food for family + friends
Growing up pb&j was a popular lunch choice, even now making a peanut butter and jelly sandwich on occasion feels comforting and familiar. Taking a fond childhood favorite and turning it into dessert? You bet I did. And you won’t believe how simple it is. No bake desserts for the win.
Sweet and sticky, Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn is ready to make an appearance for so many occasions…holidays, game day, movie night, girls night in…the list could go on and on.
With the exception of my youngest, we are a popcorn loving family. Our favorite way to enjoy air popped popcorn? With salt and equal parts melted butter and coconut oil…it’s amazing! There are times, however, that we need to think outside the bowl for a crunchy popcorn treat. Enter Party Popcorn
You guys, this book is a complete resource. There is seriously something for everyone…nacho cheese doritos popcorn, german chocolate cake popcorn, basil garlic popcorn, peanut brittle popcorn. Gourmet varieties that you can make at home in your very own kitchen. The instructions for each recipe are easy to understand and follow. There’s also a chapter for the little ones…Strawberry Fizz Popcorn, anyone?
Today I’m sharing the recipe for Gooey Marshmallow Popcorn, which in the book is made with M&Ms, but I wanted to make it a little more seasonal so I switched those out for conversation hearts for a yummy twist. You can store this for up to a day, it may or may not have lasted that long at my house…I’m not telling 
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Recipe Source: Slightly adapted from Party Popcorn
As you can see, today is National Popcorn Day and we are kicking off a short popcorn series. I personally have always a microwave popcorn kind of girl. It was easy and quick and always had enough {if not more than enough} flavor! I looked at making my own popcorn and thought it would be difficult and lack flavor. HOWEVER… this past December I came across a recipe that showed me the simple way to pop your own popcorn at home WITHOUT using the microwave. My love for popcorn has only grown. It is simple and the flavor combinations are endless. To start our popcorn series, I am going to share with you my absolute FAVORITE new popcorn flavor. I’ve made it a few times already and it is gone in a flash. In my opinion the secret to this flavor is BROWNING the butter, then adding vanilla. YUM! I used this recipe the first time I made it but since then I just make and add without measuring. It’s just that easy!
To make the popcorn, I use a heavy bottomed pan with a lid. Put coconut oil to coat the bottom of the pan. Add a few kernels to the oil. When the first one pops add the rest of your kernels and cover. Shake to cover the bottom of the pan with kernels. Leave on the heat, shaking occasionally to allow unpopped kernels to go to the bottom and to keep them from burning. Continue until there is about 2 seconds between pops. Remembering that the last few will pop even after being removed from the heat. Now you have a blank canvas in which to create your flavor masterpiece!
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Almonds coated in soft caramel atop a buttery shortbread crust – Caramel Almond Shortbread Bars are an absolutely delightful treat!
Happy Monday, ya’ll! Today is the first ‘working’ day of January and there are those of us struggling to get back to work. It’s been a whirlwind couple of weeks around these parts. With family and friends coming and going, so.much.food to eat and fantastic new games to games to play, we’ve enjoyed every minute. Taking a blogging break was refreshing, but that means I’m not coming to you live today with some fresh faced, low cal recipe for the month of January. I’m posting one of my favorite Christmas treats about a month late, but it needs to be done. File this one away for your Valentines ♥…
There are somethings that really make the holidays complete for me. Aside from things such as spending time with family, putting up the tree, and listening to Christmas music (bonus if it’s O Holy Night because that’s my fave!). I also have foods and flavors (as you may remember my story about pumpkin pie at Thanksgiving!) some more of those flavors included eggnog and cranberries. They aren’t hugely popular flavors and are usually either loved or hated. For me, I need them just at the holidays and then I’m good the rest of the year. Usually the cranberries are eaten in the form of cranberry sauce but when I recently saw these sugared cranberries I knew my cranberry eatin’ days had taken a turn for the better!!!…
‘Tis the season for all things eggnog! While I adore baking with it, I’m not one to grab a glass of it to drink cold. This particular eggnog cookie is one that our family looks forward to all year. Last month’s Double Chocolate Eggnog Bread has quickly become a family favorite too.
