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Popcorn recipe? What’s your favorite?
Do you love popcorn? I do! Yesterday we talked about how much I love popcorn and how it really can be the perfect snack. We talked about how it is actually quite healthy and also quite cheap. Popcorn is fun to eat plain but it is also fun to make fancy and yummy popcorn. I love that there are so many things you can do with popcorn and how many ways you can make it different. I just love all kinds of popcorn and I have some really good popcorn recipes that I promised to share on the blog today.
When it comes to popcorn recipes, I don’t think you can have too many! I love trying new popcorn recipes and discovering new treats. Any time I have fancy or yummy popcorn while out, I try to think of how to find the recipe or create it myself at home. If you have a yummy popcorn recipe, please share it with us in the comments section below. We love to hear from all of our awesome readers.
Here are just a few of my favorite popcorn recipes:
Caramel Popcorn Recipe
Makes 5 quarts
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. Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
- 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.
Kettle Popcorn Recipe
Makes 10 cups
Ingredients:
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
Directions:
- Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in the sugar and popcorn.
- Cover, and shake the pot constantly to keep the sugar from burning.
- Once the popping has slowed to once every 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped.
- Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.
Kool-Aid Popcorn Recipe
Makes 6 quarts popcorn
Ingredients:
6 quarts popped popcorn
2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2/3 cup butter
2 (.13 ounce) envelopes unsweetened soft drink mix, any flavor (such as KOOL-AID)
1 teaspoon baking soda
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 225 degrees. Grease a large baking sheet. Place popped popcorn in a large bowl.
- Combine sugar, corn syrup, and butter in a saucepan; bring to a boil until sugar dissolves, about 3 minutes.
- Combine drink mix and baking soda in a large bowl; pour sugar mixture into drink mixture, stirring carefully. Sugar mixture will bubble. Pour mixture over popcorn; toss to evenly coat. Transfer coated popcorn to baking sheet.
- Bake in the preheated oven, stirring every 10 minutes, until coating has hardened, about 30 minutes. Cool and break popcorn into pieces.
Popcorn – Is it your favorite snack?
Everybody has something they love to do when they want to put their brain on pause and relax. Some people bike or hike, others read or sew. Relaxing activities are as different as the people doing them are different. What is my favorite relaxing activity? I love watching movies – both in the theater and at home. I’ll admit one of my favorite parts of watching movies is the popcorn. Having popcorn when you are watching a movie is an absolute must, there is no skipping the popcorn. My all-time favorite popcorn is what you get at the movie theater. Popcorn made at home is also super yummy! There is just so much about it to like!
One of the best things about popcorn is the fact that it is a super yummy snack that is actually good for you! You can’t say that about most of the other yummy snack foods out there. Check out these facts from the National Popcorn Board:
- Air-popped has only 31 calories per cup; oil-popped popcorn has only 55 calories per cup.
- When lightly buttered, it contains about 133 calories per cup.
- Popcorn is a whole grain, making it a good-for-you food.
- It provides energy-producing complex carbohydrates
- Popcorn contains fiber, providing roughage the body needs in the daily diet.
- It is naturally low in fat and calories.
- Popcorn has no artificial additives or preservatives, and is sugar-free.
- It is ideal for between meal snacking since it satisfies and doesn’t spoil the appetite.
- 3 cups equal one serving from the grain group.
After reading all of that, it is pretty easy to think that popcorn really might be the perfect snack food. Not only is it healthy, it is usually a very inexpensive snack. That makes it a great snack to feed large crowds. Those are lots of great reasons to choose popcorn as your favorite snack too. Now the only real decision to make is how to make it. There are lots of different poppers out there and lots of ways to make your popcorn. Here are a couple of my favorites.
These poppers are SO much fun! My kids love the popcorn we make with this. Easy to use – patented stirring mechanism prevents sticking and burning by stirring every kernel until it pops.
Wabash Valley Farms 25008A The Original Whirley Pop Stovetop Popcorn Popper
List Price: $30.00
You Save: $10.01 (33%)
Price: $19.99
This is a great healthy way to make popcorn with or without oil. You can even serve it directly from bowl. You get quick and easy popcorn from your microwave.
