Holiday Edibles Part 1: Matzo Brittle

I am going to start including some of my favorite Holiday recipes soon, and thought I would start out with something for those of you celebrating Hanukkah. Matzo Brittle. It has similar flavors as most brittles, but incorporates the classic Jewish cracker, Matzo. 

Timeline

• Prep 15 min., Cook: 8 min., Bake: 15 min., Stand: 32 min., Chill: 30 min.  
• Makes about 20 pieces (about 1 1/2 lb.)

Ingredients

• 3 1/2  sheets unsalted matzos
• 1  cup  butter (2 sticks)
• 1  cup  firmly packed light brown sugar 
• 1  cup  semisweet chocolate morsels (I USE A LITTLE MORE THAN 1 CUP) 
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped toasted slivered almonds (I DON'T ALWAYS USE NUTS, JUST DEPENDS IF I HAVE SOME IN THE HOUSE. YOU CAN USE ANY TYPE OF NUTS)

Preparation  

• Line a 15- x 10-inch jelly-roll pan with nonstick aluminum foil. Arrange matzos in prepared pan, breaking as necessary to fit and completely cover bottom of pan. (MAKE SURE YOU USE A PAN WITH SIDES ON IT SO THE BUTTER/SUGAR MIXTURE DOESN'T SPILL OVER IN THE BAKING PROCESS. I LINE THE PAN WITH FOIL THEN SPRAY THE FOIL WITH PAM, THIS HELPS TO PEEL THE FOIL OFF AFTER IT'S ALL DONE) 
• Bring butter and brown sugar to a boil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally. Keep at a boil, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes. Carefully pour mixture evenly over matzos in pan, and spread over matzos.(YOU DON'T HAVE TO SPREAD THE MIXTURE PERFECTLY OVER THE MATZOS BECAUSE IT WILL SPREAD WHEN IT BAKES. JUST SPREAD IT AS EVEN AS POSSIBLE) 
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes.Mixture will start to bubble at about 10 minutes. Continue to bake to 15 minutes. (YOU NEED TO WATCH THE CANDY IN THE OVEN. IF YOU LEAVE IT IN THERE TOO LONG THE SUGAR WILL START TO BURN. CHECK IT AFTER 10 MINUTES AND IF IT STARTS TO LOOK LIKE THE EDGES ARE GETTING TOO DARK, JUST TAKE IT OUT. SOMETIMES, DEPENDING ON THE OVEN, I ONLY BAKE IT FOR 10 MINUTES AND THEN TAKE IT OUT)
• Carefully remove pan from oven to a wire rack. (Mixture will still be bubbly.) Let stand 1 minute at room temperature or until no longer bubbly. 
• Sprinkle top evenly with morsels; let stand 1 minute or until morsels soften. Spread morsels over brittle. Sprinkle with almonds; let stand at room temperature 30 minutes. 
• Place pan in refrigerator; chill 30 minutes or until chocolate is firm. 
• Break into about 20 pieces. Store in an airtight container up to 1 week in refrigerator.

TIPS: The recipe looks long, but it's really easy. Make sure you stir the sugar/butter when you're melting and boiling it and then again once it's in the oven.

Holiday Gift Ideas: Buying gifts for everyone in your life can get expensive. Instead, try making family members and friends something from your kitchen. You can go to the 99 Cents Store or any other discount store and get food baggies and ribbons for cheap. This way you save money, and yet still show people you care through the time and effort you have put into making them treats!

chili for skinny girls

I wish I could eat anything I want, all the time. Unfortunately, if I want to stay healthy, I can't. Over time I have began to modify some of my recipes, and change some all together to make them healthier. This way, I can maintain flavorful food that's nutritious most of the time, while being able to indulge once and a while.

Chili is one of my favorite dishes. I usually make it with ground beef, but I have vegetarian option that is rather tasty. I like to serve it over brown rice.

Ingredients

• 1 tbs vegetable oil
• 1 cup chopped onions
• 3/4 cup chopped carrots
• 3 cloves of garlic, minced
• 1 cup chopped green bell pepper
• 3/4 cup chopped celery
• 1 tbs chili powder
• 1 1/2 cups chopped fresh mushrooms
• 1 (28 oz) can whole peeled tomatoes with liquid, chopped 
• 1 (19oz) can kidney beans with liquid
• 1 (11oz) can whole kernel corn, undrained
• 1 tbs ground cumin
• 1 1/2 tsp dry oregano
• 1 1/2 tsp dry basil

Directions

• Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Saute onions, carrots, and garlic until tender. Stir in green pepper, red pepper, celery and chili powder. Cook until vegetables are tender (6-8 minutes).
• Stir in mushrooms, tomatoes, kidney beans, and corn. Season with cumin, oregano and basil.  
• Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to medium. Cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
• Depending on how thick or liquidy you want the chili, you may need to add a tablespoon or two of water. For added flavor, you could add low sodium vegetable stock.

ENJOY!