Apricot Chicken

As a parent I am always trying to get my kids to try new things, but sometimes they have it stuck in their head that they aren't going to like something just because of what's in it.  

So, sometimes I have to just let my kids eat dinner without telling them what's in it.  You know, it could be the most amazing thing in the world and taste so delicious, but if it has one single ingredient that they don't like, or they think sounds gross they won't eat it.  This was one of those meals.  I knew they would love it if they tasted it so when they asked what it was I just said chicken.

They ate every bite and went back for seconds.  I never did tell them what was in it.

Apricot Chicken
4-6 chicken breasts, cut into strips
1 pkg Lipton onion soup mix
1 small bottle apricot preserves
1 small bottle (8 oz) Russian dressing

Mix soup, apricot and dressing, pour over chicken pieces.  Bake in a dish at 350 for 1 hour.  Serve over rice.

I got this recipe from my neighbor a while ago and finally gave it a try.  We loved it.  I will definitely make it again.

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken

Sometimes when I'm in a hurry I like to stop at my local grocery store and grab one of the pre-cooked rotisserie chickens.  We eat a little bit and then I pull the rest of the chicken off the bones and freeze it for another meal.  It works great and we love it.  But every time I get one the chicken is a little smaller and the cost is a little higher.

The last time it happened, the chicken cost $9 and was barely enough for one meal.  When I looked at the size of the chicken, it was only about 4 lbs. (so $2.25 a lb) Seriously, there has got to be a better way, right?

I started shopping around for chicken and found that if i bought it uncooked, I could get it for less than $1 a lb.  I adore my crock-pot and I use it about 3 times a week.  So I thought for sure I could make my own.  I bought a 7 lb chicken for around $6.00. 

Then I searched online and found several different variations and ideas on how to cook the chicken.  There are tons of ideas out there, but here is how I made mine.

Crock-pot Rotisserie Chicken
1 uncooked chicken (mine was 7 lbs)
1/2 onion (optional)
Mrs Dash - Original Blend Seasoning

Thaw out your chicken.  Then remove the stuff that is tucked inside (heart, gizzards, etc).  Rinse out and pat dry with a paper towel.  Cut your onion into large pieces and tuck inside the chicken.  Then rub the entire outside of the chicken with Mrs. Dash seasoning and place it in the crock-pot.  Cook on high for 4-5 hours or on low for 6-7, until the chicken is cooked thoroughly and reaches an internal temperature of 165 degrees.

At this point you can eat the chicken.  But, if you want that beautiful golden skin, just scoop the chicken out of the crock-pot, put it on a cookie sheet and pop it in the oven on broil for about 5 minutes.  That's it.  Beautiful rotisserie chicken.  Plus it tastes every bit as good as the store bought and is half the cost.

As a side note, several recipes I found said to roll up balls of tin foil or potatoes and place in the bottom of your crock-pot then cook your chicken on top of that.  This is to help the chicken from cooking in its juices and falling off the bone.  But, I love really moist chicken and I don't mind if it's falling off the bone, so whatever you like the best.

Buttermilk Syrup

Fall has finally arrived here.  It's been raining a bit and the air is turning colder.  That means more time indoors and more time for family breakfast on the weekends. 

One of our favorite Saturday morning breakfasts is waffles.  But, who am I kidding?  I pretty much love waffles all of the time.  I'm not a giant fan of maple syrup though.  Typically I put peanut butter and a tiny bit of maple syrup on my pancakes and waffles.  Which is ok.  But I wanted something different. 

In searching through some old recipe books and came across this recipe for Buttermilk Syrup.  It is delicious.  Light, buttery, and foamy.  Yeah, foamy, like it froths up when you mix in the baking soda and it is so good.  Hope you all enjoy.

Buttermilk Syrup
1 c buttermilk
1 c sugar
1 cube butter
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

In a  medium saucepan, bring buttermilk, sugar and butter to boil.  Boil for 1 minute.  Remove from heat and add vanilla and baking soda.  The syrup will bubble up so allow room in pan.  Serve warm over pancakes, french toast, crepes, or waffles.  Store leftover syrup in fridge.

