Spiced Gourmet Popcorn

Ingredients:
1 tsp onion salt
1 tsp dried thyme
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popping corn
1 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp sweet paprika
In a little bowl, mix paprika, thyme, oregano, onion salt and half the vegetable oil.

Heat other half of oil in saucepan. When oil is very hot, add popping corn and cover with tight fitting lid. When the corn starts popping, give the pan a shake. When the corn stops popping, take pan off heat.

Place popcorn into a serving bowl, discarding any unpopped corn. Add the spice mixture and toss.

Great addition to any lunchbox.

Have you heard about the “canvolution” sweeping the country? Check out CanningAcrossAmerica.com for canning events and resources. ~Elise

One of our favorite products is jarred marinated red bell peppers. They’re convenient for recipes that call for roasted red peppers, and good to nibble on straight too. Usually we just buy them at Trader Joe’s, but if you can get a good deal on a lot of peppers, you can easily make and can your own. It takes a while for red bell peppers to fully ripen into their redness, which I suppose is why they cost more than the green variety. Late August is a great time to find them at a reasonable price at a farmers market or the supermarket. To make your own, just char the peppers in a broiler or over flame, remove the blackened skin and seeds, bottle with a boiled vinegar, lemon juice, olive oil marinade. If you just want to use up the peppers quickly, you can skip the canning steps and just keep them refrigerated in their marinade (they’ll last a couple of weeks in the fridge). Or process the jars in a water bath if you want to store them in the cupboard or for a longer period of time.

Continue reading “Marinated Roasted Red Bell Peppers” »

From Simply Recipes.

Spiced Popcorn

• 1 tsp onion salt
• 1 tsp dried thyme
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 1/2 cup popping corn
• 1 tsp dried oregano
• 2 tsp sweet paprika

In a little bowl, mix paprika, thyme, oregano, onion salt and half the vegetable oil.

Heat other half of oil in saucepan. When oil is very hot, add popping corn and cover with tight fitting lid. When the corn starts popping, give the pan a shake. When the corn stops popping, take pan off heat.

Place popcorn into a serving bowl, discarding any unpopped corn. Add the spice mixture and toss.

For some extra spicy popcorn, add a little chili powder or cayenne pepper to the mix as well.

• 8 medium red potatoes, peel left on and shredded
• 1 large sweet onion, minced
• 3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 3 tbsp all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp dried rosemary
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 1/2 tsp lime juice
• 2 tbsp vegetable oil

Combine the shredded potatoes, onion, eggs, flour, baking powder, rosemary, salt, pepper and lime juice in a large bowl and toss gently.

In a large pan, heat the oil over medium heat and add 2/3 cup at a time of the potato mixture. With a spatula, press the potato mixture into a pancake shape and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes on each side until nice and crisp. Repeat with the rest of the potato mixture. Place the finished pancakes onto a paper towel to drain the fat.

Yogurt Popsicle Treat

Ingredients:
2 ½ cups plain yogurt (ideally low-fat)
2 small bananas
2/3 cup frozen orange juice concentrate (undiluted)

Combine yogurt, bananas and orange juice in a blender or food processor and blend until smooth.

Pour mixture into Popsicle containers and put in freezer.

This is a very easy to make and guilt-free treat for the whole family.

Enjoy!

High Energy Crunchy Balls

Ingredients:
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup finely grated carrots
1/4 cup good quality Granola
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1 Tablespoon runny honey
3 Tablespoons peanut butter (crunchy or smooth)
This is a super easy and quick recipe, but very healthy and delicious.

Combine all the ingredients in large bowl.

Roll into balls and let them be enjoyed by old and young!

Warning — since this recipe involves heating marshmallows, things tend to get a little messy and sticky when you’re making these, especially if young children are involved.

Popcorn Crispie Bars

1 (16 ounce) package miniature marshmallows
20 caramels
1/4 cup butter, cubed
10 cups popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups salted peanuts
1 cup M&Ms plain chocolate candies (the red, white and blue ones if you can find them)

Place the marshmallows, caramels and butter into a large saucepan. Place pan over low heat and cook until all the ingredients have melted and is smooth.  Place the popcorn in a 9X13 cake pan.  Pour the marshmallow mixture over the popcorn.  Use a rubber spatula to mix all together being sure to coat the popcorn well.  You will have to do this quickly before the caramels start to harden again.  Add the peanuts and M&M’s.  Spread out evenly.  Cool until firm.

Apple Cake

Batter
3 eggs
1 tsp. baking soda
2 cups white sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup vegetable oil
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 cup chopped walnuts
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
4 cups thinly sliced apples.

Icing
2 – 4 oz. packs softened cream cheese
2 cups confectioner’s sugar
1/4 cup melted butter
1 tsp. lemon juice

Preheat the oven to 350F. Butter the bottom and sides of a 9×13 inch pan, then spread the sliced apples over the bottom, sprinkle lemon juice over the apples to help keep them from turning brown.  In a small bowl, beat the eggs with a mixer until they are thick and light. Stir together the sugar and oil, then add that to the egg mixture.  In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, cinnamon, and salt.  Combine that with the eggs and mix well. Stir in the nuts and vanilla. This mixture will be thick.

Spread the batter over the apples and then bake the cake for one hour. You can also test for doneness by inserting a toothpick into the center of the cake. If it’s clean when you take it out, the cake is finished. Remove the cake and allow it to cool completely on a rack.

For the icing: Beat the cream cheese until fluffy and then add the melted butter. Slowly add the confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice. Frost the cooled cake and then refrigerate it.

Trail Mix

• 6 cups Kix cereal
• 1 small pack non-instant vanilla pudding
• 1 1/2 cups coarsely chopped hazelnuts
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1 cup golden raisins
• 1/2 cup peanut butter
• 1 cup banana chips

Combine all of the dry ingredients in a large bowl, stirring well. In a sauce pan over medium heat, combine the honey and pudding. Bring this up to a boil and allow this to boil for 30 seconds or so. Remove this from the heat and stir in the peanut butter, mixing well, and then pour it over the cereal mixture.  Mix all of this together until the cereal mix is evenly coated, or as coated as you can get it. Spread the trail mix out on a cookie sheet to cool.  When cool, place in zip top bags for storage.

Deviled Egg with Olives

• 6 hardboiled eggs
• 2 Tablespoons of vinegar
• 2 Tablespoons of prepared mustard
• 2 Tablespoons of olives
• 2 Tablespoons of oil
• Salt and pepper to taste

Slice the eggs into half from top to bottom. Remove the yolks into a small bowl and mash them, then, mix in the same bowl the vinegar, mustard, oil, salt and pepper. Pour into the egg whites the mixture and put the olives on top.