Value Popcorn

We are in the planning stages for our YW New Beginnings right now. It is going to be great - think fairytale, storybook, knights in shining armour (well, maybe not but close).

I came across a recipe for "value popcorn" which is basically candied popcorn that you make using Jell-O and since it comes in all the colors of the rainbow, you can coordinate it to all of the YW values. I thought this would be a great addition to our NB.


I gave the popcorn a try yesterday to test it out and - YUM!!! It is really tasty! It's crunchy and fruity and so, so simple. My only disappointment is that it's not as brightly colored as I imagined it would be but I think a little food coloring will fix that.

This is a great new "go-to" sweet treat and I simplified it even more by using light microwave popcorn. You've got to try some - I couldn't keep my hands off of the stuff. THink how darling it would be to do for Valentine's Day with all of the red and pink Jell-O flavors!


Here's the recipe:

Value Popcorn

1 large box Jell-O (not sugar free)
1 stick butter
1/4 C light karo
1 tsp. baking soda
15 C popcorn (kernels removed)

Put the popped corn in a large bowl. In a saucepan put the Jell-O, butter, and Karo. Cook until melted and the sugar is dissolved. Bring to a boil and let cook about a minute at a hard boil. Remove from the heat and stir in the baking soda. (If you want to add food coloring I would do it now.) Pour over the popcorn and stir well to coat.

Put the coated popcorn in a brown paper grocery sack. Roll down the top and place it in the mircrowave. Cook for 45 second to 1 minute on high. Shake the bag and put it back in the microwave upside down for 30 more seconds. Shake and pour out onto waxed paper to cool.


Notes: I used grape for my trial and its was tutti-fruity! The microwave part adds a little extra carmelization to the sugary coating and it crisps it up. I also just used a small box of Jell-O and cut everything else in half. About one bag (a little less) of microwave popcorn works well for this halved recipe. Think of the delicious possibilities when you're dealing with Jell-O! Goodness, I want some more.

The Apple of My Eye

The apples of my eye.



THE Apple.

A friend of mine gave me a Southern Living Cookbook last year for my birthday and I love, love, love it! It has so many good recipes in it. I could spend hours just looking through it (I actually have spent hours looking through it).

A simple recipe I came across recently from this book was for a peanut butter apple dip. The book labeled it as a "family favorite" and it is pretty healthy to boot. When she needed a healthy snack recipe, I shared this one with a friend of mine who took it to her Achievement Day girls who devoured it - so I guess it really is kid tested - mother approved!

When I make this I need my own personal bowl for dipping because I dip and double-dip, and triple-dip . . . you get the idea. I can eat it by the spoon full. Actually, who needs apples?!
Here's the recipe:


Peanut Butter Apple Heaven

1 1/2 C plain, fat-free yogurt
1/2 C creamy peanut butter
1/4 C maple syrup

Using a whisk, combine the peanut butter and maple syrup together in a medium sized bowl. Add a little yogurt at a time and whisk well until it is all combined and creamy! Serve with sliced apples (bananas would be killer too).

Note: The consistency of the peanut butter is so different from the yogurt that if you try to mix them all together at once, you will NOT end up with creamy-heavenly results. You have to gradually bring the peanut butter closer to the yogurt consistency and then they will blend well. Also, I heard on the radio that the peanut butter re-call has not affected peanut butter in jars - it is only products with peanut butter in it like ice cream, crackers, cookies etc. So, enjoy all the dip you want!

Harvest Trail Mix

Halloween hasn't even come yet and I am already sugared-out! I bribed my kids last night at the school's Halloween party so we could avoid the trick-or-treating at the end. They each got a cupcake if they agreed to leave right then! They totally went for it! (The beauty is that neither of them ate all of their cupcake.) They will get plenty of treats on Friday. More than the sugar, I hate the tantrums and battles over the candy bag.

Anyway, in my effort to come up with a fun but not so cavity-causing snack for AAH's pre-school, I put together this trail mix. I have to say it turned out mighty tasty - I can't stop eating it. I was able to kind of clean out my pantry in addition - you can throw just about anything in. The candy corns are a key ingredient. It adds a really interesting texture. When you eat a handful with peanuts it kind of tastes like a Payday candy bar. You can put together my concoction or make up one of your own. You can try cashews, chocolate covered raisins, Reese's Pieces, Candy pumkins, Bugles chips (they look like little Cornucopias), Oh's cereal, sunflower seeds, Reese's Puffs cereal, marshmallows, Cheerios, the list goes on and on. Enjoy!




