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What Do You Get When You Combine SkinnyPop Popcorn and Melted Pink Himalayan Salt Ghee?

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SkinnyPop Popcorn with Melted Pink Himalayan Salt Ghee
SkinnyPop Popcorn with Melted Pink Himalayan Salt Ghee

A while back, a super friendly woman contacted me about doing a post on my food blog highlighting SkinnyPop Popcorn. Since it was a brand I already bought regularly, I was more than glad to help spread the word.  This isn’t a sponsored post – nor did I receive any popcorn to sample. I bought my own, as I regularly do.

Let me tell you a little secret about us food bloggers… we are regularly sent food products to review (whether we’re sent the product or a voucher, we’re compensated for the time we spend telling our readers about the food). If you see one of my kind (food bloggers) giving a “shout out” to a product for which we didn’t even receive a coupon for… mark it down… it’s one we’re already buying and loving.

There are just certain “staples” you grab each week at the grocery store, right? SkinnyPop popcorn is one of my favorite staples.  I regularly grab bags of their Original as well as their Sea Salt and Pepper. The Sea Salt and Pepper is actually my favorite – guess it’s because I’m a pepper fanatic, huh?

Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, period. It’s delicious, fun to eat, doesn’t make a mess (unless you cover it with caramel or chocolate… then it’s shall we say a mess that’s worth it!), and nutritionally sound.

I almost always have a huge bowl of SkinnyPop popcorn on the table or counter – so anyone who passes by can grab a handful and crunch their little hearts out. It’s a great way to hold off the hungries until mealtime and I’d much rather my loved ones grab popcorn than greasy chips or sugar-coated snacks.

My husband and I often invite popcorn into the den when watching television in the evening or on weekends. A baseball game without popcorn? I don’t think so!

SkinnyPop Popcorn with Melted Ghee… HOLY CATS!!

I recently happened upon what is now one of my favorite things in the world: SkinnyPop popcorn with melted Pink Himalayan Salt Ghee – naturally, you can just use regular ghee and add a little Himalayan Salt at some point in the melting or drizzling process, but I’d HIGHLY recommend the ghee pictured above – 4th & Heart Grass-Fed Ghee with Himalayan Pink Salt. It’s on Amazon (what isn’t, right??) but I’ve also found it easily in Meijer’s and Kroger.

Again, any melted ghee would be fantastic, but this one is my “go to” for many things in life.

Since I first melted ghee and used it on popcorn, I’ve never used traditional butter…. and I LOVE traditional butter as much as anyone. Ghee is just perfectly perfect for drizzling on popcorn and I could go on and on about how delicious it is.   That, however, wouldn’t get the point across nearly as well as if you simply try it for yourself.

You’ll be as blown away as me and, yes, you may even exclaim HOLY CATS too.

SkinnyPop Popcorn with Grated Dark Chocolate
SkinnyPop Popcorn with Grated Dark Chocolate and Almonds

One of the things I like about SkinnyPop so much is the fact that it’s….

  1. … not Microwave Popcorn. Studies have shown that the majority of microwave popcorn is horrible for you.
  2. ….. doesn’t mess up dishes or call for vegetable oil.
  3. …. doesn’t mess up my hot air popcorn popper.

It’s healthier than most snacks, healthier than all microwavable popcorn, and it doesn’t mess up a single thing. I also love that they print Gluten Free in huge letters on the front. They’re proud to be gluten-free and that makes me smile.

While my absolute favorite way to eat SkinnyPop Popcorn is straight outta the bag (or bowl, if that’s where it’s hanging out at the time), I do like to get a little jazzy from time to time.

Keep reading for a few ways to have fun with popcorn.

SkinnyPop Popcorn with Dried Cranberries and Almonds
SkinnyPop Popcorn with Dried Cranberries and Almonds
 

In addition to melted ghee (please, please try this – trust me it’s too good for its own good), below are some of my favorite ways to have fun with popcorn.

