Oreo Popcorn

After a year hiatus, I've decided to return to recipe blogging! What better to start back up again than with a party treat. =)

Every time I host a party or are asked to bring a treat to a party, this is the one I always take with me and it's a HUGE hit. My sister Jill gave me the recipe, and she's a popcorn expert. If you ever want a delicious savory or sweet popcorn recipe, go to her! Anyways, this has probably been my most requested recipe from the past year.

P.S. It's also great for breakfast the next morning. Not that I would know or anything.

OREO POPCORN

• 2 bags of popped microwave movie theater popcorn (You HAVE to use this kind to balance out the sweet that is added....trust me on this one.)
• 1 package of Oreos (I like the Double Stuffed ones but really you could use any kind of Oreo. The Birthday Cake Oreos are awesome in this!)
• 1 package of white chocolate or vanilla chips

First you want to crush up that package of Oreos....either by hand or put into a Ziploc bag and crushed with a rolling pin. Either way works, just depends on how messy you want to get. Put the crushed up Oreos in a large bowl. Add the bags of popped popcorn (be sure to remove the unpopped kernels!). Next you want to melt the bag of white chocolate or vanilla chips. Follow the directions on the bag for that since every brand is different. Last, pour the melted chocolate over the popcorn/Oreo mixture and stir to coat. That's it! 

Caramel Pirates Booty

My sister-in-law sent me a recipe book that her ward made for Christmas this year and I love it! I love collecting family favorite recipes. I saw this recipe in the snack section and knew it would be perfect for that half bag of Pirates Booty sitting in my pantry. This didn't disappoint...it was very good and addicting! Joe and I didn't even share it with the kids, it was that good.

CARAMEL PIRATES BOOTY

• 8-10 ounces Pirate's Booty or other white cheese puff snack
• 1/2 cup butter
• 1/2 cup Karo light corn syrup
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

Melt butter. Stir in the corn syrup and brown sugar until bubbly. Add baking powder. Pour over and stir into the cheese snacks. 

Sour Patch Grapes

I'm not a big fan of Sour Patch Kids, but this recipe looked too tempting not to try. I thought they'd be a perfect St. Patrick Day treat and I was having family over, so why not experiment on them? While everyone was hesitant to try them, they ended up loving it and the whole bowl was gone before the night was over. They are very refreshing and will be a wonderful summer time snack! Original recipe can be found here.

SOUR PATCH GRAPES

• 1 bunch of green grapes (the kind you can buy at the store in the bag. If you are going to buy the container you get from Costco, then double the Jello)
• 1 large package of lime Jello

Wash the grapes and take them off their vines. Put them all in a gallon size bag (still wet from being washed) and then pour the Jello powder in the bag. Shake it all up and then place in the fridge for at least 3 hours. 

Pulled Pork Cheese Ball

I had some leftover pulled pork from dinner the other night and wanted to find an appetizer that I could use it in for a Super Bowl snack. I scoured my cookbooks until I found a recipe for a cheese ball that called for chipped beef and thought that I could substitute that for pork - and it turned out great! I served it with tortilla chips and everyone loved it. So here's my version of The Favorite Cheese Ball from the Worldwide Ward Christmas Cookbook.

PULLED PORK CHEESE BALL

• 1 8-ounce package of cream cheese, softened
• 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
• 2 teaspoon chives, chopped
• 1 tablespoon milk
• 1/2 cup pulled pork

With an electric mixer, mix all the ingredients. Carefully form a ball, wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate until served. Makes 8 servings. 

Zebra Nipples

Ok, if that title didn't catch your attention then I don't know what would!! These are a delicious snack that Shellie shared with during game night at my parent's cabin. Our favorite game to play with a large group is Werewolf and our favorite treat to eat are Zebra Nipples! You can use your imagination as to why they are called that. Super easy to make and they taste amazing - make them soon!

ZEBRA NIPPLES

• 1 bag waffle pretzels (square-shaped ones)
• 1 bag peanut butter M&Ms
• 1 bag Hershey Hugs

Unwrap hershey hugs. Line up waffle pretzels on cookie sheet. Place one Hug on each pretzel. Put in 200 degree oven until Hugs look shiny (about 5-7 min) Remove and put 1 peanut butter M&M down into center of Hug. (Place "M" side down for cuter presentation)

Let cool.