Nordic Ware Microwave Popcorn Popper, 12-Cup, White
List Price: $11.60
You Save: $2.65 (23%)
Price: $8.95
These are just a couple of the many fun ways to make popcorn. There are lots of other great poppers available. What is your favorite way to pop your popcorn?
Stay tuned to our blog tomorrow when we share some great recipes for making fun flavored popcorn! Have a favorite recipe? Share it with us and it might just make tomorrow nights blog!
Happy Star Wars Day!
Are you eating Wookie Cookies today? Or are you drinking Yoda Soda? Happy Star Wars Day! If you are like many households across the country you may be celebrating today as Star Wars Day. Star Wars Day you say? Yup! May the 4th is a play on the words from the popular Star Wars quote “May the force be with you.” The first organized celebration of Star Wars Day took place in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, in 2011. After the Walt Disney Company purchased Lucasfilm, Disney Parks began to celebrate the holiday in 2013 with several events and festivities. Now in 2015, Star Wars Day is a fan favorite and is celebrated by fans of the Star Wars franchise young and old.
A simple look through my Facebook or Instagram accounts shows how many different people are celebrating and how many different ways there are of celebrating. I know people who are simply sitting back tonight and watching a Star Wars movie. I know people who have decorated their houses, created Star Wars themed menus and are watching the movies complete with popcorn in Star Wars themed popcorn bowls! And I know lots of people in between. The ways people are celebrating Star Wars Day are really interesting to see.
I scoured the internet for fun recipes and neat ideas for my family for our Star Wars Day celebration. I found lots of fun ideas. Some of my favorites are the ones that the kids can help make, so the easier the better. I found this fun recipe on the Today Show website. This recipe for making Princess Leia Cupcakes is perfect for kids, so easy and so much fun to make. Do you have another favorite recipe for Star Wars Day? If so, share it with us. We love to hear from you.
Princess Leia Cupcakes
Ingredients:
Cupcakes
Cream cheese frosting
Black frosting
Heart quins
Oreos
Cream cheese frosting:
8 ounces cream cheese
1/4 cup butter
1 cup confectioner’s sugar
1-1/2 teaspoon vanilla
To make the frosting, beat together the cream cheese and butter. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar, then the vanilla. Beat until it is combined and spreadable.
For the Princess Leia cupcakes, bake any type of cupcake you want and let it cool. Take the cooled cupcake and spread a thin smooth layer of frosting on top (I used cream cheese frosting because it has a slight off-white tint to it, which I liked for the complexion.)
Using a frosting tinted black, do one side of the hair first. Add the other side of the hair and then the eyes. Place a little heart quin for the lips.
For the hair, take an Oreo and stick it into the side of the cupcake liner using the black frosting. Do the same for the other side. To get rid of the ‘white line’ (i.e. the creamy center), simply run a thin layer of black frosting down the center of the sandwich cookie.
Low Carb Chocolate Chip Cookies? Oh yes!
When I say chocolate chip cookies – how many of you want one? I can see all of you raising your hands out there in blog land, almost everybody loves chocolate chip cookies. Chocolate chip cookies are an American favorite, a classic feel good snack. Sadly, many of us don’t really eat chocolate chip cookies for one reason or another. Most of those reasons are probably sugar related – diets and health concerns keep many people away from sweets. Guess what? There is a great solution, a chocolate chip cookie recipe that will let lots of us enjoy this favorite treat again.
Do I have your attention? I thought so! Let me introduce you to an amazing recipe. This recipe uses a great product that is used by many people who are watching their carb intake. It uses Carbquik which is a lot like the Bisquick that we are all familiar with and probably use occasionally. As with any low carb or carb free baking product, the results using Carbquik are not exactly like those obtained when using one of the carb filled counterparts. Even though the texture and taste may be a bit different, this baking product can be a worthy replacement. When you are limiting your carb intake, a baking product like this is a welcome and yummy addition to your pantry.
