Peanut Butter Popcorn

I hope you guys all had a great Thanksgiving spent with the people you love. I spent mine with friends and all the food everyone brought was really amazing. I think it's fair to say that I ate the most at Thanksgiving out of everyone but when it came to dessert I didn't really eat that much. I made all of the pies and when I make a dish sometimes I don't eat much of it because I'm too busy thinking, "Oh, I should have cooked that longer. That pie needed more filling..."

But the next day I went to the gym and ran my buns off...

...and then came home and ate pie.

I repented and had an egg white omelet for lunch.

...and then I ate more pie.

Friday I did not feel like fighting the crowds so I opted to stay home and have movie night with the kids. I made this peanut butter popcorn that was sent to me by a reader, Jennifer. Her mom has been making it since she was a kid. I loved it. It has just enough peanut butter flavor with the texture of caramel corn (which I just realized I haven't posted yet on this blog). I actually forgot to add the peanuts and added them after I took this picture. It's great without peanuts too. Just to warn you it's terribly addicting.

On Wednesday I will be kicking off our Virtual Cookie Exchange with 12 Days of Christmas Cookies! I have some fabulous food blogger friends lined up to share some of their favorite holiday cookies as well as some from yours truly.

Peanut Butter Popcorn
(Source: Jennifer Francis from Crafty Dr. Mom

1/2 cup unpopped popcorn or 16 cups popped popcorn (I used 2 bags of microwavable popcorn)

1 1/2 cups dry-roasted peanuts

1 cup sugar

1/2 cup honey

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Pop corn and remove any unpopped kernels. Place in a large bowl and stir in peanuts. (Jennifer pops hers in a 9X13 pan and keeps it warm in a 250 degree oven)

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, honey and corn syrup.  Bring mixture to boiling, continue boiling for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Do not boil too long or your popcorn will be rock hard. Remove from heat.   

Stir in peanut butter and vanilla.  Immediately pour over popcorn and stir to coat. Serve warm or a room temperature.

The Thanksgiving before Thanksgiving

As a food blogger, I've basically already eaten Thanksgiving dinner a couple times over trying out recipes to post for turkey day. Thanksgiving is arguably one of the biggest food days of the year...like the SuperBowl of the food world. So just thank me for the ten pounds I've gained for you weeding out the bad Thanksgiving recipes.

I am actually not hosting Thanksgiving this year. I'm going to a friend's house and I am in charge of dessert. I think I have it covered although I'm still on the look for a good homemade apple pie recipe. Has anyone tried Grandma Ople's from Allrecipes? I'll let you know how it goes.

Anywho...if I were making the whole dinner here's a recap a couple of my favorite recipes that I would definitely choose from. Just click on the picture or the link for the recipe.

Appetizers

Stuffed Mushrooms: Seriously these are grub.
You can prepare them ahead of time and pop them in the oven right before serving.

Pumpkin Pie Dip: Easy and festive.
 It tastes just like pumpkin pie when served with cinnamon graham crackers.

Cranberry and Pecan Brie En Croute:

 I know I just posted this but it really is one of my favorites.

Rolls

Cheddar Bay Biscuits: Don't want to deal with yeast?
These biscuits taste just like Red Lobster's.

Lion House Rolls: Love 'em.

Sides

Green Beans with Bacon and Almonds:
A great alternative to the basic green bean casserole.

Sweet Potatoes: Just in case you missed yesterday's post.

Twice Baked Potatoes:
Give your guests another option besides mashed potatoes.

Dessert

Pumpkin Cheesecake: Easy and impressive.

Apple Crisp: Don't fuss with a crust.
The crumble on top of this is out of this world.

Turtle Cheesecake:
This always impresses your guests.

Pecan Pie Bars: Yum. No messing with a pie crust.
This crust melts in your mouth.

Good luck and happy cooking!

Corn Pudding the Easy Way

I don't know about you guys but I've never given corn pudding a fair chance. All of my friends who swear they can't cook, this is your dish to bring to Thanksgiving. It's almost like cornbread but more moist and well...spoonable.

Make sure to check back tomorrow where I will have the low down on all the dishes you need for your Thanksgiving table.

Click on the photo below or go here for the recipe.

Sweet Potatoes - Ruth's Chris Style

I used to despise sweet potatoes until last year when my sister-in-law Kim gave me a recipe that changed my mind. The only other time I have enjoyed sweet potatoes is when we go to Ruth's Chris steak house for special occasions and John orders them. I always give him a little flack and say, "You ordered sweet potatoes (imagine a 13 year old girl's voice with a lot of attitude)?! It's not Thanksgiving." But guess who always ends up licking the plate...me.

