Snickers Caramel Corn

Holy Popcorn Batman!!! We have a winner!! You know what bugs me?  I went to the store to get some snickers bars the other day, and the 8 pack of fun size are now a 6 pack.  Ugh! Remember when it used to be a 10 pack for a dollar?  And on sale, you could really get a smokin deal. Now we are getting 4 less candy bars and paying more money.  Whats this world coming to!

I found this recipe on my dear friend's blog. I've been so excited to try it.  I tell you what... you want to host the party of the year?  Serve this popcorn!  Just beware that it will go fast, so make sure to keep it comin'.

Snickers Caramel Corn

1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 cups air-popped popcorn

12 fun size Snickers

Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with foil and spray with non-stick spray. Slice candy bars in half lengthwise, then into thirds.

In a pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add in sugar and corn syrup, whisking until dissolved, then let simmer (without mixing) until mixture begins to bubble – about 4 minutes. Cook over medium heat for about 4 minutes more until caramel is amber in color, this time stirring every 30 seconds or so in order for the sugar to not burn.

Turn off heat and whisk in vanilla, salt and baking soda. In a large bowl, add popcorn.  Drizzle sauce all over and stir well, to coat. Fold in candy bars, then spread popcorn on the baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, flipping every few minutes. Remove from oven. Let cool completely, if you dare.  

You can also top with more snickers pieces.  It was a little too much for me. I just enjoyed the popcorn by itself.

Variation:  I mindlessly added white sugar instead of brown. So I just also added 1 tsp of molasses to the pot to cook with the other ingredients.  It tasted great!

Savory Cheese Ball

There is something about cheese balls that just warms my heart.  They are so good!  I haven't met a cheese ball that I haven't liked.  This one is by far my favorite though.  My former neighbor used to make this for me every Christmas.  I looked forward to it every year!

Savory Cheese Ball

2 (8 oz) blocks of cream cheese (softened)

1/2 green bell pepper chopped

1/2 small yellow onion chopped

1 (2 oz) package of corned beef (deli meat) chopped

Put all ingredients into a bowl and mix with an electric mixer.  Separate mixture into two balls and roll into crushed pecans or walnuts. Serve with crackers.

Rocky Road Fudge

Today's recipe came from my mother. It's super easy! It only takes a couple of minutes to make.  I apologize for not having a picture.  I made it so many times over the holidays and for some reason, never took a picture! But I guess no picture is better than no post right? 

When I first made this, I was thinking the chocolate would melt the marshmellows a little but,  It doesn't. This is a very chunky fudge.  But super yummy! Enjoy!

Rocky Road Fudge

2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips 12 oz pkg

1 can 14 oz sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

3 cups mini marshmellows

1 ½ cups coarsely chopped nuts (almonds )

Line 13x9 baking pan with foil and grease lightly

Microwave chips and milk in a large microwave safe bowl (uncovered)

On high for 1 minute. Stir. Chips may retain shape. If necessary, microwave at additional 10-15 secind intervals, stirring until smooth.  Stir in vanilla. Fold in marshmallows and nuts

Press mixture into prepared baking pan. Refrigerate until ready to serve. Lift from pan. Remove foil. Cut into pieces.

Lion House Banana Bread

I had some bananas that were starting to get too ripe, so I thought... hmmm banana bread it is.  This recipe comes from the Lion House cook book.  I have a go to recipe that I love but didn't have all of the ingredients for it and had already been to walmart about 3 times that week.  So I found this recipe and was impressed.

We are headed into baking season. What a better way to share how much you love someone than with home baked bread.  I'll be sharing a few bread recipes in the next few weeks. You could make up a goodie plate with all of the different flavors of bread for your friends and neighbors.  It would be a nice alternative to the major sweets that we get/give this time of year.

Lion House Banana Bread

½ cup butter or margarine

1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 cup bananas, mashed

1/4 cup milk
1 tsp lemon juice
2 cups flour
1 ½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp baking soda
¼ tsp salt
½ cup chopped nuts, optional (I didn't add this time)

Cream sugar and butter. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add bananas, milk, and lemon juice. Sift dry ingredients and add to wet mixture. Add nuts. Grease 1 loaf pan. Pour mix into pan and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour.

