Valentine's Popcorn

I love how holidays give me an excuse to get in the kitchen and bake. No matter how big or how small, I love celebrating special days with sweet treats, and even more so when I have the opportunity to play around and experiment with different flavor combinations. This popcorn recipe evolved in my mind over the course of a few days, and after a little trial and error, the end result is absolutely fantastic, if I do say so myself. :)

I have really been on a big York Peppermint Patty kick lately... the balance of dark chocolate and minty creaminess is just absolute perfection to my palate right now. (No- I am NOT pregnant... for those of you whose mind automatically goes in that direction with the slightest mention of cravings, no matter how obscure the reference may be! I feel the need to make this disclaimer, as I have already been asked by my dear aunt...) I knew I wanted to incorporate these somehow, and my initial thought was to melt them. That, however, absolutely did not work. The mint patties reacted in a way similar to marshmallows when I put them in the microwave- they ballooned up to five times their normal size. Needless to say, they did not melt well and there was no way I could have poured the end product over the popcorn successfully.

After some more debate, I finally decided that to include the York patties I would simply chop them up and toss the pieces together with the popcorn. The ingredients I chose to include in this concoction are really some of my all-time favorite things ever: three different kinds of chocolate, M&Ms, Oreo cookies, and the thoroughly-discussed peppermint patties. Seriously... what's not to love?

If your children want to take treats to school or daycare, or if you are a nerd like me and still give Valentine treats to all your friends and coworkers, this popcorn is perfect to share! It all came together in less than 10 minutes (minus cooling time, of course), and it was super simple. It would be adorable to package in individual treat bags, tied up nicely with some pretty ribbon. You can also head over to Our Best Bites and check out their fun and festive printables. They have some that would be perfect with a popcorn treat just like this one!

Here is what you will need:


Valentine's Popcorn
- 1 full-sized bag microwave kettle corn, popped with old maids removed
- 6 miniature York Peppermint Patties, cut into small pieces
- 6 Oreo cookies, broken into small chunks
- 1/2 cup Valentine's edition M&Ms
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chunks
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1/4 tsp. vegetable shortening
- 1/4 cup white chocolate chips

After popcorn is popped, place in a shallow roasting pan or a very large bowl that will allow for easy stirring. Cut up peppermint patties and break up cookies. Toss the peppermint patties, cookie pieces, and M&M's in with the popcorn.

Place the dark chocolate and the semi-sweet chocolate chips in a microwave-safe bowl with the 1/4 tsp. vegetable shortening. Microwave in 30-second increments, stirring after each, until chocolate is completely melted. Pour melted chocolate over the popcorn mixture and stir well to evenly coat.

After this is done, place the white chocolate chips in a baggie. Microwave in 30-second increments, squeezing the chocolate after each, until chocolate is melted. Cut the corner off the baggie and drizzle the white chocolate over the popcorn lightly.

Let cool and set up, then store in an airtight container.

Colorful, fun, and full of complimentary texture and flavor combinations! 

Share some love this year and give those important to you a delicious treat, whether it's for Valentine's Day or some random Tuesday down the road when everyone least expects it. Pay it forward. Spread some smiles and happiness- they are, after all, contagious, and what goes around comes around! 

PS - If anyone comes up with a better, more creative name for this, that would be super! My mind was not in that mode apparently.... :) 

ENJOY!

Super Bowl Sunday Special

For as long as I can remember, Super Bowl Sunday (for me, at least) has been more about delicious food and spending time with family than football... I am sure Chris would probably disagree with me on this one, as would many others with a Y chromosome in their DNA. I have so many fond memories of Super Bowl Sunday growing up. The whole family would get together at Grams' and Gramps' house, and there would be so much food and laughter that it made for an absolutely perfect day. Grams' and Gramps' are both gone now, may they rest in peace, but so many of us left behind carry on the traditions that they instilled within us. Small and insignificant as it may be, one of these traditions for me will always be celebrating the Super Bowl with food and family.