  • I first fell in love with pouring M&Ms into popcorn at the theater many, many, many moons ago. I was trying to hold onto a huge bucket of popcorn (I go all out with theater popcorn, guys) and a box of plain M&Ms, while freeing up a hand to control my Diet Coke – yes, I’m that girl who has buttery popcorn, candy, and drinks a Diet Coke to wash it all down. At least I used to, that is. I gave up Diet Coke but candy and popcorn? NEVER. I decided that I either had to get creative or grow a third hand. I got creative. I poured the M&Ms into the bucket of popcorn and something legendary was born. Since that day (seriously, it must have been at least 25 years ago), I always have M&Ms in my popcorn at the theater. I often do the same at home. If you buy the “Baking M&Ms” bag, you’ll get more candies for your buck – plus they’re smaller, so you get more with each handful.
  • Lawry’s Seasoned salt is great on popcorn – plus it gives it a funky cool color.
  • Grating dark chocolate or white chocolate onto popcorn is also a darn tasty way to go.
  • Nuts are incredibly good for you, so I like to sneak them into our meals and snacks any way that I can. Tossing pecans, almonds, macadamia nuts, walnuts, or pistachios into popcorn just ups the nutritional boost. Smart and delicious.  I also like to toss in fried fruit sometimes. Experiment with the combinations of dried fruit and nuts for something extra special. One of my personal favorite combos is dried cranberries, almonds, and macadamia nuts.  If I have any on hand, I’ll throw in some white chocolate morsels too.
  • Cayenne pepper (if you like a little heat) and grated lime are a great combo for popcorn. The flavors go together perfectly.

SkinnyPop Popcorn with Dried Cranberries and Almonds SkinnyPop Popcorn with Dried Cranberries, Almonds, and White Chocolate Morsels

You can find SkinnyPop in your grocery store or your favorite super store. I just noticed on their website that they’ve added to their line of popcorn – I’ll have to keep my eyes out for these new varieties in my store. You can also find SkinnyPop on Amazon.  I’ve kind of fallen in love with ordering food along with whatever I’m ordering on Amazon.  Makes delivery day even sweeter.

You can also find the 4th & Heart Grass-Fed Ghee with Himalayan Pink Salt on Amazon.  It’s EXCELLENT on toast and chocolate as well as popcorn. Think I need a little popcorn with melted ghee right about now…


Gluten Free Cranberry Pecan Cookies

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Gluten-Free White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free White Chocolate Chip and Pecans Cookies
Before getting to the two gluten free cookie recipes, I just want to express my yuuuge gratitude to food companies who keep churning out exceptional gluten free products. Krusteaz, Udi’s, Glutino, Pamela’s CedarLane, Pillsbury, Betty Crocker, Amy’s… the list goes on and deliciously on. I am so very thankful for them – and I plan to keep letting them know – all over social media, through e-mail, here on the food blog… anywhere and everywhere I have an opportunity to sincerely thank them, I’m going to take it. I’d love to see everyone in the gluten free (for health reasons, especially) community do so. We don’t hesitate to point out when a company or restaurant drops the ball – we should be even faster with gratitude.

Seems fair, right?

Okay… off the soap box! One of the companies I am most thankful for is Krusteaz. Their products are first rate – as in perfect every single time – and they are SO affordable. Let’s face it, not all gluten free products can be called “reasonably priced” let alone “So affordable,” but Krusteaz (and Pillsbury, for that matter) are as fair as it gets.

I just made a couple of batches of cookies using Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour. I tweaked their wonderful Choclate Chunk Cookies recipe (below).  In place of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I made the following cookies with the following SIMPLE alterations. The first (with dried cranberries) was made for my youngest daughter who cannot eat chocolate (poor baby!). She loves cranberries like crazy, so I thought this would be ideal.

