Caramel Pecan Snapper Cookies

  

Remember the old-fashioned candy called Turtles? Now that the Christmas displays are arriving in stores, there will likely be some "Turtles" hiding among the boxes of chocolate-covered cherries in the grab-a-gift aisle at grocery and discount stores.

But with a little more effort, you can make homemade cookies for your Thanksgiving snack table or for the gift-giving season. These Caramel Pecan Snapper Cookies were a hit at a summer bridal shower and on a cookie tray for the South Central Community Foundation grants awards night this week. 

Turtles candies were developed in 1918 by Johnson’s Candy Company, which became DeMet’s Candy Company in 1923. A salesman came into the commissary’s dipping room and showed a candy to one of the dippers, who pointed out that the candy looked like a turtle. Soon after, Johnson’s Candy Company was making the same kind of candy and selling it under the name "Turtles."

Today, Turtles candies come in all sizes, shapes and recipes, some even shaped like a turtle, with modern mold-making techniques. The originals were produced by candy dippers on a rectangular marble 'board', similar in size to a contemporary kitchen cutting board. The original recipe, as executed on marble, was pecans, caramel and various chocolates. 

Caramel Pecan Snappers have the elements of the classic Turtle on a pecan-studded cookie. They may be a little messy to eat ... but they are worth the sticky fingers. If you give them a try, let me know how you liked them!

Caramel-Pecan Snappers 

Adapted from Betty Crocker's Cookies, Brownies and Bars

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 cup butter, softened

1 tsp. vanilla

1 egg

1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 tsp. cream of tartar

3/4 tsp. baking soda

1/4 tsp. salt

3/4 cup chopped pecans

1/4 cup sugar

36 caramels, unwrapped

2 tbsp. milk

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

Additional pecans for decoration

 

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Mix 3/4 cup sugar, shortening and butter in large mixer bowl; cream until smooth. Add egg and vanilla, mixing well. Combine flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt. Add to creamed mixture. 

Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Combine chopped pecans and 1/4 cup sugar. Roll cookie balls in pecan mixture. Flatten slightly with greased bottom of glass dipped into sugar. Bake 9 to 10 minutes or until set, but not brown. Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet to cool.

Place caramels and milk in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High 2 to 3 minutes, stirring every minute, until smooth. Spoon dollop of melted caramel in the center of each cookie. 

Place chocolate chips in small microwavable bowl. Microwave uncovered on High for 1minute. If necessary, microwave in 10 to 20 second intervals until mixture can be stirred smooth. Place dollop of chocolate on top of caramel. Place pecan piece on top of chocolate. Cool completely. Makes 3 dozen cookies.

 

To store, put parchment paper or waxed paper between stacked cookies to prevent sticking. 

Beauty Shot: In the Eye of the Beholder

Dried up grass isn't the first thing you think of when you think "beauty shot."

But not long ago, my friend, Debbie, asked if I had any photos of prairie grasses in the fall. I'd mailed her one of my photo cards for a special occasion, and she was curious. She said she loves driving in the countryside at this time of year, seeing the subtle beauty and colors of prairie grasses in autumn.

I take a lot of photos, but nothing immediately came to mind. I did find a few photos scattered through 10-plus years of blog posts. Some of my favorites were taken several years ago at Quivira National Wildlife Refuge, just a few miles from our house.

But having her mention this "favorite thing" had me looking at my surroundings a little more closely. On one of my many trips as "go-fer" to the field as we cut fall crops and planted our 2022 wheat crop, I noticed a bright blue sky punctuated with puffy clouds. It was nearing "golden hour" and the scene really was "golden" with the prairie grasses reaching toward the sky.

After my appointed duties at the field, I took time to try to capture the scene with my camera lens. 

A Time to Think

The miracle of gratitude is that it shifts your perception to such an extent that it changes the world you see.  

—Robert Holden, Ph.D

It seems society today is entranced by the shiny and new. But there's beauty at every age and stage, and this time of year gives us visual cues all around.

 

 

Those prairie grasses may be old and dried up, but they are beautiful, especially when kissed by a setting sun.

 

 

It's kind of like that shiny new penny compared to the one that's been circulated repeatedly - in a toddler's pocket, giving exact change at the drive-through or pushed into a gumball machine. And, in actuality, the old penny may be worth more than the new one - think Indian head penny, Lincoln wheat head penny, etc. (There's probably another analogy about the value of older people in society, but now that I'm on the downhill slide myself, that probably seems self-serving.)

 

There is intrinsic beauty in the mundane. The message was reinforced with an email devotional:

 

 

The trees are about to show you just how beautiful letting go can be.

 "Letting go ..." It's good for more than just leaves on trees. I am struggling with a situation in my own life, and it's hard to just let it go. I've lost more sleep over it than I should have. It happens more than I want to admit. It appears to be a lesson I need to keep learning.

Recently, an Omaha pastor posted something to his Facebook page about "letting go." As I mentioned in last Tuesday's blog post, it sometimes seems that a "theme" develops for my week. This week appears to be no exception. 

Rev. Craig Finnestad serves The Water's Edge UMChurch in Omaha. (It's the church where Jill & Eric belonged when they lived there.) Here was his list:

 

Photo & thoughts by the Rev. Craig Finnestad, The Water's Edge UMC, Omaha, NE

 

My Guideposts devotional had these words:

O God, give me the wisdom to know 

when to hold on and when to let go.

