Sunday, September 15, 2024

Welcome Guest Heather Weidner! Virginia Peanut Brittle #Recipe & #Bookgiveaway


Molly MacRae: It’s my great pleasure to host Heather Weidner in the kitchen today. Boy, does she have a treat for you!

Heather Weidner: Thank you all so much for letting me stop by the Mystery Lovers’ Kitchen. I’m Heather Weidner, and I write where I know. All of my cozy mysteries and short stories are set in Virginia, so today I’d like to feature a fun, sweet, and salty recipe: 

Virginia Peanut Brittle

Ingredients:

2 cups of sugar

1 cup of corn syrup

 ½ cup water

2 cups of roasted, salted peanuts

2 tablespoons butter

1 ½ teaspoon of baking soda

1 ½ teaspoon vanilla

 

Other Supplies:

Medium Saucepan

Parchment Paper

Sheet Pan

Candy Thermometer

 

 

Directions:

Line a sheet pan with parchment paper. (I put a layer of tin foil under it to keep the hot liquid candy from seeping off the parchment.)

 

 

Mix peanuts, butter, baking soda, and vanilla. Set the mixture aside.

 

 

Mix sugar and water in a saucepan and stir well. Add the corn syrup. Use medium heat. You don’t want to heat it too fast. Stir until the mixture comes to a gentle boil.

 

Attach your thermometer to the pot. Cook until the temperature reaches 250 degrees F. Make sure you pay attention to the temperatures. The candy won’t harden to the expected consistency if the sugar is not cooked at the correct temperature.

 

Add the peanuts and stir until the temperature reaches 300 degrees F.

 

Remove the candy from the heat.

 

Pour the hot mixture in the pan. Be careful. Use a knife to spread the mixture evenly.

 

 

Allow the candy to set for 30 minutes. Break the candy apart. You can store the candy, when it’s cooled, in an airtight container.

 

Peanut brittle is a favorite vacation candy in a lot of tourist spots in the Commonwealth. Readers, what is your favorite candy or dessert from a trip or vacation?


 

The fourth book, Deadlines and Valentines, in the Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries launches in October. To celebrate, I’m giving away an e-book to the first book in the series, Vintage Trailers and Blackmailers. Giveaway open through noon Tuesday, 9/17/24.  




Let's keep in touch: 

To sign up for Heather’s Newsletter, please visit, http://heatherweidner.com/Contact.


Through the years, Heather Weidner has been a cop’s kid, technical writer, editor, college professor, software tester, and IT manager. She writes the Pearly Girls Mysteries, the Delanie Fitzgerald Mysteries, The Jules Keene Glamping Mysteries, and The Mermaid Bay Christmas Shoppe Mysteries. She blogs regularly with the Writers Who Kill.

 

Her short stories appear in the Virginia is for Mysteries series, 50 Shades of Cabernet, Deadly Southern Charm, Murder by the Glass, and First Comes Love, Then Comes Murder, and she has non-fiction pieces in Promophobia and The Secret Ingredient: A Mystery Writers’ Cookbook.

 

Originally from Virginia Beach, Heather has been a mystery fan since Scooby-Doo and Nancy Drew. She lives in Central Virginia with her husband and a pair of Jack Russell terriers.

 

Links:

Website and Blog: http://www.heatherweidner.com

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/HeatherWeidnerAuthor

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/heather_mystery_writer/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/8121854.Heather_Weidner

Amazon Authors: http://www.amazon.com/-/e/B00HOYR0MQ

Threads: https://www.threads.net/@heather_mystery_writer

Twitter/X: https://twitter.com/HeatherWeidner1

BookBub: https://www.bookbub.com/authors/heather-weidner-d6430278-c5c9-4b10-b911-340828fc7003

 

27 comments:

  1. Congratulations on the upcoming release of "Deadlines and Valentines"!

    My favorite vacation treat has to be salt water taffy when we visited the coastline - both east and west. It's a favorite of mine to start with, but oh to get it fresh pulled was awesome.

    Since I don't read ebooks, I'm not entering the contest.
    2clowns at arkansas dot net

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks so much. I grew up in Va. Beach. Lots of salt water taffy.

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  2. I just came home from a trip to the beach with 3 boxes of salt water taffy.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Beignets from cafe du monde
    Wskwared(at)yahoo(dot)com

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  4. Thank you for the recipe peanut brittle is a favorite candy. Deborah

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  5. Let's see, a favorite vacation treat...I think it would either be creamy yummy fudge or tasty gelato. Congrats on the new release and thanks for the opportunity to win. makennedyinaz at hotmail dot com

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  6. So nice to meet you, Heather and to learn about your mystery series. I am an avid cozy reader, and look forward to reading your series! As to favorite candy from a trip: Cocolate covered orange rinds from Chile, and Kinder Bueno chocolates from anywhere in Europe (now widely available here) that our grandkids love so much! Thank you for sharing your writing talents with us eager readers! JOY! Luis at ole dot travel

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  7. Welcome Heather. Congrats on your upcoming release.

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  8. Jack Russell terriers, huh? You must enjoy high energy in your world! My niece actually found a breeder who is know for producing rather mellow Jack Russells.
    libbydodd at comcast dot ent

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  9. My favorite vacation treat is a box of pralines from New Orleans.

    Nancy
    allibrary (at) aol (dot) com

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  10. My favorite treat from my travels is the fudge from Mackinac Island MI.
    diannekc8(at)gmail(dot)com

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  11. Thanks for being my guest in the kitchen, today, Heather. Great recipe!

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  12. Welcome, Heather, and thanks for the yummy recipe! Peanut brittle (See's) was my mother's favorite candy, and she was famed for her sweet tooth. I've never tried to make it, but this recipe sound perfect. And congratulations on the new book!

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  13. Hi Heather! Waving at you from Lexington, Virginia. When we visited Key West a few years back, I tried as many versions of Key Lime pie as I could manage. Yum. patdupuy@yahoo.com

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    Replies
    1. We're neighbors! Great choice with the key lime pie!

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  14. Growing up we used to always bring home Salt water taffy from out vacations! lindaherold999(at)gmail(dot)com

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  15. I live in Michigan so Mackinaw Island fudge has always been one of my favorites! tWarner419@aol.com

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