To be completely honest, I am not a huge football fanatic. I enjoy watching the "good" games- you know, the ones that aren't completely one-sided and are exciting to watch because it could be anyone's game right up until the clock runs out at the end of the 4th quarter. Hopefully, that is what we have to look forward to on Sunday!

In spite of the fact that my adoration for football falls far short of a die-hard fan, I AM excited to have an excuse to get in the kitchen and make some of my favorite appetizer/snack recipes that are perfect for these casual get-togethers. I am also excited to share some of my favorite recipes with you today, too! The two that I chose to post about are so delicious and addicting that they will surely be a hit if you decide to make and serve them at your own football gathering this weekend.

The first recipe I picked to share is Pizza Dip. I got this recipe from an old college roommate who is, still to this day, one of the best cooks I have ever met. (Hi Elizabeth!) Every time I make it, this dip gets devoured and everyone is asking for the recipe for it. I always share. It's just too good not to. Plus, it's quick and easy to throw together, and you can either bake it or prepare it in the slow cooker to take with you on-the-go.

Pizza Dip

- 2 8-ounce blocks cream cheese, softened and at room temperature
- 1 1/2 cups pizza sauce
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 cups shredded cheese (use your favorite)
- 1 cup miniature pepperonis
- 1 tsp. garlic powder -OR- 1/2 tsp. garlic paste
- 1/2 tsp. paprika
- 1 tsp. Italian seasoning
- 1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes (more or less to taste, depending on your heat preferences)

1. Mix all ingredients together in a medium bowl until well-combined. Either bake in a casserole dish at 350 degrees F until bubbly -OR- cook in the slow cooker on high till warmed throughout, then reduce heat to low or warm setting. Serve with French bread or tortilla chips.

The next recipe that I wanted to share with you today is a recipe for our almost-famous caramel corn. This stuff is straight addictive. I DARE you to eat only one handful... :)

Almost-Famous Caramel Corn  (Recipe adapted from Paula Deen http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/paula-deen/grandma-pauls-caramel-corn-recipe/index.html)

- 8 quarts popped popcorn, sprinkled lightly with salt and cinnamon
- 1 cup butter
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 1/2 cup light karo syrup
- 1 tbsp. cinnamon
- 1 tsp. salt
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. baking soda

1. Place popped popcorn in a large, shallow roasting pan. Preheat oven to 200 degrees F.
2. In a large pot, over medium heat, melt butter. Mix in brown sugar, karo syrup, cinnamon, and salt. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes. Remove from stove top and quickly stir in vanilla and baking soda. Mixture will foam, so be prepared!
3. Pour the caramel mixture over the popped popcorn and stir well to coat evenly.
4. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Remove from oven and spread out on foil or wax paper to cool. Store covered in an airtight container.

This is seriously one of the most delicious things I have ever eaten. Everyone who has tried it gives it rave reviews, and they just love the layers of flavor found in this sweet treat. It is amazing what the addition of cinnamon and vanilla can do to an already delicious recipe by the lovely Paula Deen.

Here are a few other suggestions for recipes that would be great for this weekend's food lineup that are from older posts:

Peanut Butter Dream Dip
Peanut Butter Cup Blondies
Double Chocolate Mint Cookies and Cream Cookies
German Chocolate Caramel Brownie Bars
Slow Cooker Chicken Chili 
Shredded Beef Sandwiches with Balsamic Slaw
Magic Cookie Bars 

Hope you enjoy! Would love to hear feedback from any of you who make any of these tasty recipes this weekend! Who are you rooting for at your house Sunday?

Have a fabulous weekend all!

For Granola Fans Like Me....

I. Love. Granola. I love granola bars. I love granola in yogurt. I love granola with fruit. I love granola on ice cream. I love how the more times I type granola, the more it starts to seem as if it really isn't a word... Anyone else ever have that happen? I get it a lot with purple, too, although, I must say I don't really type purple often...weird.

