SPRING candy coated POPCORN

Could it be??

From the depths of the cold frozen ground.

Months of gloom and cold, and the promise of spring appears.

It completely changes peoples' disposition, don't you think?

I could never live where sunshine hides for weeks on end.  

I need vitamin D like the cookie monster needs cookies.

Winter is so depressing and dull.

Once you get past the fun of the Fall and the holidays, it's just plain yuck.

I made up a batch of this popcorn to have around for company this past weekend,  it's a new twist on my "Crack Corn" - Candy Coated Popcorn.

We really liked the addition of the marshmallows and those spring white chocolate M&M's.

I think you will, too!

SPRING candy coated POPCORN

2 bags microwave popcorn, popped and unpopped kernels removed

2 Tablespoons Vegetable oil

3 squares almond bark

1/2 cup pink candy melts

1 cup mini marshmallows

1 cup white chocolate M&M's

Pastel colored sugar crystals and sprinkles

Pop your popcorn and remove any unpopped kernels. Place popcorn in a paper grocery bag.

In your microwave, melt almond bark and oil in 30 second intervals, stirring until melted and smooth.

Pour over popcorn, and shake in the bag to coat.

Sprinkle with sugar and sprinkles and continue to shake until coated.

Lay on a piece of waxed paper on the counter, sprinkle marshmallows over the top.

Melt pink candy melts in the microwave and drizzle over the top of all.

Leave on the counter for an hour or so, until it's set and dry.

Add M&M's and enjoy! 

Shared at: 

The Princess and Her Cowboys Wednesday Round Up

Dizzy, Busy and Hungry Wined Down Wednesday

21st Century Housewife Hearth and Soul Blog Hop

Nibbles by Nic Wonderfully Creative Wednesday

Fresh Orange Bars

About a week ago, I made a recipe for Lemon Brownies, and they were awesome!

So, when a good friend of mine was talking about them, I decided to make her a batch.

When I was making them, I took my lemons from my fruit bowl, and saw these really yummy oranges and tangelos I have been buying.  They have been really flavorful and juicy and I thought, I bet this would be a good version of the lemon!

Turns out I was RIGHT!

My hubby thinks they are even better than the lemon, which is good, because better on his hips than mine, right? ;)

When I went to type the recipe though, I got to thinking, they needed a different name.

When I found the recipe for the lemon brownies, I had never heard of such a thing?

Lemon BARS yes, brownies, no?

To me brownies were always brown, and blondies weren't right?

So, I decided to call these Fresh Orange Bars, instead.  Even though, it's virtually the same recipe.

Fresh Orange Bars

for the bars:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup flour

3/4 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons orange Zest

2 Tablespoons orange Juice

*You will need to zest and juice 2 large oranges or tangelos (or one of each) *

for the glaze:

4 Tablespoons orange juice

8 Tablespoons orange zest

1 1/2 cup powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8x8 baking dish.

Zest and juice your oranges and set aside.

For the bars: whisk together, eggs, zest and juice and set aside.

In your mixer cream butter, add sugar and flour and salt and combine.

Mix on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Pour into baking dish and bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown, do not over bake.

For glaze: combine sugar, zest and juice and whisk until smooth.

Pour over the bars and place in the refrigerator to set.

Store in the refrigerator.

Tuna Tetrazzini Casserole

I know, I know... Tuna Noodles is probably one of the easiest things in the world to make, right?

Well, it seems that every time I think I shouldn't blog about something that seems to boring or simple, I am surprised at the response it gets.

When my kids were little and they asked what was for dinner, and I answered Tuna Casserole, they always asked "Where are you going tonight?" 

It is my usual fall back for making something ahead that is easy, everyone loves, and I can put it in the oven and skedaddle out the door!

So, when they ask, and I am at home they are surprised.

Nice to keep them on their toes.

This is one meal where there is rarely ever leftovers.

My kids (and hubby) LOVE it.

Not sure how you make yours, but this is how I make mine! 

