Holland • Springfield Town Money Saver | December FOM 2021

HOLIDAY baking!

Salted Caramel Nuts

Makes 8 cups

1 cup each whole roasted salted cashews, whole large pecan halves, whole unsalted almonds, and whole walnut halves (4 cups total)

1½ cups sugar

2 tsp kosher salt

1 tsp fleur de sel 2 tsp vanilla extract

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine nuts & spread them on a sheet pan, roast for 7 minutes, until they become fragrant. Set aside to cool. Place sugar & ¼ cup of water in a medium (10”) sauté pan and mix with a fork until the sugar is moistened. Cook over medium-high heat until the sugar melts—from this point on, don’t stir the caramel, swirl the pan! Don’t worry—the mixture may look as though it’s crystallizing. Continue to cook 5-10 min., until mixture becomes clear golden brown, swirling the pan constantly at the end. (Careful—the caramel is very hot!) Off the heat, quickly add the vanilla (it will bubble up!) and swirl the pan to combine. Working quickly (the caramel will continue to cook in the pan), add the nuts and the kosher salt and toss with 2 large spoons until the nuts are coated.

Home Made Hot Cocoa

½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder

½ cup white sugar

1 pinch salt

½ cup boiling water

3 ½ cups milk

¾ teaspoon vanilla extract

½ cup half-and-half cream

In a saucepan, combine sugar, cocoa and salt. Add water; bring to a boil. Cook and stir for 2 minutes. Stir in milk; heat to serving temperature (do not boil). Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Whisk until frothy. If desired, garnish with marshmallows, cream or cinnamon sticks.

Rum Cake

Preparation

Ingredients

CAKE

• 1 cup chopped roasted pecans or walnuts

• 1 yellow cake mix

• 1 1-3/4 oz instant vanilla pudding mix

• 4 eggs

• ½ cup cold milk

• ½ cup vegetable oil

• ½ cup Bacardi dark rum

GLAZE

• ½ cup butter

• ¼ cup water

• 1 cup sugar

• ½ cup Bacardi light rum

CAKE: Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease & flour 12 cup bunt pan. Sprinkle nuts on bottom of pan. Combine all ingredients. Beat for 2 minutes on high with electric mixer. Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour. Cool in pan. Invert on serving plate. Prick top with fork. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Use brush or spoon to put extra dripping back on cake.

GLAZE: Melt butter in saucepan. Stir in water & sugar. Boil 5 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat & stir in rum. Note: This rum will cause steam. Be careful not to burn yourself.

Town Money Saver

How to Care For Winter Birds That Visit Your Yard

Winter is a di cult time of year for birds due to the weather and the scarcity of food. Furthermore, birds must consume a lot of food in a short amount of time to have the energy and body warmth to survive each day. Even birds that store food in caches or have developed special scavenging strategies to nd as much food as possible can bene t from a little wintertime help. Provide a variety of foods to attract the greatest number of species. Small, black-oil sun ower seeds are preferred by many smaller species of bird and have a high oil content that is nutritionally important for birds. Other sun ower seeds will be appropriate for blue jays and cardinals. Some other popular foods include white proso millet, thistle seed, niger seed, and peanuts.

Consult a wild bird store, which likely sells a birdseed mix that enables you to place a variety of seed into one feeder. In addition to seed, suet, which is made from high-quality animal fat, is crucial for birds in the winter. Families can get cra y by spreading peanut butter onto pine cones and sprinkling seed on top.

Birds likely need a little help surviving the winter, when conditions can be bleak. O ering food and observing backyard visitors can be a great way to unwind on winter a ernoons.

Hang the pine cones tied to pieces of string from tree branches for homemade feeders.

HOLLAND • SPRINGFIELD

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Corporate Office • PO Box 356 • Lucas, OH 44843

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