We have made this recipe a few times over the past year. It's great for a fun party treat or just something a little different. The colors come out so bright and fun, and it's easy and really yummy!
Ingredients
12 cups popped popcorn
1 (14 oz.) can Eagle Brand® Sweetened Condensed Milk
1 (3 oz.) package cherry Jell-O (NOT sugar free!) or other flavored gelatin
Instructions
HEAT oven to 300ºF. Line large shallow roasting pan with heavy foil, extending foil over edges of pan. Butter foil.
REMOVE from oven and take out all unpopped kernels. Pour popcorn into prepared pan. Keep warm in oven.
COMBINE sweetened condensed milk and dry gelatin in medium saucepan.
Heat and stir over low heat until mixture is slightly thickened and
bubbly, 4 to 5 minutes. (For easy clean up soak in hot water
immediately)
POUR mixture over popcorn. Stir gently to coat using a long-handled
wooden spoon. Bake 20 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes. Carefully turn
out onto large piece of lightly buttered foil. Cool. Break into pieces
or clusters.
Please note that this recipe is from the Eagle Brand website.
Thursday, April 25, 2013
French Bread
I tried this french bread recipe from the Our Best Bites cookbook
last week and really loved how it turned out! Note that you need
several hours for this to raise, however. I only noted the first
raising time, and therefore started it too late. I just let it rise in a
(barely) warm oven with a pot of boiling water in there as well and it
turned out in the end.
Ingredients:
- 1 Tbsp. yeast
- 1 1/2 c. warm water
- 1 1/2 Tbsp. sugar
- 1 tsp. salt
- 4-5 1/2 c. flour
- 3 Tbsp. vegetable oil
- 1 egg, separated
- 2 Tbsp. cold water
Instructions:
Combine yeast, water, and sugar in large
mixing bowl and allow to stand 10 minutes or until bubbly. Add salt,
vegetable oil, and egg yolk (set white aside for later) and combine. Add
3 c. flour and mix well until combined. Add enough remaining flour to
make a soft dough that barely sticks to your finger. Knead, either by
hand or in mixer (my personal and very lazy choice) for another 2-3
minutes.
Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 30 minutes.
Cover and allow to rise 1 hour 30 minutes.
Punch down dough. Spray a cookie sheet
with non-stick cooking spray. Shape into loaf and
place on greased cookie sheet.
Cover and allow to rise another 1 1/4 hours or
until doubled. Keep an eye on things–if they seem like they’re getting
so big that they might collapse, hurry and get them into the oven.
Preheat oven to 375. Mix egg white with
water and brush over dough. Bake for 10 minutes and repeat brushing the
dough with the egg wash.
Bake an additional 8-10 minutes or until bread is golden brown and your house smells like heaven.
Thursday, April 18, 2013
Homemade Graham Crackers
This is my last 'snack food' post for now, though I intend to experiment with making my own fruit roll-ups soon. If you have a great recipe for that, or any other awesome homemade kid snacks, please let me know!
In the meantime, I may have saved the very best for last, because these graham crackers are so scrumptious! Some of these homemade snacks I will make again because I think they are healthier, some I make to save money, but these I will make again simple because they are so dang delicious!
My friend Sarah also shared this recipe with me, and it belongs to Smitten Kitchen. I highly recommend you read her tutorial and view her lovely pictures, such as this one:
The following text is taken directly from Smitten Kitchen's website, unless you see it in red, in which case that is my personal thoughts and advice added in. Enjoy!
Graham Crackers
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks, because for some absurd reason that will be immediately rectified, this book is not yet in my collection.
If you’re new to graham crackers, do know that the word “cracker” is misleading. They’re moderately sweet, like a cookie or biscuit, but they do have the snap of a cracker. I can’t say that I’d serve them with cheese, but if you’ve never schmeared them with cream cheese frosting, you’re missing out.
The topping amount will make a heavy coating, like the store-bought ones. Make only half if you just want a light-to-moderate sprinkling.
Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares
[Alternately, if you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.]
