Toffee Bark Candy Recipe

With the holiday season upon us, I usually find myself in the kitchen more often than any other time of year. I have dusted off a favorite of mine: Toffee Bark Candy recipe. This is easy to make, fun to share and is an excellent idea for small gifts. Simply wrap in colorful cellophane bags, and tie with curling ribbon. Your postal delivery worker, child's teacher, or anyone else that deserves special recognition will appreciate your thoughtfulness.

Toffee Bark Candy ingredients:

• 1 12 oz. package semi-sweet chocolate chips


• 1 c brown sugar


• 2 sticks butter


• 1 tsp. vanilla extract


• 40 Saltine or Graham crackers, or 1 sleeve Keebler Club crackers (I use the
  Club crackers)


• Coarsely chopped nuts (cashews or peanuts), if desired


• Hershey's Toffee baking pieces, if desired
  

Instructions for making Toffee Bark Candy:

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees


2. Line cookie sheet with tin foil, and then mist lightly with cooking
   spray


3. Line with a single layer of crackers


4. Melt butter, brown sugar, and vanilla extract in small sauce pan over medium heat, stirring frequently.


5. 5. Bring mixture to a "foamy" boil, stirring constantly for 3 minutes.


6. 6. Pour mixture evenly over crackers and bake for 10 minutes at 350 degrees



7. Sprinkle chocolate chips over the mixture and allow to melt. Spread evenly
   (if desired, add chopped nuts and/or toffee baking pieces)


8. Refrigerate the Toffee Bark Candy until chocolate is firm.

Love the taste of toffee? Watch the following Nigella Lawson video as she makes Sticky Toffee Sauce - yum!

Credit Crunch Crisis Hits Main Street

I opened up my email this morning and came across a very sad situation, resulting from the credit crunch crisis. One of my hometown's beloved holiday traditions, the Bend Christmas Parade, may not go forward this year because of the tightening economy and lack of donations to support it. Talk about Wall Street affecting Main Street! This event brings our relatively small community together every December. Antique fire engines are dressed up, floats are homemade, and cheerleaders and horses parade down the main street of Bend, Oregon to the delight of young and old. The parade ends with the triumphant arrival of Santa Claus! Will he be forced to take a raincheck this year?

Parade organizers are begging for donations so that the show can go on. A mass email to community supporters was sent out asking for ANYTHING - $10, $50, whatever we can spare to keep the magical Bend Christmas Parade alive this year. Just think how many parades $700 billion could fund....


Parades, Wall Street and Congress aside, I am quite worried about the direct effect the credit crunch crisis will have on my family this holiday season. We have four children, ranging in age from 5 to 11. Three out of four of them still believe in Santa Claus. I wonder whether we will have to explain that many of Santa's elves have been laid off and cannot make the kind of toys they are requesting. Our gift budgets will undoubtedly be tighter this year. And there is not enough holiday magic to change that situation in the near future.