Chocolate-Covered Popcorn

Just to prove that I can blog about things other than MVP, I'm sharing a recipe for Chocolate-Covered Popcorn. I'll warn you that this is highly addictive but it also makes a great neighbor gift for the holidays. Try it and let me know what you think!

1 bag microwave popcorn
1/2 cup white chocolate candy wafers
M&M's or other candies, nuts or Fritos (Fritos are my favorite mix-in!)

Pop Popcorn, put it into a large bowl and remove any unpopped kernels. Melt the candy wafers in the microwave. In a microwave-safe dish, heat wafers for one minute. Stir. Chocolate will probably not be melted yet. Place back in the microwave for 30 seconds and stir again. Repeat until wafers are melted, but be careful to not burn the chocolate. Pour the white chocolate over the popcorn and stir until well coated. It won't stir well at first, but it will become evenly coated as you continue to stir. Add mix-ins before chocolate hardens. Let the mixture dry (either in the bowl or on wax paper). Once it's dry, you can spoon it into cello bags for gifts or, if you're like me, it won't quite make it to the bags. :-)

Mint Chocolate Cookies

I recently made Mint Chocolate Cookies for an Activity Days activity. They turned out really well, so I'm sharing the recipe...

2/3 cup butter
1 Cup sugar
1 Egg
1 Tsp vanilla
1 Cup flour
1/2 Cup cocoa
1/2 Tsp baking soda
1/4 Tsp salt
1-2/3 Cups/10-oz bag of mint chocolate chips (I used a bag of mini York Peppermint Patties...mmm)

Heat oven to 350•F

Beat butter and sugar until creamy. Add egg and vanilla, beat well. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt; add to butter mixture. Beat well. Stir in mint chocolate chips.

Bake 8 to 9 minutes. Makes about 2 dozen.

Recipes

While my family was here for Memorial Day weekend, I made Hawaiian Meatballs and Cream Puffs--both were a hit. Amy and Maren wanted the recipes, so here they are courtsey of Cooks.com...

HAWAIIAN MEATBALLS

1 1/2 lb. ground beef 2/3 c. cracker crumbs 1/3 c. minced onion 1 egg 1 1/2 tsp. salt 1/4 tsp. ginger 1/4 c. milk 1 tbsp. shortening 2 tbsp. cornstarch 1/2 c. brown sugar 1 can pineapple tidbits (13 1/2 oz.) 1/3 c. vinegar 1 tbsp. soy sauce 1/3 c. green pepper, chopped Drain pineapple, reserving liquid. Mix meat, crumbs, onion, egg, salt, ginger and milk. Shape mixture by rounded tablespoons into balls. Melt shortening in large skillet; brown and cook meatballs. Remove meatballs and keep warm. Pour fat from skillet. Mix cornstarch and sugar, stir in pineapple syrup, vinegar, and soy sauce until smooth. Pour into skillet; use medium heat, stirring constantly until thick and boiling. Cook 1 minute. Add meatballs, tidbits and green pepper. Heat thoroughly. Serve over hot cooked rice and hawaiian fruit on the side.

Of course, I use pre-made meatballs from Sam's Club because I rarely have time to make things totally from scratch. 

CREAM PUFFS

BASIC CREAM PUFFS: 1/2 c. butter (1 stick) 1 c. water 1/8 tsp. salt 1 c. all-purpose flour 4 eggs GLAZE & VANILLA CREAM: 2 boxes instant vanilla pudding mix 3 c. milk 1 c. whipping cream, divided 4 (1 oz.) sqs. semi-sweet chocolate Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Bring butter, water and salt to a boil in a 2-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add flour all at once. Stir until mixture comes together and looks like mashed potatoes. Remove from heat. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well with a wire whisk after each addition. (Mixture will curdle but will smooth as it is blended.) Beat until smooth and pasty. Drop by heaping teaspoons onto 2 greased baking sheets, making 12 mounds. Bake 45 minutes, or until puffed and golden. Remove from oven. Working quickly, with a small sharp knife, make a 1/2 inch slit in the side of each puff. Bake 10 to 15 minutes longer to let the steam escape. Let cool. While puffs are baking, prepare filling and glaze. FILLING: Combine pudding mix, milk and 3/4 cup of whipping cream until smooth and well blended. Chill until ready to fill puffs. CHOCOLATE GLAZE: Combine chocolate and the remaining 1/4 cup whipping cream in a small heavy saucepan. Melt over low heat, stirring frequently, until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat and set aside. When puffs are cool, split them and fill with vanilla pudding mixture. Drizzle slightly warm chocolate sauce over each puff to glaze. Chill until ready to serve.

Yoink!!

I found this on BYU's website. Can you believe they're giving this one away?!?!

BYU Mint Brownies

MAKES ONE 9-BY-13 PAN OF BROWNIES.
PREP AND COOK: 90 min. COOL: 1 hr.
1 c. margarine
1/2 c. cocoa
2 Tbsp. honey
4 eggs
2 c. sugar
1 3/4 c. flour
1/2 Tbsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
1 c. chopped walnuts
12 oz. chocolate icing (Use your own icing recipe or purchase some chocolate frosting. You can also search the Internet for chocolate icing recipes.)

MINT ICING
5 Tbsp. margarine
dash of salt
3 Tbsp. milk
1 Tbsp. light corn syrup
2 1/3 c. powdered sugar
1/2 tsp. mint extract
1-2 drops green food coloring

1. Melt margarine and mix in cocoa. Allow to cool. Add honey, eggs, sugar, flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix well. Add nuts. Pour batter into a greased 9-by-13 baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. Cool.

2. Prepare mint icing: Soften margarine. Add salt, corn syrup, and powdered sugar. Beat until smooth and fluffy. Add mint extract and food coloring. Mix. Add milk gradually until the consistency is a little thinner than cake frosting.

3. Spread mint icing over brownies. Place brownies in the freezer for a short time to stiffen the icing. Remove from the freezer and carefully add a layer of chocolate icing.

What a Crock!!

So my sister recently sent out an email asking for some new and different recipes. I really enjoy crock pot recipes--they're easy and delicious. I'm making one of my favorites for dinner tonight: "Sweet Aromatic Chicken" (by Anne Townsend--whoever that is). I figured I'd share the recipe with everyone rather than just sending it to her. Try it out and let me know what you think.

1/2 cup coconut milk (you can add more, though)
1/2 cup water
8 chicken thighs, skinned
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 Tbsp. soy sauce
1/8 tsp. ground cloves
2 garlic cloves, minced

1. Combine coconut milk and water. Pour into greased slow cooker
2. Add remaining ingredients in order listed.
3. Cover. Cook on Low 5-6 hours.

What to do with the leftover coconut milk??? Pour 2-3 Tbsp. over vanilla ice cream. Yum.

I really like slow cooker meals. I think they're the bomb! We also really like edamame (soy beans). So I'm making chicken, garlic mashed potatoes and edamame. Mmmmm!