An Easy Recipe for Home-Made Rock Candy

Candies are one of the simplest things to make. In order to prepare a food item though, you need to know what it is. Many people consider candy and chocolate to be one and the same thing. However, there is more to these fun filled treats than gooey chocolate delight. The different kinds of candies include hard, soft and sweet. Truffles and lollipops are easy recipes that can be made in your kitchen.

Making rock candy at home is a source of pleasure because you can add your own creativity to the recipe. You can experiment with different flavors and colors to come up with new and interesting delights. In fact, the whole family can join in the fun!

To begin the process of candy making, soak a piece of thread in water for some time. Then tie the thread to a stick or a pencil and place the pencil at the mouth of the jar. In order to help the thread to hang straight, you can attach a paper clip to it. The next step is to roll the wet thread in granulated sugar. This action helps the sugar crystals to stay glued together as the rock candy starts to form. You can either prepare the sugar syrup at home or buy it ready made from your local supermarket. Pour the sugar syrup into the jar.

Carefully lower the string into the jar till it is about an inch from the bottom. Now cover the jar with a plastic or paper towel and wait for the sugar crystals to set. It will take around two to four hours for the sugar to crystallize.

Lollipops are another easy dessert recipe. The ingredients needed for a lollipop recipe are granulated sugar, water and corn syrup. In a pan, mix together 3 ? cups of granulated sugar, a cup of water and 1 ? cup of corn syrup. Then, heat the mixture until the sugar dissolves properly. It is important to stir continuously till the mixture reaches a boiling point. Remove the pan from the heat and add in your own flavors and color. The ideal temperature to allow the candy to boil properly is 300 degrees Fahrenheit.

This easy recipe shows that making candy is not a difficult task and it is not even time- consuming. Along with that, homemade rock candy does not include any chemicals and other additives. This makes it a healthy treat for the kids as well.

 

Broccoli - Give It a Second Chance - Plus a Great Slow Cooker Recipe

Did you mother force you to eat broccoli as a child? Did you hate it? Perhaps you ate it only as a 'little tree' smothered in ranch dressing. As a grown up, are you giving some thought to eating better? Now that you're making your own choices in life, you should give broccoli a second chance. For many folks, broccoli is a 'go to' vegetable choice, and for many healthy reasons too. There's no need to stick with the 'little tree' option when there are so many ways to enjoy broccoli.

Broccoli is first of all a super food full of vitamins, fiber, folic acid and calcium. Eating broccoli helps you maintain strong bones, as well as reducing high blood pressure. There are many other conditions that this wonderful green veggie helps eliminate or control.

We've discussed here how great broccoli is for your body, so why are you still sitting there doubting whether or not you can stand to eat it? All you really need to do is find some tasty ways to prepare it. Lots of people love to simply steam their broccoli and enjoy it as a dinner side. Don't over cook your broccoli or you'll lose most of the nutrients, ending up with a limp green mass. Kind of negates your reasons for incorporating it into your diet. Slightly crunchy is best; tender and still bright green.

One favorite method is to steam and then add some cheese. Cheddar is great, but even some of the processed cheese that melts easily is quite tasty, and you're still getting the benefits of the vegetable. You can add broccoli to soups and stews as well. Broccoli tastes great combined with cauliflower and or carrots; drizzle melted cheese over the top and yummy! Do you like baked potatoes? Then top yours with broccoli and cheese with a dab of sour cream. Delicious.

While we're on the subject of how to prepare broccoli, here's a great recipe to try:

Cheesy Broccoli Bake

2 packages (10 oz. each) frozen chopped broccoli, partially thawed
1 can (10-3/4 oz.) condensed cream of celery soup, undiluted
1-1/2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese, divided
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/2 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1 cup crushed butter-flavored crackers (about 25)
2 tablespoons butter or margarine

In a large bowl, combine broccoli, soup, 1 cup cheese, onion, Worcestershire sauce and pepper. Pour into a greased slow cooker. Sprinkle crackers on top; dot with butter. Cover and cook on high for 2-1/2 to 3 hours. Sprinkle with remaining cheese. Cook 10 minutes longer or until the cheese is melted.

Now that you've discovered there's no need to fear broccoli any more, go out and yourself a nice head of broccoli and treat yourself to a healthy and delicious meal.

 

An Introduction to Hard Candy Making - With an Easy To Follow Recipe

The term "hard and crunchy candies" is reserved for candies whose predominant ingredient is cooked sugar. The best example of hard and crunchy candy is the rock candy, and people who want to start crafting candies usually begin making this sort first. This candy is also in the same category as mint twists, cinnamon heart pops, toffee, candy apples, glazed strawberries and lollipops.

For those of you who would like to know how to make one of these delicious candies I have put together a fairly simple recipe for mint twists, which is the most popular of the hard candies. Stock up on your sugar and let's get ready to make these delectable and sugary hard candies!

Making rock candy at home always begins with making the sugar syrup, and to make it, you need a candy thermometer because the sugar syrup needs to be heated to a specific temperature.

Mint twists are refreshing chewy candies with fun and cute striped appearance. To make these, we need 2 cups of granulated sugar, 1.5 cups of light corn syrup, 1 cup water, ? tsp peppermint extract and 3-4 drops of green food coloring.

Prepare two cookie trays by coating them with a nonstick cooking spray. Then, preheat your oven to 200 degrees.

Mix the sugar, corn syrup and water altogether in a large saucepan. Bring it to boil, while stirring continuously until the sugar dissolves.

Continue heating without stirring until candy reaches 260 degrees. At this moment, the mixture has reached the "hard-ball" stage.

Remove the mixture from heat immediately, and stir in the mint extract. Pour half of the mixture onto your cookie tray and place it in the preheated oven to keep it warm.