Autumn Harvest Trail Mix

Even though it doesn't feel like it outside here in AZ...it's autumn time!  We are making our way into baking season and I am so excited!   To kick it off, I've got a simple yet delicious one for ya.

My mother-in-law made this for us a few years ago and it has become a must have for me ever since. As soon as they put those candy corn on the shelves... I'm there!  I actually like it even better without the m&m's just cause they aren't my favorite... but either way it's still pretty good.  I have always like the sweet and salty combo.  You know, like back in high school when we would by fries and a shake for lunch every day, and use our fries as the spoon?  Yeah, weird I know... but don't knock it until you've tried it!

This time I used the autumn candy corn mix. It has the pumpkins and chocolate ones in it too. But usually I just use regular candy corns. Totally up to you.

Autumn Trail Mix

1 ½ cups salted roasted peanuts

1 cup candy corn

½ cup m&m’s
Pour all items into a bowl and scarf!

PB&J for the Masses

Being a mom of 4 1/2 girls can be pretty busy. We just added packing lunches to our list of daily chores.  I started thinking about anything I could do ahead of time to make life a little easier when it comes to the last minute stuff.  I've really been on this freezer meal kick, since I've had such a big demand for my freezer meal classes.  It's turned my mind into  "hey can I double this batch and freeze some for later" mode.  It's actually been a really great mode to be in, because it saves so much time and energy in the long run. And I need all the energy I can get right now.  I'm in my 3 trimester and really starting to feel the burn so to speak.

I remembered my friend making TONS of PB&J's ahead of time and freezing them. We are talking, the same exact thing you buy for a buck a piece at the store!  These come out to probably 10 cents a piece instead.  I am normally a wheat bread fan and actually rarely give my kids white bread, but frozen white bread is really yummy for some reason.  So, that's why we got the cheap white bread.

I know these are the easiest thing in the world to make, but having them done and ready to go ahead of time, is a big load off.  And really it's no secret recipe... but more of just a quick meal idea for you today.

First you grab 2 loaves of bread and lay them out in rows. 

Spread half with peanut butter and half with jelly

Place the halves together and cut off the crust.  I found a crust cutter from "wonder" at Walmart that worked decently well.  Not fabulous like some other brands but it was still faster than cutting it all by hand.  And it sealed the edges too, to keep it more in tact.

Pack them all in freezer bags and toss it on into the freezer.  Just take out the desired amount, let them thaw (it only takes a few minutes.) And you are ready to go!

This lunch idea came from Recipes From the Pickle Boat



Apple-Snickers Dessert

This dessert is a 5 minute wonder!  I'm not sure where I picked this one up, but really love it.  You can also make it as big or as small as you want. 

It's not the most elegant looking one, to photograph, but believe you me, it's super yummy!

Apple-Snickers Dessert

2-3 tart apples cubed ( I just use what I have but tart gives a better contrast)

2 snickers bars cubed

1 1/2- 2 cups cool whip

Mix all ingredients in a bowl and serve.

Chewy Granola Bars

Our dear friends are heading out to Washington today. I wanted to make them something to snack on while they drive that is a little more on the healthy side.  I found this recipe over at Real Mom Kitchen.  I changed it up just a bit. I got a tub of mix nuts from Costco that are honey roasted, by Ann's House. They are so yummy and have a great medley of nuts.  I thought they would be so good to add to this mix.  I was right! So instead of the almonds... I just did 1 cup of chopped nuts. I also accidentally forgot the apples.  They were sitting on my counter and everything.  The granola bars are good, but the apples would really add some yummy flavor! Come to think of it... I forgot the cinnamon this time too.  Wow this prego brain is really getting to me!!! I guess that goes to show, this recipe is so easy, and you can mix and match any flavors that you are after.

