Thursday, December 30, 2010

Blogging Bloopers 2010 - Just in Time

Susan at Between Naps on the Porch had just announced her intention to host
a blogging bloopers party on January 1, 2011.  That was all I needed to have
the incentive to create quite the blooper.

No, really I intended to whip out a little pistachio brittle for a family Christmas
Progressive Dinner where our house was the last stop, the dessert.  I already
had some fabulous toffee and I had purchased some shelled pistachios that
I had been meaning to get around to to make some great brittle.





Mind you, I have had this recipe many years, taught to me by a neighbor,
Barbara and it is the easiest recipe.  One year I think I whipped out 10 or 12
batches in one day.  I don't think I have made it since we remodeled our kitchen
and I am thinking that my microwave is a lot more powerful than my old one.


Being the educationally minded mother that I am,
and believing firmly in men that can cook, I had my
16 year old son in the kitchen and I am telling him how
easy this recipe is, that it only takes 1 C. sugar and 1/2
C. light corn syrup, cooked in the microwave for 9
minutes.  We placed it in and around minute 8 I heard
a loud pop!  I turned to him and said, "Was that just a
pop I heard?"  Smoke filled the room with a horribly
acrid smell as we opened the microwave to find
one of my favorite bowls cracked and smoking.



Not a lovely sight! 

Quicky my son grabbed the hot bowl and we headed out
the door so that the house wouldn't smell too badly.

Ok, maybe it was the bowl.  Let's try again.



Why would I even think this Kitchenaid bowl would last,
it got misshapen in the dishwasher.  More smoke, more
smell, and this one was leaking out of the bottom.



Whew, at least I hadn't started with the pistachios in the
mix.  The recipe calls for raw peanuts and I have found
that with nuts that are already cooked it is best to add
them about halfway through.

Not do be detered (I quickly called Barbara and then
talked to the "expert" her husband Steve.  He does it
for 3 minutes, adds nuts, then 3 minutes, then adds
butter and vanilla, then 1 minute.

Ok!  A recipe on the web started with 14 minutes -
my microwave would have been on fire by then.



Yes, we finally did get the pistachio brittle, but I have to
say it was still a little chewy, although you have to try
the pistachios, they are great in it.  I think I needed 1 1/2
minutes at the end instead of 1. (I did another batch
with 2 minutes at the end and that was too much - kind of 
burned tasting!)  That's why I like to
use a thermometer, but this really is so easy and
quick.

Pistachio Nut Brittle Recipe

1 C. sugar
1/2 C. light Karo corn syrup
1 - 1 1/4 C. nuts

Stir together in a MICROWAVE SAFE bowl!!
Heat on high for 3 minutes.  Add the nuts
  (if nuts are salted, don't add
any additional salt, but if they are not, add 1/4 tsp. salt)
and heat on high for another 3 minutes.
Stir in 1 T. butter and 1 tsp.vanilla
(I use a different spoon each time I stir.)
Put back in microwave and heat an additional 1-1 1/2
minutes.  Remove from heat and stir in 1 tsp. baking
soda.  Stir quickly as it will foam.  Pour out onto a
Silpat lined pan, or a greased pan.  Let cool completely
and break into pieces.






I have to say, my favorite thing about blogging is that
I have the right to throw out bloopers if I want and
you can't even taste these to know tht they were a little
on the chewy side!  You wouldn't know if I didn't tell you.



The next day the bowls went in the trash - after they had
cooled off. 

Hope to see and read some of your bloopers
to start off my new year.
Happy 2011.  Thanks Susan for this fun party.

Join Susan for her

I will also be posting this with


Jacqueline
Jacqueline

Chocolat - French for Chocolate. I adored chocolate from a young age when I had to sneak in the cupboard to find where my mother had hidden the Nestle's Chocolate Chips. Having read about the famous chocolat shoppes in Paris, when I finally got there I was determined to try a chocolate from every Paris shoppe. I invite you to share my adventures in creating, in travel, and in life.

