Microwave Popcorn in A Bag

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks. I think I enjoy it so much  is because you can do so much with!   it- butter it, put seasonings on it, mix it with chocolate and even put peanut butter on it!  It can be a low-calorie snack or a high-calorie treat.  Growing up, there were times that my mother would make a bowl and drizzle bacon grease over it (I now realize it wasn't the healthiest thing to eat but it really tasted pretty good!).  I love this recipe because it is cheap,  easy to make AND very little dishes to  clean!  Yes, you can leave the nuts out!

Microwave Popcorn In a Bag

Ingredients

1 cup packed golden brown sugar

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon salt

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

8 cups popped popcorn

2 cups roasted peanuts

Directions

In a large glass bowl, combine the sugar, syrup, salt, butter, and vanilla. Microwave on high for 1 minute. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Add the baking soda and stir well (mixture will foam). Combine the popcorn and peanuts in a large brown paper bag. Pour the syrup into the bag and stir to coat. Turn the bag under to close and microwave on high for 1 minute. Shake to stir.  Microwave one more minute.  Shake to stir again.  Open bag and eat.  Enjoy!

Caramel Apples

I love caramel.  In fact I remember the first time I tasted homemade caramels was when my grandma Peg made them.  I remember getting cream- it wasn't a carton of cream purchased from the store but came from someone who delivered it straight from the cow.

 The caramels made from that cream were incredible- soft, creamy, melt-in-your mouth goodness. I've tried to replicate that taste many times by making different recipes for caramel but they always seemed to come out missing flavor....until now.
Its that time of year when I once again begin my quest for the perfect caramel/caramel sauce.  As I searched the internet I came across this one I decided to give a try.  It looked pretty easy- only a couple of ingredients that I happened to have on hand:

Directions said to mix everything together except for the vanilla and bring to a boil.

Using a candy thermometer, bring the caramel sauce to approximately 248 degrees or firm ball stage. I actually took it off a couple of degrees lower so it would be a softer caramel.
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I mixed the vanilla in, poured the caramel into a container to cool.

  Of course I couldn't wait for it to totally cool down so took a spoon, scooped some out and tasted it.  Wow-  I was immediately  transported back to grandma's house tasting those caramels.  This time it was different and i was using sweetened condensed milk!  It was great! Hope you enjoy!

Caramel Apples

By Kitencal on Food.com

Ingredients

1 cup butter ( no substitutes)

2 cups packed brown sugar

1 cup light corn syrup

1 (14 ounce) cans sweetened condensed milk

2 teaspoons vanilla

8 -10 wooden sticks

8 -10 medium tart apples

Directions

Insert 1 wooden stick into each apple.  In a heavy saucepan, combine the butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and milk; bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Cook and stir until a candy thermometer reads 248 degrees (firm ball stage) about 30-40 minutes and for a softer caramel cook just to a few less degrees. Remove from heat; stir in vanilla.

Dip each apple into hot caramel mixture; turn to coat. Holding by the stick, sprinkle with nuts or whatever you desire while the caramel is still warm (work quickly the caramel sets up fast).

Pumpkin Doughnuts

I'm sitting here with my oversized fuzzy sweatshirt on huddled under my wellworn sherpa-lined blanket.  There is a chill in the air and I didn't want to turn the heat on just yet so I decided to warm up the house by turning on the oven and do a little baking.  

Pumpkin is one of my favorite ingredients to cook with every Fall.  Pumpkin cheesecake, scones, cakes rolls, love them all and yet.....I'm not crazy about pumpkin pie!  What's up with that???

So this weekend I decided to try a new recipe for Pumpkin doughnuts.  I grew up on frying doughnuts so this recipe intrigued me because the doughnuts are baked. I don't know if they are any healthier but thought I would try them out.  I ordered the doughnut pans off of Amazon (about $5.00/pan) and as ready to go.

This was a simple recipe to make- no fancy ingredients or difficult directions.  First thing it called for was to 

Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, flour and baking powder until smooth.

Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full. Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and transfer them to a rack to cool. While they are still hot, dredge them in the cinnamon-sugar mixture.  Enjoy! Pumpkin Doughnuts Doughnuts 1/2 cup vegetable oil 3 large eggs 1 1/2 cups granulated sugar 1 1/2 cups pumpkin purée (canned pumpkin) 1 1/2 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice, or 3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon plus heaping 1/4     teaspoon each ground nutmeg and ground ginger 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 1 3/4 cups + 2 tablespoons flour Coating 3 tablespoons cinnamon-sugar Directions Preheat the oven to 350°F. Lightly grease two standard doughnut pans. If you don't have doughnut pans, you can bake these in a standard muffin tin; they just won't be doughnuts. Beat together the oil, eggs, sugar, pumpkin, spices, salt, and baking powder until smooth.  Add the flour, stirring just until smooth.  Fill the wells of the doughnut pans about 3/4 full; use a scant 1/4 cup of batter in each well. If you're making muffins, fill each well about 3/4 full; the recipe makes about 15, so you'll need to bake in two batches (unless you have two muffin pans).  Bake the doughnuts for 15 to 18 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of one comes out clean. If you're making muffins, they'll need to bake for 23 to 25 minutes. Remove the doughnuts from the oven, and after about 5 minutes, loosen their edges, and transfer them to a rack to cool. While the doughnuts are still warm (but no longer fragile), gently shake them in a bag with the cinnamon-sugar. If you've made muffins, sprinkle their tops heavily with cinnamon-sugar. Cool completely, and store (not wrapped tight) at room temperature for several days. Yield: 12 doughnuts or 15 muffins.