"Crack" Toffee

 I found this recipe wandering around the web and its so easy and uses items you probably keep in your cupboards. I initially made this to give away - but it didn't get into many of the gift packages because we pretty much ate them till there were so few left, I decided to keep them!

Ingredients
1 cup unsalted butter
1 cup light brown sugar
2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips
40 saltine crackers

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
1. Line a 15"x10" jelly roll pan or 12"x17" cookie sheet with foil and spray with a non stick spray
2. Lay out crackers in a flat layer onto the foil
3. measure out your morsels and set them aside
4. Melt brown sugar and butter until a boil is reached. Reduce heat and simmer uncovered for about 5-6 minutes or until mixture is thickened and sugar is completely dissolved. It should be pretty thick, but thin enough to pour and spread on its own. Pour this mix over the crackers making sure all are coated evenly

5. Bake for 8-10 minutes, or until toffee becomes bubbly
6. After removing pan from oven, let it sit for 3-5 minutes and let it begin to set up.
7. Sprinkle on chips, let them spften and melt about 5 minutes and then spread them into an even layer. You can add nuts, cracker crumbs or whatever else you please at this point, but really, it is so good, it doesn't need anything extra.
Let cool or if needed quickly, refrigerate until it hardens.
Break into pieces and serve - it won't last long!!!!

Navy Bean Soup

It's been really cold here - lots of snow today so its time for warm and hearty meals.
My husband's friend Spencer used to make the most incredible Navy Bean soup - it was just beans and broth, but I have never been able to duplicate it, and sadly he has passed on, so I needed to find a better one than I had. Enter good old Better Homes and Gardens. This soup was wonderful! I did change a few things and made it in my crockpot. My husband has been eating it for several days now and was sad when I gave some to our neighbor and put the rest in the freezer!
Navy Bean Soup
1 bag dried navy Beans
1-1 1/2 lbs meaty ham bone
1/2 cup ham (left over from ham dinner)
1 1/2 cups sliced celery
2 cups sliced carrots
1/4 tsp onion powder (or 1 onion chopped -I hate onion, so I rarely use it)
3/4 tsp crushed dried thyme
1/4-1/2 tsp salt
1 bay leaf

Put beans and ham bone in crockpot, cover with water
Add the rest of the ingredients except 1/2 cup of ham and cook on slow 6-8 hours.
Remove bone from crockpot and cut up any bits of ham left on bone. Add 1/2 cup cooked ham and serve

That's it! So simple, but so tasty!