Peanut Butter Popcorn

This popcorn has been a family favorite for as long as I can remember. It is so soft and delicious, I prefer it to caramel corn any day!

1 c. kernels popped (2 3.3 oz bags microwave popcorn)
1/2 c. corn syrup
1/2 c. honey
1 c. white sugar
1c. peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. butter

Combine corn syrup, honey, and sugar in saucepan over medium high heat. Boil for one minute, remove from heat. Add peanut butter, vanilla, and butter to mixture. Stir over warm popcorn.

Tropical Fruit Salsa

Adapted from Our Best Bites.

This sweet and citrusy combination is a huge crowd-pleaser!

1 mango
2 plums
2 kiwi
1 passion fruit
1/4 to 1/2 fresh pineapple
1 banana
1 Tbs. sugar

Chop fruit, combine. Serve with cinnamon chips.

Spiced candied walnuts

I originally made these as a garnish for a fall soup I had made once, but they were so good I decided that they deserved to be more than just a garnish, and now I make them every Thanksgiving as an appetizer. I make them the night before and set them out Thanksgiving morning. Everyone grazes on them all day long while they wait for the feast, which I love because it gives them something to curb their appetites, but it's not so heavy that they don't have room for the dinner that I slaved over for two days. Win win.

Peanut or canola oil
4c walnut halves
1c sifted powdered sugar
1/2 t cayenne pepper
1/2 t ground cinnamon
pinch of salt
1/4 t freshly ground pepper

In a large skillet or fryer, heat 1 inch of oil to 350 degrees.

In a small bowl, stir together cayenne, cinnamon, salt, and pepper.

Bring a pot of water to a boil and blanch the walnuts for 30 seconds. Drain and transfer to a bowl. While the nuts are still hot and slightly damp, add powdered sugar and toss until coated, and all the sugar has melted into the nuts. The sugar must all be melted.

Using a slotted spoon, transfer the nuts in small batches into the hot oil. Fry until med. brown, about 45 seconds. Do not overcook. Scatter on a large baking sheet to let cool. Continue in small batches until all the nuts are fried.

While the nuts are still warm, transfer them to a bowl and toss with about half the spice mix (sprinkle it evenly over the top, it will clump if you just dump it). Add more spice mix to taste and toss well after each addition.

This will keep in an airtight container for 2 weeks. Wait until cool to store.

Not your grandma's pumpkin pie

I will let everyone in on a secret. I hate pumpkin pie. I mean, I really hate it. I love pumpkin. Really anything pumpkin. And when I say love, I mean to an unhealthy degree. But I think that pumpkin pie is a scourge on the good name of pumpkin goodness. It's too orange and too spiced and too dense and too sweet and too....pumpkin pie.

I do, however, love MY pumpkin pie. There are several differences that make me like mine over any other, and they are: I only use fresh, not canned pumpkin; I use cream cheese instead of evaporated milk or sweetened condensed milk (no it is not a pumpkin cheesecake, although those are delicious); and I beat the crap out of it until it's super fluffy. The end result? A light, fluffy, tasty pie that isn't so sweet or rich that you can only eat a couple bites. I have literally eaten an entire pie by myself. In one sitting. For breakfast. And later discovered that my mother-in-law, her husband, my father-in-law, AND his wife, all did the same thing. :)

Here goes:

1 8oz cream cheese (softened)
2 c pumpkin FRESH roasted pumpkin (if you don't know how to do that, ask and I will write a tutorial...you know who you are)
1 c sugar
1/4 t salt
1 egg + 2 egg yolks, beaten
1c half and half
1/4 c butter
1t vanilla
1/2 t cinnamon
1/4 t ginger
pie dough (2)
(I'm not going to leave a recipe for this. If you want one, ask and I will - you know who you are!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line your pie crust with foil and fill with weights or beans, and bake for 10 minutes. Remove foil and beans and bake again for another 10 minutes. Cool.

Beat cream cheese. Add fresh pumpkin and beat. Add sugar and salt beat again. Add eggs, half and half, and butter and beat. Add vanilla, cinnamon, and ginger, and beat again. Pour into pie crusts and bake, 50 minutes.

