Day 26: Favorite Recipe Old Fashioned Kettle Corn

Sweet and salty...the perfect combination, no?

Today, I'm going to share with you one of my favorite
sweet and salty recipes, Old Fashioned Kettle Corn!

This is my own personal recipe.
 I came up with the idea many years ago after tasting some sweet kettle corn

at some sort of fair event.

I set about trying to make my own version at home, 

and well, the rest is history!

This stuff is a staple at our house.
I am seriously not kidding...we make this nearly everyday.
I usually make this in the morning and pack it for my lunch.

I did my best to lay out the ingredients and how to's for you here so that you can make kettle corn at home!

But I have to state the disclaimer, I have this practically down to a science,

and except for the amount of sugar, the rest is done mostly by sight/feel.
So there might be some trial and error involved because amounts aren't exact.

You Will Need:

Ingredients:

•  3/4 c. (about) Olive Oil
• 3/4 c. (about) popcorn kernels
• 1/4 c. sugar
• Salt

Tools & Utensils:
*Cast iron skillet with lid
(I use a 10 in. pan- measuring across the bottom)

Large metal bowl

Large spoon

Oven Mitts

Notes:

• Yes you HAVE to use olive oil...it doesn't taste near as food with canola oil. Not to mention it is really unhealthy for you.

•  A lid for your pan is a MUST. I just found a kettle lid that fit my skillet and used that.

• DO NOT use a PLASTIC bowl to dump your popcorn in...the kernels and popcorn are very hot when you finish popping, if you dump them into a plastic bowl they will melt indentations into it....trust me, I know.

 CAUTION:
You will be working with hot oil and popping corn.
I recommend if you have any small children,
keep them away from your working area while making this.
Tiny escaping oil splatters are possible, so be careful.
This is why it is most important that you wear mitts on both hand while
popping.

Before you start popping, 

be sure you have all of your ingredients measured out

and your tools set up and handy, this is a fast process,

so you need to be prepared!


Step 1: Heat

Place your skillet on the stove top

and turn the heat to Med-High.

Allow pan to heat up.


Step 2: Add Oil 

Once pan is heated, 

pour in the olive oil.

Depending on the size of your skillet, you may or may not need the entire 3/4 c. of oil.
Usually I don't measure when I do this step- I simply pour in enough so that the bottom is decently covered.

Allow this to warm up as well, about 5 mins.

In all honestly,

I know it is ready when it starts to lightly smoke.

You can test if the oil is hot enough

by placing a single kernel in the oil- if it bubbles around the kernel,

it is hot enough. 

If it doesn't, remove the kernel and allow oil to continue heating.


Step 3: Add Kernels  

Once the oil is heated,

pour your kernels in.

You can measure them out,
or pour enough to get a single layer of kernels, again, I do this by sight. 

Using your metal spoon, spread them around to ensure they are coated in the oil.

Step 4: Add Sugar 

Depending on how brave you are, you have two 

choices at this point.

1. You can add the sugar right after stirring the kernels into the oil

Or

2. Wait until the first kernel pops then add the sugar- this is what I do.

The advantage of adding it after the first pop is that the sugar

doesn't clump up as much because it doesn't sit in the oil as long.

The disadvantage to waiting until the first pop?
You might get splattered with hot oil if another one pops.

Step 5: Stir

Whichever you choose,

add the sugar, stir to coat.

If you waited for the first pop,

cover immediately after stirring in the sugar.

If you didn't, continue stirring lightly

until the first kernel pops then cover the pan.


Step 6: Cover & Shake 

Cover your skillet.
With mitts on both hands,
shake the skillet back and forth over the burner,
occasionally tipping from front to back.
This movement keeps the kernels circulating and avoids burning them.

Like this.
Keep them moving!

Just as with microwave popcorn,
once the popping has slowed down and a large space
occurs between pops, this is a sign your popcorn is ready!

Remove pan from heat and carefully pour popcorn in bowl.
BE CAREFUL.
Kernels may still continue to pop because of the heat of the skillet.
 Use the lid as a sort of shield while you are pour the popcorn into the bowl.

You will have unpopped kernels dispersed throughout,
but that is ok.

Step 7: Eat!

Lightly salt the popcorn and stir.

It is still very HOT at this point, so let it cool before eating!

See that crystallized, caramelized sugar goodness?!

This stuff is amazing!

Hits the spot every time!

