Caramel S'Mores Popcorn Balls

Like the cookies I posted yesterday, I donated these popcorn balls to The Auction at our family reunion. The tin of 2 dozen popcorn balls sold for $35. It surely would have gone higher - my sister really wanted these, but so did one of my cousins. They were neck and neck for a while, but my sister's husband wouldn't let her bid any higher and so my cousin won them. Boy, was my sister upset with her poor hubby! But I was able to pacify her with a couple extra popcorn balls I had brought that didn't go in the auction tin, as well as with the promise that the recipe would go on my blog.

Caramel S'Mores Popcorn Balls
1 cup unpopped corn, popped
2 cups brown sugar, firmly packed
1/2 cup butter or margarine
1/2 cup light corn syrup (I substituted honey, and it worked fine)
1 sleeve graham crackers, broken into bite-sized pieces
2 cups miniature marshmallows
1 cup chocolate chips

Pop corn; keep warm in very low oven. In heavy saucepan, combine sugar, butter, and corn syrup. Cook, stirring constantly, until mixture boils and sugar is completely dissolved. Pour mixture over popped corn and stir to coat evenly. Allow the mixture to slightly cool (if you cool it too much it will harden be more difficult to form into balls); add crackers, marshmallows, and chocolate chips. Stir in very gently - the marshmallows and chocolate will melt, but you want to avoid spreading them too much.


Shape mixture into balls, and wrap in plastic wrap.


If you can, wait until the popcorn balls are cooled before eating them. But if you can't wait, that's okay too. ;-)

Here's a picture of the tin as we filled it. Don't they look tasty?

Roasted Potato Wedges with Alabama White Barbecue Sauce - Sweet Hallelujah, This Stuff is Good!!

Christy from Southern Plate posted a recipe for Alabama White Barbecue Sauce way back in October. It looked delicious to me, but I never did make up my mind to actually try and make it. Sometimes I'm like that - I'll fall in love with a recipe and want to try it, but it gets pushed to the back of my mind and just doesn't end up happening. Well, this evening I decided that I would try it! I made some roasted potato wedges for dinner with the express purpose of serving them with the white barbecue sauce.


And Oh Lawdy, my life will never be the same.

Alabama White Barbecue Sauce

2 C Mayonnaise
1 1/2 T salt
2 T black pepper
6 T white vinegar
6 T lemon juice
4 T white sugar

Mix all ingredients together and stir well. I did 1/4 this recipe because it was just me and the kids tonight.


What did I think of this sauce? Well, I'll just copy and paste my comment on Christy's post:

"So I finally got around to trying this sauce. And let me tell you, I CAN’T BELIEVE I WAITED THIS LONG TO TRY IT!!! This stuff is incredible! It’s vinegary, it’s lemony, it’s peppery, it’s mayo-y, it’s deliciously flavorful, it’s indescribable! I made it to go with some roast potato wedges (which are actually still in the oven right now!) and tasted a bit on my finger. Then I went crazy looking for things around the kitchen that I could dip in it because I suddenly couldn’t wait until the potatoes were done. I dipped popcorn and saltines and they were great! Then I dipped my fingers some more. ;-)

And all this was before realizing that I had forgotten the sugar. I added it, and wouldn’t you know it was even better than before!

Yeah, long story short, you have made an Alabama White Barbecue Sauce lover out of this Idaho/Utah gal."

And a short while later I wrote:

"Mmmmm… I’m eating it with the potato wedges now… I’m in heaven…"

So yes, the Alabama White Barbecue Sauce was a total success. Despite (or perhaps because of) its distinct and powerful flavor, both Zaylee and Thomas loved the sauce. Zaylee even kept asking for it "I need more white!" It was cute. They ate their potatoes with the sauce and some ketchup as well. I kept mine purely unadulterated - just the potatoes and the perfection, er, I mean, white sauce.


Oh yeah, the potatoes. Really easy - I cut up three potatoes into large wedge-like chunks. Then I tossed them with oil, and a bit of salt and pepper, and put them in an 8-inch baking pan. Baked at 425 for 30 minutes, turning with spatula after the first 20. Super easy and uncomplicated. After all, I only made them to complement the white barbecue sauce. :-)

Another Picnic Dish (Recipe: X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad)

I volunteered to do another dish for the Virtual Picnic, hosted by Louise at Months of Edible Celebrations. To refresh anyone's memory on the rules, each blogger chooses a letter and "brings" a dish that begins with that letter, also including all the dishes brought by the previous bloggers. Okay, here we go!

I'm going on a picnic, and I'm bringing...