Carbquik is available at many health or diet stores and is also easily available online at Amazon.com. If you grab a box you can make these yummy cookies and lots of other things that have been off of the menu if you are cutting your carbs. Think of things like pizza crust, rolls, biscuits and breads. If you decide to try this recipe, let us know. We love to hear from you. Have another favorite low carb recipe? Share that with us too!
Carbquik Chocolate Chip Cookies
Approx. 30 cookies
Net Carbs Per Serving: 2g
Total Preparation Time: 9 to 11 minutes
Ingredients:
2 1/4 cups Carbquik (start with 2 cups, add additional as needed to form a nice cookie dough)
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups (12-ounce package) Sugar free semi-sweet morsels
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks, 1/2 pound) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 Splenda
3/4 cup packed brown sugar twin
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1 cup chopped nuts
Directions:
– Combine Carbquik, baking soda and salt in small bowl. Beat butter, Splenda, brown sugar twin and vanilla in large mixer bowl till butter is well creamed.
– Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition; gradually beat in Carbquik mixture. Stir in morsels and nuts.
– Drop by rounded tablespoon onto ungreased baking sheets.
– Bake in preheated 375 degree oven for 9 to 11 minutes or until golden brown. Let stand for 2 minutes; remove to wire racks to cool completely.
Yummy recipes for that leftover ham!
Yesterday we talked about all of the Easter leftovers and the leftover ham. We talked about lots of great ways to use that ham. I promised that today we’d share some of my favorite recipes and here they are – my family favorites. There are recipes for Ham and Potato Soup, Ham and Cheese Quiche, and Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham. Let us know if you try one. We love to hear from you!
Ham and Potato Soup
Makes 8 servings
Ingredients:
3 1/2 cups peeled and diced potatoes
1/3 cup diced celery
1/3 cup finely chopped onion
3/4 cup diced cooked ham
3 1/4 cups water
2 tablespoons chicken bouillon granules
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1 teaspoon ground white or black pepper, or to taste
5 tablespoons butter
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 cups milk
Directions:
1. Combine the potatoes, celery, onion, ham and water in a stockpot. Bring to a boil, then cook over medium heat until potatoes are tender, about 10 to 15 minutes. Stir in the chicken bouillon, salt and pepper.
2. In a separate saucepan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Whisk in flour with a fork, and cook, stirring constantly until thick, about 1 minute. Slowly stir in milk as not to allow lumps to form until all of the milk has been added. Continue stirring over medium-low heat until thick, 4 to 5 minutes.
3. Stir the milk mixture into the stockpot, and cook soup until heated through. Serve immediately.
Ham and Cheese Quiche
Makes 1 – 9 inch quiche
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup half-and-half
3 eggs
2 slices Swiss cheese
1 recipe pastry for a 9 inch single crust pie
1/2 cup chopped fresh spinach
1/2 cup canned mushrooms
1 cup ham, flaked
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Beat together flour, salt, half-and-half and eggs in a medium bowl.
3. Place Swiss cheese flat in the pie crust. Arrange spinach evenly over Swiss cheese, then cover with mushrooms. Pour the flour and egg mixture over mushrooms. Cover with flaked ham and top with Cheddar cheese.
4. Bake in the preheated oven 45 to 55 minutes, until surface is golden brown.
Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes with Ham
Makes 6 servings
Ingredients:
4 cups peeled and sliced potatoes
2 cups diced ham
1/2 onion, chopped
2 cups milk
1 cup frozen peas
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon garlic powder
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1 teaspoon dried parsley
1/4 pound Cheddar cheese, diced
1 pinch paprika, or to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Layer half the potatoes, half the ham, and half the onion in an 2-quart baking dish; repeat the layers.
3. Heat milk, peas, flour, butter, salt, black pepper, garlic powder, and onion powder in a saucepan over medium heat, stirring constantly, until thickened, 7 to 10 minutes.
4. Stir Cheddar cheese into sauce until cheese is melted.
5. Pour sauce over potato and ham mixture; sprinkle with paprika.
6. Cover baking dish with aluminum foil.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until potatoes are tender, about 1 hour.
