Caramel Corn

{Babble}

This has been on my "to try" list for a few weeks. We decided to whip up a batch for a train ride that was coming up. We had to postpone the train ride by a week & thanks to that and some hungry houseguests - we are all out and will have to make another batch!

A few tips:
We used organic microwave popcorn & I suggest using an unbuttered variety.

Coat your measuring cups & spoons in nonstick cooking spray.

Clean up is a breeze! ( I was surprised!) Super hot water loosened everything in a jiffy.

You'll probably use about 3 bags of the popped popcorn.

Have enough ingredients on hand because you will be making this again & again.

If you see a lot of unpopped popcorn, it's worth fishing out the kernels.

I was worried about how long it would stay fresh for... stored in an airtight container, it stayed fresh for 6 days before it was all gone! :)

You are welcome! (Because I know you will be thanking me!)

Heard from Busy Bee: "Yummmmmmmmmm this is sooooo good. I can't stop eating it, it's so good! Yummmmm!" {Insert happy noises} I think that you will agree!

Ingredients

1 cup butter

2 cups brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

5 quarts popped popcorn


Directions

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popped popcorn in a very large bowl.

In a 2 quart casserole dish, or other heat-proof glass dish, combine the brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt and vanilla. Heat for 3 minutes in the microwave, then take out and stir until well blended. Return to the microwave, and cook for 1 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave, and stir in the baking soda.

Drizzle over popcorn & mix well.

Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
 
 Bee Happy,

Flaky Owls

This treat was so fun to make with Busy Bee & was the perfect way to get us in the Halloween spirit! We used Nutella for the eyes & candy corn for the beak, but you could get creative and use lots of things. The best part of this recipe is that you probably have everything that you need in your pantry!

One quick tip: we froze our crescent rolls for about 10 minutes beforehand & I think that it helped with cutting them.

These reminded me of elephant ear pastries & got lots of Mmmmmms from our lucky friends & family who got to try them.

INGREDIENTS

1 can (8 oz) refrigerated crescent rolls

8 candy corn candies

1tablespoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted

16 chocolate kisses or M&Ms for the eyes

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 375°F. Remove dough from can; do not unroll. With serrated knife, cut roll into 16 slices.

For each owl, use 2 dough slices. Unroll a 2-inch strip from each. Place slices on ungreased cookie sheet with sides touching and 2-inch strips at top center. For owl’s horns, fold strips in half and bend toward outer edges; pinch strips at fold, forming points. For owl’s beak, press 1 fish-shaped cracker, tail end pointing toward top of head, into bottom center of dough. Repeat with remaining dough slices and crackers to make 8 owls, placing owls 2 inches apart on cookie sheet.

In small bowl, mix sugar and cinnamon. Brush owls with melted butter; sprinkle with sugar mixture.

Bake about 10 to 12 minutes or until light golden brown. Immediately press 2 chocolates on each owl for eyes. Carefully move to cooling rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes, before serving.

Happy Fourth

Busy Bee loved asking if folks wanted 'stars' or 'stripes' when serving up this pie!
It was so simple and easy - and a BIG hit!

Bee Happy,

Chicken Pot Pie

I love Chicken Pot Pie and it's been unseasonably cool for us this week...so I think that I'll be making a comfort food favorite!  I use a similar recipe to this. I always use mini cookie cutters to vent the pie and Busy Bee loves to eat the cute shapes first. I find the cutest little cookie cutters in the crafts store near the modeling clay!

Bee Happy,

Cucumber Lemonade

I'm surprised that I'm sharing this recipe because a few years ago - this was my signature drink. :) The cucumbers add just a hint of flavor and cut the sourness in the perfect way. Pour yourself a tall, cool glass and stay a while!

Below is the homemade recipe that I follow, but you can always use storebought lemonade (Simply Lemonade is my favorite!) I promise not to tell!

