Monday, June 22, 2009

Chocolate Covered Popcorn

My kids and I usually break out the popcorn for movie nights. Holding true with our tradition, we decided to make some popcorn before our movie on Saturday night. Because it was rather late, we decided on microwave popcorn instead of popping our own.

For an extra sweet treat, we decided to make a quick version of chocolate covered popcorn. You have a choice when you make this... to either use plain popcorn or butter flavored popcorn. The latter happens to be my favorite.


If you've never tried chocolate covered popcorn, you don't know what you're missing!

This version is quick and easy....

Pop 1 bag of butter flavored popcorn.

Spread the popcorn out on a baking sheet.

Melt 2-3 squares of almond bark the microwave.

Using a fork, drizzle the chocolate all over the popcorn.

Either leave the tray on the table for the chocolate to air dry or pop the tray into the freezer for 2 minutes. (Of course, we did the latter! We didn't want to wait.)

You can make this ahead of time and store it in plastic Ziploc bags.

It's great for gift-giving, too!


MMM!! Delicious!

Thursday, June 18, 2009

Thrifty Thursdays - Thrifty Finds

I love, love, love to shop at thrift stores and yard sales! I have found some really good things during the last two weeks.

Since this is Thrify Thursdays the cooking edition, I'll only talk about my kitchen finds.

At GoodWill, I found a spice rack:


I've been searching for glass containers for my array of different spices and herbs that are taking up cupboard space. This set is brand new with plastic shaker tops and screw on lids. They are just waiting for me to find the perfect little labels for them. ;) $2.99 for the this set.

Last weekend, I found this wok at a yard sale.


It was pretty dusty from sitting in the lady's basement but other than that in excellent condition. It was never used. She even kept the booklets that came with it. There's lots of recipes included in the booklets. Yay! For $1.00, I couldn't pass it up!

Has anyone else had luck at thrift stores or yard sales? I'd love to hear what you've found.

I'm still searching for a set of ramekins. I know that there's a set of 4 or more out there somewhere for a really good (aka cheap) price. I know that someone like me has them sitting on a shelf collecting dust and that one day they are going to set them out for me to find. I know this because I did just that... I bought 8 new ramekins from an Oneida outlet store in NY years ago. I never used them so I gave them to GoodWill....and now I'm kicking myself for it. Yes, I could go buy a new set of 4 for $10. or more but what fun would that be?!?

Are you searching for something like this?


See what others are talking about on

Thrifty Thursdays - Egglicious!


Two weeks ago I was thrilled to find that large eggs at Aldi's were on sale for 79 cents a dozen! This is a great thrifty find for me!


Since I've been cooking and baking more from scratch, I go through a lot of eggs. I bought 4 dozen that day but I now I wish that I'd bought twice that many.

Did you know that raw eggs that are stored continuously in the refrigerator will last 4-5 weeks beyond the expiration date on the carton?

Are you storing your eggs the right way? Eggs should be stored in the carton on a middle or lower shelf inside the refrigerator - not in the door.

Beyond using the eggs in recipes, here are a few of our favorites ways to prepare eggs:

Hard Boiled Eggs
(Pictured above)

With lots of practice, I've finally found a way to cook beautiful hard boiled eggs.

Add one layer of raw eggs to the bottom of a pot. Do not overcrowd the eggs. Cover with cold water. Over high heat, bring water to a rolling boil. Cook for eggs for 7 minutes.

Remove pot from burner and cover tightly with a lid, leaving the eggs and water in the pot to sit for another 7-10 minutes.

Rinse eggs in very cold water. The shells should come off very easily. Enjoy!

Refrigerate any leftovers for up to one week.


Poached Eggs on Toast

An easy way to poach eggs without an egg poacher is to make them in a big frying pan. Add 6 inches of water to the pan, along with a splash of white vinegar. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce heat to medium-low. If you are cooking several eggs, you will probably need to add more water to the pan in order to maintain enough water to poach the eggs.

Break the eggs, one at a time, into a small dish to make sure they are ok. Gently drop each egg into the water.

Cook for 3-4 minutes until the whites of the eggs are solid and not slimy, but the yolks are still soft.

Using a slotted spoon, gently scoop up an egg and place on top of a piece of warm (buttered if you prefer) toast.


Deviled Eggs

6 eggs sliced in half. Remove yellows and place in a small bowl. Stir in 1-2 TBSP of mayo and 1-2 TBSP spicy brown mustard. Stir until the mixture is really creamy.

Add mixture to a small plastic baggie. Snip of one corner of the baggie and pipe the egg filling into the egg white cups.

Sprinkle with spicy creole seasoning (optional).