This recipe is super easy. Don't let the list of ingredients intimidate you.  If you don't have something... leave it out. Except the oats of course :) They are the main attraction. Although I didn't have quick oats so I used my

Coach’s Oats that I had in the pantry.

Chewy Granola Bars



 3-1/2 cups quick-cooking oats
1 Cup chopped nuts (I used honey roasted Cashews, almonds and macadamia nuts)
1 egg, lightly beaten
2/3 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup honey
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup sunflower kernels
1/2 cup shaved sweetened coconut (regular coconut will do)
1/2 cup chopped dried apples (I left this out)
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon (I left this out)

Spray a 15-in. x 10-in. x 1-in. baking pan with cooking non-stick cooking spray.  Add oats and nuts to the pan. Bake at 350° for 15 minutes or until toasted, stirring occasionally.

In a large bowl, mix the egg, butter, honey and vanilla together. Then add the sunflower kernels, coconut, apples, cranberries, brown sugar and cinnamon. Stir to coat.

Then stir in oat mixture and press into a cookie sheet that has been coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 13-18 minutes or until set and edges are lightly browned. Cool completely. Cut into bars. Store in an airtight container.

Srawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing

Our friends made this for us one time and we all just fell in love with it. This salad is so light and fresh! It's also, super easy.  I asked for the dressing recipe, and come to find out, I had it all along. It comes from a book called The Essential Mormon Cookbook. 

We got this book as a wedding gift. I didn't realize what a great book it was until just lately when she showed me this recipe. The only strange thing to me about this recipe, is that it is a poppy seed dressing, and the poppy seeds are optional.  I don't know about you but that seems quite funny!

Strawberry Spinach Salad with Poppy Seed Dressing 

Salad

Baby spinach

1 pint of strawberries sliced

1-2 cups Candy Coated Chopped Pecans (recipe below)

In a large bowl, pour in desired amount of spinach. Top with strawberries and pecans.  Serve with poppy seed dressing.

Poppy Seed Dressing

1 1/4 Tbsp    poppy seeds (optional)

3/4 Cup        vinegar

1/2 cup         sugar

1 1/2 Tbsp    grated onion

1 1/2 tsp       salt

3/4 tsp          dry mustard

1 1/2 cups    vegetable oil

Mix everything in a blender. Refrigerate unused dressing for future use. Keeps up to 3 weeks in the refrigerator.

Candy coated pecans

Pecans

sugar

Chop pecans and pour into a skillet.  Sprinkle a generous amount of sugar over the pecans.  Over medium low heat, stir continuously until sugar is melted and begins to crystallize.  Remove from heat and let cool on a plate.

Monkey Bread

This has got to be one of my families favorite treats.  It's so easy to make and so delicious! I found this recipe online somewhere, and then changed it to our tastes.  I've made it with refrigerated biscuits and Rhodes rolls, and the rolls are so much better! Also, you want to make sure to have a bundt pan.  It just doesn't bake evenly without one.

Monkey Bread

about 15 Rhodes rolls thawed

1 Cup packed brown sugar

1 1/2 sticks butter (3/4 Cup)

1/2 Cup white sugar

2 tbsp cinnamon

3/4 cup chopped pecans (optional)

Grease bundt pan and pour half of the chopped pecans in the bottom of the pan. Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl. Break rolls into 1/3-or 1/4 pieces and coat with the cinnamon/sugar mixture. Place evenly in the bundt pan until it is half full. Sprinkle the rest of the pecans on top, allowing them to fall between the pieces of dough.

In a sauce pan, melt butter and add brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for one minute and pour over the layered dough.

Bake at 350 degrees for 35 minutes.  Let cool for 10 minutes and turn upside down onto a plate. Pull apart and enjoy!

Chocolate Layer Pie

This cake/pie has many names. Some call it Better than Robert Redford, Other names aren't so appropriate... I was joking that since Robert Redford is so not our generations "hunk" that we should rename it to Better than Justin Bieber or something. Ha ha.  Anyway, I just like the name, Chocolate Layer Pie.

