Christmas Cracker Toffee

AKA Christmas Crack. This stuff is hands down one of the most delicious things I had in a very long time. It's not safe in my house (because I will eat it all) so I am forcing myself to send some over to my family's houses to resist. The Christmas season for me means a lot of baking. It's one of my most favorite things to do and sharing sweet treats with my friends and family makes me really happy.

This is one of my favorite recipes because I literally had everything in my kitchen, and you just might too. It requires very little time, so it's great for a last minute holiday party.

What you need:

2 Sticks of unsalted butter (1 Cup)

1 Cup of Light Brown Sugar

1 1/2 Cups of Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips

1 1/2 -2 Sleeves of Saltine Crackers

Cooking Spray

How to make it:

-Line your baking sheet with aluminum foil and spray with cooking spray.
-Preheat your oven to 425 degrees
-Line up all of the saltine crackers to fill the entire sheet.
-Place your butter and brown sugar in a sauce pan and heat on medium until boiling, while stirring.
-Place the heat on low and cook about 4 minutes, still stirring occasionally. Be very careful during this step not to burn it. Once it is thickening, it is done.
-Pour the mixture over the crackers and spread out evenly.
-Place the pan in the oven and bake for about 5 minutes or until it is bubbling.
- Let cool for 3 minutes and then pour the chocolate chips on top of everything and let sit until they melt.
-Spread the chocolate chips evenly with a butter knife.
- Place the whole pan in the fridge to cool for about 1-1/2 hours.
-Break apart the toffee with your hands and store in the fridge!
If you have sprinkles or chopped nuts you can place them on top to be more festive as well.

This would be great to bring to anyone during the holidays, even as a gift. It's that good!



I hope you enjoy!

Simmered in Tradition With Ragu

Thank you to Ragu for sponsoring today’s post and inspiring me to remake a family recipe!

Keeping traditions with my family as we get older is so important to me. My family tries to make a great effort to have dinner with each other at least a few times a month. Now that I have a brand new baby niece it is even more important to keep family traditions. We are a huge fan of pasta dishes, so my sister and I decided to get together and cook dinner for everyone.

I love the story behind Ragu and what a strong woman Aussanta was. On their website you can find their story along with awesome recipes and the many different flavors that Ragu offers. We honestly use Ragu every time I make pasta dishes because there are so many different flavors you can get, and it's a bang for your buck.

Reasons to believe in Aussanta, her sauce and her story: 
+Her Italian Heritage
+Ragu’s Commitment to Aussanta’s High Standards
+The Process – Stemming from a family recipe, Slowly simmered to add layers of flavor
+No.No.No (no artificial flavors, no artificial flavors and no high fructose corn syrup)
+Farm Grown ingredients
+Affordability

_______________________________________________________________________________

Stuffed Shells featuring Ragu Marinara Sauce

Ingredients
Jumbo pasta shells (We used the whole box in case any broke)
1 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp fresh garlic

12oz skim-milk ricotta cheese

1 cup shredded skim-milk mozzarella cheese
4 cups fresh spinach chopped
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1 egg
1 tbsp fresh basil - chopped
1 tsp kosher salt
1/2 tsp freshly-ground black pepper
1-1/4 cups Ragu traditional or marinara sauce

Directions

+Cook the pasta as directed on the box

+Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. 

+Heat the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat, add the garlic and cook until it begins to brown. +Add the spinach to pan, cook for about four minutes

+In a large mixing bowl, stir together the rest of the ingredients except the pasta sauce.

+ Pour 1/2 cup of the Ragu sauce into the bottom of a baking dish.

+ Stuff each shell with a spoonful of the mixture and place in the dish.

+Cover with the remaining sauce and bake covered with aluminum foil for 25 minutes. 

+Remove the foil and bake for another 10-15 minutes. 

Recipe adapted from this
one_______________________________________________________________________________

Needless to say, this dish was a huge hit!

Visit the campaign landing page to discover the Ragu heritage story.

What are some of your family traditions that you will keep for years to come?