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Okay, she is not exaggerating here! My dough was SUPER sticky, so sticky that it took me three tries to get it not to stick. I even tried wax paper, but the dough is so soft that it stuck to the wax paper too! My suggestion: put down LOTS of flour, spread evenly. Roll once or twice, pick up dough, and reflour, and repeat until it's all rolled out. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. [This makes a traditional graham cracker shape. I rebelled and made mine into 2-inch fluted squares with one of these.] Personally, I just grabbed my pizza cutter and cut it into squares or small rectangles. I even used the funky triangle shapes from the edges, because my family doesn't care and they taste the same no matter the shape. :)
Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line. I completely skipped this step, because I was ready to have these crackers done! :)
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!] So, I don't think my oven runs hot, and I baked my first batch on 350 for 15 minutes and they came out completely burnt! Sad. :( Maybe I roll mine a lot thinner, I don't know, but I cooked the next batch on 325 for about 8 minutes and they were perfect. So, I suggest you watch that first batch diligently until you know what works for you!
In the meantime, I may have saved the very best for last, because these graham crackers are so scrumptious! Some of these homemade snacks I will make again because I think they are healthier, some I make to save money, but these I will make again simple because they are so dang delicious!
My friend Sarah also shared this recipe with me, and it belongs to Smitten Kitchen. I highly recommend you read her tutorial and view her lovely pictures, such as this one:
The following text is taken directly from Smitten Kitchen's website, unless you see it in red, in which case that is my personal thoughts and advice added in. Enjoy!
Graham Crackers
Adapted from Nancy Silverton’s Pastries from the La Brea Bakery, and 101 Cookbooks, because for some absurd reason that will be immediately rectified, this book is not yet in my collection.
If you’re new to graham crackers, do know that the word “cracker” is misleading. They’re moderately sweet, like a cookie or biscuit, but they do have the snap of a cracker. I can’t say that I’d serve them with cheese, but if you’ve never schmeared them with cream cheese frosting, you’re missing out.
The topping amount will make a heavy coating, like the store-bought ones. Make only half if you just want a light-to-moderate sprinkling.
Makes 10 4 x 4.5-inch graham crackers or 48 2-inch squares
- 2 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoons (375 grams) unbleached all-purpose flour (a swap of 1/2 cup with whole wheat flour or 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour works well here, too)
- 1 cup (176 grams) dark brown sugar, lightly packed
- 1 teaspoon (6 grams) baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon kosher or coarse sea salt (4 grams)
- 7 tablespoons (3 1/2 ounces or 100 grams) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch cubes and frozen
- 1/3 cup (114 grams) mild-flavored honey, such as clover
- 5 tablespoons (77 grams) milk, full-fat is best
- 2 tablespoons (27 grams) pure vanilla extract
- 3 tablespoons (43 grams) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon (5 grams) ground cinnamon
[Alternately, if you don't have a food processor or electric mixer, you can cut the ingredients together with a pastry blender. Just make sure they're very well incorporated.]
In a small bowl, whisk together the honey, milk, and vanilla extract. Add to the flour mixture and pulse on and off a few times or mix on low until the dough barely comes together. It will be very soft and sticky. Lay out a large piece of plastic wrap and dust it lightly with flour, then turn the dough out onto it and pat it into a rectangle about 1-inch thick. Wrap it, then chill it until firm, about 2 hours or overnight. Meanwhile, prepare the topping, if using, by combining the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and setting aside.
Roll out the crackers: Divide the dough in half and return one half to the refrigerator. Sift an even layer of flour onto the work surface and roll the dough into a long rectangle about 1/8 inch thick. The dough will be sticky, so flour as necessary. Okay, she is not exaggerating here! My dough was SUPER sticky, so sticky that it took me three tries to get it not to stick. I even tried wax paper, but the dough is so soft that it stuck to the wax paper too! My suggestion: put down LOTS of flour, spread evenly. Roll once or twice, pick up dough, and reflour, and repeat until it's all rolled out. Trim the edges of the rectangle to 4 inches wide. Working with the shorter side of the rectangle parallel to the work surface, cut the strip every 4 1/2 inches to make 4 crackers. [This makes a traditional graham cracker shape. I rebelled and made mine into 2-inch fluted squares with one of these.] Personally, I just grabbed my pizza cutter and cut it into squares or small rectangles. I even used the funky triangle shapes from the edges, because my family doesn't care and they taste the same no matter the shape. :)
Place the crackers on one or two parchment-lined baking sheets and sprinkle with the topping. Chill until firm, about 30 to 45 minutes in the fridge or 15 to 20 minutes in the freezer. Repeat with the second batch of dough. Finally, gather any scraps together into a ball, chill until firm, and re-roll.
