Soft Caramels

4 C. sugar
2 sticks (1/4 lb) butter
2 C. white Karo syrup (a whole bottle)
2 13 oz cans (carnation) evaporated milk

Use an 8 qt pan or larger. Melt butter, add Karo, then sugar. Cook until boils well. Add milk a little bit at a time. It will over-boil and foam up. This is a delicate and dangerous process, and it may take 15 minutes to add all the milk because you have to go slow. Do not let the mixture stop boiling or it might get weird crystal structures in your finished candy. Stir constantly. After both cans of milk are added, set up your candy thermometer. Cook to 238* for soft caramel and 240* for firm caramel. If you have a problem with sugar creep, you can wash down side of pan with a brush and a little bit of water. They should be done in about 45 minutes. Pour finished caramel into a dish lined with parchment. I used a half sheet (baking pan). If you like thick caramel, I suppose you could use a 9x13 casserole. Finished product is super sticky. To aid in cutting, dust with a little powdered sugar and use a very very sharp knife.

Salsa

4 small Tomatoes
2 jalapenos
1 bunch cilantro
2-3 tomatillos
1 lime
1/2 tsp. salt

Cut jalapenos open and remove seeds. Remove papery skin from tomatillos, and quarter them. Broil jalapenos and tomatillos for up to 15 minutes until they show charring lines. Set aside and let cool. Combine peppers, tomatillos, tomatoes, and cilantro ingredients in a blender or food processor and gently chop until all ingredients are smooth and uniform in size. Strain off liquid, season with lime and salt.

Brie Stuffed Chicken

2 lbs chicken breasts
1/4 lb brie cheese
2 Tb. dijon or brown mustard
fresh thyme
salt and pepper to taste

Filet chicken breasts open, pound to uniform thickness. Sprinkle breasts with salt and pepper. Brush with mustard, sprinkle with thyme, and then a piece of cheese for each. Pin shut with toothpicks. Heat skillet with oil, brown chicken on both sides. Transfer to baking safe dish and cook for 20 minutes or until done. If you try to cook these on stove top, the cheese leaks out and burns to the pan before the center is done cooking. Also, mustard is a little salty, so don't go overboard.

Las Vegas

 

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Fossils

I added some new fossils to my collection. I think it's like a sardine or something.

Wild Bamboo

Linden Tree