**tip** An easy way to pack deviled eggs for a picnic is to add the yellows, mayo and mustard directly into a Ziploc baggie. Mix all of the ingredients together right in the bag. Store in a cooler along with the egg white cups. When its time to eat, simply snip an end off one side of the baggie and pipe the filling into the eggs. Throw the baggie away when you are finished. Minimal cleanup!

and last but not least...

Egg Salad

My recipe for egg salad is very simple and basically the same as a recipe posted at Annie's Recipes with a couple of exceptions highlighted below:

6 hard boiled eggs, grated fine - I rough chop mine with a knife
2 tablespoons minced parsley - I didn't have it so I left it out
1/3 cup minced pimiento-stuffed olives - left it out
1 tablespoons prepared Dijon mustard
1/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon mayonnaise
Salt and freshly-ground black pepper
2 tablespoons minced scallions
Lettuce leaves- I used bread

Instructions

Combine all ingredients in a medium bowl, and mix thoroughly.

Refrigerate, covered, at least 30 minutes.

Serve atop lettuce leaves or spread it in a sandwich.

Leftovers can be kept a couple of days.

Makes about 2 cups.


**notes** We happen to like the extra zing that mustard gives to egg salad. If you don't like it, just leave it out of the recipe and replace it with mayo.

I don't usually add onion to my egg salad but this time I decided to give it a try. It was a nice change - even though you can barely see it because I had to chop it up so that my kids didn't notice it!

I am submitting this egg salad recipe to the Cooking with Alicia & Annie Blog Event going on this month.

This month's prize is really cool! Stop by and check it out.


I hope that you've found a thrifty way to celebrate Thursdays. Click here to see what others have come up with.

Monday, June 15, 2009

Dad's Chocolate Cupcakes with Peanut Butter Frosting

What could be more perfect than pairing chocolate and peanut butter? These delicious cupcakes bring both flavors together in one big bite. Personalize them for your Dad for Father's Day.

This frosting is so good and pairs perfectly with the cupcakes -- but it's just as good licking it off of a spoon. heehee!



Cupcakes:
1-boxed Devils Food Cake Mix, prepared for cupcakes
peanut butter frosting*
chocolate almond bark for melting
wax paper

Prepare cake mix for cupcakes as directed on box. Cool completely before frosting.


Peanut Butter Frosting

1/3 C. butter, softened
1 C. creamy peanut butter
3 TBSP milk
2-2 1/2 C. powdered sugar

Using an electric mixer beat all ingredients until thick and creamy. Chill frosting until ready to use. Bring to room temperature to use. Using an icing bag with a long pointed tip, stick the tip into the cupcake to fill it with frosting - be careful to not go through the bottom of the cupcake with the tip. Frost the tops of the cupcakes.


DAD Signs

Melt 4 blocks of almond bark in a microwave safe bowl for 30-second intervals until chocolate is melted. Pour chocolate into an icing bag fitted with a writing tip or into a plastic baggie. Snip off the very tip of one end of baggie.

Lay a sheet of wax paper on a baking sheet or directly onto the table. Pipe the word DAD onto the wax paper using the chocolate. Make sure all of the letters are connected so that it will harden as one piece of chocolate. Allow chocolate to dry and harden. Place a chocolate DAD on top of each cupcake.

Chinese 5-Spice Peanut Brittle

You’ll wake up your taste buds when you bite into our version of an old-fashioned favorite. In this recipe, peanut brittle meets tongue-tickling spices for a great new taste. It’s quick and easy to whip it since it all cooks in the microwave!


What You Need

½ C. light corn syrup
1 C. white sugar
1 C. dry roasted peanuts
¾ tsp. Chinese 5 spice powder
1 tsp. butter
1 tsp baking soda


What You Do

1. Make sure to measure all ingredients carefully.

2. Very light grease a baking sheet with cooking spray or oil and set aside. Do not be tempted to oil the pan with a heavy hand because that will result in oily brittle.

3. In a large glass bowl that will fit into the microwave, stir together the corn syrup, sugar, peanuts and 5 spice powder until thoroughly mixed together.

4. Microwave on high for 6 minutes.

5. Stir in the butter and microwave for an additional 30 seconds.

6. Remove from microwave and gently stir in baking soda until the mixture is light and foamy.

7. Using a rubber spatula that has been sprayed with cooking spray, scrape the mixture out onto the greased baking sheet. Smooth out to a thin layer and allow to cool for at least 1 hour.

8. Once cool, break the brittle into pieces and store in a well-sealed container.

** You can easily omit the spices from the recipe for a plain version of peanut brittle.
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