Cararmel Corn Pops

Happy Birthday Grandma!!!Today is my grandma’s birthday, and in honor of her memory I made Caramel Corn Pops. My grandma would make this for picnics and lazy summer evening.  I really miss her.  Grandma loved to cook, we went to her house every Sunday and she would have dessert for us.  She also always had homemade cookies waiting for us whenever we would pop in for a visit during the week.  My grandma was amazing.  I have so many great memories of her.

Grandma passed away back in January of 2001.

I would like to share one of her recipes with you.

Camel Corn Pops

15 oz bag of Corn Pops (puffed corn snacks)

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups brown sugar

½ cups corn syrup

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

 

Place Corn Pops in a large enough bowl to be able to stir.  In a sauce pan melt butter or margarine add in the brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt.  Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add in the baking powder and the vanilla. Stir real , and pour over corn pop and mix until the corn pops is well coated.  Pour into a large paper grocery bag and microwave 1 minute then stir.  Repeat two more times.  Pour corn pops onto a clean counter and separate while cooling.

Food for Thought:

Grandma Delores was the perfect grandma.  The most important thing to her was our grandpa, and the next important thing to her was her family.  Grandma was a woman of service.  She was always cooking for someone, always crocheting something for someone, or doing something for someone. Grandma always made everyone feel that they were special to her.

Grandma took really good care of me when I was in elementary school.  My parents struggled financially while I was growing up.  Grandma made sure I had a new dress for special occasions, new clothes for school and every summer she would let me come stay at her house for a week.

Grandma left us with many family traditions that we still celebrate with our families today.  Pizza for Christmas Eve, Christmas parties with hors d' oeuvres, homemade spudnuts for Halloween, and sugar cookies for every holiday.

Because of Grandma Delores’s example I am the person I am today. At grandmas funeral one of her children spoke about how she loved others and that she emulated the Savior.  That’s what I want others to be able to say about me.  I often find myself wondering  “what would grandma do?”

The last ten year of grandma’s life she was bedridden , I know that it was very frustrating for her, but she bore her trail with grace, patients and never wondering why me.

In proverbs 31 talks about the kind of woman Grandma Delores was.

10 ¶Who can find a virtuous woman? for her price is far above rubies.

 11 The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

20 She stretcheth out her hand to the poor; yea, she reacheth forth her hands to the needy.

25 Strength and honour are her clothing; and she shall rejoice in time to come.

 26 She openeth her mouth with wisdom; and in her tongue is the law of kindness.

 27 She looketh well to the ways of her household, and eateth not the bread of idleness.

 28 Her children arise up, and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

 29 Many daughters have done virtuously, but thou excellest them all.

 30 Favour is deceitful, and beauty is vain: but a woman that feareth the Lord, she shall be praised.

 31 Give her of the fruit of her hands; and let her own works praise her in the gates.

When grandma Delores passed away in 2001 she left a hole in everyone’s heart that knew her. But because I knew her I am better person today, and even in death she makes a difference in my life.  I look forward to seeing her again.  Love you Grandma, Happy Birthday.

Homemade Cracker Jacks

2 gallons of popped popcorn (32 cups)

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups brown sugar

½ cups molasses

½ tsp. salt

2 tsp. baking powder

1 tsp. vanilla

*And some prizes to put in your bags

  

In a large sauce pan melt butter or margarine add in the brown sugar, molasses, and salt.  Bring to a boil and boil one minute. Remove from heat and add in the baking powder and the vanilla. Stir real well pour over popcorn and in the peanuts and mix until the popcorn is well coated.  Pour into a* large paper grocery bag and microwave 1 minute them stir.  Repeat to more times.  Pour popcorn onto a clean counter and separate while cooling.

*If you do not have a paper bag you can use a large microwave bowl and do it in batches if you need too.

**I like to make this when we are going on a road trip.  I like to place a small prize or toy the kids can play with in the car at the bottom of a lunch sack then add 3 cups of popcorn.  This recipe will fill about 7 lunch sacks about ½ way.  Enjoy

Food for Thought:

 As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more  important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask    yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power—prayer and scripture study, which will charge you with inspiration -Randall Ridd

Peanut Butter Popcorn

16 cups popped popcorn

1 cup butter

1 cup peanut butter (crunchy or creamy)

2 cup white sugar

2 cup brown sugar

1 cup corn syrup

1 cup peanut butter

1 tbs. vanilla

4 tsp. baking powder

Place popcorn in a large microwave safe bowl.

