butter toffee heb,Creamy Tarragon Chicken and Okra Gumbo Recipe

Butter Toffee Recipe

5 cups granulated sugar

1 cup water
2 1/2 pounds (10 sticks) sweet cream butter
2 cups whole, shelled almonds
24 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate bars or chips (for coating)
3 cups almonds, ground

Grease two 9 x 13-inch baking pans with vegetable oil.

Combine sugar and water in a 4-quart saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until the mixture registers 231 degrees F on a candy thermometer. Add butter slowly until all is melted. Add whole almonds and cook until they are golden brown.

Pour mixture into prepared pans (mixture should be about 1/2 inch deep) and immerse pans in ice water to harden toffee. Remove toffee onto wax paper or parchment paper.

Melt chocolate in a double boiler. Coat the top side of the toffee with half the melted chocolate and sprinkle with half the ground almonds. Repeat on underside of toffee.

Makes about 3 pounds.

Okra Gumbo Recipe

4 bunches green onions, cleaned and chopped
2 fryers, boiled and deboned (reserve broth)
2 cans chicken broth
1/2 to 1 cup shortening or oil
3 (10 ounce) packages okra or about 2 pounds fresh okra, cut up
3 cans stewed tomatoes
Gumbo file
3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Melt shortening in a cast iron Dutch oven. Add flour and stir together over high heat until mixture forms a thick, but stirrable paste. Brown until mixture is a deep dark brown, almost burning.

Add chicken broth from boiled chickens and canned broth. Let mixture come to a rolling boil; reduce heat, then add deboned chicken, chopped green onions and tomatoes.

In a skillet, slowly fry okra in a little oil, until no longer slimy, but not black. Add okra to gumbo mixture in the Dutch oven. Bring to a slow boil, stirring occasionally for about 20 minutes.

Turn off heat. When mixture is no longer boiling, sprinkle file over top and stir lightly. Let stand about 15 minutes.

Serve over rice.

Creamy Tarragon Chicken Recipe

3 tablespoons butter or margarine

6 skinned and boned chicken breasts
1 large onion, chopped
2 (8 ounce) packages fresh mushrooms, sliced
1 pint whipping cream
Sliced Monterey jack cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
1 to 2 tablespoons tarragon
Hot cooked rice or noodles

Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat; add chicken and cook until browned, turning once. Remove from pan; reserve drippings.

Add onion and mushrooms to pan and saut