  • Cranberry Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured below) instead of the 1-1/2 chocolate chips or chunks, I added 3/4 dried cranberries and 3/4 coarsely-chopped pecans.
  • White Chocolate Chip Pecan Gluten Free Cookies – (pictured at the top) again, 3/4 cup white chocolate chips and 3/4 cup coarsely-chopped pecans (yes.. as a matter of fact, I am obsessed with pecans)

Below is Krusteaz’s Chocolate Chunk Cookies recipe (it’s perfection, by the way). It’s the easiest chocolate chip cookie recipe you’ll ever find – you don’t even need a mixer. Tweak as I did (above) or go with the orgiinal (below). Either way, you’re going to be blown away.

Krusteaz Gluten Free Chocolate Chunk Cookies

1 ¼ cups Krusteaz Gluten Free All Purpose Flour
¼ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
¾ cup packed brown sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chocolate chips or chunks
2 eggs
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 350°F.

Stir together flour with remaining dry ingredients. Add eggs, butter and vanilla and blend until dough forms, kneading by hand if necessary. Scoop rounded 2 tablespoon portions of dough and place 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. Flatten slightly.

Bake 10-11 minutes or until light golden brown on the edges. Cool 5 minutes before removing from pan. – Recipe from Krusteaz

Gluten-Free Cranberry and Pecan Cookies
Gluten Free Cranberry and Pecans Cookies

Perfect Pecan Pie Recipe

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Gluten Free Pecan Pie

Pecan Pie – Being Photobombed by a Pumpkin Pie

I’m a pie fanatic. They’re deliciousness that comes with a side of nostalgia and comfort. I honestly just think of pies as the perfect dessert.  When I had to give up gluten (health reasons), my pie-obsessed heart was broken. I honestly felt my pie days were over – both baking and eating.

Fortunately there are a couple of excellent gluten free pie crust flour blends on the market. Bob’s Red Mill and Glutino BOTH have excellent gluten free pie crust flour blends and I swear by them. Each one is perfectly wonderful and I’m unable to tell much of a difference between the two.  I use them interchangeably.

They can be ridiculously hard to find in stores, so I always buy mine on Amazon:

I think a lot of people don’t enjoy making pies because the are a bit more time consuming than a lot of other desserts. They also disappear incredibly fast – so the ratio of time spent making them to the their shelf life is just enough for some people to say it, “Fugget about it! I’m making a cake.”

A quick word about frozen gluten free pie crusts – DON’T DO IT! I’ve tested a few brands, just to see how they’d turn out.  I wasn’t just “unhappy” with the results, I was perfectly mortified. Don’t use one for Christmas, whatever you do. You’ll be gravely disappointed.

Spend a little extra time and the results will blow you away.

Gluten Free Pecan Pie
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Pecan Sandies: Perfect Little Cookies (They Are Sooo Not Just for Christmas!)

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Pecan Sandies

Pecan Sandies

Have you ever bit into something you’ve made for a holiday and asked yourself (with a glorious mouth full of food), “Why don’t I make this more often?!”  Happens to me all the time.  Well, it USED to happen. Not long ago, I figured it all out: Life’s too short and food’s too lovely to chain favorite recipes to any given day.

Pecan Sandies are a delicious example. These quick, simple, inexpensive to make little delicacies are too perfect to only make Christmas appearances.  You’ll find these beauties (which happen to be one of my favorite cookies) in our kitchen year round. I’ve tried quite a few different recipes for them, but the one below is the best of the best.

Pecan Sandies

1 cup butter or margarine
1/3 cup sugar
2 teaspoons water
2 teaspoons vanilla
2-1/4 cups all purpose flour
1 cup chopped pecans
1/4 cup powdered sugar

  1. Beat the butter (or margarine) with a mixer until softened.
  2. Add sugar and beat until fluffy.
  3. Add water and vanilla; beat well.
  4. Stir in flour and nuts.
  5. Shape into 1 inch balls and place on an ungreased cookie sheet.
  6. Bake in a 325 degree oven for about 20 minutes.
  7. Pour powdered sugar into a plastic bag. When the cookies have cooled, gently shake a few at a time in the powdered sugar.

