Vanilla Popcorn

*This is super easy, fast (only about 10 minutes). A great after school snack.
3 quarts of popped popcorn
1 c. sugar
1/2 c. butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup (I used Karo syrup)
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

Directions:
Place popped popcorn in a large bowl; set aside. In a saucepan, combine the sugar, butter and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir until mixture is golden. about 2 minutes.
Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat. Cool slightly; break apart while warm. Store in an airtight container (it never lasts that long to do).
*This recipe is from Taste of Home; great American cookout edition.

Berry Banana Smoothies

1 1/2 c. vanilla or plain yogurt
2/3 c. orange juice
2 medium, ripe bananas, cut into chunks.
1 c. halved fresh strawberries
2 tsp. honey

Combine ingredients into blender. Cover and process until smooth. Pour into chilled glasses.
*Yields 2 servings.

Creamy Cantaloupe Pops (or pick your own fruit pop)

Banana was a favorite.

We tried pineapple, Only Cooper and I liked it. We used fresh pineapple. Canned can be too sour.

These were cantaloupe creamy pops.

*We want to try more fruit flavors, so we'll post them when we do.

1-1/2 c. cubed cantaloupe
1 c. heavy whipping cream
1/2 c. sugar
8 popsicle molds or plastic cups (3 oz.)
8 popsicle sticks

Blend cantaloupe until smooth; set aside. Combine the cream and sugar. cook and stir over low heat until sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat. Stir in cantaloupe. Pour 1/4 c. into each mold; insert popcicle sticks. Freeze until firm. This recipe is from Taste of Home magazine.
*Yields 8 servings, you can substitute strawberries or bananas.

Boo Cups

3 1/4 cup cold water
2 packages (3.9 oz.) of instant Jell-o chocolate pudding
1 (8 oz.) tub of cool whip
20 Oreo cookies, crushed and divided
30 mini-sweet chocolate chips
15 (6 oz.) clear plastic cups

Whisk cold water with jell-o. Fold in 1/2 tub whip cream and 1/2 crushed Oreo's. Fill all 15 cups evenly with chocolate mixture top each with remaining crushed Oreo's. Spoon on Whip cream so that it has a peak at the top and place 2 mini-chocolate chips on for the eyes and serve. I got this off of another fun blog.

Dino Dig Cupcakes.

1 large metal muffin tin (not regular size)
Popsicle sticks or tongue depressors (2 for each child)
1 package of small plastic dinosaurs

1 Chocolate cake mix (cook according to directions)
eggs
oil

Mix cake mix according to directions. Grease muffin tins and fill 1/3 the way full. Add dinosaurs, then top with remaining cake mix until 3/4 the way full. Bake according to cake instructions. Let cool, serve one to each child and let them "dig" for dinosaurs.
I can't wait to do this with our kids some time. The idea is from http://partiesandholidays.blogspot.com/ under the category of story time.

Carmel Prezels

1 cup sugar
1/4 cup white karo syrup
1/8 or 1/4 cube butter?
1 cup cream (whipping cream)

About 20 log prezels (the long thick rods)

White chocolate discs (melted)

Mix all into a 3 quart kettle and bring to a boil. Boil slowly stirring very often (it should take about 15 minutes on medium to medium high heat). Test in a cup of cold water by dropping a little bit of Carmel into a cup of water. You want the Carmel to be medium soft (it should be firm when you roll it between your finger's in the cold). Pour onto a greased cookie sheet, and use a pizza cutter to cut long strips. Wrap one strip around one logs and work the Carmel so it covers the majority of the log. Once you have wrapped all the logs in Carmel, dip them in (your choice of) chocolate. and top with what ever topping you prefer...crushed candy bar, crasins, peppermint, crushed Oreo's, mini-m&m's etc...
From Brooke's side of the family and Daisy.

Fruit Crisp

2 cans of peaches
2 Tbsp. raisins
3/4 tsp. ground cinnamon (divided)

1/2 cup teddy grahams (32)
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
2 tsp. butter

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Toss first 3 ingredients and bake for 15 minutes. Then add last 3 ingredients and bake for an additional 10 minutes. I think this is either a Taste of Homes recipe or it's off the internet some where.

