Christmas gifts

I've got some amazing parents this year that volunteer in my classroom. I wanted to put something together for them as a thank-you.. and I just happened to be making caramel corn for one of my book clubs:

after baking

I found these super cute gift bags at World Market (the best store ever.... tied with Target)... and put a tag on them that says, "Thank you for popping into PES so often!"

cinnamon sugar popcorn

I have become a wee bit obsessed with making popcorn. It's my new favorite snack.

I found a recipe the other day for cinnamon sugar popcorn and had to try it quickly! It did not go as well as planned.

The recipe went well... for a while.

You start off by melting some butter and then stir the sugar in (I also added a tiny bit of vanilla). After it's dissolved, you put the corn kernels in and wait for them to pop.

At this point in the recipe, my kitchen smelled amazing. The sugar and the butter mixed with a teeny bit of vanilla... YUMMMM.

Here's the problem: I think I had the stove temperature too low as the popcorn didn't start popping for a good 10 minutes. That results in: burned sugar.

The non-burned pieces were pretty stinkin' good, though!

 I'll try again shortly and let you know how it goes :)

sentimental

One Christmas party in elementary school, my mama was a hero. She had made homemade popcorn balls for my whole class. I was so proud of her. They were DELICIOUS and everyone wanted the extras.

I've never attempted popcorn balls... and I don't remember her ever doing it again either... but this comes close: caramel corn! YUM. I followed this recipe after finding it on the 'Best Desserts' list... and it did not disappoint. I did cut it in half though because we do not need to feed 20 people ;) But I'm pretty sure I could eat the 10-person serving! 

You start by melting a stick of butter. Yes, a stick. Imagine you're Paula Deen if it helps...

While I did that, I also popped some popcorn. Some of the reviews said to NOT use microwave popcorn and make your own... I trust those allrecipes.com people, so I did that. I have fond memories of my mom making popcorn on the stovetop as well... She's awesome!

Start with that... end with this...

And... then you add corn syrup, brown sugar, and salt to the butter and stir until boiling... and then it has to boil for FOUR minutes. EXACTLY :) Or so they say.

While you are being patient and waiting your four minutes, pour the popcorn into a greased, large baking pan (I used two Pyrex containers, one 9x13 and one a little smaller).  

When the caramel has boiled, mix in some vanilla and baking soda. Mix it and then start pouring over the popcorn! Try and mix it up with the popcorn. I then added some peanuts because I love caramel corn and peanuts together. 

You have to bake it for an hour and stir every 15 minutes. That was a little annoying if we're going to be honest.

But it is SO worth it. Delicious. AJ and I are trying not to eat it all while waiting for guests to arrive :)

priorities... and all things Nutella.

Teaching requires a lot of mental energy... and a lot of time, in my little experience. I am working on budgeting my time and forming priorities. My job is a job... and I love it but it is not my first priority.

This weekend, I was forced to focus on other things. We had a Date Night for our young married group at church last night, so we were at church from 12:30-9:30 PM getting ready for that. It was so worth it, because it was amazing. So proud of my hubs for planning it all.

After Date Night, we went to some friends and played a board game called Quelf, which was hilarious to say the least. We are definitely going to buy it. The bad thing was: the game lasted two hours and we walked out the door of their house after midnight. Worth it? Yes.

Needless to say: we didn't get that much sleep last night, which translates to me being a space cadet all day. We brought some snacks to church today for our ABF... I pulled those pumpkin muffins out of the freezer, made a quick Nutella glaze, dipped them in, and went out the door. So easy... and they were yummy!

I have these cute little dragees to put on the top:

Very cute.

This evening, after a birthday party with friends and the required Sunday afternoon nap, I sat down to get my schoolwork done. In the past three days, I've re-read From the Mixed-up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, and read Dollhouse Murders for the first time. So excited to have fifth grade 'Book Clubs'. So I finished getting that stuff together and began planning our week.

And then, in a fit of procrastination, I found this delectable creation. Obviously, I had to make it. Two ingredients, people. Two ingredients:

Put two tablespoons of nutella in a sauce pan, add a cup of milk, and whisk until frothy. Delish. And obviously, I had to use my milk frother to top it off:

After I had my hot chocolate and had planned most of the week, I had a craving for Nacho Popcorn. I started making Nacho Popcorn in high school with my darling sister and little brother... we would mix the taco seasoning with butter and then pour it on. And then top it with cheese. Not very healthy... at all. And, the popcorn (as delish as it was) would get soggy quickly. So... I figured out a new way to make it that is much better:

Cook the popcorn in the microwave normally and then sprinkle about a teaspoon or two of taco seasoning on top. Mix it up and it's good to go. So easy... and oh so yummy. The best part is: it saves really well so I'm going to take the rest to work tomorrow for snack ;)

Also, I would just like to say again that my husband is amazing... I am so blessed. Today, he took me to Starbucks after church because I was so tired and we used a gift card to get a cup of coffee. I spilled some on my shoe when I tried to sip it and realized it was hot. DUH. (Impatience.) Without any hesitation, he grabbed some napkins, got on his knees, and started to clean my shoe. So sweet.

Love you, AJ.