Penuche - Brown Sugar Fudge

When I was a little girl, living in Southern California, my family used to take weekend trips to Tijuana Mexico every once in a while. My greatest memory was visiting the candy shops during the Autumn when they had displays full of Dia de la Muerta (Day of the Dead) candies: little sugar skulls,  bright colored marzipan figures, and cubes of buttery caramely brown sugar fudge that had a bit of a salty finish. I had no idea what it was but I loved it, and I got some every time we went. 

This recipe is an homage to the candy I had and loved as a child. 

If you don't have a candy thermometer, which I highly recommend having if you make candy with any frequency, you can use the cold water method to check the state of your candy.  With a bowl of very cold water (throw a piece of ice in there for good measure) once the mixture has been boiling for about 10 minutes (this is totally an estimate, look up water method if you've not used it before, please) over medium to medium low heat, drop a small bit of sugar mixture into the cold water and create a ball, it should smoosh like a pancake when you take it out of the water hence “soft ball stage.”

Philly Cheese Open Faced Sandwich

This is like a cross between a Philly Cheese and a French Dip. It could be made better with the addition of a thin layer of horseradish spread on the matzo brie before adding the onions, meat and cheese. Also, sauteed mushrooms would be a great addition.

And of course, this is only kosher for Passover if you a) are willing to eat moistened matzo, which some people avoid, and b) you either don't keep kosher otherwise (I only observe Passover for the tradition, not for the religious aspect, really) or you forgo the cheese, since meat and dairy together is a no-no.

Chex Muddy Buddies

Muddy Buddies are a wonderful holiday treat, and making a few changes to the recipe Chex provides makes them yeast-free. If you have an aversion to peanut butter, any nut or soy butter will do!  I do recommend using the name brand cereal, as the generic is not as tasty.

I like to use my Muddy Buddies in holiday packages to make "Reindeer Chow" in which I mix the treats with M&M candies and yeast free pretzel pieces.

Zombie (Chicken) Chili

This chili has beans.  If you don’t tolerate them well, omit them.  What makes it zombie chili?  The word zombie in front of it.  And the cooked white meat chicken looks a little like brainz!