Orange Julius Frosting

I have a whole cabinet full of cookbooks. Some I've received as gifts, some I have bought at second hand stores, some are from my mother, but my very first cookbook is a little homemade 15 recipe booklet I got way back in 2nd grade.

My very first cooking class was an after school class that I sort of got thrown into because my other siblings had after school activities and my mom didn't want to come to the school to get just one of us only to have to come back later to get the others so it was a class I took to fill the time. I was a little reluctant at first because I was 8 and didn't have much interest, but after the first class, when we made chocolate cake, I was hooked. I had found my passion for cooking in 2nd grade.

This week as my kids are getting ready to go back to school, I was feeling a bit nostalgic. I grabbed my little 2nd grade cookbook out of my cupboard and thumbed through it. I landed on a recipe for Orange cake. I got a container of orange juice and followed all the directions and made 24 orange cupcakes. They smelled amazing and looked beautiful...for about 3 minutes until they cooled down. Then the center of each cupcake fell and they turned into little lumps of weirdness. I figured even though they looked weird they would still taste good. Wrong!!!

See, even I have fails in the kitchen. I try things and it just doesn't taste good. This was one of those times. I wanted to try to salvage these cupcakes so I found a recipe for frosting that included dream whip and vanilla pudding. I whipped it together and it was again - ok, but not great. I was trying to brain storm to see what I could do to make it better. I wanted to keep the orange theme going. I had used the last of my orange juice in the cupcakes and I was totally out of orange flavoring. But...I happened to have one lonely looking orange in my fruit drawer in the fridge. I decided I would use it up. I grabbed my cheese grater and turned it to the zest side (that's the side with the teeny tiny holes. I took the orange and grated all of the skin. Then I cut the orange in half and used the juice from the orange for flavoring.

My end result was amazing. It didn't help my orange cupcakes and I didn't want this delicious frosting to go to waste so I made a new batch of vanilla cupcakes from a cake mix and topped them with the frosting. It was a huge success.

Orange Julius Frosting

2 pkgs Dream Whip
2 1/2 c milk
1 small pkg instant vanilla pudding
2 TBSP orange zest
Juice from 1 orange (about 1/2 cup)

Mix dream whip, milk and vanilla pudding with electric mixer for about 5 minutes, until it's nice and thick.  Then add orange zest and juice from an orange.  Mix another 2 minutes till fluffy.  Put in fridge till read for use.

Pipe onto cupcakes.  Must be refrigerated. 


Sometimes we learn by trial and error and that's ok. In the end I found one recipe that was awful (so I crossed it out in the book, since that's how I mark recipes that I've tried that I don't like) but I ended up with something amazing in the end.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

I walked into my grocery store the other day and noticed strawberries on sale.  They looked so red and juicy I couldn't resist buying some.  I started off with one big container in my cart then proceeded to go up and down all the other isles to get the things on my list.

While I shopped I kept looking at the strawberries and thinking of things I could use them for.  I knew I was totally out of jam and I could always use them for other things to.  Eventually I ended up back to where the strawberries were and I just had to buy more.  I ended up with 4 large containers of them.

I made 2 big batches of strawberry freezer jam but still had strawberries left over.  What to do, what to do.  Seriously, there are so many possibilities. 

Then I remembered an amazing pie my sister Mary makes.  She only makes it about once a year and then we crave it for the rest of the year.  I decided to change it up a bit and add strawberries instead of the other fruit she uses and opted for a light graham cracker crust.  My family loved it.  We will definitely be making this pie again.

Fresh Strawberry Pie

3 graham cracker crusts

1st layer:
8 oz cream cheese (room temperature)
1/2 c sugar
2 c whole whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla

Put whipping cream in a bowl and mix with electric beaters on high until thickened and starts to form soft peaks.  Then in a separate bowl, mix cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla till well blended.  Add cream cheese mixture to the whipping cream and mix until well blended and stiff peaks form.  Spread equally between 3 pie crusts.  (If using standard size pie crusts or 2 if using large pie crusts)  This layer should be about 1 inch thick in your pie pan.