In large sauce pan melt butter add in sugars and corn syrup.  Bring to a boil and cook until sugar is dissolved, and add in peanut butter.  Boil for 1 minute. Stir in vanilla.  Remove from heat and add in the baking powder and mix well.  It will grow so be careful.

Pour over popcorn and stir until well covered. Microwave for 1 minute and stir, microwave again for 1 minute and stir, microwave another minute and stir then pour out on a clean counter and break up as it cool.  When cooled store in air tight container. 

*For and additional yum drizzle with chocolate will on the counter.

Food for Thought: The Savior taught,For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also

Butterscotch and Peanut butter Chex Mix

9 Cups Chex Cereal

¾ cup Crunchy peanut butter

3 cups butterscotch chips

2 cup Powder Sugar

Measure the cereal into a large bowl.  In a microwave safe bowl add peanut butter and butterscotch chips.  Cook in Microwave for 1 minute, and then stir.   Cook for another 30 seconds, and then stir.  Continue cooking and stirring in 30 second intervals until the chips and peanut butter are melted.  I only had to cook for a total of 2 minutes.   Pour over chex cereal and mix until coated really well.  Add powder sugar and mix until the cereal is well covered.  Then let cool.

Food For thought: Throughout is mortal ministry, the Savior showed special love and concern for women.  Elder James E. Talmage of the Quorum of the Twelve Apostles said, " The world's greatest champion of women and womanhood is Jesus Christ."

The Savior taught women in multitudes and a individuals, on the street and my the seashore, at the well and in their homes.  He showed loving-kindness toward them and healed them and their family members.  In many parables, he told stories of women engaged in ordinary activities.  He demonstrated deep familiarity with women's loves and drew timeless gospel lessons form their everyday experiences. He forgave them  he wept for them.  He had compassion on them in their specific circumstances as daughters, wives, homemakers, mothers, and widows.  He appreciated them and ennobled them.  (Daughters in My Kingdom, Chapter 1)

Kool Aid Popcorn

             

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                            Makes 8 cups of popcorn

12 cups popped popcorn

½ cup butter

1cup sugar

½ cup Corn syrup

1 Packet kool aid

2-3 drops of food coloring

½ teasp. Baking powder

Pop popcorn. In a sauce pan melt butter, add sugar and corn syrup, and stir frequently.  Bring to a boil; boil three minutes while stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add a kool aid packet of your choice and food coloring.  Mix well.  Then add the baking powder, mix well again,   Pour over popcorn stir until popcorn is well coated.  Then cook either in the microwave or the oven, as below:

Microwave: Dump the well coated popcorn in a paper grocery bag. Microwave on high for 1 minute, and then stir. Microwave another 1 minute, and then stir.  Microwave for 30 seconds, and then stir.  Pour out onto a clean counter or 2 cookie sheets.  Separate popcorn as it cools., then let cool completely. Store popcorn in an air tight container. (this is my favorite way)

Oven: Preheat oven to 225. Place popcorn on two cookie sheets.  Bake for 40 minutes stirring every 10 minutes. You can let it cool completely then break into chunks or, try to break it up before it cools.  Cool completely.  Store popcorn in an air tight container.  To make clean up easier you may want to line your cookie sheets with foil or use silicone baking mats.

Food for Thought:  Right in the palm of your hand you have the wisdom of the ages—more importantly, the words of the prophets, from Old Testament days to President Thomas S. Monson. But if you don’t regularly recharge your cell phone, it is useless, and you feel lost and out of touch. You wouldn’t think of going a single day without charging your battery.

As important as it is to leave home every day with a full charge on your cell phone, it is far more important to be fully charged spiritually. Every time you plug in your phone, use it as a reminder to ask yourself if you have plugged in to the most important source of spiritual power—prayer and scripture study, which will charge you with inspiration through the Holy Ghost (see D&C 11:12–14). It will help you know the mind and will of the Lord to make the small but important daily choices that determine your direction. Many of us immediately stop whatever we are doing to read a text message—should we not place even more importance on messages from the Lord? Neglecting to connect to this power should be unthinkable to us.The Choice Generation, By Randall L. Rid