So this year when I stumbled across THE Ruth's Chris recipe I was torn. Why try something new when I knew how good Kim's recipe was? Then as I looked at the recipes closer I realized they were exactly the same except for Kim's had a little milk in them which I left out last year anyway because my potatoes were already looking a little on the wet side.

These are so good and are the only way to go as far as sweet potatoes go. They're creamy with a brown sugar pecan crust. These could easily be dessert maybe even with a scoop of ice cream. You can make these up to a couple of days in advance and then bake the crust for 10 minutes before serving.

Just boil, bake, or even microwave your sweet potatoes.

Cream them together with some eggs, sugar, and butter.

Top with a brown sugar pecan crust...yum.

Ruth's Chris Sweet Potatoes
(Printable Recipe)
Source: Ruth's Chris and Kimi

Crust:
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/3 cup butter, melted

Combine brown sugar, flour, nuts and butter in mixing bowl. Set aside.

Sweet Potato Mixture
3 cups cooked and mashed sweet potatoes
1 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs, well beaten
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, melted
(splash of milk if needed)

Note: To cook sweet potatoes first wash and dry them carefully then you can either: 1) Bake them at 400 degrees for 50-60 minutes 2) Boil them for 30 minutes or 3) Pierce them with a fork and microwave them for about 15-20 minutes.
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a medium-size casserole dish with nonstick spray.

Combine sweet potatoes, sugar, salt, vanilla, eggs and butter in a large mixing bowl in the order listed. Beat thoroughly with a hand mixer for about 3-4 minutes to increase the fluffiness of the sweet potato mixture. Add a splash of milk if needed and mix.

Pour mixture into the baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. At this point, dish can be covered and refrigerated for a couple of days.

Sprinkle the surface of the sweet potato mixture evenly with the crust mixture and return to oven for 10 minutes. Allow to set at least 30 minutes before serving.
The brown sugar and pecan crust should be slightly browned and crunchy. Makes 12 servings.

Cranberry and Pecan Brie En Croute

I'm headed to the beach with my family that's in town visiting but not until I share with you one of my favorite holiday appetizers - Cranberry and Pecan Brie En Croute. It's Brie topped with cinnamon toasted pecans, cranberries, and brown sugar all wrapped in a buttery puff pastry. John and I ate this all by ourselves.

To get the recipe just click on the photo below or grab the recipe here that I posted over at Tablespoon..

Just place the Brie on the puff pastry and pile on toasted cinnamon pecans, cranberries, and brown sugar.

Get the recipe for Cranberry and Pecan Brie en Croute here.

Pecan Pie Bars

You know that feeling after Thanksgiving when you feel like you are going to explode? I feel that way right now. We had a Holiday dinner for the women in our church and we had a cookie exchange at the end (in addition to dessert already served). You're supposed to bring a dozen of your favorite cookies and then you take home a dozen assorted cookies from what other people brought. I made a plate and on the way home my mom and I had a bite of pretty much all of them. Soooo sick. Good thing I made these bars earlier this week so I could actually enjoy them. They are just like pecan pie but in bar form. The crust melts in your mouth. They're really sweet but aren't all pecan pies?

Pecan Pie Bars
adapted from Allrecipes

Crust:
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/3 cup white sugar
1/4 teaspoon salt
2/3 cup butter (10 2/3 Tablespoons)


Filling:
3 eggs
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 2/3 cups chopped pecans

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9X13 baking dish with heavy foil and spray with cooking spray.

2.In a large bowl, stir together the flour, 1/3 cup sugar, and salt. Cut in 2/3 cup butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs. You can use a pastry blender or just two knives. Sprinkle the mixture evenly over the prepared pan, and press in firmly.

3.Bake for 20 minutes in the preheated oven.

4.While the crust is baking, prepare the filling. In a large bowl mix together the eggs, corn syrup, 1/2 cup white sugar, 1/2 cup brown sugar, 2 tablespoons margarine, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the chopped pecans. Spread the filling evenly over the crust as soon as it comes out of the oven.

5.Bake for 25-30 minutes in the preheated oven, or until set. I usually like things on the rare side and a little gooey but these you want cooked all the way through so make sure the middle is set. If the top starts getting to browned cover with aluminum foil.

6.Allow to cool completely on a wire rack before slicing into bars with a sharp knife.