Tuna Tetrazzini Casserole

12 oz Macaroni or other pasta.

4 oz can of mushrooms (I usually use two because we love our 'shrooms around here!)

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1- 7 oz can albacore tuna, drained

1 Tablespoon lemon juice

1/4 cup shredded Parmesan cheese

(about) 2 cups crushed potato chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees, and prepare your casserole dish with non-stick cooking spray.

Cook pasta, drain and rinse.

Combine pasta with all of the ingredients, except chips.

Pour into casserole dish, and top with potato chips.

Bake for 30 minutes uncovered.

*If you like peas or black olives either are GREAT in this.  We are a family divided on these, so I omit them.

Enjoy!

Homemade BBQ Sauce

Last night we made "beer butt chicken."

It's one of my favorite ways to make chicken.

It always turns out perfect, moist chicken on the inside and that perfect crunch to the skin on the outside!

We made two, since it was Sunday, I knew I could do something with it for dinner tonight.  

I decided to go the easy route and throw it in the crock pot with some BBQ Sauce, and have sandwiches.

Turns out, my BBQ sauce was almost gone.

When in doubt, make you're own I say!

So, I whipped some up, and have extra for another meal another time.

Can't say the same about that chicken in the crock pot, if my kids don't quit sneaking bites, we might be having grilled cheese!

But on a good note, they said they can't leave it alone because the sauce is "SO GOOD MOM!"

Homemade BBQ Sauce

1/2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup honey

2 cups ketchup

2 Tablespoons soy sauce

1 teaspoon Siracha (optional)

1 Tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce

2 Tablespoons Apple Cider Vinegar

2 cloves garlic, minced

Add all ingredients to a saucepan and stir until combined.

Simmer over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally for about 15 minutes.

Transfer to a jar and store in the refrigerator.

Egg Hunt Snack Cakes

Our parish has a fish fry every Friday during Lent.

They are not only a lot of fun, they generate a good source of income for our church via the Men's Club who does all of the "heavy lifting."

Now, I do my part and stand in line with  a beer and consume yummy fried fish, coleslaw and french fries, shell out money for the kids to get heir faces painted and for raffle tickets, but aside from that my "job" is pretty easy.

The church asks that families donate desserts.

There is one week, based on the first letter of your last name, that you are asked to do so.

I don't abide by that, and usually bring a couple of different things every week.

(I sometimes lose my inhibitions for dessert after consuming keg beer in line for an hour+, and I, for one, wouldn't want dessert lovers to go without a choice.)

So, I whipped up a batch of chocolate mint brownies, and the kids helped me with these little cakes.

If you have never visited partypinching.com you are seriously missing out.

She does the MOST ADORABLE things for parties, and just for plain fun.

My 11 year old daughter LOVES the sight, too, and if forever saying "we should make this!"

Best part is, your kids will have fun helping you do it.

So when I saw these on her page, I fell in love.

My kids love when I have those Little Debbie cakes around anyway... and I thought, how fun they would be to make for the fish fry!

Link to PARTY PINCHING EASTER BASKET SNACK CAKES

I literally didn't do anything!

My 11 year old twins made these.  Our only problem was we couldn't find the Sour Punch candy, and bought licorice (the colored flavored kind) and it was too limp, it kept falling over.

So, my son unwrapped the packages of snack cakes while my daughter squirted on green frosting from the can, then he added the jelly beans.

I plated them on an aluminum pan and off the to the fish fry they went!

Follow the link to Party Pinching's original idea, to make the cute baskets.

Egg Hunt Snack Cakes

Little Debbie Easter Basket Snack Cakes

Jelly Beans 

Can of "squirtable" green frosting

Squirt on green frosting and top with jelly beans.

done.

easy peasy!

easy "dump" Salsa

It seems like every time I buy cilantro for a recipe, some of it goes to waste.

I love cilantro, but a little bit goes a long way.

I used to wish the bunches came half their size ... that was until I told my friend, Betsy that, and she said, "just make salsa!"