*Depending on my oven and altitude, I have baked this pie anywhere between 50 minutes and an hour and a half. Just take it out when the center is no longer jiggly.*

Pumpkin Dip

This recipe is so good and so easy. A must for any autumn occasion!

Photo from The Little Nest

8 oz. cream cheese
1 cup canned pumpkin
1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice
12 oz. cool whip

Beat cream cheese until smooth. Mix in pumpkin and spice. Fold in cool whip. Serve with ginger snaps, graham crackers, apple slices, etc.


I like the dip best served with ginger snaps or on top of whole wheat Halloween pancakes! :)

Homemade Granola Bars

This is such a fast recipe and they are really good.

from Sisters' Cafe

2 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1/2 cup rice krispy cereal
1/4 cup coconut
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup honey
1/2 tsp vanilla

Add all ingredients to a bowl and mix together until combined. Press into a square 8x8 pan.
Bake at 350 for 20 minutes. Cool for 10 minutes and score into bars.
Let it set completely and then cut into bars

Brigadeiro

(Briga-dare-o)

Brazilian candy

Recipe from: A Taste of Brazil by Gary & Rose Neeleman

1 can sweetened condensed milk

3 heaping tablespoons cocoa powder

1 square margarine/butter (1/2 c.)

Mix sweetened condensed milk together with cocoa powder in a heavy pan adding margarine or butter. Cook stirring constantly with a wooden spoon until the mixture comes lose from the bottom and sides of the pan.

Let cool and roll into small balls and roll in granulated chocolate. Decorate (with chocolate sprinkles) and place in chocolate papers.

Chocolate Truffles

Recipe from: The Essential Mormon Cookbook by Julie Badger Jensen

½ c. heavy cream

1/3 c. sugar

6 Tbsp. butter

1 c. milk chocolate or semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp. vanilla

chopped nuts

Combine heavy cream, sugar, and butter in a small saucepan; bring just to boil. Remove from heat; immediately add chocolate chips. Stir until chips are melted; add vanilla. Pour into bowl. Cool, stirring occasionally, until chocolate begins to set. Cover and chill in refrigerator several hours. Form mixture into balls of desired size, working quickly to prevent melting. Roll in chopped nuts. Store in refrigerator or freezer until serving time.

Granola

Recipe courtesy of Alton Brown (Food Network)

This is the granola we used in our parfaits at Enrichment this week. You'll notice we left out the slivered almonds, cashews, coconut, and raisins and everyone still loved it.

Cook time: 1 hr 15 min
6 servings

Ingredients

• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1 cup slivered almonds
• 1 cup cashews
• 3/4 cup shredded sweet coconut
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dark brown sugar
• 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons maple syrup
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup raisins

Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

In a large bowl, combine the oats, nuts, coconut, and brown sugar.

In a separate bowl, combine maple syrup, oil, and salt. Combine both mixtures and pour onto 2 sheet pans. Cook for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes to achieve an even color.

Remove from oven and transfer into a large bowl. Add raisins and mix until evenly distributed.

New Mexico Caramels

from All American Dessert Book

1 cup granulated sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup dark corn syrup
2 sticks butter, cut into chunks
1/8 teaspoon salt
2 cups heavy cream
1 tablespoon vanilla extract, combined with 1 Tbsp hot water
2 1/2 cups chopped pecans (optional)

Line a 9-x13 baking dish with foil overhanging on two sides. Coat with spray. Set the baking dish on a wire rack.

In a heavy, nonreactive 6-quart pot, thoroughly stir together the sugars, corn syrup, butter, and salt.

Stir in the cream until the sugars dissolve. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon. If any sugar remains on the pot sides, wipe it away with a pastry brush dipped in warm water or a damp paper towel.

Adjust the heat so the mixture boils briskly. Clip a candy thermometer to the pot side, with the tip immersed but not touching the bottom. Continue boiling briskly, occasionally gently stirring and scraping the pot bottom, until the mixture thickens and darkens somewhat, 5 to 9 minutes.

Reduce the heat slightly and continue boiling, gently stirring and scraping the pot bottom to prevent scorching, until the caramel reaches 246 to 247 degrees F. Watch carefully, as the temperature may rise rapidly near the end of cooking. Immediately remove from the heat.