32 comments:

  1. Oops! Don't you just hate that! At least you were able to salvage your brittle. Poor bowls!
    I wonder, do all good bowls go to bowl heaven? Yours certainly should have!
    Thanks for sharing that blooper with all of us.
    ANd thank you for your friendship and kind comments this past year!
    Happy New Year, Jacqueline!
    xo Yvonne

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  2. Ahh! You shared a mishap! :D

    And what a lose you took! Those poor adorable bowls!
    At least it still turned out looking (and I'm sure tasting) yummy!

    Happy New Year!
    Can't wait to see what you dish out in 2011!

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  3. WOW!!!!!!!!!! That's one way to clean out your cupboards! LOVE the story & that it did end in success. HAPPY NEW YEAR my newest blogging friend. I'm so glad I found you! HUGS!
    Charlene

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  4. Well that's certainly one way to justify the purchase of a new set of mixing bowls. :)

    You should have seen the time I filled the house full of billowing black smoke as I was frying chicken for company. I calmly covered the pan with the lid and headed for the door - the pot stayed outside, I went back in, closed the door, and started over. As smooth as if it were choreographed that way. I still laugh about it.

    Hope you have a great new year!!

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  5. O my !! hahahhahha!! great post at the end of this year !!!...love it...hahahahahh!!....


    EEN HEEL GOED EN GEZOND 2011 !!!...

    LIEVE GROETJES VAN MIJ....

    ★ ┊    ★ ┊┊   ★ ┊  ★ ┊    
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊ ┊     ★┊  
      ★ ┊    ★ ┊ ★ ┊ ★ ┊
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊    ★┊ ☆ ☆ 
    ☆┊   ☆   ★ ┊    ★ ┊┊ ☆   
    ┊   ┊ ☆   ☆┊    ★┊★┊ ★
    ☆┊ ☆   ★ ┊    ★ ┊ ☆

    A REALLY GOOD AND HEALTHY 2011 !!!

    WARM HUGS FROM ME ........

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  6. What an awesome post.... but I'm so sorry your adorable bowl is ruined! :( Happy New Year to you!!!

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  7. I'm not going near that recipe:) I give you 5 stars for persistence!
    It paid off..:)It looks great..have fun on your getaway and happy 2011!

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  8. Oh no.

    I recently made a roast for dinner guests. I have ALWAYS had success with the technique I used. The roast was just ok, but the gravy was horrible.

    I wish I had kept the pictures of some of my blooper moments. I'll know to keep them for 2011.

    Happy New Year! La

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  9. Well it certainly sounded like a great idea! I'm sure you had a mess in the microwave to clean up too. I think I'll stick with the stove-top for making toffee :)

    Happy New Year, Jacqueline!

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  10. I admire your persistence! (I probably would have given up after the first bowl broke.) Hope you have a lovely 2011! :)

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  11. Wow! That is an amazing story. I'm so glad you got the mix right finally. I would like to try this recipe for gifts next year. I sounds easy...kind of. :)

    Happy New Year!
    ~Liz

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  12. The same thing happened to me this year trying to make toffee! I gave up on the mic and made Joni's-worked out great:@) (oh, and I DID lose the nuts!) Pick just one blooper to post about??? Oye... Happy New Year Jacqueline, I wish you a beautiful 2011!

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  13. After I quit laughing, wait i'm still laughing... But goodness, you are lucky a fire didn't start. thanks for sharing.. all is well that ends well. I love pistachios, so I'll have to give these a try in a pyrex microwave safe bowl... Happy new Year!

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  14. Oh my gosh., Jacqueline..this is just like something I would do! LOL Now, I want to try the recipe...do you think a glass bowl would be safer? :) Thanks for sharing this!

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  15. That happened to me before... what can you do, right? lol


    I'm here to wish you and your family a Happy 2011, Jacqueline!