Fill each pie with fresh strawberries, (washed, hulled, and sliced)  About 2 cups for each pie, or more if desired.

2nd layer:
1 1/2 c sugar
1 1/2 c water
4 1/2 TBSP corn starch

Cook sugar, water, and corn starch until thick and bubbly.  Pour over strawberry filled pie and then place in refrigerator to chill for at least 2 hours.  Top with whipped cream just before serving (optional).

5 Minute Caramel Popcorn

I've been busy preparing for the holidays.  I like to have everything done by Thanksgiving so I can just enjoy my family and bask in the spirit of Christmas.  So I'm about 75% done Christmas shopping at this point and my Christmas cards are ordered.  I'm working on a fun Christmas project (that I will post once it's done). 

But when I get busy and I'm on my computer for a lot of the time our kitchen gets a little lonely.  These are the days when we eat cereal or ramen noodles for dinner and there are literally no treats in the house.   Sad, sad.  So, I like to whip up this amazing caramel popcorn, that literally takes 5 minutes.   5 minutes!!!  Now who doesn't have 5 minutes to make a yummy little treat?

5-minute Caramel Popcorn
1 bag microwave popcorn
1 c brown sugar
1/4 c corn syrup
1/2 cube butter
2 tsp water
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla (optional)

Prepare microwave popcorn as directed, then set aside in a bowl.  Combine, sugar, corn syrup, butter, and water in  a medium saucepan.  Cook on a high heat stirring till butter is melted.  Once it reaches boiling, let it boil for 1 minute more.  Remove from heat, stir in baking soda and vanilla.  Then pour immediately over your popped corn.  Stir till coated, then spread it out on a buttered cookie sheet.  Let cool a little bit (though it's hard to resist eating it right away).  Then enjoy!!

I got this recipe from a friend while swimming at her house last summer.  She wasn't sure where the original recipe came from.  As always, just trying to give credit, where credit is due. 
 

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

Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies

The leaves are changing colors, the air is getting cool, and we are just heading into my favorite time of the year.  I love fall.  It is absolutely, hands down the best time of the year for me.  School is back in session and the holidays are upon us.  Fall seems to be the most creative time for me.  It's when I want to spend more time indoors and bake every chance I get. 

This weekend I've been craving pumpkin.  Something sweet, something easy, and something kind of new.  So I came across some pumpkin spice muffin mix while grocery shopping and I figured I could easily turn it into cookies.  Yes - muffin mix = cookies.  We made them this afternoon and handed them out to our amazing neighbors who helped me for hours in the rain yesterday so my house didn't flood (scary).  I've already heard great reviews.  Hope you all enjoy them too.

Pumpkin Spice Sandwich Cookies

2 boxes Pumpkin Spice Muffin Mix (I used Krusteaz brand)
3 eggs
1 c shortening

Mix together well, then roll dough into 1 inch balls and bake on non-greased cookie sheet for 8-10 minutes at 350 degrees.  While your cookies are cooling down, make your frosting.

Frosting
1 (8 oz) package cream cheese, room temp.
1/4 c butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 1/2 - 4 c powdered sugar.

Mix all ingredients.  You can add more or less powdered sugar if needed.

Put frosting on inside of cookie #1, press cookie #2 on top of cookie #1 to form a sandwich.

Peanut Butter Bars

We moved to Utah when I was in 5th grade.  It was the first time I had ever had school lunch.  Up until that point I always took a lunch from home.  It's just what we did.  But in 5th grade our class got to take a turn helping in the lunch room and in exchange each student got a free school lunch that day.  I can't remember what the main course was but I will never forget the dessert on my tray.  It was the most delicious thing I had ever tasted.  The perfect mixture of peanut butter and chocolate with just the right amount of each.  It was heavenly. 

A couple years later, while having a sleepover with my friend "Z", we decided to made some treats for the neighbors.  She pulled out a recipe card and on the top it said "Peanut Butter Bars".  I gasped, dreaming of that wonderful school lunch treat.  Could it be?  I asked her where she got the recipe, she smiled and said "I got it from the lunch lady." 