8. Remove foil and continue baking until lightly browned, about 15 minutes more.
Leftover ham – what to do?
The Easter holiday has come and gone but there are probably lots of remnants of Easter around your house. Are there baskets filled with come candy and mostly wrappers? How about little bits of Easter grass hiding here and there? What is it with that stuff? It seems impossible to clean it all up. How about plastic eggs? Did you find them all? Hopefully you found any and all of the real eggs that were hidden! What about your fridge? Are there lots of Easter leftovers? How about hard boiled eggs? We talked about lots of ways to use them up last week. And how about the ham? If you are like most of the country, there is probably leftover ham in your fridge and you need to find a couple of ways to use it.
Using up the leftover ham might be as easy as just warming it up for an extra meal. But for lots of people the leftover ham goes way beyond one meal of leftovers. What can you make with it? Here are a few ideas for using up that leftover ham.
Ham and cheese sandwiches
This favorite way to use leftover ham doesn’t really need a recipe. Slice the ham thin and use it on sandwiches with your favorite cheese. Yum!
Ham salad sandwiches
This is another is great sandwich option when it comes to using the leftover ham. Put your ham in the food processor, salad shooter or use a hand grater to get it shredded into very tiny pieces. Add some mayonnaise and pickle relish. My family loves these sandwiches.
Salad topping
Ham makes a great salad topping. Dice your leftover ham or put it in the food processor, salad shooter or use a hand grater to get it shredded into very tiny pieces. Use these to top your favorite salad. Try adding some diced beets and shredded cheese too. It turns a plain salad into a great ham salad.
Ham and Eggs
Slice or dice the leftover ham and add it to breakfast with some scrambled eggs. Do you still have left-over hard boiled eggs? Use them with the ham and have a yummy breakfast.
Soup
It is still soup weather in many parts of the country – use your leftover ham and add it to your favorite soup. Make a homemade soup or add it to a store bought soup. It’s a great idea.
Dice and freeze
This is another of my personal favorite ways to use leftover ham. I like to dice or shred the ham and put it in freezer bags. Later on I can pull it out and use it to make a quick and fun dinner. It makes for a quick dinner prep on a future busy night.
Hambone
Many people save the hambone and use it later to make hambone soup or other recipes. Wrap the bone in foil and then place it in a freezer bag or use freezer wrap.
Have more ideas about how to use up the leftover ham from Easter? Let us know – we love to hear from you! Stay tuned tomorrow night when we share some of our favorite leftover ham recipes.
Use up those leftover hard boiled eggs!
Easter is almost here! There will be lots of fun activities and candy. There will also be lots of hard boiled eggs to color and dye! What do you do with all of those eggs after you color them? Maybe you hunt for them? Maybe you use a little salt and pepper and eat a few just like they are? But then what to do with them? If you are like my family you probably have lots and lots of leftover hard boiled eggs to use up in just a couple of days. Here are a few favorite ways to use up all of those leftover hard boiled eggs:
Deviled Eggs
This seems like an Easter meal staple – a favorite way to use up those leftover hard boiled eggs. Shake things up this year and look for fun new recipes online.
Egg salad sandwiches
This is another favorite way to use up those leftover hard boiled eggs – egg salad sandwiches can be yummy! They are one of my family’s favorites.
Breakfast burritos
We’ve all made breakfast burritos with scrambled eggs but they can also be made with leftover hard boiled eggs. Add some leftover ham and cheese for a yummy breakfast treat.
Salads
We all know that thinly sliced or diced leftover hard boiled eggs really round out a leafy green salad, but also think about adding them to pasta salads. Yummy!
Eggs Benedict
Have you tried this one before? Check out this recipe:
Eggs Benedict
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
4 egg yolks
3 1/2 tablespoons lemon juice
1 pinch ground white pepper
1/8 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon water
1 cup butter, melted
1/4 teaspoon salt
8 hard-boiled eggs, sliced
8 strips Canadian-style bacon
4 English muffins, split
2 tablespoons butter, softened
Directions:
- Fill the bottom of a double boiler part-way with water. Make sure that water does not touch the top pan. Bring water to a gentle simmer. In the top of the double boiler, whisk together egg yolks, lemon juice, white pepper, Worcestershire sauce, and 1 tablespoon water.