Zesty Oven Roasted Beets

When I first started dating my husband I quickly discovered he was the pickiest eater on the planet.  His main food groups where cold cereal, meat and potatoes.  Also, he flat out told me he didn't like any ones cooking but his Grandma's.    I had some seriously big shoes to fill.

We dated for 3 years and during that time I hardly ever cooked for him.  He ate out a lot and he lived on cold cereal.  Then when we finally got married (3 years of dating is considered a really, really, really long time here in Utah), I told him that eating out was going to be a rare occasion and that I would be cooking dinner at home every night.

I'm not going to lie, it was a rough start.  Most of the time I would cook something and he wouldn't even try it.  He would just pour himself a bowl of cereal and my daughter and I would eat dinner alone.  It got old really fast.  One day I told him that I wouldn't be buying cereal anymore and if he didn't eat dinner with us then he could starve.  (I've never been afraid to speak my mind).

He said he would "try."  Which was a start.

Since my mom is the best cook out there, I grew up with a love of all foods.  She made everything from scratch.  I mean literally, everything from yogurt to condiments.  Amazing lady I tell ya.  She was also so good at having us try everything.

My husband however, grew up in a small farm town.  They ate what they could grow and what they could kill.  So he never had even tried rice or any kind of vegetable besides cor, green beans, and peas.

That was 17 years ago, and I'm happy to say that he now thinks I'm a pretty dang good cook (though I will never be as good as his Grandma), and he is very willing to try ANYTHING I make.

We have been working on different vegetables to incorporate into our diet.  When I was at the grocery store the other day I saw the most beautiful beets.  (I love beets).  I decided to bring them home and create something amazing for my family.  Some of the kids liked them and some didn't (if I'm being honest).  But it's a start.  Keep working with your kids (husbands).  Have them try new things.  Eventually their picky pallet will go away.

Zesty Oven Roasted Beets
3 beets
2 TBSP Zesty Italian Dressing
Sea Salt

Cut tops off beets, then peel and cube.  In a small bowl toss beets with Italian dressing.  Spread in an 8x8 square pan, prepared with non-stick cooking spray.  Bake in 425 oven for 40 minutes, or until beets are fork tender.  Sprinkle with sea salt just before serving.  (Serving Size - 2)

Granny Apple Fries & Vanilla Cream

A couple of weeks ago we decided to take our family on a little vacation to celebrate the end of the school year and to kick start our summer.  We wanted to go somewhere we hadn't been before and thanks to The Lego Movie, commercials, and the Get Away Today pamphlet that my son brought home from school in his backpack, we decided Legoland would be perfect.  

We spend the first day we got there sightseeing, shopping, and we hit the beach for a picnic lunch.  Finally (according to my six year old) we made it to Legoland.  It was amazing!!!!  I can't say enough good things about it.  There is an aquarium, water park, rides, stations to build things, a 4-D movie, and so, so, so much more.  Plus, it was so much less crowded than other places we have gone.  Just a fun trip all around.

One of the great things we found there was the cutest little food booth called Granny's Apple Fries.  These little pieces of awesome are crispy on the outside, soft on the inside and dusted in cinnamon and sugar.  They also came with the a dollop of whipped cream.  

We ordered two of these and sat down to eat.  Once I started eating it was hard to stop long enough to take a breath and I knew it was something I wanted to figure out and make at home.  Through a little bit of trial and error I came up with these, and according to my kids they are even better than the ones we had at Legoland.  Hope you all enjoy.

Granny Apple Fries & Vanilla Cream

Vanilla Cream 

1/2 c Heavy Whipping Cream

1/2 tsp vanilla

2 TBSP granulated sugar

Pour cold whipping cream into a bowl and beat on high with electric hand mixer for 5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.  Add vanilla and sugar.  Then beat 2-4 more minutes on high until it forms stiff peaks.  Store in fridge to keep cold until you've fried up your apples.

