pinterest projects

I did another Pinterest-inspired project this past weekend for my kiddos on Valentine's Day.

I found it on Caffeinated Conclusions, which is one of my favorite teaching blogs!

This is what she made:

And this is my version:

My kids loved it. I just mixed golden grahams, milk chocolate chips, and mini marshmallows. It's addictive ;)

the perfect snack.

In my head, going to Grandma's house means lots of good things: family, Dutch Blitz, bowling, being cozy, and lots of food. My grandma makes these pretzels for us when we go to her house, and my mom has started to make them... and now I've started to make them.

They are my favorite. Although, they're not the healthiest. I probably only have them two or three times a year... but I can definitely see it becoming more often. They are SO yummy... and SO simple.

Don't go all Paula Deen on me. I don't eat like this everyday. I wish I did... but I don't.

You just melt butter and stir in onion soup mix.

Mix the pretzels in!

Bake and done! :)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cups of butter (that's 2 1/2 sticks, people.)
• 1 envelope onion soup mix
• 16 ounces of chunky pretzels (I use sourdough pieces)

Instructions:

• In a big pot, melt the butter.
• Stir in the soup mix.
• When that's blended, I put 1/3 of the pretzels in at a time, stirring until they're coated, and then taking them out and putting them into a 13x9 Pyrex pan 
• If you have any butter mixture left, pour it over the pretzels
• Bake at 250 degrees for an hour and a half, stirring every 15 minutes. Eat a piece every time you 'stir' :)

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 :)