Small warning,

be aware of unpopped kernels stuck to the popcorn by the hardened sugar!

Look before you snack, or you might have a 'hard' awakening.


Don't worry if you slightly (or more than slightly) burn some of the popcorn on your first try.
 You will get the hang of it after a couple runs!

I hope you enjoy this quick, yummy treat!
I know I issued several caution and warning statements,
but don't let that frighten you, this really isn't difficult to make,
so give it a try!


All photo credits go to my amazing personal photographer and brother, Anthony!


 ~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Day 17: Five Favorites, Pinterest Recipes

Today I'm going to share with you

my top five favorite tried-and-true Pinterest recipes to date!

 

Top Five Pinterest Recipes 

Slow Cooker Creamy Chicken & Wild Rice Soup

 Brought to you by Chef Mommy,

this recipe is a family favorite and has been for over a year.

During the colder months it stays on high meal rotation.

Not only is this soup oober yummy, it is really easy!

I've made a few changes to the recipe such as adding:

water chestnuts

thyme, marjoram and oregano (about 1tsp each)

By skipping the cream and thickening part at the end,

I've also created a version that is dairy and gluten free for the other half of the family.

Easy Home Made French Bread

I've lost count of how many times I've made this wonderful recipe!

This recipe from Deals to Meals is just what the name says...easy!

With just a little bit of planning, 

I can whip this up and have it ready to go with any Italian or soup meal.

 If you are intimidated by yeast breads, 

this is the best recipe I can think of to get you started!

In fact, I have used the same method they use

for rising the bread with other yeast breads/rolls and it works wonderfully! 

It has changed how I make yeast breads!

Loaded Baked Potato Soup

 

I haven't made this recipe as many times as the wild rice soup,

probably a total of three or four, but each time it is wonderful!

This has great flavor and rises above ordinary potato soups,

especially served with freshly snipped chives!

The best part?

This dish of yum is apparently served at the Disney Parks Coronation Cafe!

You can find the recipe at the Disney Parks Blog.

 Simple Seasoned Asparagus and Peppers

 

This is a relatively new recipe, I found it over the holiday season

while looking for a different sort of side dish that was gluten free.

I am SO glad I found this recipe!

This is FABULOUS! 

I have made it about three times now, and each time is great!

Not only is this a healthy dish, but it tastes wonderful and is really simple to make.

You can find the original recipe here at Scratch Mommy Blog,

although I have made a few changes to my version.

I double the asparagus, while leaving everything else the same,

and I use Red Wine Vinegar instead of plum vinegar, and it tastes great!

Also, I mixed up my own Adobo seasoning using this recipe.

This will make a lot of Adobo seasoning, and you won't use it all for this recipe,

so keep it in an empty spice jar for next time!

Sweet & Buttery Yeast Rolls

I love breads.

I know, I know...carbs and all that,

but I seriously can't live without them!

This is about my third yeast roll recipe,

and I can tell you now, the search is over!!!

These are so, so wonderful!

Someday, this will be Grandma Desarae's roll recipe, passed down through generations.

They are that good.

You can find the recipe at Eclectic Recipes blog.

These might take a little more time than some other yeast rolls I've made,

but they aren't difficult, and they are totally worth it!

 

 

And there you have it!

Those are my top five Pinterest recipes!

It was hard to narrow them down, because I have found other great eats,

but these are probably the most repeated and memorable dishes!

For more tried and true recipes and projects from Pinterest,

you can visit my 'Pinterest For Real' board, with thoughts,

tips and changes usually written in the pin description.