    I must say that I feel pretty blessed for knowing you and your blog. I truly learn so much here and you're always so darling in your comments on my blog. I appreciate your support!


    Thank you for everything.

    xo


    Luciane at HomeBunch.com

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  16. Looks like a great recipe (despite the bowls). I love brittle because you can make it and have it on hand for un-announced guests.

    I want to wish you a Happy New Year! I look forward to seeing more beautiful posts from you in 2011. In fact, your blog is so beautiful I had to show my Mum as she is in love with chic, girly and purple things too.

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  17. Hi lovely lady.
    This happened to me just before my guest came !!! I was melting some cheese for a dip and the bowl was not Microwave safe, my house had a smell of Cheese for day's.
    I hope you have a Great New Year's sweet lady.

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  18. I had a fudge fiasco just days before Christmas and the same day you warned us in your post to make certain our candy thermometers are calibrated, check them first before starting the candy. All that chocolate, sugar, cream and butter ruined. I gave the whole batch to the deer...in small doses mind you! Happy New Year Jacqueline!

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  19. It's good to know you're human, Jacqueline:) I'm glad your blooper has a happy ending! Happy New Year! I love your blog and look forward to the New Year with you:)

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  20. Happy New Year
    Your brittle story is why I won't make mine in the microwave any more. I'd rather cook it in a pot with the candy thermometer attached to the side. More control and the end result of crisp brittle, not one that wraps around your teeth!
    Judith

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  21. I have a deathly fear of the microwave, and this justifies it. LOL! I'm glad you showed us what could happen. You know, I put one of my favorite ceramic bowls (microwave safe) in the microwave, and it cracked in half. I was madder than ten wet hens!

    Your brittle, though, looks good so I'm sure it was worth it in the long run!

    But don't you love telling someone how easy peasy something is only to have a kitchen catastrophe??? Been there. Done that!

    Happy New Year...

    XO,

    Sheila :-)

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  22. The final product certainly looks wonderful! Will have to try but will be very careful about the timing! When we got a new microwave after renovating our kitchen, I burned a lot of things -- apparently, as microwaves grow older they take longer to cook. Mine was about 18 years old so I had a huge learning curve in timing with my new one. Glad you didn't burn the pistachios...I'm sure the odor from that would have been a lot worse!

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  23. Wow, what a day -- and a mess! But the finished product looks great, and the recipe sounds like one I need to try. My sweet husband LOVES pistachios and brittle, but I don't think he's ever had pistachio brittle. I'll have to surprise him. Thanks! Happy New Year to you and yours!

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  24. Oh, for heaven's sake! That's awful!!! Glad you at least got some tasty candy out of it! Happy New Year!

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  25. Sorry, you ruined your bowls but thanks for the recipe. Never made brittle cause I just assumed it was alot more complicated. These ingredients are actually in my pantry.
    Susanne.

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  26. That brittle looks so good, you'd never know you went through so much to get it. It's too bad about the bowls and hopefully you didn't make your smoke detector go off. This was a fun party, we have to laugh at ourselves.
    Happy New Year

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  27. OK, so is that the recipe for the burnt, or non burnt?? LOL
    Happy 2011! The Groundhog will have to bring you a new bowl for his day! :)

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  28. Hello sweet friend! We all survive a few annual mishaps in the kitchen. Happy BOWL-ing in 2011. Hope you find some fun new ones!!!!

    I don't know what has happened to the comments on my blog...I'm hoping they fix it soon. Thanks ;D

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  29. What a time you had! You are so good to have persevered in making it despite TWO catastrophes! You are right, we would never know from the pictures that the brittle isn't, well, brittle! It sounds and looks wonderful.

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  30. I have broken more bowls in the microwave than I care to admit! This was a funny story:)

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  31. I've got to try this. Sounds delicious and easy enough for me to try. Thanks for the great ideas! (and I love chewy brittle!

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