Harvest Trail Mix

Kettle Corn
Corn Chex
Golden Grahams
Baby Goldfish
Salted peanuts
Craisins
Candy corn
Sesame Sticks (I got these in the bulk food section of our store)

After School Snacks

My 7 year old is STARVING when he get's home from school. I think he is just trying to warm me up for those days when I have have 3 teenaged boys who eat me out of house and home. I think I need to start a savings account just for food!

Yesterday when CMH got home I made some Banana Sushi - delish. A Rachel Ray recipe and one that I got from Emily's blog - thanks! My kids love them. There really isn't a way to go wrong with bananas and Nutella in my opinion.



This is a picture of CMH right after he bumped his head on the corner of the cabinet while he was trying to help make sushi. We got a good laugh out of his funny expression. See, there is nothing that a little Nutella can't fix.

I also had family coming over for a game night last night so in the afternoon I tossed together a little cereal snack mix - it was a super simple/quick recipe. It dawned on me that it was also a perfect after school snack . . . since the boys and I started eating some of it after school and dipping it in the Nutella that I hadn't put back in the pantry yet (a wicked combination BTW)! I like this snack mix because it isn't too too sweet but warning: it is still hard to stop eating it once you've started.



Here are the recipes:

Banana Sushi

2 slices thin sandwich bread
1 banana
Nutella

Cut the crusts off the bread and lay the two pieces next to each other so they are touching. With a rolling pin, flatten the bread firmly so the two pieces attach and are evenly thin. Spread with Nutella. Peel the banana and straighten it out some (it's OK if it cracks and creaks a little). Lay the banana on one long side of the bread and roll the bread around the banana. Slice into sushi sized pieces and eat. YUM.

Note: You can also use peanut butter instead of Nutella. If you do that, try dipping your sushi in chocolate syrup (like soy sauce - ha!).


Honey Snack Mix

1/2 C butter
1/2 C honey
1 1/2 C pecans
6 C Crispex cereal
5 C mini pretzels

In a large bowl combine the cereal, pretzels, and pecans. In a small saucepan, heat the butter and honey together until melted and smooth. Pour honey mixture over the cereal and stir gently to combine. Spread out on two well greased cookie sheets. Bake at 325 degrees for 15 minutes; stirring every 5 minutes. Cool on wire racks and store snack mix in an airtight container.

Note: I added a little Kix cereal to mine cause I was short on pretzels. The Kix were good and the pretzels were a little too much for me in this recipe - I found myself trying to avoid them while I was eating this tasty stuff. I'm sure there are a million different combinations of cereal and snacks that you could add to this. If you come up with a good combination, let me know!

A Classic Treat

I had a roommate in college who made these all of the time and it didn't take long for me to become addicted to them. This is one of the only ways that I can use up that powdered milk in my food storage! If you haven't ever made these, you need to head to your pantry right now and whip up a batch. Our little neighbor boy just tasted one and said, "Man, my mom is a good cook but she sure doesn't know how to make these!" I'll take that as a compliment and I think I'll send him home with the recipe.



Easy Peanut Butter Balls

1 C powdered milk
1 C powdered sugar
1/2 C chunky peanut butter
1/2 C Karo syrup

Combine all ingredients together. It will make a very stiff "dough" - I usually mix with my hands. Roll out into balls on waxed paper. Eat or store in an airtight container.

No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cupcakes

Can you say To-Die-For?! Honestly, how can you go wrong with melted candy bars and butter? I got this recipe from thedishtoday.blogspot.com. I was thinking that these little bites of heaven might be good made with Snickers too. I dare you to try these!

No-Bake Chocolate Candy Cupcakes

5 (2 oz) Milky Way candy bars
4 Tb. butter
3 1/2 C Rice Krispies cereal
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
(1/2 cube white almond bark)

Line a 12-cup muffin tin with paper baking cups. Chop 4 of the candy bars coarsely. Slice the remaining candy bar into 12 thin pieces. In a medium saucepan place the chopped candy and the butter over medium heat. Heat and stir until melted and smooth (don't panic if it's not smooth at the beginning). Stir in the cereal. Quickly spoon into baking cups and kind of pat down to get it all sticking together.

The original recipe called for the 1 C choc. chips melted and then mixed with 1 tsp. vanilla. I did this and my chocolate totally seized up on me and harden in an instant. So I tried again and used the 1 choc. chips and melted it with a little white almond bark so it would harden a little better. It worked great - all you need is a little garnish so do this step however you are most familiar with. Top the melted chocolate garnish with a slice of the reserved Milky Way. Chill for 30 minutes to set the chocolate topping. Holy Cow these were great!

Note: I actually only got 11 out of my batch because I filled them a little full - but you could easily get 12.