- Add the melted butter to egg yolk mixture 1 or 2 tablespoons at a time while whisking yolks constantly. If hollandaise begins to get too thick, add a teaspoon or two of hot water. Continue whisking until all butter is incorporated. Whisk in salt, and remove from heat. Place a lid on pan to keep sauce warm.
- Preheat oven on broiler setting.
- Brown the bacon in a medium skillet over medium-high heat.
- Toast the English muffins on a baking sheet under the broiler.
- Spread toasted muffins with softened butter, and top each one with a slice of bacon, followed by one slice hard-boiled egg.
- Place 2 muffins on each plate and drizzle with hollandaise sauce. Sprinkle with chopped chives and serve immediately.
Easter recipes – make your own treats!
It’s almost here! Easter is just a few days away. There are so many fun things to do at Easter time but there are also lots of fun things to eat. My kids love the candy and treats at Easter more than any other holiday I think. There are so many different kinds of Easter candy and treats that can be bought at the store, but sometimes it is fun to make some treats at home. My family has a few Easter recipes that we just love and make every year. One is so easy that the kids can even make it by themselves. Try them out and see what you think. Let us know what you think – we love to hear from you!
Carrot Cake
Ingredients:
3 eggs
3/4 cup buttermilk
3/4 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple with juice
1 cup raisins
Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour an 8×12 inch pan.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Set aside.
3. In a large bowl, combine eggs, buttermilk, oil, sugar and vanilla. Mix well. Add flour mixture and mix well.
4. In a medium bowl, combine shredded carrots, coconut, walnuts, pineapple and raisins.
5. Using a large wooden spoon or a very heavy whisk, add carrot mixture to batter and fold in well.
6. Pour into prepared 8×12 inch pan, and bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour. Check with toothpick.
7. Allow to cool for at least 20 minutes before serving.
Jellybean Bark
Ingredients:
1 pound white melting chocolate
1 pound jellybeans
Directions:
1. Line a jelly roll pan with waxed paper and set aside.
2. Melt the white melting chocolate in the top of a double boiler, stirring frequently and scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching. Spread the melted white confectioners’ coating onto the prepared pan. Sprinkle the jellybeans over the top.
3. Refrigerate at least 1 hour or until firm. Break into pieces to serve.
Peanut Butter Eggs
Ingredients:
1 (16 ounce) package confectioners’ sugar
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/4 cup butter
1 tablespoon milk
8 (1 ounce) squares semi-sweet chocolate
1 tablespoon shortening
Directions:
1. In a mixing bowl, combine confectioners’ sugar, peanut butter, butter and milk (if needed for moisture) until blended. Shape mixture into two 1/2 pound eggs or make a bunch of smaller eggs. Freeze eggs for 1 hour.
2. While the eggs are freezing, cut semi-sweet chocolate into small pieces and place in top of double boiler with shortening. Melt over medium heat, stirring frequently until smooth. Stick a fork in top of each peanut butter egg, dip it in melted chocolate to cover then drain on waxed paper. When the eggs are cooled and set, decorate the eggs.
Yummy Recipes – National Spinach Day!
While online today I saw an interesting fact – today is National Spinach Day. Awesome! I love spinach, it is one of my favorite vegetables. I like it fresh and cooked. I love that it is packed with vitamins and iron and is just so very good for you. I’ve been known to add spinach to lots of things in order to boost their nutritional value. Pizza? Throw some spinach on top – I promise it will be great! Scrambled eggs? Toss a handful of diced spinach in with the eggs. Add some cheese too and you have a great breakfast item. How about spaghetti sauce? I put it in there too and it makes the sauce nice and thick! Lasagna? Yep. Soup? Yep. My kids are used to finding spinach in all sorts of things and don’t even complain anymore. Yay – Popeye would be proud!
