Fritos Candy Bars

This was an interesting recipe to try.  My husband loves Fritos chips so I figured I would be fabulous and make the bars for him, I'm a good wife like that. These are a good combination of the salty-sweet treats that are always popular.

FRITO CANDY BARS

1 (10.25 oz.) bag original Fritos chips

1 c. sugar

1 c. corn syrup

1 c. peanut butter

Coat a 9 x 13 baking dish with non-stick spray.  
Pour the bag of Fritos into the dish and spread out evenly.  
In a large sauce pan combine the corn syrup and sugar; heat over medium until the sugar is dissolved; add peanut butter and stir until the peanut butter is melted and everything is well incorporated. 
Pour the sauce over the chips, try to get all of the coated, you may need to do a bit of spreading, but it's kind of difficult because the sauce is sticky.  
Allow to cool to room temperature, place in fridge and chill for several hours. Cut into pieces and enjoy.  
Store in an airtight container.

As you can see in a couple of the photos, I (almost always) think a treat or dessert can be even better with chocolate, so I tossed some chocolate chips to one end of the baking dish.  My husband preferred the bars without the chocolate, but I thought they were better with. Go figure.

NOTE: I think the bars would be a little better by crunching the chips up a bit and these bars are pretty sticky when served at room temperature, so if you keep them in the fridge they are easier to handle.

Our 2013 Most Popular Recipes Review

Our 2013 Year In Review!

I thought it would be fun to create a post that reflects on our 10 most popular recipes in 2013... here's the count down, from our 10th most viewed recipe to the #1 winner of 2013!

#10

Pineapple Lemonade Punch

#9

Asian Style Noodle Pancakes

(this recipe is a personal favorite)

#8

Oreo Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

#7

Indiana Easy No Bake Cookies

#6

Pumpkin Spice Fudge

(I love everything pumpkin!)

#5

Pumpkin Spiced No Bake Cookies

#4

Sensational Taco Pie

(one of my family's favorite dinners)

#3

Vanilla Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

#2

Coconut Oatmeal No Bake Cookies

And the #1 most popular recipe, for a 3rd year in a row is  (drum rolls please...) our

Diet Coke Brownie's

I also found a few interesting and fun facts about the people who visit us.
Microsoft Windows is the top operating system for browsers while the iPhone is the top mobile platform.

The biggest driving factor that bring visitors to our blog is Pinterest (no surprise here), while Facebook was only the 9th largest website to bring viewers to our blog ( I was surprised here).

Visitors from around the world are ranked by countries with the most visitors in the following order;

#1  United States
#2  Canada
#3  United Kingdom
#4  Australia
#5  Germany
#6  Russia
#7  France
#8  Mexico
#9  Philippines
#10  South Africa 

And finally, as of December 31st 2013, Aunt Peg's Recipe Box has had 2,293,788 visitors (that's 2.2 MILLION!).  Wow!

Thanks to each one of you for making this a fun year for me!  It's amazing how we can be connected globally by simply sharing a recipe.

Wishing you all the best for a fun, peaceful, prosperous 2014!

LOUISIANA- Yummy Pecan Pralines

This recipe is #23 in OUR COOKIE NATION series.
I have to admit that this particular recipe was a real challenge for me.  I made it 3 times before it turned out like it should have.  I found that the original recipe directions weren't working for me, and I'm not sure why.  Maybe the altitude I live at (4500 ft.) makes a difference or some other little thing I'm not aware of, but whatever it is, the 3rd time was the charm!

Once I had finally figured out the changes I needed to make, it became a pretty simple recipe, so I encourage you to try these!

Yummy Pecan Pralines

1 c. packed brown sugar

1 c. white sugar

1/2 c. evaporated milk

(not sweetened condensed milk)

2 Tbsp. butter

1 1/4 c. pecan halves

1/4 tsp. vanilla extract

Generously grease a large baking sheet (I simply used non-stick spray).
In a large sauce pan with a heavy bottom (or dutch oven style pan), combine the the white and brown sugars with the milk.
Bring to a boil.
Stir in the butter, pecan halves and vanilla.
Heat WITHOUT STIRRING to soft ball stage (234 to 240 degrees) be sure to use a candy thermometer.

AT THIS POINT I CHANGED THE DIRECTIONS TO WORK FOR ME~here is what I did;
Remove from heat and cool about 2 minutes.
Stir the candy just to make sure everything is combined, then drop by teaspoonfuls onto the greased baking sheet.  The candy will spread very slightly.  Repeat until the syrup has all been used, but work quickly, this candy will start to set up rather fast. 
Let cool completely then store in a covered container.