Adjust the oven rack to the upper and lower positions and preheat the oven to 350°F.
Decorate the crackers: Mark a vertical line down the middle of each cracker, being careful not to cut through the dough (again, this is for the traditional cracker shape). Using a toothpick or skewer (I like to use the blunt end of a wooden skewer for more dramatic dots), prick the dough to form two dotted rows about 1/2 inch for each side of the dividing line. I completely skipped this step, because I was ready to have these crackers done! :)
Bake for 15 to 25 minutes at 350 degrees, until browned and slightly firm to the touch, rotating the sheets halfway through to ensure even baking. [The baking time range is long because the original recipe calls for 25 minutes but my new oven -- which I suspect runs crazy hot but have yet to confirm with the actual purchase of an oven thermometer -- had them done in way less. Be safe, check them sooner. Nobody likes a burnt cracker!] So, I don't think my oven runs hot, and I baked my first batch on 350 for 15 minutes and they came out completely burnt! Sad. :( Maybe I roll mine a lot thinner, I don't know, but I cooked the next batch on 325 for about 8 minutes and they were perfect. So, I suggest you watch that first batch diligently until you know what works for you!
Thursday, April 11, 2013
Easy Crockpot Applesauce
Continuing on with my homemade snacks theme is this ridiculously easy recipe for applesauce! We LOVE applesauce around here. As a result, even though I make and bottle applesauce for my pantry every fall, it's usually gone by January! I've got to remember to triple the amount I make next time...
So, my awesome friend Kelly was feeding her kids homemade applesauce at the park the other day, and when I asked her about how she made it, she taught me that applesauce can be made easily in my crock pot! What?! Why had I never thought of this before? Maybe this is something everyone else does already, but I tried it and it was wonderful. Mmmmm....there is nothing as delicious as freshly made still-warm applesauce. I have another batch going today that will be ready just in time for Katelee to get home from school, and it smells heavenly. A perfect after school snack for a rainy day.
Photo from Comfy in the Kitchen
Want to make your own?
Ingredients:
My favorite apples for applesauce: Gala, Fuji, and Jonagold. Other apples that are good for applesauce: Red Delicious and Melrose.
So, my awesome friend Kelly was feeding her kids homemade applesauce at the park the other day, and when I asked her about how she made it, she taught me that applesauce can be made easily in my crock pot! What?! Why had I never thought of this before? Maybe this is something everyone else does already, but I tried it and it was wonderful. Mmmmm....there is nothing as delicious as freshly made still-warm applesauce. I have another batch going today that will be ready just in time for Katelee to get home from school, and it smells heavenly. A perfect after school snack for a rainy day.
Photo from Comfy in the Kitchen
Want to make your own?
Ingredients:
- 10 Apples peeled and sliced
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar (optional - I do not personally ever add sugar!)
- sprinkled cinnamon to taste
My favorite apples for applesauce: Gala, Fuji, and Jonagold. Other apples that are good for applesauce: Red Delicious and Melrose.
Wednesday, April 10, 2013
Homemade Fishy Crackers
Okay, as promised, here is another DIY snack that you can make with your kids. I was skeptical, but these really came out with that perfect cracker texture and my family and friends agree that these are actually BETTER than fishy crackers you buy. Who knew you could make crackers like this? And so easily? And with such wholesome ingredients?
This recipe is found over at Tasty Kitchen, complete with great pictures and instructions.
Ingredients:
Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand. Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. (The Tasty Kitchen link even has easy directions for making your own fishy cutter out of a pop can. We just used my itty bitty fondant cutters for some fun cracker shapes.) You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers. Delicious! Store in an air-tight container.
Here is a bowl of cheese crackers we made ourselves!
This recipe is found over at Tasty Kitchen, complete with great pictures and instructions.