My sweet mother-in-law found this recipe for me one Thanksgiving. Looking back, I don't know how she knew this is what I wanted, with the vague description I gave her.  She was asking what I wanted for my Thanksgiving pie, and I told her I tried this one pie one time that was delicious and gave her about 2 details about what I remembered.  She found the very one for me.  Oh it is so good!!!

The recipe says to use a 9 inch pie pan. This time, I doubled the recipe and did it in oblong pans for a funeral dessert.  Either, way, it still tastes the same! Plain ol' delicious!!!

Chocolate Layered Pie

1/2 cup chopped pecans                          

1 (5.9 ounce) package instant choc. pudding mix

1/2 cup butter, melted                               

1 1/2 cups milk

1 cup all-purpose flour                              

2 cups frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 cup frozen whipped topping, thawed

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 cup confectioner's sugar

Directions

1.  Mix together pecans, melted butter, and flour.  Pat into the bottom and up the sides of a 9 inch pie plate.  Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) until lightly browned.  Remove from oven, and set aside to cool.

 2.  In a mixing bowl, blend 1 cup whipped topping, cream cheese, and confectioners sugar until creamy.  Spread into cooled crust.

3.  Whisk together pudding mix and milk.  (You may want to add up to a half cup more milk if you like your pudding really creamy) Spread evenly over cheese layer, and then spread remaining whipped topping on top.  Chill 1 1/2 to 2 hours.

Can crush oreos, crushed Heath bar, toffee pieces or shaved chocolate on top



Cocoa Roasted Almonds

Its day 4 of Valentine's Week! This one is a great chocolaty treat to sit and snack on while you watch a movie and snuggle with your sweetheart.

I had a friend ask me to make her some Cocoa Roasted Almonds one day. I had never made them. I browsed around and didn't find a recipe that I liked, so I decided to just add to the

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds recipe that I have.  Next time I would add a little more salt to bring out the Cocoa flavor more.  These are really yummy!

Cocoa Roasted Almonds



1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

3 cups whole almonds

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt ( I would use about 1/2 tsp)

2 Tbsp Cocoa powder

1/4 cup melted butter cooled

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Lightly beat the egg white and add vanilla.  Beat until slightly frothy. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Add the butter, stir to coat.  Mix the sugars, salt and cinnamon and sprinkle over the nuts.  Stir to coat, and spread evenly onto a 10x15 inch cookie sheet.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir every 20 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.

Pecan Turtles

Today's treat is simple and fun to make.  It's a great one for the kids to help out with and take to their school teachers as a valentine.  My mom made these for me at Christmas time and I loved em! I think I have eaten 5 just since I've started writing this post!

Pecan Turtles

1 bag of Rolos

an equal number of pretzels

an equal number of pecan halves

Unwrap rolos. Place a rolo directly over the center of the pretzel. Put in a preheated 250 degree oven for about 5 minutes.  You want them to get soft but not loose their shape. Remove from oven and immediately place a pecan on top of the rolo and press down. Allow to cool. You can put these in the fridge for a few minutes to let the chocolate harden faster.

A quick tip:  You can also make these using the microwave.  You can place them in the microwave for about 10-15 seconds to soften the rolo.

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

My older brother came to a family dinner with these almonds and we were all in heaven. They are so yummy!  I really like this recipe made with pecans also.  He found this one and changed it to make them even better. So thanks dear brother for this recipe!

It calls for 4 cups of whole almonds. I like to use only 3 cups so that they are coated nice and thick. Yum!

Cinnamon Roasted Almonds

1 egg white

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 cups whole almonds (I use only 3)

1/2 cup white sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 cup melted butter cooled

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Lightly beat the egg white and add vanilla.  Beat until slightly frothy. Add the nuts, and stir until well coated. Add the butter, stir to coat.  Mix the sugars, salt and cinnamon and sprinkle over the nuts.  Stir to coat, and spread evenly onto a 10x15 inch cookie sheet.

Bake for 1 hour and 15 minutes. Stir every 20 minutes. Allow to cool and store in an airtight container.