Butter Toffee Popcorn

This popcorn is pretty addictive.  I didn't used to be quite a fan of toffee flavored anything but since I have now been married to my husband for 7.5 years, he has slightly converted me. Slightly.  I find myself seeing recipes and wanting them, needing them, in my life, when in the past I could have cared less and passed right by.  But, I really am a sucker for anything popcorn, besides the Jelly Belly popcorn flavored bean. That's just not right.  Back to this butter toffee popcorn.  It's for sure making its appearance on my neighborhood gift plate this year.  You can make it ahead of time, and its simple so no stress there.  I found this from treatssf, a lady I follow on Instagram. Her treats and goodies she makes are so pretty.  She has a blog too but I'm all about the pictures on Instagram.  She got the recipe for this popcorn from Cooks Country (of course the recipe is from them, its so good). I think the only difference are the nuts.  They suggest salted peanuts but I put in raw pecans that roasted in the oven, and I think that's what treatsf did too.  yum yum.

Butter Toffee Popcorn

Cook's Country

3 1/2 quarts

Ingredients

3 quarts popped popcorn (just shy of 1/2 cup un-popped)

10 Tbs unsalted butter

1 1/2 cups light brown sugar

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/2 tsp baking soda

1-2 cups raw pecan halves

Directions

Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 250 degrees. 

Grease large roasting pan and place popcorn in the pan.

Melt butter in a large sauce pan over medium/high heat. 

Add brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt and bring to a boil.

Reduce the heat to medium/low and simmer stirring occasionally until it's slightly thickened ~3 min.

Remove from heat, stir in vanilla and baking soda (it will foam)

Add nuts and pour over popcorn, toss to coat.
Bake, stirring occasionally until popcorn is deep golden brown and caramel has set.  1-1 1/2 Hours

Cool and serve.  

Store in an airtight container at room temperature up to about 5 days.

Mini Lemon Curd Shooters

Here is a super easy treat to make and especially fun to have at parties! Try it, You'll like it!

You Will Need:

mini cups

graham crackers

lemon curd (from trader joes or homemade)

whipping cream

sugar

vanilla

rasberries

mini spoons

First, make your homemade whipped cream. Beat the cream, sugar and vanilla until stiff. Next, smash graham crackers to fine consistency. Layer graham crackers, lemon curd and whipped cream in the mini cups. Top it off with a rasberry and mini spoon. Chill until you are ready to serve!

cherry pie // mollie

I grew up in a pie-eating family. My Grandma McKown, my Dad's mom, was an excellent pie maker. She is a southern girl and knew how to make meringue pies and pecan pie and all the fruit pies ever. But oh, her Chocolate Cream pie was my favorite. Then, there is my own amazing mother. She is somewhat of a perfectionist when it comes to, well, everything she makes. Pies are no exception. Her pecan is to die for, and apple! and pumpkin! She cans her own pumpkin. I'm not one to forget about the few family traditions we have had throughout the years. So I decided to be a pie maker too. I've made pies throughout my years of being on my own and I really love doing it. I'm not a perfectionist in any way. With anything that I do. I wish I was more of one, but I'm not. I just thoroughly enjoy making a pie in the kitchen with my girls playing on the ground in my sight. (Or crying at my feet, whichever).

Cherry Pie. I want to say that I know that some people don't like Cherry Pie. But that is because they never had my Mom's cherry pie. I think out of all of her pies, it is my favorite. Because not only does she make the cherry filling from scratch (never use that canned filling with the hot pink syrup, EW!) but she makes them so beautiful! When I make them they are not as beautiful, they are funny looking, but many people have said they were yummy. And that is what I'm going for here by the way.

Martha Stewart Perfect Pie Crust:

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled), plus more for rolling dough

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon sugar

8 tablespoons (1 stick) cold unsalted butter, cut into pieces

2 tablespoons ice water, plus 2 more, if needed

Directions:

-In a food processor, pulse flour, salt, and sugar several times to combine. Add butter. Pulse until mixture resembles coarse meal, with just a few pea-size pieces remaining.

-Sprinkle with 2 tablespoons ice water. Pulse until dough is crumbly but holds together when squeezed with fingers (if needed, add up to 2 tablespoons more ice water, 1 tablespoon at a time). Do not overprocess.

-Turn dough out onto a work surface; form dough into a 3/4-inch-thick disk. Wrap tightly in plastic, and refrigerate until firm, at least 1 hour.

-Before baking, unwrap dough; place on a large piece of floured waxed paper. Roll dough to a 14-inch round. Using paper, lift and wrap dough around rolling pin (discarding paper); carefully unroll over a 9-inch pie plate. Gently fit into bottom and up sides of plate.

-Trim overhang to 1 inch; fold overhang under itself. Pinch between thumb and forefinger to make a uniform edge around the rim. Crimp edge; refrigerate until chilled, about 1 hour.

Cherry Filling

Ingredients: 

3 cups Red Tart Cherries in Water(Drained)
1 1/3 cup sugar
3 Tbsp. flour
1 tsp. almond flavoring

Directions: 

-Put cherries in a bowl with sugar and mix. Let sit while pie crust is chilling
-When crust is ready pour off half of the juice from the cherries
-Add flour and mix slightly
-Pour in crust and sprinkle almond flavor on top of cherries.
-Add top crust (design how you like)*
-Bake at 450 degrees for 40-50 mins*

*i did a criss cross top for my crust this time... like i said, funny looking. but its fun to try out different tops. make sure you dab butter and sprinkle sugar on top before baking.
*you might want to add some foil to the edges so it doesn't burn before the center is done baking.