Ingredients
3/4 cup sugar
1 cup water (for the simple syrup)
1 cup lemon juice
3 to 4 cups cold water (to dilute)

Method

1 Make simple syrup by heating the sugar and water in a small saucepan until the sugar is dissolved completely.

2 While the sugar is dissolving, use a juicer to extract the juice from 4 to 6 lemons, enough for one cup of juice.

3 Add the juice and the sugar water to a pitcher. Add 3 to 4 cups of cold water, more or less to the desired strength.

Slice a frozen cucumber into lemonade! Enjoy! This amount Serves 6-8.

One of the first items that I bought for my kitchen starting out was a Williams Sonoma Juicer. I always heated my lemons for a few seconds and rolled them back and forth on the counter to extract the most lemon juice from them!

{Photo: Williams Sonoma}

Bee Happy,

Chicken Pecan Quiche

{Photo : Kashi}

This is one of my favorites! I'll be enjoying some leftover today from Mother's Day brunch! We sometimes omit the pecans & it's just as yummy!

Click here for the printable recipe

Pastry:

1 c. flour
4 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
3/4 c. pecans, chopped
1/2 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. paprika
1/3 c. vegetable oil

Combine the flour, cheese, pecans, salt and paprika in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the oil. Reserve 1/4 of the mixture. Press the remaining mixture over the bottom and side of a 9” quiche pan, preferably with a removable bottom. Prick with a fork. Bake @ 350 degrees for 10 minutes. Let stand until cool.

Quiche:
3 eggs, beaten
1/2 c. chicken broth
1 c. sour cream
1/4 c. mayonnaise
2 c. cooked chicken, chopped
1/2 c. cheddar cheese, shredded
1/4 c. onion, minced
1/4 tsp. dried dill weed (optional)
3 drops hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/4 c. pecan halves (or one half for each serving)

Combine the eggs, chicken broth, sour cream and mayonnaise in a bowl; mix well. Stir in the chicken, cheese and onion; add optional dill weed and hot pepper sauce, if you want. Spoon into the baked crust; sprinkle with the reserved flour mixture and arrange pecan halves on top. Bake @ 350 degrees for 45 minutes or until set.

Bee Happy,

Swedish Pancakes

{Photo : Taste Of Home}

I tried my hand at making a family favorite this weekend! They were a delicious change and so yummy with blueberries on top. They must have passed the Busy Bees Household test because I got a "Thumbs Up!" & a "Put these in the rotation!"

2 eggs

1/2 t. salt

1 T. sugar
1/3 c. sifted flour
1/2 c. milk
1 t melted shortening
(batter will be thin)

butter for frying
berries for topping (optional)
Beat the eggs and add the milk and flour gradually along with the sugar and salt. Heat a small frying pan over medium heat and brush with butter. Pour 1/4 cup batter into center of skillet. Lift and tilt pan to evenly coat bottom. Cook until top appears dry; turn and cook 15-20 seconds longer. Repeat with remaining batter, adding butter to skillet as needed.

Enjoy!

Click here to print this recipe! They are sized as a 3 x 5 to fit perfectly in your recipe box.

Bee Happy,

More Rainbow Fun

We finshed off St. Patrick's Day fun with more rainbow activities. First up, we planned a rainbow dinner and made sure to include something for every color. We even had rainbow striped plates!

Next we created rainbow bracelets with colored fruit cereal and string licorice so our creations were totally edible! We took some time to discuss favorite colors and patterns.

We read this book and then took a look at some of Van Gogh's masterpieces and the use of color.

Last but certainly not least was what Busy Bee had been looking forward to and planning for months! We had billed it as a boring plain old vanilla cake with vanilla frosting. If you've been around the blogging block before you know what's coming. If you are offended by technicolored food - click away and come back tomorrow. :)

Here is the finished cake- please keep in mind that I iced it in a matter of 5 minutes while trying to occupy Baby Bee with silly faces and in between having playdates with Busy Bee's neighborhood friends.