As the year is winding down and we’re up to our knees in the holiday hustle and bustle, it’s fun to look towards the traditions that come in the last couple weeks of December. This year we’re looking forward not traveling over the holidays and enjoying Christmas Day in our new house. {hallelujah!} We’ll be hosting dinner on Christmas Eve with part of my husband’s family. One thing that remains the same regardless of where we are on Christmas is the need for nog My husband loves to drink it and I love using it to make breakfast and dessert.
International Delight is ready for the holidays too, with their seasonal selection of flavored creamers and nog. You can choose a new variety every time you go grocery shopping! Happy holidays!
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How many of you have already started making your yearly batch of Christmas goodies? May I suggest that you add this Maple Fudge to your list of things to make this year? It’s downright amazing!!
I consider fudge an absolute must have Christmas treat. My mother-in-law requests that I make peanut butter fudge each year and I usually whip up a batch of classic chocolate too. But this fudge is my new favorite. You can taste all of the things it has going on – butter, brown sugar and maple. And it is insanely delicious. There isn’t a whole lot of hands on time required to make this, from start to finish it’s about 20 minutes. So it really is a simple thing to have on hand for treat trays and to give away this holiday. …
You guys, ’tis the season for holiday baking. And while I love baking up the classics, it’s also fun to see new ingredients for baking popping up in stores everywhere, especially this time of year. My kids always go for the chocolate chip cookies at my house, but I thought it would be fun to give them a spin this time around.
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December holidays bring memories of baking Christmas cookies and spending time with family and loved ones. Each year I plan to make a treat that we maybe haven’t included in our Christmas recipes before, I enjoy making a wide variety of goodies to package up and share with family and friends. This year’s new treat – Peppermint Bark Brownies. So fudgy and minty, these brownies would make a fabulous addition to any Christmas treat tray….
It’s time to dust off your favorite cookie recipes and get baking for the holidays. Soft Maple Sugar Cookies are just what your holiday cookie tray needs! Join us for a virtual Christmas cookie exchange, recipe links to 16 of your favorite bloggers are included in this post!
What’s your favorite cookie to make this time of year? There’s a special place in my heart for Glazed Eggnog Cookies and Gingerbread Trees with Lemon Glaze are a must make at my house. I can never get over a classic sugar cookie, which both my husband’s mom and step-mom make with great ease. I would eat them first every time. His step-mom always decorates a few with red hot candies and I love them that way. I added them to these cookies because maple + cinnamon = match made in heaven.
I don’t always feel like rolling out and cutting dough, so a cookie that’s simply rolled into a ball and baked is just my style. Topped with a simple maple frosting and you’re ready to decorate to your hearts content. Sprinkling them with gold or regular decorating sugar makes an elegant addition to any cookie tray, but giving the kids a chance to add their favorite sprinkles is an opportunity they can never pass up
What are delicious cookies without milk? This December there are food banks in our own communities that could use milk to give to families in need. We can join the Great American Milk Drive and their quest to make that happen. When you go to the milk drive site, you can see how many gallons of milk have been donated in your local area and see just how you can help give milk to families in need.
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Recipe Source: BHG 100 Best Cookies
Caramel Filled Chewy Ginger Cookies from 365 Days of Slow Cooking
Italian Anisette Cookies from A Family Feast
Cranberry Orange Nut Cookies from Apron Strings
Orange Cranberry White Chocolate Stuffed Cookies from Barbara Bakes
Soft Pumpkin Cookies + Pumpkin Spice Kisses from Bless this Mess
Soft Maple Sugar Cookies from Crumbs and Chaos
Graham Cracker Log from Hoosier Homemade
Rugelach Bars from Let’s Dish
Pepper Jelly Cornmeal Thumbprints from Letty’s Kitchen
Chocolate Peanut Butter Cup Cookies from Love from the Oven
Linzer Cookies from Mandy’s Recipe Box
Surprise-inside Christmas Stocking from Munchkin Munchies
Chocolate M&M Cookies from Oh, Sweet Basil
White Chocolate Pecan Snowball Cookies from Rose Bakes
Chocolate Toffee Cranberry Cookies from Taste and Tell
White Chocolate Cherry Almond Bars from Your Homebased Mom
Spiced Eggnog Cookies from Will Cook for Smiles
*Disclosure: It has been my honor to make you aware of the Great American Milk Drive, but I have not been compensated in any way for highlighting their organization. Happy holidays!