ORIGINAL RECIPE DIRECTIONS:
Remove from heat and cool 5 minutes.
Beat until thickened, then pour immediately onto the prepared pan and let rest until firm and completely cool before cutting into pieces.

The first 2 times I made this, as I was beating the candy, it would crystallize before I could even get it onto the baking sheet, and then would harden up to the point that you couldn't really eat it {however, I did give it the good ol' college try, and it tasted wonderful}. This is the reason I skipped the 5 minutes of mixing in the directions.
As the candy cooled it lost its bright shine and became more opaque, like the candy in the original recipe photo.  The pralines were delicious and a little chewy, like a caramel.
Good candy-I have no idea why AllRecipes.com considers this a "cookie" in their list-ha ha ha.
Recipe Source: AllRecipes.com

January is Slow Cooker Month!

JANUARY IS FOR CELEBRATING CROCK-POT COOKING!

I love the idea of celebrating slow cooker's (I still call them crock-pot's, I'm from THAT generation) all month long.

So far I've used my crock-pot 3 times this month, and today is January 6th...
I've been wondering for quite a while what the correct spelling for the term crockpot, and it turns out I've been mis-spelling it forever according to the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, the correct spelling is Crock-pot (with the hyphen).  Sheeesh.  Another new thing to remember... 

With all of that rambling being said, I wanted to create a post linking back to  some of my personal favorite crock-pot recipes, as well as other popular recipes found via my Crock-pot Crazy Pinterest Board.
You will definitely want to create a link to this post, you'll want to come back often!

Crock-pot Beef Stroganoff

(This is our family favorite!)

Crock-pot Refried Beans

(from our blog)

Amber's Chili

(from our blog)

Six Sisters' Stuff~ Crock-pot Hawaiian BBQ Chicken


Paula Deen's~ Crock-pot Macaroni and Cheese


Lake Lure Cottage Kitchen's~ Crockpot Teriyaki Chicken

Better Home's and Garden's~ Creamy Tortellini Soup

The Little Kitchen's~ French Onion Pot Roast

Bubble Crumb's~ Rootbeer Pulled Pork

Creating Through Life's~ Crock-pot Lasagna

Family Fresh Meals'~ Slow cooker Scalloped Potatoes

Plain Chicken's~ Slow cooker Ham and White Beans

Six Sister's Stuff~ Parmesan Honey Pork Roast



Inspired Housewife's~ Gluten Free Bread in the Crock-pot

Crockpot Ladies'~ Carrot Cake w/Cream Cheese Frosting

Six Sister's Stuff~ Crock-pot Apple Cobbler

Life As A Lofthouse's~ Crockpot Chocolate Lava Cake

Plain Chicken's~ Crock-pot Creme Brulee French Toast

The Gingerbread Blog's~ Sugared Pecans

KENTUCKY-Bourbon Balls

I don't really think it's surprising that the favorite cookie for the state of Kentucky is Bourbon Balls.  After all, Kentucky is famous for their bourbon, right? Fabulous! As part of Our Cookie Nation Series, this is another simple recipe, and we liked the outcome, but this cookie does take extra time to make..3 days! Gaaaahhh!!!!

KENTUCKY BOURBON BALLS 

GRADE: B
1 c. chopped pecans

5 Tbsp. Kentucky bourbon

(you can substitute 5 tsp. vanilla extract & 10 tsp. water, combined)

1/2 c. butter, softened

1 lb. (16 oz.) pkg. confectioners' sugar

18 oz. semi-sweet chocolate

2 c. pecan halves, for decoration (optional)

Day 1:

Place the chopped nuts in a seal-able jar. Pour the bourbon over the nuts, stir, seal, and allow to soak overnight.

Day 2:

Mix the softened butter and sugar together. Fold in the soaked nuts, including any left over liquid. Form into 3/4" balls, place on a baking sheet, and refrigerate overnight.

Day 3:

Line another baking sheet with waxed paper. Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over just-barely simmering water, stirring often, and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching.

 Roll the balls in the melted chocolate to coat. Place on the waxed paper. If using pecan halves for decoration, press one into the chocolate on top of the ball. 

Store in the fridge until serving.

 I liked this "cookie"-I would really consider this a candy-they make a pretty addition to dessert plates. I sent some of these to a friend, and her entire family are in love with them, she will be making them often, I think.
Although I didn't try making these with the vanilla extract substitution for the bourbon, my girlfriend did, and she loved that version as well.  Hope you enjoy them too!

Recipe Source: Kentucky Bourbon Balls