If you decide to tackle this cake here are two tips:

use Wilton gel food coloring and be sure to get the ones with "no taste" and

use disposable cake pans (you can use them afterward for crafting purposes)!

We had a few of Busy Bee's friends over for the big cake reveal and I have to say that it did earn me a few points in the "Cool Mom" department.

I'm off to go feed Busy Bee nothing but organic food for the next few weeks to counteract this colorful concoction! :)

Bee Happy,

Chocolate Chip Banana Bread

The other day Busy Bee and I made some yummy chocolate chip banana bread! It was so good that we wanted to share the recipe with you!

To create the cute heart shaped pat of butter, we simply softened some butter in the microwave and used a knife to press it into a candy mold. We popped the mold in the freezer until the butter was solid. Simple & sweet!

Recipe

2 cups all-purpose flour

3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup mashed ripe banana(2 to 3 medium)
1/2 cup butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease bottom only of 9x5-inch loaf pan.

2. Combine all ingredients except chocolate chips in large bowl; blend well on medium speed of mixer. Stir in chocolate chips. Pour batter into prepared pan.

3. Bake 60 to 65 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 minutes; remove from pan. Cool completely on wire rack. Makes one loaf.

Bee Happy,

Moose Juice

Busy Bee headed to Grammy's to play

and to celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.

They put their heads together
and started to think...
not of a treat that you eat...
but of one that you drink.

The ingredients they gathered
and blended and poured.
Tasting the silly concoction,
they were floored!
It was orangy and frothy
and oh so yummy...
and just hit the spot
in their rumbly tummy!

They toasted to Dr. Seuss
the 'Rhymer Extraordinaire',
with a cup full of Moose Juice...
here's the recipe to share!

Ingredients:

3/4 cup orange juice
1/2 cup orange sherbert
1/2 banana, sliced
1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 tablespoon whipped cream

Directions

1. Combine the juice, sherbert, banana, and extract. Mix it in a blender until smooth.

2. Pour it in a glass and top with the whipped cream. Enjoy! A bendie or silly straw is a must!

Recipe from:

Green Eggs and Ham Cookbook by Georgeanne Brennan

Bee Happy,

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

Today Busy Bee and I whipped up a quick last minute gift for hubby - some homemade chocolate covered pretzels! We had all of the ingredients on hand and had them made in a matter of ten minutes!

Our secret ingredient was pink icing that we melted in the microwave for 20 seconds and then drizzled on top of the oh-so-sweet treats! Hubby raved about them and was nice enough to share!

Bee Happy,

'Homemade'Lollipops

Ok, so these sweet lollipops are only semihomemade - but they turned out adorable! You can have these made and cooled in minutes!

Materials
-Jolly Rancher Candies
-Parchment Paper
-Cookie Sheet
-Lollipop sticks

Preheat your oven to 275. Line up 3 candies in a row. You'll probably be able to fit about 8-9 on a sheet and you'll want to stagger them to allow for the stick.

Pop them in the oven for about 5 minutes. They will start to melt and pool. Remove from the oven and insert stick. That's it!! Enjoy!

Look how adorable they look on top of a pretty package!

Bee Happy,

Root Beer Floats

Hubby treated Busy Bee and me to root beer floats last night! This is an easy treat for Valentine's Day! We found the cute honeycomb straws at Target. So fun & yummy!

Make Your Own Gummi Candy

Ingredients
-2 boxes of flavored gelatin (we did Cherry for Valentine's Day)
-3 packets of unflavored gelatin (1/4 oz each)
-1/2 cup of water
-candy molds or silicone ice cube trays (we got ours at the $1 spot at Target for $2.50)

Pour 1/2 cup of water into a small saucepan. Add both the flavored & unflavored gelatin. Over medium heat, stir for about 5-7 minutes until you no longer hear the granules and it's become a soupy mixture. Pour into a pitcher, such as a pyrex. Pour into the candy molds. Refrigerate for 20 minutes. Pop them out of the trays!! You can stretch them to remove them and they will still keep their shape.

Enjoy!