I hope you enjoy!

~~~~
I'm linking up at Anchored in Love Divine
for the Blog Everyday in February Challenge!

Asparagus Quiche

Hello all!

Today, I have a wonderful recipe that I would love to share with you.

Would you believe it if I told you I actually didn't get this recipe from Pinterest?!

That's right, I got it the old fashioned way...from a friend!

Well, actually it was a stranger to me, but a friend of my Nana's.

 

To make a short story long,

a couple months back I was staying with Nana while she was going through the worst stages of recovering from a bad car accident.

Her loving and supportive church family was fast and furiously filling her fridge and freezer with meals while she was out of commission.

One of those yummy dishes was a heavenly quiche...I exaggerate not!

Nana and I swooned over it as if it were a delectable three layer cream-cheese, chocolate chip cookie dough, peanut butter pie (which, if you actually have a recipe for...I'd love...)!

It was wonderful.

 

Through a series of phone calls and asking around,

we finally got our hands on the recipe!

And made it immediately.

 

I have since made it twice...and to be honest, it doesn't taste as outstanding as that first gift quiche did, but it is wonderful none the less!

I can promise you one thing though, I intend to make this as many times as necessary until I attain perfection...and then I'll make it even more.

 

So without further ado, I give you...

 

Asparagus Quiche

 

 

 

*9 eggs

1 1/4 cup half and half

1 tsp. seasoning salt

1 c. sharp cheddar cheese, grated

1/2 c. Parmesan cheese, grated

1/2 c. Monterey Jack cheese, grated

2 green onions, chopped finely

*1/2 to 1 c. chopped meat (turkey ham, bacon, ham etc.)

1 can asparagus, large spears

2 9-inch deep dish pie crusts

paprika, optional

parsley, optional

salt and pepper to taste

 

 

Beat eggs.

Whisk in half and half and seasoning salt. Salt and pepper to taste.

Stir in cheeses, green onions, and meat of your choice.

Drain and chop asparagus, fold into egg mixture.

Pour into frozen, unbaked pie crusts.

If desired, sprinkle lightly with paprika and parsley.

Cover crust edges with tin foil to avoid over cooking.

Bake at 375 degrees for 45 minutes.

 

Yields 2 9-inch pie quiches

 

My Notes:

*The original recipe called for 6 eggs- but it didn't fill the crusts, so I used 9 the next time and it turned out great.

** The original recipe called for chopped ham- the original cook said she used Hormel's Virginia Ham lunch meat and chopped it into bits. However, we have a ham allergy in my family, so we used turkey ham the first time and turkey bacon the second. Both tasted great!

Also- the first time I sprinkled paprika and parsley on top, but the second time I omitted it.

Just play around with what you want.

 

 

I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I did!

Oatmeal Raisin Cookies, Gluten Free Option

 It happened.

I was suddenly struck with one of those irrepressible food cravings,
you know the kind...
 something yummy gets fixated in your head and your just can't live happily until you've had some.

For two weeks, my goodie fixation was Oatmeal Raisin cookies.
It wasn't as if they were my favorite cookie, and it had been ages since I had any, but suddenly it became necessary for survival that I make myself a batch.

Sadly, my first attempt was a flop.
First...there wasn't a single raisin to be had in the entire house.
Oh well, chocolate chips seemed a good substitute, right?

Nope.
They tasted like chocolate chip cookies with a little more texture.
Good, yes.
But sorely disappointing when you were expecting something different.

So, after stocking up on raisins,
I tried again.

Ahh, the old fashioned, simple recipe I found in our go-to cookie cook book hit the spot!
I found it interesting when I read 'buttermilk' on the ingredient list.
But if there is one thing I've learned since moving down south,
 it is that all good things are made with buttermilk.

And what made it even better, with some slight tweaking I was able to make
a gluten free version so my dad could enjoy these treats as well!

 It was so yummy, I thought I would share it with you.

Farm-Style Oatmeal Cookies

*2 cups packed brown sugar
1 cup shortening
1/2 cup buttermilk
1 tsp vanilla
4 cups quick-cooking oats
**1 3/4 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
***cinnamon

• Heat oven to 375 degrees
• Mix brown sugar, shortening, buttermilk, vanilla and cinnamon.
• Stir in remaining ingredients.
• Drop spoonfuls onto cookie sheet, flatten slightly.
• Bake 10-12 minutes, until golden brown.
• Let cool.

*I would recommend using less sugar, they were great, but a bit sweet for our taste.

 

**This is where I turned the recipe gluten free. I measured out 1 3/4 cups of quick oats and simply ran them through the food processor (a blender would work too) until they were a fine powder.

And there you have it, I made oat flour. It came out to be about the same ground up as whole, so the measurement you put into the food processor is pretty much what you will get out in flour.

 

 ***This recipe didn't call for cinnamon, but others I looked at did, so I just sprinkled some in. 

I didn't measure, so I would just say 'viewer discretion advised'. :) 