Working carefully to avoid splattering, gently stir in the vanilla mixture and the pecans, if using, just until evenly distributed.

Carefully pour the caramel into the baking dish; do not scrape out the pot. Let cool until thoroughly set, at least 1 1/2 hours.
To aid in cutting the caramels, refrigerate for 15 to 20 minutes, or until firmed up slightly. (Do not refrigerate longer, or the caramel will become too hard.) Carefully peel off the foil. Wipe any excess oil from the slab using a paper towel. Place the slab on a cutting board. Using a lightly greased, large sharp knife, trim away uneven edges, if desired. Score and cut the slab into eighths lengthwise and twelfths crosswise (or as desired).

Wrap each caramel in a 4-inch square of wax paper, twisting the ends to keep the paper from unrolling. The caramels will keep in the refrigerator for up to 3 weeks. Let come almost to room temperature before serving.

submitted by dalyce

Apple Fritters

Okay, I went out to Patterson's today...and had to make some fresh apple fritters. My family loves these. Warning: don't think about the calories!

2 eggs, beaten
1/2 C. milk
1/4 C. sugar
1 tsp. vegetable oil
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 C. flour
2 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. salt

2 large, tart, cooking apples

Glaze: combine powdered sugar with milk to desired quantity and consistency (sorry! I never measure!)

Peel, core, and dice the apples, and set aside. Beat eggs, milk, 1 tsp. oil, and sugar together until well blended. Stir dry ingredients together, and then add into egg mixture until just blended. Stir in apples. Drop by heaping tablespoon (like huge heaping tablespoon) into hot oil. Fry a few pieces at a time, turning once. Drain on paper towel, then transfer to a cooling rack with wax paper underneath. Drizzle the glaze on top, wait a few minutes, turn fritters and drizzle glaze on other side then transfer to the serving tray. Make sure that you drizzle the glaze while they're still hot, this way the glaze spreads really well.

This recipe makes about 12-15 fritters...so if you're serving a big crowd double or triple it. Also, I use vegetable oil to fry the fritters in, and put in about 1 1/2 in. of oil into the pan.

Orange Julius

I am finally contributing! We bought a real Orange Julius in Arizona when it was 115 degrees outside. It was so refreshing. I have been thinking about having it again ever since. So here it is. Super easy. This should make enough for two people.

1/2 C milk
1 1/2 C water
1/3 C sugar
1 tsp vanilla
1 small can frozen orange juice
ice cubes

Blend it all together and just add ice cubes to desired thickness!

Peach Bread

I was talking about this recipe (which I recently rediscovered) with Bridgette today and told her I would post it. It is soooo yummy. I see there's another peach recipe that Dalyce posted; tis the season for yummy peaches!

Peach Bread

3 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 tsp. vanilla
1 cup vegetable oil (i substitue 1/2 the oil with applesauce)
2 cups diced peaches (fresh are great but canned work too)
3 c. flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. salt
3 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 cup chopped walnuts

Preheat oven to 35o degrees. Grease and flour 2 loaf pans. Beat egg lightly and then blend in sugar, oil, vanilla, and the rest of the ingredients except for the peaches and walnuts. Then gently stir in the peaches and walnuts. Bake for 1 hour.

Peanut Butter Popcorn

Submitted by Tori

2 packages microwave popcorn
1/4 c butter
¾ c brown sugar
½ c peanut butter
20 large marshmallows
Melted chocolate for drizzling over finished peanut butter popcorn- optional

Cook margarine, marshmallows, and sugar for 1 minute intervals in microwave until melted. Stir in peanut butter. Pour over popcorn.

(Original recipe calls for ½ c margarine and 1/4c peanut butter)

Beck's Carmel Corn

This is a favorite carmel popcorn recipe and really easy! Sorry no picture on this one.

2 bags microwave popcorn popped
1 cube butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup caro syrup
1t. baking soda

pop the popcorn-sort out the old maids and kernels. Melt butter, brown sugar and caro syrup. Boil constantly for 1 minute. Take off heat add baking soda. Stir until foamy and baking soda has dissolved. Pour over popcorn. Spread on cookie sheets. Let cool-if you can wait that long to eat it!