Caramel Popcorn!!

We are a movie family.  We love watching old movies with great popcorn.  My hubby makes the best.  In fact, here is a funny story about us.

We had just had our fifth baby.  We would have a full day with the kids and want to go to bed but our precious little guy didn't like to go to sleep until around 1 a.m.  My hubby sympathized with me and would stay up till our little guy would finally give it up to sleep-land.  We passed the time by watching old movies.  He would pop a huge bowl of buttery popcorn for me and a huge bowl of buttery popcorn for him.  When I say huge, I mean HUGE!  They were 12 quart bowls!!  After a week+ of eating these wonderful buttery bowls of popcorn, we both began to notice our clothing was getting snug.  At this point, we had a ah-ah moment.  I wondered if this low cal snack food could be the culprit!  YIKES!! Have you ever looked at the calorie count for popcorn laden with butter and Parmesan cheese??!!

Okay here is the nutritional info for ONE CUP of popcorn:

Calories: 78; Fat: 5.27 g; Carbs 7.27 g; Protein .96 g

Calorie breakdown: 59% fat, 36% carbs, 5% protein

There are 78 calories in 1 cup of Buttered Popcorn popped in oil.

Can you get the picture of how many cups of popcorn my hubby and I single-handedly ate each night?  Let me help you with the math...that is at least 24 cups of butter-laden popcorn which adds up to 1872 calories just in our midnight snack.  Now, you have to add calories to this 1872 as the calories spiraled up to even greater heights due to the extra Parmesan cheese we sprinkled...okay poured onto the popcorn.  Call us overachievers! :)  

To add insult to injury for our snack food delight, we would usually start eating around 11 p.m.!!  Okay, I got the message loud and clear as I could only blame the extra weight gained on just having a baby for so long.  We curbed our snacking to occasional treats, which leads me to my new popcorn recipes that our WHOLE family indulged in eating.  I just make sure I give myself a small bowl and don't go back for seconds. :)  Hope you enjoy the popcorn as much as we did/do.

Caramel Popcorn

16 cups lightly salted popped popcorn
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup karo syrup

Step One:

Heat in butter, brown sugar and light karo syrup in saucepan and boil for 3 minutes.  Remove from heat and pour over the popped popcorn.  Mix well.

Step Two:

Place on parchment paper covered cookie sheet.  Bake 300 degrees F for 15 minutes.

If you have any left, store in sealed container. :)

Apple & Date Bars

Have you ever wanted to have a healthy alternative to give your kids...yourself? This apple & date bar fits that niche! When we buy the granola bars at the store, though convenient, we are buying processed foods. These processed foods are the culprits to building allergies and poor health in general. True grabbing a granola bar is a healthier choice than a candy bar but....

This home made granola bar is not only healthy BUT SOOOOOO Good! Our problem was limiting ourselves to just one. I think this recipe is going to be a keeper. Enjoy.

Apple & Date Bars
1 medium apple (finely chopped)
1 cup chopped pitted dates
4 Tbs. water
2/3 cup butter
1/3 cup brown sugar
3 Tbs honey
3/4 cup whole wheat flour
3 cups granola
1/3 cup pine nuts
1/3 cup sliced almonds

Step One:
Heat the chopped apple & chopped dates in a sauce pan w/ water till tender. Add butter, sugar and honey. Heat till melted.

Step Two:
All all the other ingredients and mix thoroughly. Press into greased 9 x 13" baking pan.

Step Three:
Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes. Cool. When hardened, cut into bars.

Note from Paula:

This is a chewy granola bar to have ready for afternoon snacks or add to the kids lunch box. Better yet, eat them yourself!!! They are really good!

Whole Wheat Pretzels

This is a fast recipe to make a quick appetizer OR an afternoon snack for kids coming home from school; or chow down on them yourself! This is not the official pretzel that you would make the basic bread dough; shape into a pretzel; boil the dough for 30 seconds; bake @ 350 for 15 or until golden brown.

As you know my mantra is fast and easy. This Cheese Pretzel fits that bill. You will be able to serve pretzels as a new healthy snack and not have a lot of time into the project. I will be making the official pretzels in the near future and will give you a blow by blow pic detail of the step process.

For now, enjoy a quick whole wheat pretzel!

Whole Wheat Cheese Pretzels 3 cups whole wheat flour
1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
4 tsp baking powder
1 tsp raw sugar
3/4 tsp salt
4 Tbs cold butter
2/3 cup milk
1 egg beaten
Coarse salt

Step One:
Combine whole wheat flour, shredded cheddar cheese, baking powder, raw sugar, salt & butter in your Bosch Mixer with your gourmet whips. The whips will cut the butter into the flour nicely.

Step Two:
Change from the gourmet whips to the Bosch dough hook and add milk Knead 2 minutes. The dough will be tacky.

Step Three:
Now, for a first for me to tell you...Flour the counter surface and your pizza roller to roll the dough out into large rectangle 8" wide. (see pic). Cut the rectangle dough into strips and roll bread dough into 10 to 12" ropes. Tie the rope into a pretzel knot (click here to see pic).