Yield: About 45 buttery, sweet, delicious little cookies that I could eat by the handful.

Sugared Almonds: Beautifully Delicious and Deliciously Beautiful

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 Sugared Almonds Sugared Almonds (just about any nut will do)

How to Make Sugared Almonds

1 Egg White
2 tsp water
2 cups almonds (or nuts of your choice – sugared pecans are ahhh-mazing)
1/2 cup sugar PLUS 1/3 cup sugar

Preheat your oven to 325 degrees. For best results, cut a sheet of parchment paper to fit your cookie sheet and spray with cooking spray.

Mix the egg white and water, then bathe the almonds in the mixture until they’re all coated.  Add 1/2 cup sugar and mix well.

Spread the sugary almonds onto the parchment paper-lined pan and sprinkle them with the remaining 1/3 cup sugar.

Bake for 10 minutes.

Stir the almonds and return them to the oven.  For this last 7-8 minutes, you don’t want to even think about leaving the kitchen. Park it beside the oven and keep an eye on these guys.  Usually, they’ll need to cook for another 7-8 minutes, but you want to make certain they don’t over cook.  Given half a chance, they’ll burn.  You’re going for a golden brown appearance, but if you aren’t careful, they’ll turn too dark in what feels like seconds.

If they need to go longer than 8 minutes, again, keep your eyes on them like an over-protective mother. Fortunately, I’ve always been one of those creatures, so I’ve mastered and perfected the routine.

Remove the pan from the oven and lift the parchment paper from the pan and place on a cooling rack. Give the nuts no free reign – left to rest and relax on the cookie sheet, they will see it as their chance to burn.

A Few Nutty Thoughts:

  • If you’re nuts for nuts, like we are, buy them online at Oh Nuts. In a word, they’re simply perfection.
  • Almonds are excellent prepared this way but pecans are easily just as good. They’re not quite as crunchy, so they’d be a great choice for those who are a little older or who have sensitive teeth.
  • How did we ever survive without parchment paper? OK, so that has nothing to do with nuts, but does beg to be asked. It makes clean-up a breeze and makes your pans last a lot longer.
  • Sugared Nuts are great snacks during ballgames, favorite TV shows, or just any time you want a snack. They’re extra pretty during the holidays.
  • These would make wonderful gifts! Put them in a pretty jar with a lid, tie with a festive ribbon, and there you go.
  • Sugared nuts are great on ice cream, brownies, and as cake toppings.

Ninny’s Cranberry Salad Recipe: Jell-O with Celery, Pecans, and Crushed Pineapple

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Jell-Salad with Cranberries

Jell-O Salad with Cranberries, Pecans, and Celery

This morning I was thinking a lot about my mom and how she embraced the holidays. A few weeks before hand, the recipes and cookbooks would cover the table and counter as she jotted down ingredients and made her plan of attack.  I’m now in THAT role, myself.  Funny, we never suspect that we actually will be… until we are.

My mom made a particular Cranberry Salad each Thanksgiving. After I lost her (far, far too soon), I tried to recapture her Jell-O salad each year, but none of them were like the one she made.

Then one summer, I was going through an old hutch and found an old cookbook of my mom’s I hadn’t seen since she moved on to Heaven.  I had forgotten that I even had the cookbook! I opened the book and written on the opening page, in her handwriting were the words, “Cranberry Salad” Pg 15.

The first words to come to my mind were: Thanks, mom.

I turned to the page she told me to turn to and, sure enough, the recipe was exactly the one I was looking for.  I couldn’t make up my mind if I wanted to cry or smile, so I sort of ended up doing both. I did kind of chuckle though because right beside the recipe was one of her nutty backward check marks.  She was left handed, so I guess that explains it, but the woman’s check marks were as backward as backward can be.  I remember teasing her about it and she’d laugh and say that her check marks were “beautiful” and that everyone else’s were backward.