Apple Dip

This is a dip that I could eat without ever having to dip an apple in to....just give me a spoon and I'll go to town. It surprised me when I went to search for it and discovered that I hadn't put this on my blog already! I've been making this dip for years now and it's one of my favorites to make when apples are on sale and I buy them in abundance. Every time I've taken it to a party or shower I always get asked for the recipe. Here it is! I believe I got it out of Taste of Home a long time ago, but I can't be sure.

APPLE DIP

• 8 ounces cream cheese
• 1 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1/4 cup milk

Combine with a hand mixer until smooth. Serve with apple slices.

Hot Buttered Pretzels

Oh. My. Heavens. These are sooooo good! If you love yourself and your family at all then you will make these pronto. This recipe also came out of the King Arthur Flour Baker's Companion, which I would like to add has been a very useful cookbook. I've been getting lots of terrific recipes from it! Anyways, if you're a big a fan of the pretzels you can buy at the mall or at fairs, then this is your lucky day. Quick tip - the pretzels you make with this recipe come out to be half the size of the ones you'd buy at the mall/fair, so feel free to eat lots of them.

HOT BUTTERED PRETZELS

• 2 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
• 1 cup warm water

Topping:

• 1/2 cup warm water
• 1 teaspoon sugar
• Coarse, kosher or pretzel salt
• 3 tablespoons salted butter, melted

Place all the dough ingredients in a bowl and beat until well combined. Knead the dough, by hand or mixer, for about 5 minutes, until it's soft, smooth, and quite slack. Dust the dough with flour (to keep from sticking) and place it in a plastic bag; close the bag, leaving enough room for the dough to expand, and let it rest for 30 minutes.

Preheat the oven to 500 degrees. Prepare two baking sheets by spraying them with vegetable oil spray or lining them with parchment paper.

Transfer the dough to a lightly greased work surface and divide it into eight equal pieces. Let the pieces rest, uncovered, for 5 minutes.

Roll each piece of dough into a long thin rope (around 28 inches) and twist each rope into a pretzel. Dip the pretzels in the warm water mixed with 1 teaspoon sugar, and place them on the baking sheets. Sprinkle them lightly with the salt. Let them rest, uncovered, for 10 minutes.

Bake the pretzels for 8-9 minutes, until they're golden brown, reversing the baking sheets halfway through.

Remove the pretzels from the oven and brush them thoroughly with the melted butter. Keep brushing butter on until you've used it all up; it may seem like a lot, but that's what gives these pretzels their ethereal taste. Eat the pretzels warm, or reheat them in an oven or microwave.

Cinnamon Popcorn

There's a monthly neighborhood playgroup that Colton and I attend and we are supposed to bring a snack to share with everyone. As usual, I completely forgot until this morning about the snack part and to make it worse, it was supposed to be a green snack! Aside from some cucumbers, frozen peas, and 2 celery stalks, I had nothing else green on hand. I got the creative juices flowing and thought about making some sort of flavored popcorn that is green since I always have lots of popcorn around here. It turned out awesome and wish there had been more leftover so I could have eaten it all!

CINNAMON POPCORN

• 1 bag popcorn (I'd go with the lowfat kind since you'll be adding more butter to it)
• 1/2 stick of butter
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 2 heaping teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• Green sugar sprinkles (optional for St. Patricks Day!)

Pop the popcorn in the microwave. Melt the butter in a saucepan and then add the sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. While that is all melting and coming to a boil, put the popcorn in a large bowl. Once the sugar mixture is boiling, take it off and pour if over the popcorn. Stir the popcorn until everything is mixed.

You can eat it like this if you'd like (make sure it's cooled down) and it would be gooey and delicious. If you want it hard and delicious (I think this is the best route if you're sharing) then bake it on a cookie sheet in the oven at 250 degrees for about 20 minutes. Whichever method you'd like to go with, sprinkle with the sugar sprinkles at the end!

Ruby Red Pretzel Dip

This is another snack I made for the Super Bowl but with all the chaos I forgot to get it out of the fridge during the game! So Joe and I ate a lot of it and I also took to a play group. Everyone enjoyed it and thought it almost tasted "Christmas-y" because of the cranberries. I would recommend it as a finger food for an open house or something kinda fancy. I got the recipe from a Taste of Home cookbook.