Anyways... IF you enjoy granola as much as I do, I HIGHLY suggest that you try making your own. It is quick and easy and so adaptable that you can put your favorite ingredients in it and the outcome will still be delicious and nutritious! Granola is definitely a staple for me, and my family really enjoys it, too! I only recently made it from scratch for the first time at home, but I am eagerly looking forward to playing around with all of the different possibilities that are out there, infinite as they may be!

Eventually, I will share my own granola recipe with you, but for now, I want to share with you a few other sites that have granola recipes that I think look positively delicious and will more than likely be trying out myself!

From the ever beloved Food Network, Alton Brown offers his recipe for tasty, homemade granola.

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/granola-recipe/index.html  

At  http://www.cookiemadness.net/category/granola-recipes/ , you will find several different granola recipe variations all in one place. How handy is that! 

From one of my personal favorite bloggers comes a recipe for Cherry Chocolate Coconut Granola. How delicious does that sound? Thinking this might be a fun Valentine's Day treat to put in little bags for coworkers instead of the normal assortment of sweets with little-to-no nutritional benefit? Maybe... http://annies-eats.com/2012/01/09/cherry-chocolate-coconut-granola/  

And finally, from another of my favorite food bloggers, is a Granola Cookie recipe, which the Brown Eyed Baker describes as "genius." Be sure to check these out!

http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2012/01/13/granola-cookies-recipe/?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+browneyedbaker%2Ffeed+%28Brown+Eyed+Baker+%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

Try some of these out and come back and let me know what you think! I would love to hear how your experience with making granola goes, and as mentioned before, I will share my own recipe with you soon! Have a fantastic weekend!

Peanut Butter Dream Dip

Many of you may have caught wind of the peanut butter pie recipes that have been sweeping the food blogging world over the past week or so. Food bloggers across the board have been making and sharing recipes for their favorite renditions of peanut butter pie to honor the memory of a fellow food blogger's husband who passed unexpectedly. See In Jennie's Kitchen for the full, heartbreaking story, and also for a delicious-sounding recipe for peanut butter cream pie that her late husband listed as his favorite.  http://www.injennieskitchen.com/2011/08/for-mikey.html

This story is a good reminder that life is short. We should truly cherish each moment that we have with our loved ones and savor each day as if it could be our last. Let's not put off today what could be done tomorrow, especially when it comes to the things that bring us the most enjoyment. And when it comes to loved ones, as Jennie so beautifully wrote in her post, "hug them like there's no tomorrow because today is the only guarantee we can count on." Thank you, Jennie, for letting your loss help others remember just how precious life is and that we should not take anything for granted.

We had an incredibly busy weekend, and the time to make a pie unfortunately slipped away. But I came up with my own, quick version of peanut butter pie in dip form (basically deconstructed peanut butter pie if that helps you to visualize the connection) to help do my part to contribute to such a wonderful cause and remind my loved ones of how dear they are to me. Life is too short for it not to be sweet... 

Silky, smooth, peanut- buttery perfection! 

Peanut Butter Dream Dip

- 1 8-oz block of cream cheese, softened completely to room temperature
- 1 14-oz can sweetened condensed milk
- 1 cup creamy peanut butter
- 2 tbsp. honey
- 1/2 - 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Nilla Wafers, Oreos, graham crackers, or anything of the like (think pie crust) for dipping

1. In a medium bowl, combine the cream cheese, sweetened condensed milk, creamy peanut butter, and honey, mixing until smooth and silky with no chunks. Stir in chocolate chips. Refrigerate.
2. Serve as a dip with your favorite cookie, cracker, or fruit/vegetable and enjoy! (Or, if you're like me and my family, you can grab a spoon and dig right in - it's DELICIOUS!)

Does your family have any special recipes that are their favorites? What are they and how often do you make them for your loved ones? I would love to hear about it!