I don’t know. Maybe she was right.

Here’s my mom’s favorite  recipe for Cranberry Salad.  The recipe calls for Cherry Jell-o but I recall she always favored Strawberry, so I went with Strawberry too.

Daughter see, daughter do.

Cranberry Salad

2 (3 oz) pkgs strawberry-flavored gelatin
1 can whole cranberry sauce
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup crushed pineapple
1/2 cup chopped pecans

Prepare the jell-o as directed on package. Add the rest of the ingredients. Mix and chill.

Don’t let the celery throw you – it’s excellent in this salad and you’ll love the crunch.

A word about adjustments for personal tastes: While you need to stay pretty much within reason when working with Jell-O recipes (so they’ll properly set), you can experiment with the amounts of celery and pecans. I typically crust the pecans, but in this particular Jell-O salad, I left them pretty much as they were right out of the bag. I just wanted more texture. I also (in this particular one) added a little more celery for crunch. While I kind of liked the pecans being larger, like this, I didn’t care for the increased celery.

Too much of a good thing can sometimes be a bad thing.

Family Recipes:
If you haven’t already, it’s a great idea to write down (and safely protect) favorite family recipes. If a parent, aunt, grandparent, or uncle makes alterations to a recipe, be sure to write down their exchanges or alterations. Better yet, let them write it down in their own handwriting. It’s pretty special to have handwritten notes and notations from loved ones.

Sometimes they even come with backward check marks. 🙂

Jell-Salad with Cranberries

Give Them Something They’ll LOVE: Top 10 Gift Ideas from Oh! Nuts

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Oh Nuts Almonds

If you’re like me, you’re just now starting your Christmas shopping. Sometimes it’s tough to come up with original gift ideas that you know your loved ones will actually use and enjoy. None of us have so much money just lying around that we can risk buying something for someone that they may never use.

Oh! Nuts Gift Assortment

‘Tis the Season Holiday Gift Tower

Below are the Top 10 Gift Ideas (well, according t me, anyway) from Oh! Nuts. Click each for more information. There’s one thing for certain when it comes to food gifts – they will be used and they will be enjoyed.

  1. Simply buy their favorite nuts in bulk and put them in a gift bag. They’re nutritious, delicious, and make a perfect snack.  Bulk Pistachios are always a hit.
  2. ‘Tis the Season Holiday Gift Tower: Three festive boxes filled with Delicious Premium Nuts, Candy & Chocolate.
  3. Let it Snow Holiday Gift Set: Chocolate Covered Pretzels, Chocolate Covered Peanuts, Viennese Crunch, Red & Green Foiled Chocolate Truffles, and Roasted Salted Mixed Nuts
  4. Beautiful Large Holiday Beaded Gift Tray with Jordan Almonds, Christmas Chocolate Cordials, Roasted Salted Pistachios, Cashews, Chocolate Covered Peanuts, and more.  The beautiful tray can be kept and used.
  5. Golf Ball Nut Gift (pictured below) – Beautiful ceramic bowl shaped like a golf ball and filled with nuts of your choice. Love this!
  6. Let it Snow Hand-Decorated Cookies – These are extra beautiful (pictured below).
  7. Truffles Gift Box – Great assortment of top-of-the-line parve praline filled chocolate truffles that are surprisingly inexpensive.
  8. Football Nut Gift – I’m definitely ordering this for one of my sons-in-law. In fact, there are about 5 people on my Christmas list that this would be ideal for…
  9. Basketball Nut Gift – Like the Football Nut Gift, but with an adorable basketball instead of football.  There’s also a Soccer Ball Nut Gift!
  10. For anyone with a sweet tooth, Oh! Nuts has the best gift ideas imaginable. They have everything from a Tripod Chair Nosh Galore (a usable, comfortable chair that folds flat – filled with delicious snacks and candies… an insanely original and unique gift idea) to Mini Gumball Machines.