Homemade Peppermint Oreos and Guest Post over at I {Heart} Naptime

Yes, the Christmas music is already playing in the stores and people have already started their Christmas shopping. Not me...I'm a procrastinator and don't start my Christmas decorating until after Thanksgiving. But if you are more on top of it than me, head over to I {heart} naptime where I'm guest posting about some Homemade Peppermint Oreos as part of her Crazy Christmas Crafters Event. She has had Christmas crafts and recipes line up over there for a whole month!

Updated to include recipe 12/12/10

Today we are going to make Homemade Peppermint Oreos. Sure, fancy schmancy desserts have their place, but I tell you people don't always love to commit to a huge slice of cake or dessert. These Homemade Peppermint Oreos are portable and easy to grab and eat. Trust me, they are always one of the first things gone when I take them to a party. You can't go wrong with these - Oreos, peppermint, sprinkles...are you in love yet?

Homemade Peppermint Oreos

2 boxes Devil's food cake mix

4 eggs

2/3 cup vegetable oil

Frosting:

1 (8ounce) package cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter, softened

4 cups powdered sugar

1 teaspoon peppermint extract

sprinkles or crushed candy cane for decorating

green or red food coloring

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper.

In a large bowl combine the cake mix, eggs, and oil with a mixer. The batter will be very stiff. Pinch of pieces of batter and roll into 1 inch balls. Place 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheets and flatten slightly with fingertips. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately from the cookie sheets with a spatula and cool on a wire rack.

In a small glass bowl, combine the cream cheese and butter until completely blended. Gradually add in the powdered sugar and peppermint extract and mix until the icing is smooth. Color frosting green or red if desired. Spread half of the cookies with icing and top with remaining cookies.

Roll in sprinkles, crushed candy canes, or just leave them plain.

Store in the refrigerator in an airtight container or resealable plastic bags.  Makes 2 dozen cookies.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

Ever since I bought the stuff to make this Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake last week, I've seen it popping up all over the blog world. I guess that tells you that this is a tried and true recipe. I actually have never been a huge fan of pumpkin pie but lately I've been craving it. This has a layer of cheesecake and then a layer of pumpkin cheesecake. I thought it was to die for and so easy that after I made it I thought, "That's all..I'm done?" Yup. That easy.

Make it the day before Thanksgiving. It tastes good the day it's cooked and even better the next day.

Look at those beautiful layers.

Double Layer Pumpkin Cheesecake

(Printable Recipe)

2 (8 ounce) packages cream cheese, softened

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 (9 inch) prepared graham cracker crust
1/2 cup pumpkin puree
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup homemade whipped cream (or frozen whipped cream, thawed if you are in a crunch)

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees.
2.In a large bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Blend in eggs one at a time. Remove 1 cup of batter and spread into bottom of crust; set aside.

3.Add pumpkin, cinnamon, cloves and nutmeg to the remaining batter and stir gently until well blended. Carefully spread over the batter in the crust.

4.Bake in preheated oven for 35 to 40 minutes, or until center is almost set. Don't worry if there are a couple of cracks; when you refrigerate it they will close up. Allow to cool, then refrigerate for 3 hours or overnight. Garnish with whipped topping before serving.

Source: Allrecipes

Lion House Rolls

The Lion House Rolls are my favorite rolls HANDS DOWN! If you aren't familiar with the Lion House, it is a restaurant in Utah that is known for its food and especially its rolls. They are so moist and the texture is amazing. Last time I was visiting my sister Shelly in Utah she made these.

My sister has five boys so I love being around her house full of teenage boys because it's a little glimpse in the future for me. Her boys are good boys full of energy (and hormones) always headed to a game or practice from one of their sports. She is constantly cooking and feeding them hearty food trying to satisfy their raging appetites. I laughed when I saw a tray of sandwiches in the fridge. She makes a tray, a whole tray, of huge sandwiches for them to "snack" on throughout the day. What I learned is that my food bill is going to be huge in 10 years!

I know Thanksgiving should be all about the turkey, but for me it's all about the rolls. I'm a sucker for a warm homemade roll with butter slathered all over it. These Lion House rolls are legendary...for a reason.

Lion House Rolls

(Printable Recipe)

source: KSL.com and the Lion House Cookbook

2 cups warm water

2/3 cup instant nonfat dry milk
2 Tablespoons dry yeast (2 packages)
1/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons salt
1/3 cup butter
1 egg
5-5 1/2 cups all purpose flour (bread flour can be used if you have it on hand and will make for a lighter roll)

In the large bowl of an electric mixer, combine the water and the milk powder and stir so the milk dissolves.

