what to do on a snow day

the past week has been the snowiest week in portland since i've lived here. luckily i'm not a complete stranger to snow. even though i grew up in southern california, husband and i lived in the mountains in new mexico and in colorado for a bit, so i've lived in snow and more importantly driven in snow. but when you live in a city that doesn't normally see snow, you get a little trapped. portland is just not equipped to deal with the snow. we have a lot of hills, very few snow plows, no salt trucks, freezing rain, and a lot of inexperienced drivers on the road. so to say the least we're getting a bit of the cabin fever.




so what do you do when you're not sledding in a canoe in the snow....

....you eat, cook, bake, and create indoors. here is what i decided to create today.







chocolate-pecan toffee. i have made this little treat to give as gifts to friends and family for christmas the past few years. this candy is a personal favorite of mine and my family. every year husband gives me a hard time about giving away all of the candy. i have actually made him his own special batch in years past, but it usually disappears in one evening......obviously a case of selective memory. so try a batch for yourself, and see if you can manage to keep them in the house.

chocolate-pecan toffee
2 sticks of room temperature butter (unsalted)
+ a little more to butter the pan
1/3 c. water
1 c. sugar
2 c. chopped pecans
a handful of halved pecans
8 oz semisweet chocolate
2 tbsp corn syrup

butter a 9-inch pan. line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper (butter paper too). heat the butter and water until the butter is melted, then add the sugar. stir constantly on med-high heat until it turns a med-dark amber color. (you can use a pastry brush dipped in water to brush away sugar crystals that form on the sides of the pan). remove from heat and add the chopped pecans. pour into the 9-inch pan & spread across the bottom of the pan. let cool.

warm the chocolate in a heat-proof bowl set over a pan with simmering water. you can add the corn syrup to the chocolate at this point (optional). once the chocolate has melted, spread it over the pecan toffee. arrange the halved pecans on top of the chocolate.

once the chocolate is cool, you can cut into small squares.....then eat.....enjoy!