Granny Apple Fries

2 granny smith apples

1/3 c corn starch

1/4 c sugar

1/2 tsp cinnamon

Canola Oil (for frying)

In a small bowl mix sugar and cinnamon.  Set aside.  Heat oil in deep fryer.  You could also use an electric skillet or a pan on the stove,with at least 1 inch of oil in the bottom, making sure to maintain a temperature of about 365 degrees. It's important to use Canola oil and not regular vegetable oil as the canola is a much lighter oil and will give you a much less greasy final result.   

Cut apples in quarters, then core them (remove seeds), and peel the skin off.  You can leave the skin on but we tried it both ways and liked them better with the skin removed.  Next, you will cut  your apples into strips just like you would if you were cutting french fries.  

Then you roll each piece of apple in the corn starch till lightly coated, shaking off any excess.  

Fry coated apples for 4-6 minutes until they start to turn a golden color.  Remove from oil and drain on a plate lined with paper towels, which will absorb the extra oil.  Then generously sprinkle your cinnamon and sugar mixture over them.  (I'll admit, I really covered them in cinnamon and sugar, but that's the way I like it.)

Serve warm with the vanilla cream.  Enjoy!

As a side note, the vanilla cream recipe is my recipe that I use to make whipped cream for everything from Banana Cream Pie to fruit salad.  I use it instead of store bought whipped topping because it is just so much better.  I swear once you try it you will never buy whipped topping again. Also, a serving size is about 1 apple per person.

Homemade Suckers

When I was a kid my mom made suckers once a week.  There were a billion of us kids (ok, only 10 but still) we didn't have a lot of money so our treats were always homemade.  Instead of other kids that had fruit roll ups, and fruit snacks and store bought treats, we had homemade suckers, carmel popcorn, and jello jigglers.  So when my son asked if we could make suckers it brought back all sorts of fantastic memories.

The only problem was trying to find the good metal sucker molds that my mom has.  I checked our local craft stores to no avail. Everyone seems to have the cheap plastic molds made for chocolate but not the metal ones.  I checked on amazon and even eBay, but they were crazy expensive.  I tried to google it but still nothing.

A few weeks ago when my mom came to visit I asked her to bring her sucker molds so we could make suckers.  My sisters brought their kids over and we ate dinner, then afterwards we all stood in the kitchen and made some suckers.

Homemade Suckers

2 c granulated sugar
1/2 c water
1/2 clear corn syrup
1 tsp oil flavoring
food coloring (optional)

Set up the sucker molds on a cookie sheet, then spray with non-stick spray.

Bring sugar, water and corn syrup to boil over high heat.  Cook, stirring occasionally till it reaches a hard crack stage - 300 degrees.

Once it reaches this temp, take the pan off the heat and add the flavoring and food coloring .  Stir it till it stops bubbling.  Then carefully pour it into the prepared sucker molds.  Let them cool completely before you take them out of the molds.

As a side note, there will be some of the candy that spills over the sides of the molds, that's ok, that's the best part.

While we were making the suckers we asked my mom where she got the molds and she told us there use to be a store in Salt Lake called Gygi.  We googled it and found that they are still in business.  Plus you can order online.  Woohoo!!!

Here's the link for the sucker molds.  Gygi Old Fashioned Sucker Molds

Old-Fashioned Slush

When I was a kid we spent 6 weeks every summer living with my grandparents.  I loved when we got to finally visit them.  Summertime brought on all sorts of traditions, like our annual trip to Lagoon, and our
Independence Day fireworks show in the backyard, riding on the combine and tractor, earning pennies by pulling out sticker weeds, sneaking fresh raspberries off of the bushes (even though Grandma asked us not to touch them), climbing trees, playing in the ditch...honestly I could go on for days. 