Add the green food coloring to the other half of the mixture. Pour onto a heat-safe cutting board and allow it to sit there for a few minutes until the color forms.

Using a heat-safe spatula, spread the candy out and then mix it back together. Finally work it across the board and allow it to cool.

When the candy has cooled enough, pull it in long thin strands, bring the strands together and then repeat it again. Twist and pull it until it has a satin-like finish and its color turns opaque. Pull it into a long rope about one inch thick. Place it back on the cookie tray and put it in the oven, having reduced the temperature to low.

Remove the uncolored candy from the oven and repeat the stretching and twisting process. Bring back the colored candy and twist the green and white strands together, barber-shop style, until they do not separate. (If the green is too hard that you cannot twist it together with the white strand, you may need to re-warm it but be carefully not to melt it.)

Finally, pull the twisted candy into long strips, about half inch in diameter, and cut it into pieces about 4 inches long. Allow them to cool completely before wrapping them individually!

This is a great treat for your kids and you can be sure they'll keep tagging at your skirt for more. I hope you enjoy making these candies as much as I do. They are great fun to make and your kids will love watching you produce these colorful and mouth-watering candy sensations.

Janine Rose Lumanag lives in the Philippines. She is a college graduate, and is passionate about researching and writing articles regarding a wide range of topics which are close to her heart. Janine has a unique talent for research and physical investigation, which results in articles that offer her readers a very honest, entertaining and personal view of the subject. Her love of candy and how to make it has always been a passion of hers, and she is currently writing a series of articles on this topic. If you want to more about making rock candy, visit our website at http://www.bestcandymakingsecrets.com/ for helpful tips and information about all aspects of candy making.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janine_Rose_Lumanag

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Soft and Chewy Treats - An Introduction to Nougat, With an Easy Recipe to Wow Your Kids

By Janine Rose Lumanag Janine Rose Lumanag
Level: Diamond

Janine Rose Lumanag lives in the Philippines, and is employed as an article writer and website builder by a U.K based Internet Marketing company. She ...

I don't know if you are like me, but when I think about what candies to buy next, I tend to remember the ones I usually leave until last to eat. These are the ones I like to savor when I only have one or two left. It does depend on what the variety of candies is like to start with, but generally I make sure that I always get a mixture with soft nougat in, and, as these offer my moment of bliss, I leave them until last.

There is something special about nougat. I think it must be the amazing texture and feel in the mouth. As far as I'm concerned there is nothing to compete with it for that super mouth-watering effect, and the chewy feeling as you roll it around in your mouth trying to get that last ounce of flavor and smoothness that only the nougat can give. They are soft and chewy treats that are extremely irresistible!

Nougat is also perfect for adding fruits and nuts to it. This enhances the visual appeal of the candy, and for some reason never tends to smother the taste of what you add to it, in fact it improves it. If you can imagine the taste of nougat with bits of your favorite fruit or nut inside, such as pistachios, doesn't it get you dashing down to your candy store, because you've just remembered how long it's been since you last tasted some!

If you don't have a candy store near-by, why not make some at home, and maybe there will even be some left over for others in the family.

Before you can start candy making you need to have certain utensils and equipment ready at hand. You need a baking pan, foil, a 4 pint saucepan, a candy thermometer, an electric mixer, a wooden spoon, knife and some clear plastic wrap.

The ingredients required are as follows: 1 1/2 cups of sugar, 1 tablespoon of cornstarch, 1 cup of light corn syrup, ? cup of water, 2 egg whites, 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract, 1 cup of pistachio nuts, or flaked almonds, or any fruit or nut of your choice, butter and extra cornstarch.

Line the baking tray with foil, and make sure to leave about an inch of foil over the sides of the pan. Spread butter on the foil and sprinkle it lightly with the spare cornstarch.Secure the candy thermometer to the side of the saucepan. Mix the sugar and the cornstarch together in the saucepan, then add the corn syrup and the water. Mix all the ingredients altogether.Cook the mixture on a medium-high heat until it boils. Stir it often and make sure all of the sugar dissolves. Continue heating the mixture and keep checking the candy thermometer. When it reaches 286 degrees.F remove the mixture from the heat.Put the egg whites into the mixing bowl, and beat/whisk them on medium speed until they form stiff peaks. Put the mixer on a medium/high speed and then pour in the hot mixture slowly, little at a time, over the egg whites. You can now add the vanilla and beat until well blended. Continue blending until the mixture becomes thick and is no longer glossy.Finally, mix in your choice of fruit or nuts, and pour the mixture onto the baking tray. Score the nougat into rectangles while it is still warm. Once the candy has cooled and set, lift it from the tray using the sides of the foil, then cut the nougat into pieces along the score lines you made earlier. Wrap the individual nougat in plastic and they are ready to serve.

This soft nougat recipe makes it so easy to produce such delectable, scrumptious and colorful candies, that you will wonder why you hadn't thought of making them before. The variety of different flavored nougat you can make is huge. You could even add the favorite fruit or nut of each member of your family, and give them all a wonderful surprise.

There are few foods which get the same reactions as kids eating candies such as these, so don't delay make some today, and remember to have your camera ready to record the happy expressions on their faces!

Janine Rose Lumanag lives in the Philippines. She is a college graduate, and is passionate about researching and writing articles regarding a wide range of topics which are close to her heart. Janine has a unique talent for research and physical investigation, which results in articles that offer her readers a very honest, entertaining and personal view of the subject. Her love of candy and how to make it has always been a passion of hers, and she is currently writing a series of articles on this topic. If you want to learn more about candy making, visit our website at http://www.bestcandymakingsecrets.com/ for helpful tips and information about all aspects of candy making.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Janine_Rose_Lumanag

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Article Submitted On: April 22, 2011

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