Add the yeast to this mixture while water and milk is still warm. I let the yeast proof (dissolve and start to react) for a couple of minutes then add the sugar, salt, butter, egg and 2 cups of the flour. Mix on low speed of mixer until ingredients are wet, then turn to medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. Stop the mixer and add 2 more cups of flour then mix on low speed until the ingredients are wet, then turn mixer on medium speed and mix for 2 minutes. The dough will be getting stiff and you may need to remove the bowl from the mixer and mix in the remaining flour by hand (mine is still wet here).

Add approximately 1/2 cup of flour and mix again. (This can be done by hand or mixer). The dough should be soft, not overly sticky, and not stiff. (It is not necessary to use the entire amount of flour). Scrape the dough off the sides of the bowl and pour approximately on tablespoon of vegetable oil all around the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough over in the bowl so it is covered with the oil. (This helps prevent the dough from drying out.) Cover with plastic and allow to rise in a warm place until double in size.

Sprinkle a cutting board or counter with flour and put the dough on the flour. You want to put enough flour on the dough so that it is workable and not sticky.

You can roll these into crescent rolls or do it the traditional Lion House way. Here is a video showing how to roll them the Lion House way. Roll into a rectangle about 1/4 inch thick and brush with melted butter. You want to cut the rectangle into smaller rectangles that are 2"X4" (a little smaller than a dollar bill).  If you make and "L" with your thumb and pointer finger that will show you how wide and tall to cut your rectangles.

Then you roll them (or flip them like in the video) and place them on a greased (or parchment lined) baking pans with the end of the roll resting on the pan. Clear as mud?

Let rise in a warm place until the rolls are double in size (approx. 1-1 1/2 hours). Bake in a 375-degree oven for 15-20 minutes or until they are browned to your satisfaction. Brush with melted butter while hot. Yields 2 to 2 1/2 dozen rolls.

Green Beans with Bacon and Almonds and a Spotlight

Deborah at Taste and Tell, is spotlighting me over at her blog. If you want to read more than you ever wanted to know about me...check it out.

Taste and Tell is one of the first blogs I ever started following. Her recipes are easy and quick which is exactly what I love.

I left her a comment a while back that said, "I think we could be friends. I mean that in a very non-stalkerish kind of way."

People either love or hate the classic green bean casserole for Thanksgiving. I actually like it but this is a different alternative for the big meal and it won't hog your oven time. Green beans, bacon, almonds, butter...what's not to love. I posted the recipe over at Tablespoon, so go check it out.

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

Diet Dr. Pepper and Butter. 

That's what my grocery list said.

Although together they are an oxymoron, separately they are as powerful as they come.

It was an emergency run to the store. I was down to one Diet Dr. Pepper and one stick of butter. If that's not an emergency, I don't know what is. If I don't have a list when I go to the grocery store I'm absolutely lost even if I only need a couple of things.

I've decided I need to keep a paper and pencil by my bed. It's always right before I lay my head on my pillow my mind races about everything that I lacked to do that day and or need to do tomorrow. But by the time the morning rays peek through the window the mental list is gone and I find myself roaming around the house aimlessly. Is anyone else like this or am I completely losing my mind?

My mother always wrote down a list of things to get done for the day. I always thought it was a little weird that she had "SHOWER" on the top of the list. But now that I'm a mom I get it.

 

I'm still thinking about the Buffalo Macaroni and Cheese I made just a little while ago, but this one was calling my name too. My dad is coming to visit soon and he loves a good, traditional mac n' cheese and I was on the search for one. Make sure to read the recipe notes about this recipe.

 

Baked Macaroni and Cheese

adapted from Alton Brown

1/2 pound elbow macaroni (about 2 cups)
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 tablespoon powdered mustard
3 cups milk
1/3 cup yellow onion, finely diced
1 bay leaf
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1 large egg
12 ounces (about 3 cups) sharp cheddar, shredded
1 teaspoon kosher salt
Fresh black pepper

Topping:
3 tablespoons butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs

Recipe Notes:
1) When making dishes like this it's better if you shred your own cheese. The pre-shredded cheeses have added ingredients to make the cheese not clump together and makes them not melt as well. I actually used pre-shredded cheese here and it was fine but if you want it extra creamy shred your own.
2) People that did not have success with this recipe did not salt their pasta water correctly. You want to salt it so much that if you tasted the water it would taste like the ocean.
3) You need SHARP cheddar cheese. That's what gives it flavor. Don't use mild.

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

In a large pot of boiling, extremely salted water cook the pasta to al dente. Do not overcook it!

While the pasta is cooking, in a separate pot, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and mustard and keep it moving for about five minutes. Make sure it's free of lumps. Stir in the milk, onion, bay leaf, and paprika. Simmer for ten minutes and remove the bay leaf. It will thicken, trust me.