This week, as the weather here is getting hotter I was searching through my recipes for summer ideas and I ran across our family recipe for slush.  The most wonderful memories of summer came flooding in.  My grandma was a saver.  By that I mean she saved everything and usually re-used it.  I remember her washing plastic sandwich bags with her dishes and then laying them out to dry.  Weird?  Maybe.  Thrifty?  Definitely.  She also saved every container.  I mean everything from the pickle jar to the plastic bucket that the ice-cream came in.

This was what came to my mind when I found the slush recipe.  I remember at almost every family event we had 2 things.  #1 homemade root beer, #2 homemade slush.  On a hot summer day when everyone was done eating my grandma would pull out the re-used ice cream bucket, which would be filled with frozen solid slush.  She would lovingly fill our little plastic cups with slush and then we would top them off with sprite or 7-up.  Then I would take my treat and head out to the swing.  I could multi-task back then.  I could swing and eat at the same time.  Some of the best memories I have involve food.  I hope you are all making memories as well.

 Old-Fashioned Slush
1 1/2 c water
1/2 c sugar
1 banana
1 1/2 c pineapple juice
1/2 c frozen orange juice concentrate
1 TBSP lemon juice

Add sugar to the water, stir, then let sit for a few minutes, then stir again till sugar dissolves.  (this only takes a few minutes).  In a blender combine banana, pineapple juice, and orange juice concentrate.  Cover, blend till smooth.  Add sugar/water mixture and lemon juice, blend for a minute.  Transfer to 9x13 baking pan.  Freeze for 4-24 hours. 

To serve, let mixture stand at room temperature for 15 minutes.  To form slush, scrape a large spoon across frozen mixture, spoon mixture into a glass, then pour sprite or 7-up over it.  Enjoy!!

Lemon Pepper Asparagus

Lemon Pepper Asparagus
10 asparagus spears (fresh)
2 TBSP butter
lemon-pepper
water

Begin by washing asparagus and cutting off the woody bases (if your not sure where to cut them, starting at the base and working toward the tip, bend the spear several times until you find a place where it breaks easily, cut there.  Usually about 2 inches up from the base).

Place asparagus in a single layer across the bottom of a frying pan.  Pour just enough water over the top to cover the asparagus.  Cook on high heat until water has boiled off and the asparagus in tender (but not mushy).  Turn heat to medium, melt butter over the asparagus and sprinkle with lemon-pepper.  Serve along with your favorite main dish.

We are experimenting with vegetables at our house.  We are trying new things since our old favorites are usually green beans, corn, or a green salad.  This was a nice change for us and  definitely something we will eat more often.

Colored Celery

When I was little my mom always had something fun to teach us.  I remember this one very clearly.  We would take celery and color it, or mix baking soda and vinegar to make it foam up and lots of other fun things.  The kitchen is where we created many memories as kids and it is a place I hope to create many memories for my own children. 

This week we decided to do some "science in the kitchen" for St. Patrick's Day. 

Colored Celery
1 bundle of celery ( divided into stalks, do not remove the leaves)
6 jars
water
food coloring

Divide the bundle of celery into stalks, leaving the leaves on.  You must have the leaves intact to make this work.  Next fill jars 1/2 with water and add 3-5 drops of food coloring to each.  We made the colors of the rainbow, but you can do whatever colors you want.

Cut about 1/4 inch off the bottom of each stack of celery to give it a fresh edge, this will also help the celery absorb the colored water.

Let sit on  counter overnight.  Then remove from colored water, cut, and serve with your favorite garnish.  We like peanut butter, ranch, or cheese spread.  You could also use them in a salad.

Orange-Ginger Glazed Sugar Snap Peas

Orange-Ginger Glazed Sugar Snap Peas
1 small bag (8 oz) sugar snap peas or about 1 1/2 c.
3 TBSP orange marmalade
1/4 tsp cider vinegar
1/8 tsp ground ginger
1/8 tsp ground pepper
1 TBSP butter

Wash peas and remove tips and strings.  Cook fresh peas, covered in a small amount of boiling water in microwave for about 4 minutes, or till crisp-tender (you don't want to overcook these or they will be mushy and they won't taste as good).  Drain well.