Peanut Butter Bars

1 c butter
1 c granulated sugar
1 c brown sugar
1 c peanut butter (creamy)
1 egg
2 TBSP vanilla
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 c flour
2 c quick oats

In a bowl, cream together, butter, sugars, peanut butter, egg, and vanilla.  Blend till smooth.  Then add remaining ingredients.  Blend until everything is mixed together. 

Press into a cookie sheet.  Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes.  While warm, spread 1/2 c peanut butter on the top.   Let cool for about 10 minutes.

For frosting:
3 TBSP cocoa powder
4 c powdered sugar
1/3 c butter
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 c warm milk
1 tsp vanilla

Beat together till well blended.  Then spread over peanut butter layer.  Enjoy!!

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!!

Caramel & Coconut Sugar Scrub

We live in a quiet cul-de-sac in what I can only assume was meant to be and started out as a retirement community.  But over the past few years more and more young families are moving in.  My street however still consists of only retirees.  Now you would think my kids would be devastated to not have any other kids to play with, but its not that way at all.  Our neighbors have all become like grandparents to my kids.  There are many days when I can look out and see my little boy's bike and helmet parked at one of our neighbors houses, knowing he is inside visiting.  Sometimes he's up at Grandpa F's house playing Lego's or learning about what he planted in the garden and sometimes he is across the street at B & B's house learning about rocks and trying to be patient waiting for the rock tumbler to be finished (which apparently takes a very long time, like several weeks), but most of the time he is happily taking treats around to them (when I bake we give most of it away).
 
We try to do a little extra around each holiday to show our wonderful neighbors how much we love them.  So today on Mother's Day, we made sugar scrub and my kids lovingly delivered them to our neighbors.  We love our neighbors all so much and I am truly grateful my kids have a safe place to be.

Caramel and Coconut Sugar Scrub
3 c Granulated Sugar
1/2 c Coconut Oil, room temperature
1 tsp caramel extract

Stir all your ingredients in a bowl until well mixed.  (It should feel a like damp sand, if its too dry add a little bit more coconut oil)  Put into glass jars. (This is enough to fill 10 of these small Jelly Jars).

I had all of the ingredients on hand, which worked out perfectly.  I had sugar, caramel extract,  coconut oil left over from when we made lip balm at Christmas, and Jelly Jars (4 oz) leftover from when we made mustard.  I absolutely love giving gifts in jars.  I sure hope all my neighbors love their sugar scrub.

This is honestly the quickest little gift to throw together at the last minute.  Just add handwritten labels and a little ribbon or raffia to decorate the lid and your all set.

Ultimate Buttercream Frosting: 10 flavors

I went to a wedding a couple of weekends ago where they were serving cake, of course.  While I'm sitting there I realize that I have scraped the frosting off the top and sides of my piece of cake.  This is a typical reaction for me.  I'm not a giant frosting fan.  I find that it's usually too sweet, or too sticky, or just leaves a bad sugary aftertaste.  Something is wrong...frosting should be wonderful and flavorful and not so sweet that you want to eat a giant bag of potato chips afterwards.

But then I remember that I have a solution.....my very favorite homemade buttercream recipe, it's been in our family for years.  My mom has used it for as long as I can remember and I myself use it for everything, cake, cupcakes, cookies, brownies,  and graham crackers (try it).

As usual I couldn't sleep, my mind was racing and the next thing I know, I'm up at 3:30 am baking cupcakes.  So many yummy flavor combinations to try, ideas running through my head. The end result - 6 dozen cupcakes, 10 flavors of buttercream and so many more to try later. The best part is that it is the easiest recipe ever and it turns out great every time.

Ultimate Buttercream Frosting
 1/2 c butter softened (replace with Earth Balance Buttery stick for dairy free)
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/4 c warm water
4 c powdered sugar

Mix all ingredients together with a hand mixer till light and fluffy.  Super easy.

*If its a little runny add more powdered sugar 1 TBSP at a time.  If it's a little stiff, add a little bit of water 1 TBSP at a time.  This recipe is easy to adjust to what you want.

*I replace the butter with earth balance buttery sticks to make this recipe dairy free, it turns out just as great!

