It Pays To Be Good...

              ...to your friends! Today I received a nice surprise in my mailbox! It was a Foodzie Tasting Box! I was given this gift through the Cooking Channel Cookie Swap Contest! I didn't enter that contest, but my food friend (Wendy Rusch) did! She asked her friends to vote for her 2 cookie entries, everyday, until the contest was over. I did just that! And about a week ago I received an email from the Cooking Channel that said my name was picked from the list of voters, and that I will be receiving my gift shortly! I never even considered this during all the times I was voting for her cookie recipes!  I guess 'one good turn deserves another'! Here is my Foodzie Tasting Box. To see a larger view just click on the photo.

This box contains Saigon Cinnamon, Dried Cherries, Dark Chocolate Almond Brittle, Hazelnut Butter, Hard Red Winter Wheat Flour, 67% Dark Chocolate Bar and Recipe Cards for these ingredients!

 If you would like more info on Foodzie, check out this link                      http://foodzie.com/how-it-works/

       Thank you so much Cooking Channel and Foodzie!

I decided to try a recipe that came with my Foodzie package! The recipe caught my eye because it sounded very unique! It's called Sponge Candy. The reason it's called that is because it looks like a sponge, as you can see in my photo. But it is definitely not soft like a sponge! This candy is very crunchy, chewy and sticky!

This candy is not for people with delicate dental work! The flavor is like peanut brittle without the peanuts!

Sponge Candy

Ingredients;

1 cup granulated sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 tbls. distilled white vinegar

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tbls. pure vanilla extract

1 tbls. baking soda

3 oz. dark chocolate - optional

 Directions;

Liberally grease a 10-inch round spring form cake pan with vegetable oil. Trace the bottom of the pan on a piece of parchment paper. Line the bottom of the pan with the parchment paper circle. Line the sides of the pan with a parchment paper so that the parchment paper creates a collar that sits 1 to 2-inches above the pan. Liberally grease the parchment paper.

In a deep medium saucepan add sugar, corn syrup, vinegar, salt and vanilla. Over medium-high heat bring the mixture to a boil (without stirring) and cook until hard crack stage, i.e. until temperature reads 300 degrees F. on a candy thermometer. This should take about 10 minutes. If sugar crystals form on the sides of the pan during the cooking process, brush the sides of the pan with a clean pastry brush dipped in water.

Remove from heat. Working quickly, add the baking soda and quickly blend to incorporate the soda into the sugar mixture, about 5 seconds. The mixture will bubble up when you add the baking soda. Be very careful not to touch the hot mixture.

Immediately pour the hot toffee into the prepared pan.
Let cool and set completely before touching.
Cut into pieces. It will makes a huge mess, but the messy little crumbs can be saved for your ice cream! You can stop here if you like or you can take it to the next level by melting the chocolate and drizzling it over the sponge candy pieces.