RUBY RED PRETZEL DIP

• 1 can (14 ounces) jellied cranberry sauce
• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/4 cup vinegar
• 1 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 teaspoon ground mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/8 teaspoon pepper
• 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon cold water
• Red food coloring, optional
• Pretzels

In a saucepan, combine the first seven ingredients; whisk over medium heat until smooth. Combine flour and cold water until smooth; add to cranberry mixture. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes. Transfer to a bowl; stir in food coloring if desired. Cover and chill overnight. Serve with pretzels.

Guacamole

I love, love, love guacamole! Growing up, my dad referred to this fresh-tasting dip as "dinosaur snot" so I never even tried it until I was an adult. Think of the years wasted of not eating guacamole! This has been my favorite recipe so far - it's one from Joe's "man crush", Alton Brown.

GUACAMOLE

• 3 Haas avocados, halved, seeded and peeled
  
• 1 lime, juiced
  
• 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
  
• 1/2 teaspoon cayenne
  
• 1/2 medium onion, diced
  
• 2 Roma tomatoes, seeded and diced
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro
  
• 1 clove garlic, minced

In a large bowl place the scooped avocado pulp and lime juice, toss to coat. Using a potato masher add the salt, cumin, and cayenne and mash. Then, fold in the onions, tomatoes, cilantro, and garlic. Let sit at room temperature for 1 hour and then serve.

Pistachio Lemon Cheese Ball

Our realtor recently sent us a newsletter that had a recipe with it that looked delicious. I'm a huge fan of cheese balls and will take any excuse to make one. Since yesterday was the beginning of college football, I found that to be a wonderful time to have a cheese ball out for people to eat!

This cheese ball is very light tasting and it reminded me of a lemon cheesecake. It's very lowfat also which is probably why Joe and his dad nicknamed this a "girl's cheese ball".

PISTACHIO LEMON CHEESE BALL

• 2 packages Neufchatel cheese or light cream cheese
• 1 cup nonfat or low-fat ricotta cheese
• 2 tablespoons fresh basil, minced
• 1 tablespoon lemon peel, grated
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1/2 cup pistachios, shelled and finely chopped

In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese with ricotta, basil, lemon peel and juice; mix in 1/4 cup of pistachios. Chill mixture until firm.

For one large cheese ball, shape into dome on appetizer tray. Or to make mini cheese balls, shape level tablespoon amounts into small balls; using damp hands to prevent sticking. Press remaining pistachios onto outside to coat.

Artichoke Dip

One thing that I'm very grateful to Joe and his family for is that they've introduced me to fruits and veggies that I never had tried before. When Joe and I first got married, my mother-in-law steamed some artichokes for us to eat with dinner and I fell in love! They quickly became my favorite vegetable and I check for them to go on sale every time I go to the grocery. I know a lot of people like to dip their artichoke leaves in melted butter but I'm a big fan of this dip. Plus it has a lot less fat than butter.

ARTICHOKE DIP

• 3 tablespoons mayo (I like to use Miracle Whip)
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1 teaspoon pickle juice
• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

Mix together until combined. Easy as that!

Texas Caviar

My friend Lindsay called me this morning wanting my recipe for Texas Caviar. I told her to quit being lazy and just get it off my blog to which she replied that she had tried and couldn't find it. To my dismay, I had never posted it! This is hands down the most requested thing that I bring to get-togethers and potlucks. It is so amazingly good and healthy - minus the chips that you are dipping with.

TEXAS CAVIAR

• 2 cans black beans
• 1 can red beans
• 1 can black eyed peas
• 1 can white corn
• 1 can yellow corn
• 2 can Ro-Tel tomatoes
• 1 can sliced or chopped olives
• 1 small bottle Zesty Italian dressing (or half the bottle of the regular-sized one)
• 1 clove garlic, chopped
• 1/2 cup red onion, chopped
• 1/2 cup cilantro, chopped
• Serve with either Frito Scoops or tortilla chips
  

Drain all the beans, corn, and olives. Mix together and let sit in the fridge for 24 hours. You can serve in less time, but the taste gets better over time. Go make this now!!

Screamin' Yellow Zonker Corn

During my college days I lived with my cousins in a condo. We got into all kinds of shenanigans together, but what I loved most about living with them was getting to know them better and becoming great friends with them. My Aunt Jewel (her daughters are who I lived with) is an amazing chef, although she may not realize it, but she's been my major influence as a cook because one day I want to cook amazing meals for my kids like she did for my cousins.

