Carmel Crunch Topping

This recipe is adapted from this recipe at Food.com by celestial_star03.  The above doesn't have the crispy rice cereal in it as I prepared it in advance for a Carmel Apple Pizza (will post that on 10/20/11 as it is part of food challenge by Lady Behind The Curtain) but I did also try it on ice cream mixing in the cereal after heating and it was delicious. 

Recipe:

-   1/4 cup butter

-   1/3 cup almonds, chopped

-   1/3 cup light corn syrup

-   1/3 cup packed brown sugar

-   1/3 cup peanut butter 

-   1/3 cup water

-   1/3 cup crisp rice cereal, coarsely crushed 

Melt the butter in a pan.  Saute the almonds over medium-low heat for approximately 5 minutes or until the almonds brown.

Add the corn syrup, water and brown sugar to the pan

Mix thoroughly.

Add peanut butter and mix.  Cook for 4-5 minutes until it becomes bubbly and starts to thicken up.

If serving over ice cream, add crisp rice cereal and stir in and the spoon over ice cream.

If storing, do not add Crisp Rice cereal until just before ready to serve.  Heat up first (put in bowl and microwaved) then add Crisp Rice cereal and pour over ice cream.

Sweet Broccoli Salad

I have to apologize for the less than stellar pictures I have been posting lately as my good camera went out and I have been using my old Mustek.

This is a different version that I posted here, but has much sweeter flavor and almost tasted like a dessert salad.

http://craftsandcreationswithkathy.blogspot.com/2009/07/broccoli-salad.html

Ingredients 1 12oz bag broccoli slaw or rainbow salad 1/2 onion, chopped 1 3 oz bag of bacon bits or a few strips of fried bacon, crumbled 1 cup of Miracle Whip 2 1/2 TBSP white vinegar 1/3 cup brown sugar 1/2 cup honey roasted peanuts

BROWN SUGAR OATMEAL SOAP

They turned out to look like a hamburger and two sausage patties and look like they would be hard, but they are not - they are soft but help exfoliate dull skin. This is based on the tutorial at:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/homemade-gifts/soap.shtml

Items used:

• 1 bar of soap
• 2 packets of Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal
• Grater
• Food processor
• Microwave safe bowl
• Spoon
• 4-5 tablespoons water
• Lids or tubs (for the soap molds)
• Butter knife

Grate the soap

Grind the oatmeal with the food processor until most of the full flakes are ground, but not into a fine powder.

Put the grated soap in the microwave safe bowl and add the 4-5 TBSP of water and microwave for 2-3 minutes.

Remove the soap from the microwave and stir up.

Add the oatmeal to the soap and mix until blended.

Spoon the mixture into lids and/or tubs and allow to harden. Remove by running a knife around the edge and gently lift out the soaps.

Sugar and Spice Bath Salts

In search of feeling day spa on the cheap, I went in search of DIY bath salts and ran across the following recipe:

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/bath-and-body/spice-bath-salts.shtml

Items used:

• 1 cup Epsom Salt
• 1 cup Kosher Salt
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp ground cloves
• 2 tbsp brown sugar
• 16 oz or more jar (I used an old salsa jar)
• Large bowl
• Spoon

Put ingredients in a bowl

Mix together throughly and spoon into jar.

It results in a wonderful, spicy scent.

The above original link has a label that you can print off and glue to the jar or you could dress up the jar with a ribbon . I used a glass jar because that is what I had on hand, but it would probably be best to use a plastic jar if you have one available (an old Parmesan Cheese container would be perfect!)