Temper in the egg which means to just bring the temperature of the egg up a little so that when you add it to the cheese sauce it doesn't scramble. Just throw a couple of Tablespoons of the warm cheese mixture into a small bowl with the egg and mix. Then throw the egg mixture into the cheese mixture.

Stir in 3/4 of the cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Fold the macaroni into the mix and pour into a 2-quart casserole dish. Top with remaining cheese.

Melt the butter in the microwave in a small bowl and toss the bread crumbs to coat. Top the macaroni with the bread crumbs. Bake for 30 minutes. Remove from oven and rest for five to ten minutes before serving.

Cranberry, Orange, and Pecan Roll-ups

Sometimes my husband comes home from Costco with enough Listerine to give us fresh breath until 2013 and sometimes he comes home with a blender that can chop up a golf ball. He might have to hide the blender when golf season comes around...

You never know what he's going to come with. The other day he came home with a huge bag of dried cranberries. Go check these Cranberry, Orange, and Pecan Rollups that I posted over at Tablespoon today.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

I don't know what it is about eating Halloween candy that makes me crave Mexican food but it does. Something about the sweet and salty combination. My self control with the Halloween candy around here has actually been pretty good until the last couple of days. The leftover candy is sitting by our front door so every time I go to preschool, get the mail, or get something out of my car I grab one or two pieces.

Austin was a Star Wars Jedi for Halloween. Every time he scored some chocolate while trick or treating he would run over to me and say. "MOM, I GOT YOU SOME MORE CHOCOLATE!"

Sigh, I've trained him well. Proud mama right here.

I'm starting to wonder if he is my child though. He doesn't like chocolate or candy. Sure he'll eat it every once in a while but he will have it on his dresser for months without touching it. If he didn't have John's apple bottomed booty and the same dimple in his chin as I do, I would have to get a DNA test.

This casserole is quick and has a ton of flavor especially for how easy it is. It's a great weeknight meal that can be made ahead of time. I thought it might be too spicy for the kids but the sour cream balances it all out and they loved it.

Chicken and Black Bean Enchilada Casserole

Source: adapted from Sister's Cafe; recipe from Allrecipes

2 cups diced or shredded chicken breast meat (or for extra lazy days use a rotisserie chicken)

½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon ground coriander
½ teaspoon garlic powder
2 Tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
1 (15 oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 (4.5 oz) can diced green chili peppers, drained
1 (10 oz) can red enchilada sauce
8 (6 inch) corn tortillas
2 cups shredded Mexican blend cheese
1 (8 oz) container sour cream

Preheat the oven to 375°. Heat a large skillet over medium heat, and spray with vegetable cooking spray. Sauté chicken with cumin and coriander until chicken is cooked through. Transfer to a medium bowl. Stir in the cilantro, black beans, and green chili peppers.

Spread half of the enchilada sauce over the bottom of an 11x7 inch baking dish that has been sprayed with cooking spray. Place 4 tortillas over the sauce, overlapping if necessary. Spoon half of the chicken mixture over the tortillas, and sprinkle with half of the cheese and half of the sour cream.

Spoon the remaining enchilada sauce over the cheese, and make another layer of tortillas. Layer the remaining chicken mixture over the tortillas.

Cover dish with a lid or aluminum foil. Bake for 30 minutes in the preheated oven.

Remove the cover, and sprinkle the remaining cheese over the top and dot with sour cream. Continue cooking, uncovered, for an additional 5 to 10 minutes, or until cheese melts.

Let stand 10 minutes before serving.

A Giveaway and a visit...

This giveaway is now closed. The winner chosen by www.random.org is

#124  Em "To think I live so close to the Big G and never knew that existed!"

I have just spent the last two days at the General Mills headquarters in the Betty Crocker kitchens and met the fun team at Tablespoon. Pinch me please. I learned so much and didn't feel a hunger pain the whole time I was there. I ate SO much good food!

Since I've been having so much fun, I thought you should have some fun too.

Just leave a comment to enter a giveaway for $75 to the CSN stores. I could sure use a drop leaf table in my kitchen, or kitchen gadgets...they have everything you could ever want!


Don't forget to enter before midnight tomorrow, November 3rd, EST.

Can I just live in the Betty Crocker's test kitchens please? What a dream job, seriously. Your supposed to just taste the food on taste panel and I ate everything on my plate. Oops.



Pilsbury Doughboy!                                  Hoo-hoo!

  

Taking a Betty picture on the Betty Crocker wall...

 

If only I had this many props for my photos...