Ingredients:
- 8 ounces, weight Sharp Cheddar Cheese, Shredded
- 4 Tablespoons Butter, Cut Into Cubes
- 1 cup Flour
- ¾ teaspoons Salt
- 2 Tablespoons Cold Water
Pulse everything (except water) together in the food processor until the dough resembles coarse sand. Pulse in water, 1 tablespoon at a time. Remove dough from the processor, wrap in plastic, and chill for 20 minutes. Roll out the dough and cut into desired shapes. (The Tasty Kitchen link even has easy directions for making your own fishy cutter out of a pop can. We just used my itty bitty fondant cutters for some fun cracker shapes.) You can use a toothpick to make the eyes and smile if desired. Place on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet. Bake at 350 degrees F for about 15 minutes, or until crispy. Makes approximately 7 dozen crackers. Delicious! Store in an air-tight container.
Here is a bowl of cheese crackers we made ourselves!
Monday, April 8, 2013
Homemade Granola Bars
Lately, serving my family homemade food without preservatives, extra salt, and who knows what else in it has become more and more important to me. It started out at first as a way to save money. I began making all our own bread, granola to replace cereal, cream of something soups, and so forth. I was surprised at how rewarding it was to set a delicious meal in front of my family and know exactly what was in it, and to know that it was made of wholesome ingredients that I could pronounce. :)
I decided to take this a step further and try to begin making more of our snack foods. I had been doing research on this for a few days when my amazing, talented friend Sarah posted on her blog all about the homemade snacks she had been making for her family! Bingo! She willingly shared her recipe sources, and they are perfect - exactly what I was looking for!
This week, I'll be sharing some of our new favorite snack recipes. Today's amazing recipe: homemade granola bars! Man, my kids eat these like they are candy bars. :) Literally, I give it to them for 'dessert' most of the time, but with no white sugar or corn syrup, and only a small amount of mini chocolate chips on top (optional) I feel great about serving them this dessert.
Not to mention the added advantage that making these granola bars costs pennies compared to the store bought prices.
Photo from: http://mangiablog.com/2011/09/09/friday-link-love-back-to-school-recipes/
Ingredients:
*Notes: I had no problem with the bars not staying together - they came out perfectly! However, if your bars don't seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have not boiled the mixture long enough . . . you want it to make it just past the softball stage. Or you make them too thin or you didn't pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they'll become super hard! The next time you make them, try boiling for an extra 15 seconds or so.
*This recipe is a great base for a granola bar, and wonderful just as it, but you can use it to expand and add in whatever you want: coconut, butterscotch chips, nuts...
Adapted from a recipe from Rachael Ray.
I decided to take this a step further and try to begin making more of our snack foods. I had been doing research on this for a few days when my amazing, talented friend Sarah posted on her blog all about the homemade snacks she had been making for her family! Bingo! She willingly shared her recipe sources, and they are perfect - exactly what I was looking for!
This week, I'll be sharing some of our new favorite snack recipes. Today's amazing recipe: homemade granola bars! Man, my kids eat these like they are candy bars. :) Literally, I give it to them for 'dessert' most of the time, but with no white sugar or corn syrup, and only a small amount of mini chocolate chips on top (optional) I feel great about serving them this dessert.
Not to mention the added advantage that making these granola bars costs pennies compared to the store bought prices.
Photo from: http://mangiablog.com/2011/09/09/friday-link-love-back-to-school-recipes/
Ingredients:
- 3/4 c. butter
- 3/4 c. honey
- 1 c. packed brown sugar
- 6 c. quick cooking oats (not rolled oats!)
- 3 c. crispy rice cereal
- 1 1/2 tsp. vanilla
- mini chocolate chips to sprinkle on top (optional)
*Notes: I had no problem with the bars not staying together - they came out perfectly! However, if your bars don't seem to be staying together when you cut them, you may have not boiled the mixture long enough . . . you want it to make it just past the softball stage. Or you make them too thin or you didn't pack them in tight enough. Stick them in the fridge for 20 minutes and that should help keep them together. Be sure not to keep them in there too long or else they'll become super hard! The next time you make them, try boiling for an extra 15 seconds or so.
*This recipe is a great base for a granola bar, and wonderful just as it, but you can use it to expand and add in whatever you want: coconut, butterscotch chips, nuts...
Adapted from a recipe from Rachael Ray.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)