White Chocolate Popcorn

This is the other type of popcorn I made.  The recipe was adapted slightly from the Bake. Eat. Repeat. blog. 

White Chocolate Popcorn

8 oz. white chocolate (white chocolate chips work great)

2 Tablespoons butter (I used lightly buttered microwave popcorn so I only used 1 Tbsp.)

1 bag microwave popcorn (preferably natural, not butter flavored)

1/4 cup M&Ms (regular, peanut or pretzel!)

 

1. Pop popcorn according to package instructions. 

 

2. Place the white chocolate (or white chocolate chips) and butter in a microwave safe dish. Microwave until melted and smooth (about 2 minutes), stirring every 30 seconds. 

 

3. In a large bowl combine popped popcorn with white chocolate mixture. Add M&Ms and stir to combine.  Let cool and harden on parchment paper.

Candied Popcorn

I tried two different popcorn recipes this holiday season.  In my opinion, there is something irresistible about fancy popcorn.  My boys and I could eat this stuff all day.  None of these holiday recipes are helping my waistline though!  That's probably why I'll only be making this once a year!  This recipe comes from Erin at The Sisters Cafe.

Candied Popcorn

3 to 3 1/2 batches of air-popped popcorn (each batch is 1/2 c. unpopped corn kernels)
2 cubes butter (1 cup)
1 1/3 c. granulated sugar
1/2 c. light corn syrup

**I used lightly buttered microwave popcorn.  Each bag is equal to one batch.  I also cut the butter in the recipe down to 1 1/2 cubes since my popcorn was already lightly buttered.

First, pop all your popcorn.  Shake the popcorn and then scoop the top layers into a couple large mixing bowls. Leave the heavy and/or unpopped kernels behind.

Melt butter in a large pan.  Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Stir until all the sugar is dissolved. Continue stirring, on medium heat, until the mixture is completely smooth and is just barely starting to simmer.  (Don’t allow it to boil for long, or the popcorn will harden rather than being soft.) Turn heat off.

Using a ladle, drizzle the sugar mixture over a portion of your popcorn.  Then mix it with a spoon, add another portion of fresh popcorn, drizzle the mixture over it, and stir it around, etc.  Continue until all your mixture is evenly distributed on the popcorn. 

I packaged my candied popcorn into gallon sized twist-tie bags I bought at the grocery store. Or you can store it in tupperware for a few days. 

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup

Another great new soup recipe to add to my collection.  This recipe came from my neighbor Lauren.  This is a hearty and flavorful soup as well.  I love making soups this time of year!

Northwoods Wild Rice Soup

3 cups cooked wild rice (Uncle Ben's Original Wild Rice pouch--prepared with seasoning packet.)
2 cups cooked chicken or turkey, cubed 1-inch
8 ounces (1 cup) cooked ham, cubed 1/2-inch
2 medium carrots, chopped
2 stalks (1 cup) celery, sliced 1/2-inch
1 quart (4 cups) half & half
1 1/4 cup chicken broth
1 medium (1/2 cup) onion, chopped
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons butter, melted

Combine all ingredients except flour and butter in large saucepan.  

Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through (15 to 20 minutes). 

Stir together flour and butter in small bowl; stir into hot soup. Continue cooking, stirring occasionally, until thickened (5 to 8 minutes). Serve warm. Great in bread bowls!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

I got this recipe for the Olive Garden's famous Zuppa Toscana Soup from my friend Heather.  I actually think it tastes better than the Olive Garden's version.  It is so flavorful.  I made it only a week and a half ago and I am ready to make it again!

Zuppa Toscana Soup

Package of Jimmy Dean regular sausage

5 potatoes, cut into cubes or whatever size pieces you prefer (I used red but you could use just about any variety.)

1 onion diced

8 slices bacon, cooked and broken into pieces

1 Qt water with 4 chicken bouillon cubes

1 1/2 tsp garlic

1/3 c heavy cream

Kale

Cook sausage and onion together. Cook bacon separate. Combine once cooked. Add garlic, water, boullion and potatoes, simmer for 15 minutes. Add some kale the last couple of minutes. Add heavy cream and simmer for 4 more minutes.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

I love brownies and I love cookies so I figured I couldn't go wrong with this combination cookie.  Though a little time consuming, they are a fun change from the norm.  I figured out that I had to cut my brownie squares pretty small in order to make a regular-sized cookie.  The possibilities are endless when it comes to stuffed cookies and I will definitely be experimenting with other things in the future.

Brownie Stuffed Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 brownie mix (Bake ahead of time.)
1 cup butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
3/4 cup packed light brown sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 1/2 cups all purpose flour (For fluffier cookies, add an extra 1/2 cup of flour for a total of 4 cups.)
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups chocolate chips 

Prepare brownies according to package directions.  Let cool completely then cut into 1 inch squares.

Beat the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.  Add eggs and vanilla and continue to beat until well combined.  In a separate bowl, combine flour, salt and baking soda.  Slowly add dry ingredients to wet ingredients along with the chocolate chips.  Place a scoop of dough on top of a brownie square and another smaller scoop on the bottom.  Gently press and enclose brownie with dough.  Place filled cookies onto a parchment or silpat lined baking sheet and bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until edges are golden brown.  (Watch them, your time may vary.)