In a small saucepan heat marmalade just till melted, then add vinegar and ginger and pepper.  Pour sauce over hot cooked peas.  Add butter, tossing lightly to melt butter and coat peas.  Makes 2 servings.

I am trying to get my family to venture outside of the box with our vegetables.  We have our usual veggies that we eat regularly, you know the ones; corn, green beans, or a green salad.  So I wanted something different.  I ran across a version of this recipe in an old cookbook I have and revamped it.  I was a bit skeptical because I don't really like my veggies sweetened, but these were perfect. They turned out amazing.  Honestly we just sat and ate the whole plate. 

*As a side note, these can be made diary free by replacing the butter with earth balance buttery spread or stick.  Also,  these are gluten free, however check your marmalade as I have noticed that some brands say they "may contain traces of wheat"  this means that they were made in the same factory where other products containing wheat or gluten were made"  Just keep an eye out for this.

Mint Chocolate Chip Lip Balm

Mint Chocolate Chip Lip Balm
2 TBSP Shea Butter
2 TBSP Coconut Oil
1 TBSP Beeswax
7 drops Essential Oil (Peppermint)
15 chocolate chips
Small Containers to hold lip balm

This should be done in a double boiler, but if you don't have one (I don't) you can use a 2 cup size glass measuring cup and place it in a small pan of water on your stove.  With the stove on a medium heat, melt beeswax, then add shea butter and coconut oil, till melted in glass cup.  It will be a clear liquid.  Add chocolate chips till melted.  Then take off heat and add essential oil.  Pour into small containers and let sit till cool.  That's it.  Easy. 

Each year my kids like to make gifts for their friends at Christmas time.  We made our candy trains as we always do, but my daughters are getting older and wanted something more for their friends.  We searched through lots of lip balm, lip gloss recipes online and decided to make our own version based on some of the others.  The recipe calls for 1 TBSP beeswax, but our local health food stores didn't carry the beeswax pellets.  Instead we bought the bars of beeswax ($1 each) and 1/2 of one = 1 TBSP.    You could make several variations on this recipe.  You could use any essential oil that you like in place of the peppermint, and the chocolate chips are optional.  I read on some of the other recipes that they bought a little container of blush, or any powdered makeup and used a tiny bit to add color to the lip balm.  I  wouldn't recommend using food coloring.  We found all of the items necessary at our local health food store.  Also the containers we used are bead holders that we found in the sewing section at Walmart.  

Oven Bacon

Bacon is a fairly simple thing to cook.  It can get pretty messy and splatted and smokey if you cook it on the stove top though.  So we always cook ours in the oven,  I never thought about putting the how to for it on here because its not really a recipe but when my Mom called the other day to see how I do it I figured other people might like to know as well.  So here you go....

Oven Bacon

Bacon

cooking spray

cooking sheet

tinfoil or parchment paper

I usually cover my cooking sheet in tin foil, my mom loves parchment paper, but for the pictures I just sprayed a pan with cooking spray.  It works the same any way you do it but on the parchment paper you don't have to flip them.

Lay out your bacon doing your best not to over lap them,  a little over lapping if fine but it's easier to get them apart if they aren't touching to much.

Put it in a preheated oven at 400* F.  for 10 minutes.

After 10 minutes the bacon looks like this.  I flip each piece over just so they don't burn to the pan and they are easier to get off when you are done.

Put back in the oven for 5 more minutes.

15 minutes is usually the perfect bacon for my family... you can test it and do a little more time for crispyer or less for more fatty.

Fruit Dip

Fruit Dip

1 pkg (8 oz) Cream Cheese
1 small bottle (7 oz) Marshmallow Creme
1 tsp vanilla extract

Let your cream cheese sit out till it reaches room temperature.  Then in a medium bowl combine cream cheese and vanilla extract.  Beat till smooth.  Add marshmallow creme and beat on medium till everything is nice and smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as you go.  Serve with your favorite fruit.

