Many Thanks to our Veterans!!

Happy Veterans Day... 

11-11-11

Thank you to the many who have risked their life to serve our country! And what an honor to remember all those who have given their lives for OUR freedom! What a sacrifice!! To all family members affected, may you be honored too!

Thank YOU for your military service!

God Bless America...

Spicy Caramel Corn

I have been absolutely craving caramel corn lately. It's just such a perfect fall treat. I wanted to find the perfect recipe without using corn syrup because there is something that seems so wrong about that product. It is entirely too thick and sticky to be any good. I found this kick booty recipe from smittenkitchen. At first I didn't think I could taste the spiciness, but I think I am slightly immune to spice, being half-Thai and all, because it definitely has a nice kick. But it is still a sweet treat despite the spice. I added some candy corn to make it a lil' more festive. 

Also, popping popcorn on the stove is dope. I mean DOPE. I was pretty intimidated by the thought of getting perfectly popped popcorn on the stove because I always seem to burn it, but it is really not that difficult. The key is to keep moving the pot so that the popcorn doesn't stick to the bottom and burn!

Recipe:
Slightly adapted from Smittenkitchen

Makes 4 quarts

Ingredients: 
-Nonstick cooking spray or vegetable oil
-3 tablespoons vegetable oil
-1/2 cup popcorn kernels
-2 cups salted peanuts (optional)
-1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
-1/4 to 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper (see Note)
-3 cups sugar
-3 tablespoons unsalted butter
-1 to 1 1/2 tablespoons kosher or coarse sea salt (see Note)

Lightly coat two large, heatproof rubber spatulas, a very large mixing bowl and two large baking sheets with nonstick cooking spray or a thin slick of oil.

To make the popcorn: In a large saucepan or pot with a lid, heat the oil over medium-high heat. Add two or three popcorn kernels and top with the lid. After they have popped, quickly remove them and add the 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels taking the pot off of the burner still covered to allow the kernels to heat up to the same temperature. After a minute, place the pot back on the burner, still covered and keep the saucepan moving until all of the kernels have popped, about 5 minutes. I take a dish towel to grab onto the lid and handles and hold over the burner shaking the pot like a mad woman. Transfer to the prepared bowl, removing any un-popped kernels. Toss with salted peanuts, if using.

In a small bowl, whisk together the baking soda and cayenne pepper.

Have the two large baking sheets ready. In a medium saucepan, combine the sugar, butter, salt and 1/2 cup water. Cook over high heat, without stirring, until the mixture becomes a light golden-yellow caramel, 10 to 14 minutes. Remove from the heat and carefully whisk in the baking-soda mixture (the mixture will bubble up).
Immediately pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn. Working quickly and carefully, use the prepared spatulas to toss the caramel and popcorn together, as if you were tossing a salad, until the popcorn is well coated. I quickly added the candy corns at this point and stirred em in.
Spread the popcorn onto the baking sheets and quickly separate them into small pieces while still warm. Cool to room temperature, about 15 minutes. Once cool, store in an airtight container for up to two week.

Pumpkin Shaped Chocolate Cake Balls

I made these fall treats for a Halloween party, but they are really perfect for anytime you need to make a fall treat.

Pumpkin Shaped Chocolate Cake Balls

So, if you are like my boyfriend, you can't hear "cake balls" without laughing. And ya know what, he has given me an appreciation for that, so I won't think you're immature and judge, I mean cake BALLS... tee hee hee. With that said, if you aren't from Boston (the original parent trap reference, anyone?) you have seen cake balls and cake pops everywhere. These are nothing new, but just a cute and easy idea to make them fall-friendly.

Ingredients:

1 Box Devil's Food Chocolate Cake Mix
1 Can of Cream Cheese Frosting
2 Bags of Orange Candy Melts (or 1 bag of pink and 1 bag of yellow)*
1 Bag of Green Candy Melts *

Directions:
Bake the cake according to box directions. Let cool completely. Break cake apart and in a large mixing bowl crumble cake by rubbing it together. You need it to be completely crumbled, not just broken apart. Mix the can of frosting into the crumbled cake. It is gonnna get messsy. I just used my hands. You will probably have to wash your hands before making the balls. Roll into golf ball sized balls onto a cookie sheet. Freeze for about half an hour or until they are fairly hard enough to dip into the candy without falling apart.

Place wax paper down on a table or cookie sheet.

Melt your orange candy melts (either double boiler style or in the microwave stirring at 15 second intervals).
Now this is the tough part- figuring out the best way to dip the balls into the candy melts. I used a toothpick, but some suggest using a fork and coating with a spoon. I found that using a fork it was difficult to make the balls smooth. So, for my method, stick a toothpick into the frozen cake ball and dip into the melted orange candy and use a spoon or fork to help fully coat the ball. Take the ball out of the candy and place on the wax paper to dry. Do this with all of the cake balls.

To make the stems: Melt your green candy melts. Take the melted candy and place in a ziploc bag. Cut a SMALL hole in the corner of the bag. Squeeze out the green candy on the top of the orange ball, covering the hole made from the toothpick, making the stems.

If you want to make them into jackolanterns, use black writing icing. DO NOT USE GEL ICING. I made that mistake. It don't work.

Let dry. Voila!

*You can buy Wilton Candy Melts from Michaels or other craft stores like Hobby Lobby. If you go the day before Halloween, you will be left with the yellow and pink = orange option :)

Pumpkin Chili

Warm up with...

 Pumpkin Chili

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I recently was introduced to pumpkin chili from a friend, who is a phenomenal cook and baker. My husband had said he hated any recipes with pumpkin. With that statement, I instantly became challenged to find at least one recipe he would tolerate pumpkin. So, why not pumpkin chili to ease him into the idea??  Now I'm no pumpkin fein like many people around this time of year; but I do love roasted pumpkin seeds and can appreciate the occasional pumpkin bread or soup/chili. And this chili has a delicious, creamy flavor that will have you coming back for seconds.

~~~

I found two recipes from whole foods & taste of home. So, I decided to take a little from each to make my very own pumpkin chili... 

What You’ll Need :

1 lb ground turkey meat

1 onion, chopped

3 garlic cloves, minced

1 jalapeno, chopped

1 red/yellow bell pepper, chopped

2 cans black beans, rinsed & drained

1 can of white kidney/cannellini beans

1 15 oz. can pumpkin puree

1 14.5 oz diced tomatoes w/ liquid

1 can rotel with green chilies

1-2 cup water/chicken stock

1 1/2 tsp dried oregano

1 tbsp chili powder

2 tsp cumin

cayenne pepper to taste

salt and pepper to taste

1. Sautee chopped onion and garlic in olive oil in a dutch oven or big pot. Add ground turkey. While the turkey is cooking, chop and add bell pepper, jalapeno and spices. 

2. Add water, tomatoes, pumpkin and let cook until comes to a boil. Then add beans and let simmer on low heat for 20-30 minutes. 

3. Serve with shredded cheddar cheese and cheesy-jalapeno cornbread. 

***I have also made this by throwing all the ingredients in a crock pot for 8 hours on low heat. It was delicious! (Still cook the ground turkey first before adding it to the crock pot.) 

not only... did Aj love this chili, but 4 days later we made pumpkin-choc chip pancakes at 11 at night... His idea!!! Recipe soon to follow...

Happy  Fall