The cupcakes are vanilla and chocolate.  I kept that part simple because the frosting has so much yummy goodness already.

Flavor Combinations (as pictured above)

1. Vanilla - as above
2. Peanut Butter - replace the butter with peanut butter and use 1 tsp of vanilla extract, top with Reese's pieces
3. Lemon - replace vanilla with Lemon extract, add 3-5 drops of yellow food coloring
4. Caramel - replace vanilla with caramel extract - top with crushed up heath bar
5. Orange Dreamsicle - replace vanilla with orange extract, add 2 drops of yellow food coloring, 2 drops of red food coloring
6. Cookies n Creme - 1 batch vanilla frosting, crush up Oreos and mix them in with the frosting or crushed on top
7. Strawberries n Creme - replace vanilla with strawberry extract, add 3-5 drops red food coloring, top with shavings of white chocolate
8. Mint Chocolate Chip - use 1 tsp of vanilla extract and 1/8 tsp peppermint extract (it's got a really strong flavor so you won't need more than that), add 3-5 drops green food coloring, top with mini chocolate chips
9. Coconut - replace vanilla with coconut extract, top with toasted coconut
10. Root beer - replace vanilla with root beer extract

There are so many flavors you could make, Raspberry, Banana Cream, Chocolate, Smores, etc.  My mind is still racing.  Seriously, the sky is the limit.  Happy Baking!!

 

Homemade Crackers (2 versions)

Remember when we made our gold fish?  Well that got my thinking.  Why couldn't we just change the recipe up a bit and make a couple of different versions?  Of course we can so, here you go. 

Sun dried Tomato, Olive Oil & Sea Salt Crackers
(Can be adjusted to be Dairy Free)
1 3/4 c flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
6 TBSP Butter (we replaced ours with Earth Balance Vegan Buttery Sticks to make these dairy free)
1/2 to 2/3 c cold water
1/4 c sun dried tomatoes (we chopped ours up using the food processor)

Mix flour, baking soda, butter and tomatoes in the food processor.  Then add water, a little at a time till it starts holding together.  You don't want it sticky, so don't add too much water all at once.  Once you have a nice dough formed, sprinkle counter with a little flour and roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick.  Place cutouts on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Then brush each cutout with a little bit of olive oil and sprinkle with sea salt.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until they start to turn a golden color.

Parmesan Cheese & Garlic Crackers
1 1/2 c Parmesan cheese
6 TBSP Butter
1 c flour
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1 TBSP cold water

Mix cheese, butter, flour, salt and garlic powder in food processor.  Then add water a little at a time till it starts holding together.  Once the dough is formed, sprinkle counter with a little flour and roll dough out to about 1/4 inch thick.  Place cutouts on cookie sheet lined with parchment paper.  Bake in 375 degree oven for 15 minutes, or until they start to turn a golden color.

Both of these crackers were delicious, and each had a very different flavor than the other.  We had them with tomato soup and they were amazing!!  We made them using our mini heart cookie cutter.  My instructions on how to make mini cookie cutters can be found here.  Enjoy!

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.  

Tootsie Rolls

Homemade Tootsie Rolls
2 TBSP Butter
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 c clear corn syrup
3 c powdered sugar
2 squares unsweetened chocolate (melted)
3/4 c powdered milk (carnation has the best flavor)

Blend butter, corn syrup, chocolate and vanilla in a medium bowl.  Combine sugar and milk, stir in chocolate mixture.  Mixture will be crumbly.  Knead until well blended and smooth.  Roll into 4 long rolls, then cut into bite size pieces and wrap in wax paper.

I've tried this with a couple of different brands of powdered milk and found that carnation has the best flavor.  Also, as a time saver I put everything in my food processor.  Then I roll it out by hand.  Less mess.  This is a quick project and my kids love it.  You could try a some different variations on this recipe and substitute a flavor, like strawberry or cherry in place of the vanilla and use white chocolate squares instead of regular chocolate.  These are easy to make and super fun for birthday parties or a simple treat for the kids.