The point of why I'm telling you all this is because one crisp fall day, I distinctly recall my cousin Jennifer eating a popcorn ball in our condo. Not being a big fan of popcorn myself, I wasn't too interested, but nonetheless intrigued because her popcorn ball wasn't brown like a caramel corn ball. She was kind enough to let me have some of it and my life hasn't been the same ever since. She informed me that it is called Screamin' Yellow Zonker Corn and that her mom (Aunt Jewel) makes it around Halloween time every year. Aunt Jewel is ever so kind to always share her recipes, so Joe and myself have started the tradition of making it every year for our families at Halloween-time. It's like rice crispy treats except you use popcorn instead of rice crispies. Seriously ya'll, you must try it.

SCREAMIN' YELLOW ZONKER CORN

• 1 lb. butter
• 2 2/3-cup sugar
• 1 cup white karo syrup
• 16-ounce bag marshmallows
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 5 bags microwave popcorn (I like to use light butter)
  

Boil butter, sugar, and syrup for 3 minutes EXACTLY. Take off the stove and add the marshmallows and vanilla. Pour everything over popcorn. It is easiest to mix the popcorn and mixture in a large plastic Tupperware-like tub/container. Store airtight.

*For a holiday, be festive and add food coloring to the mixture before you pour it over the popcorn.

Gingered Pear Freezer Jam

A few weeks ago I was browsing through Craigslist.com, a favorite past-time of mine, when I came across an ad from a local orchard that was selling 40 lb. boxes of bartlett pears for $15. What a steal! Of course I had to be a part of this, so I called and and bought boxes of pears for some coworkers and then 2 boxes for myself. Over the past few weeks I've been mainly bottling my 80 lbs. of pears, but I also experimented with Pear Sauce (like applesauce, but with pears), Pear Honey (it's the consistency of honey, it doesn't have honey in it), and Gingered Pear Jam. I haven't tasted any of the pears that I've bottled, sauced, or honeyed (I just made that word up), but I had to dive into the jam.

The recipe is one that I found online and the recipe earned a World Blue Ribbon award in the Ball World Freezer Jam Recipe Contest. How could I not make this?! It is an absolutely delicious jam. I'll admit that I was a bit surprised at the taste - you first get hit with the ginger. If you don't like ginger....don't even attempt this recipe! Then you get a refreshing citrus taste, and then the pear flavor comes out. And since this is a freezer jam, it is unbelievably easy to make. No cooking required!

GINGERED PEAR FREEZER JAM

• 1 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 package Ball Simple Freezer Jam Fruit Pectin
• 3 1/2 cups pear puree
• 1/3 cup fresh orange juice
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
• 1 teaspoon lemon zest
• 1 teaspoon ginger powder
• 5 plastic Ball (8 ounce) freezer jars (Any plastic container would suffice)

Process pears in food processor or blender until smooth. Stir sugar and pectin in a bowl until well blended. Add pear puree and the rest of the ingredients. Stir for 3 minutes. Ladle jam into clean jars/containers to fill line. Let stand until thickened, about 30 minutes.

Refrigerate up to three weeks or freeze up to one year.

Granola Bars

Memorial Day weekend 2006, Joe and I accompanied his family on a trip to beautiful Zions National Park. I got put in charge of snacks, which is perfect because aside from breakfast, snacking is my next favorite thing. I made these granola bars for the trip and they were everyone's favorite. They are quick to make, so it's great to make for car trips, campouts, or just to eat while watching tv at home (that's what I usually do).

Don't worry, this isn't a healthy granola bar. This is a basic, yummy treat I got from an Amish cookbook that I picked up on a roadtrip in Michigan. I went to Yoder's Bakery in Mio, Michigan and had the best peanut butter cookies EVER, so I had to get the cookbook to recreate that cookie plus other culinary excellence. What catapults this granola bar into the realm of perfection are the add-ins. Honestly, it always amazes me that something so simple can taste so amazing!

GRANOLA BARS

• 1 1/2 lb. marshmallow
• 1/4 lb. butter
• 1/4 lb. canola oil
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup peanut butter

Melt the butter and marshallows, then add the rest. Mix until blended. Then add:

• 9 1/2 cup Rice Krispies
• 5 cup oatmeal
• 1 cup nuts (I like to use cashews or almonds)
• 1 cup coconut
• 1 cup graham cracker pieces
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 1 1/2 cup raisins

Mix well and press in pans. Cut in bars and enjoy!