Yum, yum, yummy.

Now, the recipe says to bake these for about 10-12 minutes-- the key is until they are golden brown.
Mine were very crumbly, and I thought they weren't quite done, but once they cooled completely, they were perfect...soft and gooey. I made the mistake of cooking my next pan longer, and once they cooled they were hard, crunchy and even tasted a little different.
So less is best.

This recipe came from the Betty Crocker Cookie Cookbook, 1986 version





Enjoy!

Emily Dickinson, A Historical Cake Recipe

Hello!

 

Along one of my various 'bunny trails' I stumbled onto something quite interesting that I wanted to share with you.

 

Did you know that a recipe, handwritten in the script of the famous poet Emily Dickinson,

has survived the passing of time?

 

Yes, it's true!

 

There exists a recipe for Coconut Cake, listing only the ingredients.

 

 

 

I found it very interesting.

 

Here is an article with some history on the poet as well as the original recipe, as pictured above.

 

It sounds like something I would like to make!

 

If you would too, here is a link to another blog in which the blogger takes the recipe

and provides directions for mixing and baking.

 

 

The link and article she mentions in the first few lines is the article which I initially read,

and while the recipe on *that* site isn't true to Miss Dickinson's,

it is still a diverting read.

 

 

Enjoy!

 

Pinterest for Real: Pizza Grilled Cheese

Pinterest.

The greatest thing since Google, agreed?

Of course you do.

But...

there is a downside to Pinterest, as I'm sure you will also agree.

That being: way. too. much. time. spent. pinning!

Not to mention we tend to devour the pins more than the actual food on the pins.

So, to alleviate my guilty conscience (and rumbly tumbly),

I started a Pin board called 'Pinterest For Real'

that I plan to fill with things I have actually made and done!

*Gasp*

I consider it my passport of 'stamps' on my journey

from a see-er to a do-er.

Join me?

Here is some inspiration.

This is one of my favorite recent  recipes.

Pizza Grilled Cheese

Recipe from Forkful of Comfort blog

2 slices of bread

butter

mozzarella cheese, sliced

pepperoni

Italian seasoning (or basil)

Parmesan cheese

pizza sauce for dipping

Warm a medium/large skillet over medium heat.

Butter each piece of bread on one side.

Place a piece of bread butter side down on the skillet,

add one slice of cheese,

small shake of Italian seasoning (or basil)

and a good sprinkling of Parmesan cheese.

Top with a desired amount of pepperonis (I used about 9 slices per sandwich).

Add another slice of mozzarella, sprinkle more seasoning and Parmesan if desired

(and I desired it!)

Top with slice bread butter side up.

(At this point I covered the pan, this helped the cheese melt better)

When bottom slice is golden brown then flip over carefully.

Once both sides are brown remove from pan cut and serve with pizza sauce if desired.

 ***

*Variations*

1. I made this on Wal-mart's "Everything" (sesame seeds, garlic, poppy seeds, Parmesan etc)

french bread and it was wonderful!

2. I made this same recipe but substituted chicken breast lunch meat and it was great.

I even using the pizza dipping sauce!

3. Make a 'cheese pizza' variation with out the pepperoni (good for the little kids.)

4. We made this with Turkey Perrperoni (some family members are allergic to pork).

 These are super simple and taste great!

I was sceptical at first that the flavor wouldn't be very good

on normal, run of the mill bread.

But it turned out oh so tasty!

We've been making these quite regular for the past few weeks.

So get grillin' and enjoy!

~Me~

Corn Bread Recipe

Hey y'all!

In my last post I talked about corn bread and buttermilk and I didn't think it fair to leave you in mouth watering wonderment! While I can't help you with the buttermilk, I can share our corn bread recipe, and the one I used that day with Mrs. P. It is pretty simple!

Corn Bread

1 cup corn meal (we prefer white, but there is also yellow)

1 cup flour

3 tbsp. sugar

4 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1 egg

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Blend together all the dry ingredients.

Add the egg, buttermilk and oil.

Mix together well, being sure you stir in all of the flour and corn meal.

Now, you can simple pour the corn bread mixture into

a greased 9x13 pan OR this is how we like to do it...

In a large, cast iron skillet, pour a little bit of oil,

enough that when spread around it covers the bottom.

Put this in the warm oven and let heat.

You know it is warm enough when you hear it popping.

Remove from oven and pour corn bread batter into the pan.

By doing this, is makes the bottom layer nice and crispy!

Give it a try!

Cook for about 20-25 minutes, until a knife or toothpick

comes out clean.

Fresh out of the oven, cut a piece and crumble it into a cup or bowl, drizzle just a little bit of honey over it, then add some milk, as much as you think you need (I like lots, and the corn bread will soak it up as you stir it in).

Enjoy!