Aunt Ruthie’s Terrific Toffee

Aunt Ruthie’s Toffee, image by The Tromp Queen CC license 4.0

Aunt Ruthie’s Terrific Toffee recipe.

Aunt Ruthie has been gone a little over 9 years now.  I think of her often and miss her so much!

My Dad was one of 8 children. Aunt Ruthie was one of his older sisters. Way into her late 80’s she was “taking care of the old people.” She would make pounds and pounds of Christmas candy and home-made noodles and baked goods each year (fudge, toffee, pecan rolls, cinnamon rolls, butterhorn rolls, and more). All through the Holiday season, lots of goodies would be sitting on top of her washer and dryer on her screened-in porch (between the kitchen and garage). Friends and family could help themselves as they were coming or going from her house. She was tiny, feisty, hard-working, witty and quick-to-laugh. She loved the Cubs and the Republican Party! She collected Hummel figurines, old dishes and various antiques. She was a FABULOUS cook.

I visit Aunt Ruthie’s grave whenever I get back to visit that area. She and her husband, Uncle Spike (his real name was Dale, but he lost both hands in a corn picker and wore metal hooks that opened and closed so he could drive and do all sorts of things) are buried in a little country graveyard a couple miles from the nearest small town, just down the road from where my cousins now live in a new house built on her old farm land.

Agate gravestone

Their headstone is a huge agate rock that was found on their farm. Aunt Ruthie had it polished and cut when Uncle Spike died in a tragic car accident when I was 15 years old.
I could write many blogs posts just about Aunt Ruthie and Uncle Spike, but I will not keep you waiting for the recipe any longer!

Aunt Ruthie’s Toffee

1 c. packed brown sugar
2 sticks of butter
chopped pecans
good quality semi-sweet chocolate chips or bars

In a saucepan, heat the sugar and butter on medium heat until it reaches 280 degrees.  (My mom’s note says you “can turn it on high” 🙂  Stir most of the time.

Butter a pan (jelly roll type or cookie sheet).  Crush or finely chop pecans (or whatever nuts you like) and spread them around on the buttered pan.

(I would probably toast them first, but I don’t think Aunt Ruthie did that).

Pour hot the sugar mixture over the nuts.  When it sets up some, put chocolate on top (chips or broken up bars).  It will melt.  Spread the chocolate around. Break it into pieces when it has cooled.

Enjoy!

Thank you, dear Aunt Ruthie!

*Note to readers:  I previously published this same recipe in a “recipe re-visit” here, on The Tromp Queen blog, and also as a Facebook note.  I’m posting it again so that it has its own place here now.

Lemon Pecan Rice

Image by The Tromp Queen, CC license

Cook rice however you prefer to do it.  I use 1 c. rice to 2 c. water and about 1/2 t. salt. I bring the water to a boil, then add the rice and salt, stir, cover and simmer (low) for about 14 of 15 minutes.  It can sit off the heat until you are ready for it. I use Indian Basmati white rice for this recipe.  I often double it b/c it is so yummy and is good leftover.  I love it w/ grilled ribeye steaks or any grilled meat (chicken or pork are especially good with it as well).

While the rice is cooking, put the following into a small bowl:
(these amounts are good for 1 c. uncooked rice — double this if you use more than that)

1 T. olive oil
2T. lemon juice (or the juice of 1 lemon)
2 tsp. lemon zest (the zest of 1 lemon)
3 or 4 thinly sliced green onions (incl the green part)
1 t. Dijon mustard
1/2 t. salt (I use kosher)
a couple of dashes of tabasco or cayenne

Stir this mixture into the cooked rice.  Stir well so it gets through all the rice.  Cover and let sit for a couple of minutes.

While the rice sits, toast a handful (1/4 to 1/3 c. or so) of pecans (or zap in the micro), then chop them finely and scatter the pecans over the rice right before you serve.

(My longtime Facebook friends might recognize this recipe from a NOTE I posted a couple of years ago.  Since this dish is something I make frequently, I want to be sure it gets published here on my recipe blog, too!)