If you read our blog often you know that food days like this make me pull out my favorite recipes and I find something to make that goes along with the day. I pulled out my recipes but decided to go with spaghetti and spinach instead. These recipes are so good that I had to share them anyway. Yummy! If you decide to make one of them today, let us know. Do you have great spinach recipes? I am looking for recipes that use spinach in things like cookies, cake and brownies. The recipes I have tried were not really tasty. Sad! Be sure and share if you have a yummy treat recipe that uses spinach.
Spinach Dip
Makes 1 bread bowl full of dip
Ingredients:
1 cup mayonnaise
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
1 (1.8 ounce) package dry leek soup mix
1 (4 ounce) can water chestnuts, drained and chopped
1/2 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (1 pound) loaf round sourdough bread
Directions:
1. Mix together mayonnaise, sour cream, dry leek soup mix, water chestnuts and chopped spinach. Chill in the refrigerator 6 hours, or overnight.
2. Remove top and interior of sourdough bread. Fill with dip mixture. Tear removed bread into chunks for dipping.
Strawberry Spinach Salad
Makes 4 servings
Ingredients:
2 tablespoons sesame seeds
1 tablespoon poppy seeds
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup distilled white vinegar
1/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 tablespoon minced onion
10 ounces fresh spinach – rinsed and torn into bite-size pieces
1 quart strawberries – cleaned and sliced
1/4 cup slivered almonds
Directions:
1. Mix together the sesame seeds, poppy seeds, sugar, olive oil, vinegar, paprika, Worcestershire sauce and onion. Cover and chill for one hour.
2. In a large bowl, combine the spinach, strawberries and almonds. Pour dressing over salad, and toss. Refrigerate 10 to 15 minutes before serving.
Spinach Quiche
Makes One 9 inch quiche
Ingredients:
1/2 cup butter
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach, thawed and drained
1 (4.5 ounce) can mushrooms, drained
1 (6 ounce) package herb and garlic feta, crumbled
1 (8 ounce) package shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (9 inch) unbaked deep dish pie crust
4 eggs, beaten
1 cup milk
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees.
2. Melt butter over medium heat. Saute garlic and onion in butter until lightly browned. Stir in spinach, mushrooms, feta and 1/2 cup Cheddar cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Spoon mixture into pie crust.
3. In a medium bowl, whisk together eggs and milk. Season with salt and pepper. Pour into the pastry shell, allowing egg mixture to thoroughly combine with spinach mixture.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 15 minutes. Sprinkle top with remaining Cheddar cheese, and bake an additional 35 to 40 minutes, until set in center.
5. Allow to stand 10 minutes before serving.
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What’s for dinner? St. Patrick’s Day Recipes!
Tomorrow is another holiday and you know what that means for my house – a St. Patrick’s Day celebration! We love celebrating holidays and try to do something fun for each one. We’ve done all sorts of crazy things for St. Patrick’s Day before but one of the traditions is the food. We have the same thing for dinner every year – corned beef and cabbage. My kids actually love it and request it every year at St. Patrick’s Day because it is usually the only time I make it.
We usually have the corned beef and cabbage with Irish soda bread. It is a tasty and easy bread. For dessert we usually do something simple and add green to is somehow. Cookies, cake or brownies with green frosting are always a fun and easy idea. Green mint ice cream or green grasshopper pie are also super yummy and fun ideas for a St. Patrick’s Day dessert.
Here are the St. Patrick’s Day recipes I use to make the corned beef and cabbage and the Irish soda bread. Try them tomorrow and let us know how you like them!
Corned Beef and Cabbage – Makes 5 Servings
Ingredients:
3 pounds corned beef brisket with spice packet
10 small red potatoes
5 carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces
1 large head cabbage, cut into small wedges
Directions:
1. Place the corned beef in large pot or Dutch oven and cover with water. Add the spice packet that came with the corned beef. Cover the pot and bring it to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for approximately 50 minutes per pound or until tender.
2. Add whole potatoes and carrots, and cook until the vegetables are almost tender. Add cabbage and cook for 15 more minutes. Remove the meat and let set for 15 minutes.
