should give it a try. So while I can’t stand in your kitchen to help, I’ll arm you with the tips I got from my mom so you too can make a batch on your own.

1.  Get everything ready before you begin. Grease your cookie sheet, set it on a rack, measure your ingredients, get your spoons, everything. Once toffee gets going, you pretty much have to see it through, so don’t expect to multitask.

2. Use Parkay. That’s Parkay margarine, folks. This is actually a point of some issue for me, as someone who wants to use ingredients that are as natural as possible. But we’ve tried this with butter, and while tasty, it’s just not the same. Period. Even other brands of margarine don’t produce the same result. So use Parkay. I hope I’ve made that clear.

3. Ignore everything but the candy. During the 5-10 minutes between adding the almonds and pouring the candy out of the pot, you can do nothing except stir like your life depends on it.

4. Rely on your senses, not a candy thermometer. This one is tricky. I’ve never seen my mom or grandma use a thermometer to make toffee. Technically, yes, toffee must come to the “hard crack” stage. But to truly get a transcendent batch of toffee, it should be poured out just before it starts to burn. This sounds bizarre, I know. But it’s true. The toffee will start to smell done. It will pull away from the sides of pan as it thickens, and it will quickly start to turn a caramel color, which will deepen even more as the candy cools.

5. Don’t rely entirely on the timer. Depending on how your stove cooks, your toffee might take 12 minutes to cook. Or it might be done in 5. Pay attention to the toffee more than the timer.

6. Stir like a crazy person. If your arm isn’t sore, you’re not stirring fast enough. Keep it up!

6. Wait until the toffee has cooled completely before removing from the cookie sheet. See below. Impatience is bad.

7. Accept that not every batch is perfect, nor is every batch the same. Some are dark, some are light, some are gummy, some get burned. It happens. It’s still awesome.

Okay so yes, I don’t think I can file this one as an “easy” recipe. But it is worth every minute of effort. It’s become a tradition not only in my family, but in our community. My mom made a batch for a charity auction a month or so ago, and it brought in about $300. True. Story. I should probably just make this stuff full time. Maybe we all should.

But in case you don’t feel like it, how about we start with letting someone have a taste?

This pretty little bowl of toffee is looking for a home! Want it Here’s how to enter:

How to Win Some Toffee CLOSED
1. Leave a comment on this post to answer this: What is  your favorite holiday treat Do  you make it yourself?
OR
2. Like 30 Pounds of Apples on the Facebooks.

Enter before midnight on Wednesday, December 14. Winner will be announced on Thursday.

Also, give it a try yourself! I’m happy to answer any questions you might have.

Almond Toffee
Exactly the way Mom taught me

Supplies
2 large cookie sheets with edges
2 wooden spoons – the longer the handles, the bettter
table knife with blade wrapped in damp paper towel
heavy kettle with lid
timer or clock
wire cooling rack
glass dish for melting chocolate
spatula

Ingredients
1 pound Parkay
1 tsp salt
2 c sugar
1 c water
1 lb whole, shelled almonds
1/2 c milk chocolate chips (or chopped into small pieces)

Begin by preparing all supplies and ingredients. Once you begin cooking, you will have little to no time to retrieve anything not in arms reach. Thoroughly grease one cookie sheet and place on the cooling rack near the stove. Unwrap margarine and place on a plate, sprinkling the salt evenly over the sticks.

In your pot over high heat, combine sugar and water and stir slowly until mixture begins to boil. Cover and let boil undisturbed for 3 minutes. Set aside the spoon you used, you will not be able to use it again for this batch.

Remove the lid and quickly wipe the walls of the pot with the covered knife to remove any sugar crystals. (At this point, I put on oven mitts because I’m a wimp and don’t get popped by boiling sugar, but use your own judgement). Using a new wooden spoon, add margarine one stick at a time, stirring until each stick is melted before adding the next. Add almonds and set your timer for 10 minutes.

Stir vigorously and constantly. Listen for the almonds to pop and crack. You will have a better chance of them cracking if they are fresh.

The tricky part: determining when the candy is done is where the art comes into play. The best toffee is poured into the cookie sheet just, and I mean just, before it burns. The almonds may pop, the candy will thicken and will begin to pull away from the sides of the pan, and the candy well smell like a dark caramel. You can also bring the temperature to a hard crack stage, possibly just beyond.

Once the candy is “done” (pulling away from sides of pan, smells sweet and caramel-y, and just beginning to darken to a caramel color), pour the candy immediately into the buttered cookie sheet. The candy will spread out naturally, there is no need to prompt it with your spoon.

After at least an hour, or whenever the candy is cool to the touch, place the second cookie sheet on top of the first and flip the set over. Press the toffee out of the first and into the second. Wipe the surface of the toffee with a paper towel to remove grease from the pan.

In a small glass dish, melt chocolate in the microwave in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring at each pause. Once chocolate is melted, spread evenly over the surface of the candy.

Let toffee sit for several hours or overnight. Break up into small chunks and try to prevent yourself from eating the whole batch.