Grasshopper Fudge

I love my sweets!  Fudge is probably my favorite, and I usually have everything to make it in my pantry so it's a definite go to when I need to satisfy my chocolate craving.  The other night I made my, Accidental Fudge Recipe , it's a recipe I came up with when I was trying to make my moms and instead of putting in a can of evaporated milk I accidentally put in a can of sweet and condensed milk... whoops!  I ended up just throwing in a bunch of stuff that wasn't in my moms recipe and it turned out awesome, and has every single time since.  It even turns out on a cloudy day! (for those of you who make candy know that this is a big deal!!)  Anyway, i made the fudge and wanted something else to add flavor and ended up with this yummy concoction.  Beware!  you may or may not eat half the pan before deciding to share.....    <3 i="" tabitha="">

Accidental Fudge

2 1/4 c. sugar
1/4 c. cocoa powder
1 can sweet and condensed milk
2 T. corn syrup
1/4 c. water
4 T. butter

melt all together in a pot on med/high stirring often (so it doesn't burn).  Cook to a 'soft-ball stage' between 235-245 degrees F.  Or until you can drop a little in a cup of cool water and use your fingers to mold it into a soft ball shape... Pour into a big bowl, I use a metal one, and add 1 tsp. vanilla.  Put the bowl into a sink filled with a few inches of cold water (I sometimes add ice too)  and stir the fudge with a wooden spoon until no longer shiny.  (side note---- you will stir and stir and stir and think that it will never come together and then magically it changes, it gets sort of mat looking and starts to stiffen)  At that point you will pour/scrape it into a greased pan.  I do a 9x9 for thicker fudge but you could do 9x13 for thinner pieces.  Smooth out and set in the fridge while you lick the spoon and bowl clean  ;)

Grasshopper butter cream frosting

4 T. softened butter
1/2 a bag of powdered sugar 
a few drops mint extract (more or less for your liking)
milk
green food coloring

With a hand held mixer, mix together the butter, powdered sugar and mint extract while slowly adding a little bit of milk in at a time.  Keep mixing and adding milk until you reach a frosting like consistency, (if you accidentally add to much milk, add in a little more powdered sugar.)  Frosting is pretty hard to mess up so no worries if it takes a little trial and error to get the consistency right.  Add in a couple drops of food coloring or if you are using gel food coloring I just dip a toothpick in the gel and then into the frosting and it usually comes out a perfect color. Mix until smooth.

Spread the frosting over the fudge and put back into the fridge so it can set up.  It's better when it's cold but you can really eat it when ever you want!!    

Apple Pie Cookies

Apple Pie Cookies
1 can apple pie filling (or make your own, you would also use almost any other flavor like peach, cherry, strawberry, etc.)
1 pkg pie crust (I used the refrigerated pie crusts that come 2 to a package)
1 egg
Cinnamon Sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Roll our pie crust and using a round cookie cutter (mine was a 2.5 inch circle), cut out 18 rounds (you can get about 9 rounds from each pie crust using this size of cookie cutter).  Next lay 1 round on the counter, put about 1 tsp pie filling on each round.  then cover with another cookie round and seal edges with a fork.  Place on un-greased baking sheet.  Poke a small hole in the top to allow it to vent.  Beat egg in bowl, then using a pastry brush, brush the top of each cookie with the egg and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.  Bake for 20 minutes.

I love apple pie so these cookies were a perfect match.  They were easy to make and would be good with so many different kinds of filling. 

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!!

Jolly Rancher Suckers

Jolly Rancher Suckers

1 bag of jolly ranchers (hard candy, not the soft chews)

sucker sticks

Preheat oven to 275 degrees. 

Prepare cookie sheet by placing a piece of tin foil down, then a piece of parchment paper on top of that (just a quick hint here, parchment paper is different than and should not be confused with wax paper, wax paper will leave a film of wax on everything, so make sure to use parchment paper).

Unwrap candy and place 2 or three in a row so that they touch.  Place cookie sheet with candy in the oven.  Turn on your oven light and watch your candy carefully.  You want them to get hot enough that they start to melt together, but not to hot that they are flat.  If you let them melt too much it will be hard to get the stick to stay in place.  Let the candy melt for about 5 minutes (depending on your oven).