3. Place the vegetables in a bowl and cover. Add as much broth (cooking liquid that was in the Dutch oven or large pot) as you want. Slice the meat across the grain.
Easy Irish Soda Bread
Ingredients:
4 cups all-purpose flour
4 tablespoons white sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup margarine, softened
1 cup buttermilk
1 egg
1/4 cup butter, melted
1/4 cup buttermilk
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Lightly grease a large cookie sheet.
- In a large bowl, mix together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and margarine. Stir in 1 cup of the buttermilk and egg. Dump the dough onto a lightly floured surface and knead slightly. Form the dough into a round shape and place it on the greased cookie sheet. In a small bowl, combine the melted butter with 1/4 cup buttermilk then brush loaf with this mixture. Use a sharp knife to cut an X into the top of the loaf.
- Bake in a preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf comes out clean, about 45 to 50 minutes. Start to check after 30 minutes. You may want to continue to brush the loaf with the butter mixture while it bakes.
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National Johnny Appleseed Day! Apple recipes!
If you read this blog with any kind of regularity you know that I love celebrating holidays. I love all of the big and traditional holidays but I also like to do random things for some of the more small and random holidays. Sometimes in my house we celebrate crazy national days and days dedicated to food seem to be favorites. Today is one of those days. Did you know that today, March 11th, is National Johnny Appleseed Day?
National Johnny Appleseed Day is a day to honor John Chapman, known now as Johnny Appleseed. “John Chapman (September 26, 1774 – March 18, 1845) was an American pioneer nurseryman who introduced apple trees to large parts of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, and Illinois, including the northern counties of present day West Virginia.” (from Wikipedia) While the day is designated to honor the man who made apple trees a common part of the American landscape, the day lends itself to being all about apples. My family loves apples, they are one of our favorite fruits. It is super easy to include apples in the meals we have today. My kid love it!
Want to celebrate National Johnny Appleseed Day with us this year? If you do, here are a couple of our favorite apple recipes.
Apple Crisp
Everyone loves warm apple crisp and vanilla ice cream. It is the perfect desert for National Johnny Appleseed Day.
6 to 8 apples, depending on size
3/4 c. sugar
1 1/2 Tbl. flour
1/4 tsp. salt
1 tsp cinnamon
Topping:
3/4 c. flour
3/4 c. quick oats
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/4 tsp. soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 c. melted butter
1 c. chopped nuts
Slice and peel apples (I use my apple peeler/corer/slicer to make it really easy) and mix with sugar, flour, salt, and cinnamon. Put in 9×13 baking dish. Mix topping ingredients and sprinkle over the apples to cover. Bake the apple crisp at 350 degrees for 30-40 minutes, or until apples are soft.
Apple Pie Bars
These apple pie bars are great to make with canned apple pie filling. Easy and yummy!
Crust:
3/4 c. butter, softened
6 Tbl. sugar
1 1/2 c. all purpose flour
1/8 tsp. nutmeg
1/4 tsp. cinnamon
1/4 tsp. salt
Topping:
1 1/2 c. quick oats
1 c. all purpose flour
3/4 c. light brown sugar
1/2 tsp plus 1/8 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3/4 c. cold butter, cut into small cubes
Crust: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line a 13×9.5 jelly roll pan with foil or parchment paper. Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about two minutes. At low speed, beat in the flour, spices, and salt until a soft dough forms. Press the dough over the bottom of the prepared pan. Bake in the center of oven for about 15 minutes or until golden and set. Set on wire rack to cool slightly.
Topping: In a large bowl, mix the oats and the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Using your fingers or a pastry tool, put the butter cubes into the oat mixture and crumble together until the mixture resembles a coarse meal. Press the mixture into clumps.
Pour the can or bottle of apple pie filling on top and spread evenly over the crust. Scatter the crumb topping on top, pressing it lightly into the mixture. Bake for 30 minutes or until the topping begins to look slightly crispy on top. Let cool and enjoy!
These are two of my family’s favorite recipes to make on National Johnny Appleseed Day. Do you have a favorite apple recipe to share? Let us know about it, we love to hear from you!