There are countless other Christmas and Hanukkah gift ideas. Click through any link shown and see all the original and delicious ideas.  You just can’t go wrong when you give deliciousness as a gift.

 

Christmas Idea for Golfers Christmas Cookies Gift Set Gift Idea for Football Fans

 

Holiday Baking with Oh! Nuts: The Best Walnut Chocolate Fudge Recipe

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Walnut Chocolate Fudge

When I love a product, I am possibly the most loyal consumer in the world.  I use it so frequently it becomes second nature. Oh! Nuts is my GO TO source for nuts. Period.   People who aren’t as nuts for nuts as I am may say, “A nut’s a nut,” but I beg to differ. I love everything about Oh! Nuts – from the website to the packaging.  The entire experience of shopping, ordering, and receiving is a joy and no one will ever convince me that the nuts don’t taste and even LOOK better than all other nuts.

They recently sent me a few bags of nuts to use in holiday recipes and, even though it’s just the middle of November, I’ve already taken a few “test drives.” The recipe below is for my favorite Walnut Chocolate Fudge – made with Oh! Nuts sensational walnuts.

Best Walnut Chocolate Fudge

Yield: 45 pieces of the best fudge you ever ate

2 cups sugar
3/4 Cups milk
2 squares (2 oz) unsweetened chocolate (cut up)
1 teaspoon light corn syrup
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 – 3/4 cups Oh! Nuts walnuts, chopped (or, if you’re extra clever, buy their Chopped Walnuts and save yourself a little trouble)

  1. Lin a 9x5x3 inch pan with foil (or buy a disposable tin pan). Extend the foil over the edges and butter the bottom and sides.
  2. Butter the sides of a heavy 2 Qt saucepan.  Combine the sugar, milk, chocolate, and corn syrup in the buttered saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat to boiling. Stir constantly with a wooden spoon, being careful not to splash any on the sides of the pan. After about 5 minutes, the sugar should be dissolved – this is when you want to clip on your Candy Thermometer on the inside of the pan. Make sure the bulb on the end is fully immersed in the chocolate mixture, but don’t let it touch the bottom of the pan.
  3. Cook over medium-low heat, stirring frequently until the candy thermometer registers 234 degrees (the “soft ball stage”). You want the mixture to boil at a moderate but steady rate across the top.  Reaching the “soft ball stage” usually takes between 20 and 25 minutes.
  4. Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the 2 tablespoons of butter and vanilla extract. DO NOT STIR.  Cool – without stirring – to 110 degrees on your candy thermometer. This usually takes just under an hour, between 50 and 55 minutes.
  5. Remove the candy thermometer from the pan. Beat the mixture vigorously with the wooden spoon until the fudge begins to thicken. Now add the walnuts. Continue beating with your wooden spoon until the fudge becomes very thick and begins to lose its shiny gloss (about 7 minutes total).
  6. Quickly pour (more like plop) the fudge into your buttered pan and, while the fudge is still warm, score it into 1 inch squares. When candy is firm, use the foil to lift it out of the pan and cut into squares.
  7. Store tightly covered.

16 Tasty Year Round Uses for Candy Coated Almonds

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I recently had the pleasure of reviewing a bag of Oh Nuts Candy Coated Almonds.  Being a complete nut fanatic, I couldn’t wait for the bag to arrive in the mail. When it did, it took me all of 2 seconds to tear into it. I was probably on my third candy coated almond before the mail carrier was off of our street.

I have no shame when it comes to nuts, coffee, chocolate, or catfish. No shame whatsoever.

My mind has been buzzing over the many uses for these wonderful and beautiful candy coated almonds. I’m afraid that the pictures here just don’t do them enough justice. They’re so bright, shiny, and colorful!

