Tinas Toffee Recipes

TINA'S TOFFEE

Steps:

• Grease 2 sheet pans with butter.
• Heat the butter, sugar, kosher salt and 1/4 cup water in a medium saucepan fitted with a candy thermometer over low heat, stirring with a wooden spoon. When the mixture starts to boil, turn the heat up to medium. Cook until the mixture reaches 302 degrees F, 15 to 20 minutes. Turn off the heat and add the vanilla, stirring to incorporate. Be careful not to burn yourself or the mixture.
• Immediately pour the hot toffee into the 2 prepared baking sheets and smooth until evenly coated and 1/8 to 1/4 inch thick. Put the pans into the fridge to let the toffee cool (this will take several hours, or leave the toffee in overnight, uncovered).
• Once the toffee has cooled, carefully loosen the pieces (you can do this by hand or with a knife). If it cracks, it's not a big deal.
• Melt the chocolate over a double boiler, stirring to combine. Use a spatula to coat one side of the toffee with the chocolate, and then immediately top with a heavy sprinkle of the pecans and a sprinkling of flaked sea salt. This must be done immediately, because the cold toffee can cause the chocolate to harden before the pecans can stick. Put the toffee back in the fridge to cool the chocolate. Once it has hardened (it takes about an hour), flip and coat the other side with the chocolate, pecans and sea salt. You will probably have chocolate and pecans left over, which you can use for more toffee. Let the toffee cool in the fridge until hardened again.
• When the toffee is ready, crack it into irregular pieces with your hands. Bag them or stick them in a tin for your own enjoyment.

TINA'S SHORTBREAD CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
• Sift together the flour, baking powder and salt, set aside. In a medium bowl, cream the butter and sugar together until fluffy. Gradually stir in the dry ingredients, then stir in the walnuts and chocolate chips.
• Roll or scoop dough into walnut sized balls. Place them on unprepared cookie sheets 1 1/2 inches apart. Flatten cookies slightly. Bake for 15 to 20 minutes, until light golden brown. Remove from sheets to cool on racks.

TINA'S TASTY CHICKEN BURRITOS

Steps:

• Dissolve the chicken bouillon in the 2 cups of warm water. pour into pot.
• Add the chicken and all other ingredients to the pot except the cheese, beans, rice, flour and tortillas.
• Bring to a low simmer and continue to simmer for about an hour.
• After chicken is finished, start cooking the rice.
• Take the chicken out of the pot and shred it.(do this by pulling it apart using two forks).
• In a small dish, whisk the tablespoon of flour and a few tablespoons of the broth together and then return to the pot.(just to thicken the broth a bit).
• Return the shredded chicken to the pot and simmer about 10 more minutes.
• Warm tortillas on a comal (a round flat griddle pan usually cast iron)
• Fill tortillas with some beans, rice and chicken. Add a sprinkle of shredded cheese, a dollop of sour cream, a dollop of guacamole and some diced tomatoes.
• Fold it up into a burrito and enjoy!

TINA'S TURKEY FLORENTINE CASSEROLE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a boil. Add penne and cook, stirring occasionally, until tender yet firm to the bite, about 12 minutes. Drain and place in a large bowl.
• While the pasta is cooking, melt butter in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onion and garlic and saute until translucent, about 5 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook for about 2 minutes.
• Mix condensed soup, half-and-half, Parmesan cheese, lemon juice, Italian seasoning, and cayenne pepper in a bowl. Add to the skillet and reduce heat to medium-low. Cook for 12 minutes, then remove from the heat.
• Add turkey, spinach, and sauce to the penne; stir until well combined. Transfer to a casserole dish and top with mozzarella cheese.
• Bake in the preheated oven until golden brown and bubbly on top, about 30 minutes.

TINA'S POT ROAST

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. In a Dutch oven, heat oil over medium heat. Brown roast on all sides. In a small bowl, whisk water, gravy mix, dressing mix, soup mix, garlic powder and pepper until blended; add to pan. Bring to a boil. Bake, covered, 1-1/2 hours., Add vegetables; cook 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 hours longer or until meat and vegetables are tender. Skim fat if necessary.