But instead, I am choosing to play around in the kitchen and make some candy.  The kids are off of school this week, so they have each other to occupy, and I kind of have myself to myself.  If that makes any sense at all.  I decided to make a batch of toffee, and opened up my Better Homes and Gardens cookbook.  I had all the ingredients necessary to make a batch of Toffee Butter Crunch, so I did just that.  And it turned out perfectly!  When I went to look in the Recipe Trove to see if it was in there, I found that last year’s toffee was a different recipe.  So now I’m puzzled, because I could have sworn that this was where I got the recipe from.  And I wonder if last year’s was even better, so now I’m going to have to make a second batch.

Only, maybe not today.  Today I am going to make pie crust and cranberry sauce so those are out of the way for the week.  I also really do need to sit down and figure out when everything is going to go in the oven- AND I need to decide which turkey to bake.  Yesterday I picked up the turkey I ordered from the butcher- it’s all natural, fresh, and a hefty 18 pounds.  Yesterday I was also informed that I am one of the lucky winners from the turkey giveaway over at Serious Eats and an organic, free-range, all-natural turkey is literally winging it’s way to my house from D’Artagnan as I write this.  I’m pretty excited about that one!  Whichever turkey I decide not to make will have to be tucked into the freezer for another time.  I think it’s going to come down to if the D’Artagnan turkey can get here in time to be brined.  Again, I need to sit down and figure that timeline out, right down to the last possible minute for the brining to commence.

So I’m off to get some work done today.  In the meantime though, this Butter Crunch Toffee came together easily (about 15 minutes total) and it’s delicious.  It’s got the perfect buttery crunch that one expects from toffee.

Butter Crunch Toffee

1/2 cup coarsely chopped toasted almonds or pecans

1 cup butter

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon light corn syrup

3 tablespoons water

3/4 cup semisweet chocolate pieces

1/2 cup finely chopped toasted almonds or pecans

Line a 13×9×2-inch baking pan with foil, extending foil over the edges.  Sprinkle the 1/2 cup coarsely chopped nuts in the pan.

Butter the sides of a heavy 2-quart saucepan.  In the saucepan melt the butter.  Add the sugar, corn syrup and water.  Cook and stir over medium high heat to boiling.

Clip a candy thermometer to the pan.  Cook and stir over medium heat to 290ºF- soft crack stage. This should take about 15 minutes.  Watch carefully as it hits 280, because it goes fast after that and you don’t want to scorch.  Remove saucepan from heat, remove thermometer.

Pour the mixture into your prepared pan.  Let stand for 5 minutes, or until firm, sprinkle with the chocolate pieces.  Allow them to sit for 2 minutes, until soft and melty, and then spread the chocolate around to cover.  Sprinkle with the finely chopped nuts.  Chill until furm.  Lift candy out of pan and break into pieces.  Store tightly covered.  Makes about 1 1/2 pounds.