Well, I LOVE to make Homemade Pico de Gallo in the summer when all of the veggies are fresh from my garden, but this particular day it was blustery and cold.

She raved about the Pioneer Woman's Salsa made in a food processor, and reminded me that I had even had it at her house one time.

Best part, I have all of the ingredients on hand.

So, because my most popular recipes seem to be the easiest ones, I knew I had to pass on this one!

"Dump" Salsa

inspired from: The Pioneer Woman

2 -14.5 ounce cans of diced tomatoes

2 - 10 ounce cans Rotel

1/2 of a large onion, sliced

1 clove minced garlic, or 1 teaspoon garlic puree

1 whole jalapeno, sliced

1/4 teaspoon sugar

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon cumin

1/2-3/4 cup cilantro, packed into measuring cup, no need to chop

juice of 1 small lime

This makes quite a bit, instead of using my food processor, I used my blender.

Simply dump everything into your large food processor, or blender.

Don't blend it though, use the pulse setting and whir it a few times until bigger ingredients are incorporated.

and Ta-Da!

Grab your chips, because you have SALSA!!

Keep covered in the refrigerator, tastes even better the second day!

Lemon Brownies

My sister lives in southern California.

We try to get the kiddos out to visit once a year, and had the pleasure of doing so last month.

She and her husband have an AMAZING backyard.  It's so tastefully done, and yet it's overwhelming what they have!! Gorgeous flowers, succulents and PALM TREES (swoon!)

Top that off with a beautiful paved patio and fire pit that begs to be seated around, laughing and sipping your drink of choice.

This last year, I literally squealed when I walked out and saw all of the LEMONS!

I hadn't remembered them being there last year, and her trees were FULL of them!!

I said to her ...

"Do you know all of the things I could MAKE with these?"

I rattled off a few ideas, and turned lime green with jealousy; all I had in my backyard was snow.

My Mom was also out in California, thawing out, and on her way back she visited her cousin who lives just north of where I had been oogaling Teresa's lemons.

They have not only lemons and lime trees, but avocado trees, too! She brought me home about 60 of them!

The MOTHER load!!

In addition to that I got a bowl full of lemons and a few limes.

I was so GRATEFUL!  I know that Teresa would have shared with me, but I wasn't going to try and take anything else on the plane... When we all travel together, we are quite a sight to behold in the airport anyway!! 

It's like a PACK.

I made quite a few things with these beauties, but hands down, these were my FAVORITE.

I had seen these posted on facebook from another blogger, My Prairie Window.

Instantly, I knew what I would be doing with a couple of those luscious lemons!

I'd be baking up some of these lemon brownies, and I couldn't be happier that I did!

Flaky brownie, covered in a zesty tart lemon glaze ... heaven in a little bitty bar.

Lemon Brownies

from My Prairie Window

For the Brownies:

1 stick unsalted butter, softened

3/4 cup sugar

3/4 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

2 Tablespoons lemon zest

2 Tablespoons lemon juice

(recipe will take the zest of 3 medium sized lemons and the juice of 1 1/2 of them)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and grease an 8x8 baking dish with butter.

Zest and juice lemons and set aside.

In a small bowl whisk together eggs, zest and juice, set aside.

In your mixer, cream butter with sugar, flour and salt.  Add the egg mixture.

Beat on medium speed for 2 minutes and spread into prepared pan.

Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until edges are golden brown. Do not over bake, or bars will be dry.

Cool.

For the Glaze:

4 Tablespoons lemon juice

8 teaspoons lemon zest

1 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Whisk together and spread on bars.  Place in the refrigerator to set.

Cut to serve.  Store in the refrigerator.

Shared at Wonderfully Creative Wednesday at Nibbles by Nic
Linked at Wined Down Wednesday at Dizzy Busy and Hungry
Linked at Hearth and Soul Hop at The 21st Century Housewife
Shared at the Weekend Social thrown by Kitchen Dreaming and The McCallum's Shamrock Patch