Below are just some of the ways I’ve come up with for enjoying these little lovelies.

  1. Celebrate March Madness with your favorite team’s colors. I bleed UK Wildcat’s blue and white, so I use the blue and white ones for gameday snacking. Leave the delicious candy coated almonds in candy dishes, throw them in a bowl with fresh popcorn, or use them to spell out your team’s initials on top of a cake.
  2. Use colorful candy coated almonds in Easter baskets and/or as Easter decorations.
  3. During baseball season, choose the colors of your favorite team. I’d have St. Louis Cardinals’ colors in baskets, candy dishes, bowls, etc.
  4. These beautiful candy coated almonds would make excellent wedding favors. There are countless wedding favor bags and boxes available.  Simply order candy covered almonds in the chosen wedding colors and fill the bags/boxes.
  5. These are perfect for snacks at the office. Keep the bag in your desk drawer and you’ll have healthy snacks readily available throughout the day.
  6. Fourth of July? Red, white, and blue candy coated almonds would be gorgeous on cupcakes, cakes, and cookies.
  7. You could use these almonds as favors at a baby shower, much as you would a wedding.  There are colors available that make me instantly think of baby showers: pink, blue, yellow, white…
  8. Speaking of pink, activities and fund raisers for breast cancer awareness would be a perfect fit for the beautiful pink candy coated almonds.
  9. A bag or two of candy coated almonds would be delicious additions to gift baskets, whether it’s for Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, birthdays, or Christmas.
  10. Send a few bags to your favorite college student.  We all love to send treats to those we love and, quite frankly, Oh Nuts products are PERFECT for this. Nuts travel well and won’t spoil or get “messy” like a lot of other treats. As a bonus, they’re as healthy as they are delicious!
  11. Use beautiful red and white candy coated almonds in heart-shaped candy dishes as part of your Valentine’s Day decor.  Give some as gifts to your favorite valentine as well.
  12. Choose red, green, white, gold metallic or silver metallic  for Christmas decorating. They’d be beautiful additions to fruit baskets.
  13. Orange and Black Candy Coated Almonds are perfect for Halloween!
  14. St. Patrick’s day cupcakes call for green candy coated almonds.
  15. NFL fans can choose their team’s colors for tailgating snacks.
  16. The metallic colored almonds (see #12) are also ideal for New Year’s Eve AND silver or gold wedding anniversaries.

White Candy Coated Almonds

Health Benefits of Almonds:

  • Since almonds are a plant based food, they contain no cholesterol.
  • Almonds are loaded with protein, fiber, calcium, magnesium, potassium, vitamin E and other antioxidants and phytochemicals.
  • Studies show that just 3 ounces of almonds a day can actually lower a person’s cholesterol by 14 percent. 14 percent!
  • When we munch on healthy snacks, like nuts, we stay away from unhealthy and harmful snacks like chips. That, alone, makes them worth their weight in gold.


Caramel Corn Recipe

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This recipe is from a favorite old cookbook in my collection, Southern Living 1988 Annual Recipes (Southern Living Annual Recipes). Try it, you’ll absolutely love it and your family will sing your praises through their sticky teeth.

Caramel Corn

Vegetable Cooking Spray
6 Quarts popped corn
1-1/2 cups pecan halves
1-1/2 cups firmly packed brown sugar
3/4 cup butter or margarine
3/4 cup light corn syrup
1-1/2 cups raw peanuts
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Coat 2 large roasting pans with cooking spray. Combine popcorn and pecans in pans; set aside.

Combine sugar, butter, corn syrup, and peanuts in a large saucepan; bring to a boil, and boil 5 minutes. Remove from heat; stir in soda and vanilla.

Pour mixture evenly over popcorn mixture. Stir with a lightly greased long-handled spoon until popcorn is well coated. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and immediately pour onto waxed paper, breaking it apart as it cools. Store in airtight containers.

Yield: 6-1/2 Quarts