A: Almond Joy Pie
By Modern Day Ozzie and Harriet

B: Baked Beans
By Grub and Stuff

C: Chocolate Picnic Cake
By Dying for Chocolate

D: Dutch Funnel Cake

By Sporadic Cook

E: Easy Blender Chicken Pie
By Simple Recipes

F: Five Bean Salad
By Moveable Feasts

G: Granola Bars

By Fun Foods on a Budget

H: Herb and Cheese Pasta Salad
By Cinnamon Spice & Everything Nice



I: Incredibly Fruity Raspberry Cakes
By Raspberry and Chipotle



J: Jeweled Picnic Bars
By Rochelle's Vintage and Frugal Recipes



K: Kaltschale (Cold Fruit Soup)
By Kaffeeklatsch (German)



L: Long Island Lemonade Cocktail
By Culinary Types



M: Mushroom Tart
By Gherkins & Tomatoes



N: Nut Roast
By Green Gourmet Giraffe



O: Olive Nut Bread
By Chaya's Comfy Cook



P: Pomegranate Mousse Cake
By More Than a Mount Full



Q: Quiche
By Sweet and Savory



R: Raspberry Chocolate Macarons
By Anne's Food



S: Spicy Glazed Shrimp and Veggie Kabobs
By God's Perfect Promises



T: Turkey and Pear Wraps w/ Curried Aioli
By Girlichef



U: Unoriginal Whole Foods Salad Bar
By Mae's Food Blog



V: Vegetable Things of Spring Salad..Veal Shank with Risotto
..and Viennese Chocolate-Cherry Torte
By Postcards From The Dinner Table






W: White Caramel Popcorn
By One Crazy Cookie



My letter X: X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad (recipe below)
By Fun Foods on a Budget

I invented this exquisite salad tonight specifically for this picnic game! This recipe is partially based on my family's favorite fruit salad recipe, and utilizes the fruits I happened to have on hand. The layering is something I just thought of tonight, and adds a touch of elegance and beauty to the salad.

X-quisite Layered Fruit Salad
1 3.4-oz. box instant vanilla pudding mix
1 3/4 cup milk
1 12-oz. carton cool whip, divided
1 16-oz. carton cottage cheese
1 3-oz. box strawberry jello
2 cans fruit cocktail, well drained
4 large apples, chopped
1 lb. fresh strawberries

Whisk together pudding mix and milk for 1-2 minutes. Fold in half of cool whip. Chill while preparing other ingredients. Combine cottage cheese and remaining cool whip. Add jello.

Now it's time to layer. Pour drained fruit cocktail into large glass bowl (about 4 quart size, I think). Top with jello/cottage cheese mixture, then apples, then pudding mixture. Lastly, arrange strawberries on top. Cover and chill until serving.

I think the combination of a fruity jello-flavored sauce layer and a creamy pudding-flavored sauce layer really makes this salad pop. This can, of course, be customized with a variety of fruits and jello flavors. I just used what I had on hand, but I think it would be delicious with more fruits, like bananas, mandarin oranges, grapes, pomegranate seeds, fresh peaches, raspberries, etc. Plus, there's so much sauce in this salad that I think you could really get away with adding a larger amount of fruit (like mixing bananas with the apples before adding the pudding layer). Anyway, get creative! I know I will. :-)

Outrageous Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

We recently got back from an awesome family reunion. My dad's family has been having reunions every two years for as long as I can remember. These are no small reunions - my grandparents have eight children, and well over fifty grandchildren. Many of these grandchildren (including me, of course) are now married and have young children of their own. We are a very large family, so these reunions are a big thing. And at every reunion, the pinnacle of the activities - the event looked forward to and planned for most excitedly by all - is The Auction.

The Auction is held at every reunion, and the proceeds fund the next reunion. This event holds a great deal of entertainment value (and sometimes drama!) for all involved, as well as providing for great reunions and letting everyone come away with a ton of fun stuff. Nearly every family member donates something to The Auction. There are donations ranging from cute little toys for the young ones to bid on, to crafts made by various family members (there are cross-stitched or embroidered samplers, there are always quilts, and last time I donated several crocheted purses), to services such as camping trips and massages. There are miscellaneous fun things, like this year's bottle rocket launchers (courtesy my parents), scrap booking supplies, and a little girl's room decorating kit. And there are edibles - cookies, breads, granola, boxes of chocolates. These are usually homemade, and always bring in a goodly amount of money. My family loves to eat. Here is The Auction table, laden top and bottom with this year's wares ready to be auctioned off.


This year I donated two items - 4 dozen Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies, and 2 dozen Caramel S'more Popcorn Balls (recipe coming soon). I may be breaking some unspoken family Auction rule here, but I am posting both recipes here.

The tin of 4 dozen cookies sold for $50.

Outrageous Peanut Butter Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies
1/2 cup butter
1/3 cup white sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup peanut butter
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 egg
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup rolled oats
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).

In a medium bowl, cream together the butter, white sugar and brown sugar until smooth. Stir in the peanut butter, vanilla and egg until well blended. Combine the flour, baking soda and salt; stir into the batter just until moistened. Mix in the oats and chocolate chips until evenly distributed. Drop by tablespoonfuls on to lightly greased cookie sheets.

Yes, my pan is old and ugly. But it does the job, and I'm too poor/cheap to buy another one for now. :-)


Bake for 10 to 12 minutes in the preheated oven, until the edges start to brown. Cool on cookie sheets for about 5 minutes before transferring to wire racks to cool completely.


I felt kind of weird writing this post - like I'm giving away sacred family secrets or something when I talk about The Auction. I mean, you can tell how important it is simply by virtue of the fact that I have to write it in bold, italics, and capitalized! But this recipe is too yummy to not share. So anyone reading this post, who isn't in the family, you may consider yourselves lucky to be privy to such incredible and wondrous information as I have just given about our special Family Auction!