I know there are a million different recipes for fruit dip out there, but this is ours and we love it.  During these hot summer months there are a lot of nights when dinner does not sound good, so we cut open a watermelon, make some fruit dip, and tada!!

7 Layered Dip

I can't believe we haven't put this recipe on here before!!  It is an old, tried and true recipe that we have made for years at every family party ever (pretty much) .  You can buy it at any store and most people know basically how to make it.  But the other day for super bowl as I was rounding up ingredients I realized that the last few times I've made or bought 7 layered dip, it just wasn't as good as I remembered growing up.  So I searched for my mom's old recipe and realized what sets ours apart from the others....  Green Chili in the beans..  I'm not a huge fan of green chili's but mixed with the beans it gives it that added kick and flavor with out you knowing exactly what it is.  Try it... You'll like it;)

7 Layered Dip

1 can refried beans

1 small can diced green chili

1lb guacamole

1lb sour cream

1 pkg dry taco seasoning

2 c. grated cheese

1 bunch green onions (sliced)

2 med tomatoes (diced)

1 can black olives (sliced)

Mix the refried beans and green chili's together (you can use the whole can of chili's or only part of it, just depends on your taste).  For a thinner dip spread in a 9x13 pan or for a deeper dip spread in a 9x9 (pictured above).  Spread the guacamole on top of the bean mixture.  Mix together the taco seasoning and sour cream and spread on top of the guac.  Sprinkle on the cheese, onions, tomato, and olives and/or any other toppings you would like.  Serve with tortilla chips.   *****  Also if you have lots left over (which is unlikely) you can always reuse the dip and make burritos.  Put it in tortillas, warm it up and serve it with lettus, slasa and any other burrito type toppings you would like*****

Italian Basil Chicken

I have been on a -eat whats in the pantry mode- since we got home from our new years trip up north.  Mainly because I don't want to go shopping and now that we've caught the colds that everyone else has been passing around I want to go shopping even less.  This is something I came up with the other night when plain old chicken and rice just wasn't going to cut it.  My husband really liked it (had seconds and took some for lunch the next day)  and even suggested garlic bread which went perfect with it's Italian flavor.  It's also gluten free so when my nephew was over the other day for lunch he just loved it and had 2 servings!  It definitely did not go to waste like so many of my other left overs do.  Enjoy!

Italian Basil Chicken

Olive Oil
2 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 servings of rice ( great value brand long cook rice--1 c water to 1/2 c rice)
15 oz can pinto beans (washed and drained)
8 oz can tomato sauce
4oz water
S&P
1/8 tsp. garlic powder
1/4 tsp. Italian seasoning
1/4 tsp. basil


-In one pot cook the rice as directed.  I use 20 minute rice but you could probably use instant if you prefer.  While the rice is cooking defrost and slice the chicken into pieces, taking off any fat.  In a big pan on med/high heat cook the chicken in olive oil and add a little salt and pepper, cook just until the outsides begin to turn white but the inside is still a little pink.  Rinse and drain beans and add into the pan with the chicken.  Also add the can of tomato sauce and a half can of water (4 oz).  Add all seasonings, you can add more or less to taste.  Stir and turn heat down to medium/low.  Add in the rice and put the lid on.  Every couple of minutes stir the food and check the chicken.  When the chicken is all the way cooked turn off burner and enjoy!

Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut Butter Cookies

1 c creamy peanut butter
1 c white sugar
1 egg
1 tsp baking powder

In a bowl mix peanut butter and sugar together until well blended.  (This works best if you mix by hand).  Then add slightly beaten egg and baking powder.  Mix till well blended.  Dough will be a little sticky.  Roll dough into 1 inch balls, the roll in white sugar and place on greased cookie sheet.  (at this point you can make the prints on the top with a fork if you want).  Then bake for 10 minutes in a 350 degree oven.  Enjoy!!

I was so happy to find this recipe.  My little boy has wanted some cookies for so long and these are gluten free!!  "Yay!!  Hope you love them.  We sure do.