Kim's County Line file photo - Dillon Nature Center, Hutchinson, KS

 

A Time to Pray (From Guideposts)

Dear Lord, when I am focused on my problems, 

and most likely making mountains out of molehills, 

guide me to go outside, look upwards 

and have faith in Your omnipotence.

Amen.

Now ... just to live that.

The 21st: A Look Each Month at the 2022 Wheat Crop

 

Good ideas are worth emulating. (That's a better word than stealing, don't you think?)

During the last growing season, Stafford County Flour Mills posted a monthly update on the wheat crop to its Facebook page. The mill - which is located in Hudson, Kansas, in our home county - produces Hudson Cream Flour. (It's the best flour there is, if you need a testimonial. They also have a Hudson Cream Flour Baking page on Facebook. Check it out!)

As I said, good ideas are worth appropriating. Since our 2022 wheat crop will be our final one as active farmers, I decided to do something similar with wheat blog posts this year.

 We began planting wheat on September 21, 2021, so I decided to use the 21st of every month for my "wheat report" photos from now until harvest. (Now I just need to remember on the right day!)

A month later, we were STILL planting wheat after several rain delays. 

October 21, 2021

But most of our earlier planted wheat had come up and was thriving.

I went to another field that we'd planted following corn harvest. On October 21, there were some volunteer corn plants coming up among the wheat. 

A freeze will "zap" the corn, and it will no longer be viable. But the wheat is designed to survive the winter. 

 

Our friend, Rex, ended up helping us finish wheat planting. Our hired man quit during the planting season. Rex retired earlier this year, so Randy put his childhood friend to work driving the disc tractor ahead of the drill.

Rex grew up on a farm, but took a different career path. But he was back in the tractor seat for us last week. We paid him in home-cooked lunches (besides the check).

Rex was Randy's best man 40 years ago. It's good to have friends like that.

I decided to try and take a sunset photo on the 21st of each month, too. (Two things to remember ... probably not the smartest move.)

After Randy finished planting the first time around on October 22, he decided to replant a portion of a field. On October 23, we finally finished ... we think.

You can see that there's still water in the field from the latest rainfall. (We got another inch of rain yesterday, October 27.)

Randy said the time it took to get the wheat crop planted "drove him to drink." (It's water, people!)

Stay tuned for more updates on the 2022 wheat crop, with photos taken on the 21st of each month. 

True confessions: These final three photos were actually on October 23, 2021, when we finished planting.

Fly Like An Eagle

 

It pays to have a husband with an eagle eye - literally.

Last week, his eagle eye actually spotted a bald eagle. As the song from Fiddler on the Roof goes, Miracle of Miracles, the eagle stayed put long enough for Randy to pick me up and take me to the location for a few photos before the eagle swooped away.

I have horrible eyesight. I've been wearing strong glasses since grade school. For me, glasses are the last thing off and the first thing on every day. Even with properly-prescribed glasses, I squint and struggle with vision.

Randy has never worn glasses. Well ... he sort of wears them for reading -- once he retrieves a pair of his over-the-counter glasses he leaves scattered around the house and in various vehicles.

Randy spotted the bald eagle on yet another trip to Zenith for diesel fuel during wheat planting. The eagle was perched in a dead cottonwood tree along the Zenith Road.

A pair of eagles builds its nest at nearby Quivira National Wildlife Refuge each winter, but it is too far away from a roadway for me to capture a photo. 

 

A year ago in July, an eagle perched on a pasture fence long enough that I was able to snap a few photos (again, thanks to Randy's "eagle" eye.)

July 2020

It's quite a treat to see them up close. Usually, they land way too far away for my little camera to be effective. 

Both Randy and I have kept our eyes to the sky to catch another glimpse of our majestic visitor. But we haven't been lucky enough to see him again. However, I keep thinking about that eagle and all that he sees as he's soaring through the air over our Kansas plains.

 

As is often the case, "flying high" seemed to be a theme with threads running through the whole week.  

An early morning soccer game for Brooke and the Fighting Unicorns provided an added treat when a hot air balloon appeared at a distance, then flew directly over the field. Spectators were watching the balloon as it traveled across the clear blue sky. 

 

 

But I think I captured the time when some of the Fighting Unicorns saw it for the first time.   

 

As a parent or grandparent, it's fun (and sometimes amusing) to watch these initial forays into teamwork and friendship. 

 

Some of my favorite photos of the day were taken off the field. 

... making friends ...

 ... cheering on teammates ...

... their turn to play ...

 

 

 ... and time for hot chocolate!

 

Cheering spectators are important, too!

 

At church, there was another glimpse of working together to "fly high" for a good cause.

The kids sold cookies in a jar for a mission project for the Zoe Empowers organization. Their goal was to raise funds for 10 sets of cooking pots for their sponsored friend group in the African country of Liberia.

Susanna Wesley UMC photo from their Facebook page

They quickly sold out! Grandma and Grandpa did their part.

Then we watched Kinley and her friends play in bell choir.

That is both a visual - and audio - reminder of the importance of working together. 

 I hope the girls and their friends learn how to "fly like an eagle" and SOAR in this life!

It's a lot easier with teamwork ... whether that's a husband who takes the time to come and get you when there's an opportunity for an eagle shot ... or on a sports field ... or in a church mission field.