Once your candy is starting to melt, pull the cookie sheet out of the oven and working quickly place the stick on the candy and twist the stick just a little so the candy covers it.  This will allow the stick to stay in place.

Let cool on cookie sheet for 30 minutes, then wrap in little bags and tie with a ribbon.  Enjoy!

This is my Pinterest item for the week.  I have seen these all over the place.  Last week my daughter went to a birthday party and they made these as a craft.  They were so adorable and my other kids wanted to make them, so a quick trip to Walmart and a few minutes in the kitchen and we had ourselves a lovely afternoon.

White chocolate-cinnamon caramel apple

6-8 green granny smith apples

6-8 wooden skewers.

wax or parchment paper

about 2 lbs caramels ( I had some left over)

4 T. whipping cream

2 blocks white melting chocolate (in the baking isle by the chocolate chips, and NO vanilla flavoring just regular white chocolate)

1 c. sugar

1-2 T. cinnamon

Wash all the apples and dry them off. Insert wooden skewers into the tops and push down as far as they will go. It is best to chill them in the apples in the fridge for a few hours. In a microwave safe bowl unwrap 1/2 the caramels and about 2 T. whipping cream (you can add more or less if you like).  Warm in the microwave for 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir... continue in this way until smooth and creamy. (about 2-3 minutes)  Dip and swirl one apple at a time until covered with caramel, stand on the wax or parchment paper to set.  Repeat until the caramel is gone.  Then if you still have apples left make another batch of caramel and do it again.   When you are done with the caramel mix in a bowl the cinnamon and sugar and set to the side. In another microwave safe bowl add one of the blocks of white melting chocolate and follow the instructions on the package (mine were 1 minute, stir, 30 seconds, stir, 30 seconds, stir and repeat until melted and smooth)  when chocolate is melted dip and swirl and set back on the parchment paper, (some chocolate will drip down, give about a minute to rest and then dip and swirl in the cinnamon and sugar mixture then place back on the parchment paper.  Repeat with remaining apples, when the chocolate is gone melt the next block in the same way and finish up the apples.  I let mine sit for about 5 minutes before people started eating them.

We have this chocolate factory down in one of the strip malls in town that has tons of super yummy apples.  This is the one my sisters, nieces and I ALWAYS get. so because they aren't the cheapest of treats I wanted to see if I could make them... it was a SUCCESS!!  :)  I made it on Halloween night and I think it may need to be a tradition from now on. 



Cream Cheese Melts

 

I know I'm only 2 months late with this valentines day treat, but I figure that it's yummy and with food coloring you can make it for any occasion:)  I got this recipe from the 2011 February edition of Parents magazine.  It is super addicting so beware!!



4 oz. cream cheese

1 T. butter

1 T. light corn syrup

1/4 tsp mint extract

3 cups powdered sugar  ( I ended up using about 4 1/2 cups)

food coloring

Mix cream cheese, butter, light corn syrup, and mint extract together in a large bowl until smooth.  Gradually beat in 3 cups powdered sugar.  When the mixture starts to come together turn it out onto a clean work surface and knead, adding extra powdered sugar as necessary to prevent sticking, until dough is smooth. 

Divide dough into three even pieces.  tint each part a different color.  Roll each portion into a 15" -long rope.  Twist the 3 ropes together and roll into a single rope about 3/4" wide;  flatten slightly and cut into 3/4" tricolored pieces. 

Spread the mints out in a single layer on parchment lined baking sheets; cover and chill 4 hours.  Makes about 50 pieces.

Kids Sushi

Kids Sushi

1 recipe rice crispy treats
1 package gummy bears
1 package fruit roll ups

Unroll a few fruit roll ups. Make rice crispy treats as directed. While still warm place about 1/2 cup rice crispy on fruit roll up. Place gummy bears in rice crispy as desired. Roll the fruit roll up, length wise around the rice crispy. Chill in fridge for 15 minutes. Then cut them into 1 inch rounds.

This was a fun recipe my mom made with the kids this weekend. They loved it and had so much fun. You could also use licorice or other gummy treats. Be creative and have fun.