Popcorn Balls and Halloween Fun!

Mmm yummy...want to make your Halloween sweeter? Like you need anymore sugar on Halloween, I know but guess what? I found a recipe that uses honey instead of corn syrup, so it's really healthy if you think about it (;
This recipe is on The Red Mountain Post website, by the Skinny Gourmet
You will need:

Roughly 8 cups popped, plain popcorn (don't get butter-flavored or salted)

1 slight cup honey
½ cup white sugar
½ cup brown sugar
½ cup water
1 1/2 tbs salted butter
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla extract

Makes 8-10 medium popcorn balls.

Directions

Combine honey, white sugar, brown sugar, water, and salt in saucepan. Place over low heat, stirring until mixture begins to boil. Add butter. Stir and add vanilla just as the mixture begins to thicken. Cook to firm ball stage (248 degrees). 

Pour over popcorn and stir until all of the popcorn is coated. Wait for it to cool slightly, then compress with your hands. It might help to coat your hands with some butter,oil, or dip your hands in cold water. My boyfriend just squished them with a lot of force and they stuck, but I needed the water (:

Drizzle with chocolate and let cool. Store wrapped individually in plastic wrap at room temperature.

Olivia also made some pumpkin seeds:

Pumpkin Seeds

Wash the seeds and the pulp under water, to help separate the seeds. Olivia used a colander to strain the water out.

Then, we oiled a cookie sheet and heated the oven to 400 degrees F. She put a little salt on the seeds and I finished them up when she went to bed. Bake the seeds until golden, then use a spatula, spoon or tongs to move them around and let them get baked on both sides. Remove when dark and crispy and salt to taste. I've been grabbing handfuls all night, I can't even stop, they are the perfect snack!

Hard at work!

Sweet sisters

Macy

punkins!

Amani, looking serious

Me, Jordan, Max and Avonlea

My Pumpkin, Mr. Cupcake

Happy Halloween!

Max's Birthday-April 15th The Beagle Cake

Max loves See's candy, so for his birthday, I made a cake with layers of butterchew (brown sugar buttercream), butterscotch (butterscotch buttercream) and milk chocolate frostings. The whole cake is covered in chocolate sprinkles, which is the hallmark of See's Bordeaux, whenever you are trying to find one in the box. The cake is topped with brownies.

I can't give you the full recipe for this cake, because it's top secret! :P But I can give you the recipe for indisputably the BEST part of the cake: the brown sugar buttercream. You will want to eat it with a spoon!

Brown Sugar Buttercream
From How to Cook Like Your Grandmother

1 cup milk
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1½ cup brown sugar
1 cup butter (2 sticks)
1 tablespoon vanilla
1 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)

Stir the milk and flour together and mix over medium heat for 5-10 minutes, until it thickens. It changes suddenly, so don’t walk away from it.Set the milk aside to cool, and combine the sugar, butter and vanilla in a mixer.Beat on medium speed for 5-10 minutes — colder butter will take longer — until the sugar is dissolved and you don’t taste the graininess of it any more.Add the milk mixture to the butter mixture and stir until smooth.The finished texture is light and fluffy.

http://cooklikeyourgrandmother.com/2009/07/how-to-make-brown-sugar-buttercream-frosting/