Step Four:
Place on grease stainless steel cookie sheet With a pastry brush, brush the pretzel dough with the beaten egg; then sprinkle with the coarse salt. Bake @ 400 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown. Best if eaten hot!

Home Made Caramel Apples

Fall brings the state fairs and make you want fair food...well not all fair food! I love caramel apples which is a typical fair food. If you ever read the ingredients of store bought caramel...well, you probably want to pass. Here is a 'natural' recipe for you. It does have a lot of sugar BUT you don't have the chemicals and additives.

You can make caramel dipped apples with this OR you can keep the caramel and mix it with...chocolate...dip apple slices in the caramel....freeze it and use it with your right around the corner holidays!

2 cups heavy cream

1# unsalted butter
16 oz bottle light corn syrup
1/2 tsp salt
2 cups granulated sugar
2 # brown sugar
1 Tbls vanilla*

In a heavy bottom sauce pan, combine 2 cups cream, corn syrup, butter and salt. Heat on medium until butter is melted. Add sugars and stir until all sugar has dissolved. With a pastry brush dipped in water, brush down any crystal on the side of the pan. (This is an important stage as the crystals left on the sides will cause crystallization in the end.)

Bring to a boil on medium high. Do not stir after sides have been wiped down. Place a candy thermometer on the side and boil until it reaches 238-240 (soft ball on a candy thermometer) Remove from heat and stir in vanilla. Dip apples immediately. Hold apple over caramel until it stops dripping. Place on prepared wax paper.

*Be careful when you add the vanilla as it will splatter when it hits the hot caramel liquid! Also, I used long skewers to dip the apples as the sugar was so hot! When it cooled, I put the shorter stick on the apple.

Home Made Caramel Candy:

You can pour the caramel into mason jars and store in fridge for several weeks. This is great to do right now and you will have fresh caramel for the holiday baking!

I poured mine out onto a jelly roll pan. I formed small balls of caramel for our holiday season.

Date Almond Granola Bars!!

   

As discussing the theme of this month focusing on lunch and snack ideas, here is a healthy granola bar.  If you look at the local supermarket granola bars they are loaded with refined sugar!  We think we are feeding our kids nutritionally only to be overloading them with sugar and other refined foods.

Now, you can make a healthy whole grain granola bar!  The dates make this granola bar so sweet and chewy.  You will think you are eating 'junk food' but it is all natural and healthy.  Perfect!  These are easy to make which meets my litmus for recipes.  FAST and EASY granola bars!



Date Almond Granola Bars!
from Lunch & Snacks  by Sue Gregg

Step One:
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 cup honey
Blend over very low heat.

Step Two:
In Bosch Universal Mixer with cookie paddles; then add honey mixture:
4 cups rolled, uncooked oats*
1 cup chopped or sliced almonds
1 cup dates chopped
1 tsp cinnamon

 
Step Three:
Beat eggs whites till stiff and fold into granola mixture.
2 large egg whites

Step Four:
Press into 13 x 9" pan and bake 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes.  Remove from oven and press down with rubber spatula.  Cool and cut into bars.

 
*Note from Paula:  I used my home made granola instead of raw rolled oats.  Skip the cinnamon if you use the pre-made granola.   Click here for granola recipe!

Also stay tuned for a wonderful cake to make with the extra egg yolks you have left over from this granola bar recipe!

Nutty Butter Balls!

From Lunch & Snacks by Sue Gregg

Do your kids get hungry mid-afternoon and start the hunt for some kind of snack food...probably junk food? This is the perfect snack that is power packed with protein to give the added jump start to make it to the next meal time.

Really having small meals or mini meals is ideal to keep your body fuel going the full day! This is a keeper snack. When I made these the first time my kids were circling me with curiosity. Then they curiously asked me it would even taste good.

Well, the verdict is out. "WOW!" "WHOA THESE ARE GREAT!" "How many can I have?" Need I say this is a great, healthy snack that is easy to make? You...your family will love them!

The best is that your Bosch Universal Mixer will help you to make this easy snack...hurray for my perfect kitchen appliance!

Nutty Butter Balls!

Step One:
Chop in your Bosch Blender:
1/2 cup date nugets
1/4 cup walnuts
1/4 cup pecans
1/4 cup rolled, uncooked oats
1/4 dried coconut, unsweetened

Step Two:
Mix in your Bosch Universal Mixer w/ cookie paddles:
3/4 cup peanut butter
2 Tbls. honey
1 tsp. vanilla
1/4 non-fat dry milk powder

Step Three:
Slowly add the chopped mixture into peanut butter mixture. Remove and make walnut size balls on lined cookie sheet. Store in fridge. Ready for afternoon snacks! Yum!

Note from Paula:

I rolled some of the nutty butter balls in sesame seeds. You could also chop different nuts as a coating as well. Just adds looks and flavor. Yum! :)