Southwest Pumpkin Soup

Southwest Pumpkin Soup

1 TBSP olive oil
1/4 c chopped onion
1 tsp minced garlic
1 tsp cumin
1 tsp Italian seasoning
1 tsp salt
4 C water
4 chicken bouillon cubes
1 can (15oz) white beans (drained & rinsed)
1 can (15oz) 100% pure pumpkin puree

In a pot fry onion and garlic in oil on medium heat.  Add rest of ingredients, bring to a boil, then cover and simmer on low heat for 20 minutes.  Serve with Parmesan toasted bread and a swirl of sour cream.

It's my favorite time of year.  I have been wanting to make some pumpkin soup but all the recipes I came across called for ingredients like nutmeg and brown sugar.  A few of them even called for maple syrup.  Now while I love pumpkin pie and sweet potatoes, I did not want a soup for dinner that tasted like pie or sweet potatoes.  So I found a recipe for spicy pumpkin soup which had a few weird ingredients in it (jalapeno and red wine vinegar) but I thought I could adjust it to fit the ingredients we already had.  This is what I came up with.  My family was a little skeptical about it at first but then they had one bite and loved it.  We will definitely make this again.  Hope you are all having a wonderful fall season so far.

Gluten Free Corn Dogs

Gluten Free Corn Dogs

1 pkg hot dogs (cut into bite size pieces)

Batter:
1/2 c cornmeal (make sure it's gluten free)
1/2 c gluten free Bisquick
2 t sugar
1 egg
2/3 c milk

Oil for frying.


Mix ingredients for batter.  Make a separate bowl with just a little bit of Bisquick mix to coat the hot dogs.  Place hot dog piece in Bisquick powder just a thin layer, then dip in batter to coat and put in oil.  Cook till golden brown.  Drain on paper towels.

Since our recent lifestyle change we have just been eating basic stuff.  One Sunday my little boy was begging for corn dogs so a quick google search and figuring out what ingredients I had on hand and we whipped this up.  We also had some mozzarella cheese sticks that I cut into pieces and we dipped them in the batter and fried them up as well.  Delicious!!  They were exactly what we wanted.  Nice and fluffy and so yummy.  I called my mom and gave her the recipe and she made these for my dad who is not gluten intolerant but he said these are the best corn dogs he has ever had.  We will definitely make these again.

Strawberry & White Chocolate Popcorn

Strawberry & White Chocolate Popcorn
10 c popped popcorn
1/2 c butter
1 c brown sugar
1/3 c light corn syrup
1 box (4 serving) strawberry jello
White chocolate

Line a cookie sheet with wax paper - lightly spray with cooking spray, set aside.  Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl and set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup together.  Add in the Jello mix.  Bring to a boil over medium heat stirring constantly.  Once boiling continue to boil for 4-5 minutes.  If you are using a candy thermometer you are going for the soft ball stage, 240 degrees. 

Pour syrup over popcorn and toss to coat.

Spread coated popcorn on cookie sheet and bake in a preheated 200 degree oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. 

Let cool for a 15 minutes, then drizzle melted white chocolate over popcorn.  Cool another 15 minutes.  Enjoy!

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn

Marshmallow Caramel Popcorn
1/2 c butter
1 c light corn syrup
2 c brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 (14 oz) can sweet & condensed milk
1 (10.5 oz) bag mini marshmallows
3 gallons of popped popcorn (about 1 cup un-popped kernels)

In a large bowl (or 2 if you don't have a big metal one like I do) mix marshmallows and popped, popcorn together, then set aside.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, corn syrup and brown sugar together.  Stir until combined well and butter is melted.  Add sweet & condensed milk and boil mixture for 7 minutes. 

Remove from heat and add vanilla.  Pour slowly over popcorn and marshmallow mixture till well blended, then place on piece of parchment paper.  Let cool 30 minutes.  Enjoy!

We decided to buy an air popper this week.  For years we just buy the little microwave popcorn packages, but we decided we wanted to start making some sweet popcorn.  It was like a popcorn fiesta today and our house.  Delicious!!