Snowman Surprise

1 (10 1/2 oz.) bag small marshmallows
2 cups mini chocolate chips
3 cups cinnamon toast crunch
2 cups shoestring licorice (cut up)

Mix well and enjoy!
This is from Mrs. Young (the twins first grade teacher)

Roasted Pumkin seeds

1 1/2 cups seeds
2 tsp. melted butter
1 pinch of salt

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Toss seeds in a bowl with melted butter and salt. Spread seeds on pan and bake for 15 minutes.
From my sister Daisy. We used to make this growing up after carving our our pumpkins for Holloween.

Spud Nuts

4 cups luke warm water
1 cup sugar
1 cup melted shortning (crisco)
2 tsp salt
2 cups warm mashed patatoes (potatoes flakes work just fine)
2 Fleishman's yeist cakes (I think that's just 2 Tbsp of yeast or 2 little packets)
4 beaten eggs
about 14 cups flour or a little more

Glaze:
6 cups of powdered sugar
1 cup hot tap water
1 tsp. vanilla

Combine yeast and water. Then add the rest of ingredients and flour (flour a little at a time) and mix well. Use enough flour until the dough is not sticky, but not too stiff. Knead well. Let rise until double or a little more. Mix down well, divide dough into 4 parts and roll out each part about 1/3 to 1/2 inch thick on a floured surface. Cut with doughnut cutter and place each doughnut on a floured cloth on the table and stretch so the hole won't close up when raising. Don't place them too close together so they won't stick to each other when they raise. Let raise about 1/2 hour. Put hole and all of the scraps together and mix well again roll and cut.

Fry in deep, hot lard until lightly browned, turning. It's a good idea to put the doughnuts on some absorbant paper (we have used brown paper sacks from the food store or brown paper lunch bags) to drain and cool a few minutes before we glazed them.

Mix powdered sugar and hot water. Stir, adding a little water at a time to make a thin glaze but not too thin. Mix in a large bowl. Add about 1 tsp. vanilla. Put doughnuts one at a time in glaze and place on a wooden spoon handle or something similar. After you get about 6 on the handle let drain. Stack partially dried doughnuts on absorbant paper about 4 or 5 high and let dry 1 to 2 hours.

Storage:

Place 12 in a brown paper bag, seel the bag. You can heat them up in the microwave for later or freeze them in the brown paper bag and eat later. Do not store in a plastic bag (they will go soggy).

Of course, you can do whatever glaze or topping you prefer, this was just the recipe I was given. This recipe makes approximately 10 dozen. The recipe comes from Brooke's Mom's side of the family and used to be a general conference tradition. They would make doughnuts while the guys went to the priesthood session. They really are good. I did change some of the wording to make it a little more easy to follow.

Cinnamon Popcorn

2 Tbsp olive oil
1/4 cup popping corn
1/2 stick of butter
1 tsp. cinnamon
Sugar to taste

Pop your popcorn in olive oil with a popcorn popper. Melt butter and add the cinnamon and sugar to taste. Coat popcorn with butter mix, cover and shake.
I got this recipe of an Oprah show, it's light and yummy.

Cinnamon-Roasted Almonds

1 egg white
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups whole almonds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 tsp salt
2 tsp ground cinnamon

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Line a Cookie sheet with parchment paper (if you spray the pan first with pam, the parchment will stick better). Lightly beat the egg white. Add the vanilla and beat until frothy, but not stiff. Add the nuts and stir until well coated. Mix the sugars, salt, and cinnemon. Add to nuts and toss to coat. Spread evenly on a prepared pan. Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven stirring occasionally until golden. Allow to cool. Store in airtight containers.
This recipe is from my friend Chandi's So We Think We Can Cook blogsite.

Carmel popcorn.

1/2 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup karo syrup
1/2 tsp salt

Microwave all the above for 1 min and 30 seconds, stir. Then add:

1/2 baking soda
1/2 tsp vanilla
3/4 cup popcorn (already popped)

Mix all of that together and bake at 300 degrees for 20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes. My friend Monica gave me this recipe.