Halloween Popcorn

     These are SO YUMMY! Full of chocolate, and stuffed with total sweetness. My husband, however, believes popcorn should never be sweet. But, I would suggest you make this and taste it yourself before making an executive decision on that.

     I was watching "Giada at Home", one of my favorite cooking shows. She made these! So I may have made a few adjustments to the recipe, but this really is a great treat for parties or to hand out to neighbors and friends for the holiday.

     Ingredients: 

1 package of mini marshmallows               

1 package of plain popcorn                         

3 T butter

1 t vanilla extract                                     

6 fun sized Snickers

3 Chips Ahoy chocolate chip cookies

a handful of chopped salted almonds

a nice big handful of M&Ms (orange and black for Halloween)

     Directions:

  Heat 1 bag of plain popcorn in the microwave. Place in a 4 Qt bowl sprayed with cooking spray, and let cool while you make the marshmallow mixture.

  In a medium saucepan, heat the butter over low heat. Add vanilla extract and marshmallows. Stir CONSTANTLY over low/ medium heat until marshmallows have melted into a smooth mixture. 

  Pour over popcorn and stir with a spatula until popcorn is coated evenly. 

  Place popcorn on a baking sheet either sprayed with cooking spray or lined with parchment paper (I just had saran wrap and sprayed it with cooking spray and it worked just fine too :)) try to get the popcorn as even as possible over the entire baking sheet.

  Sprinkle chopped up almonds, crumbled cookies, crumbled snickers, and M&Ms over popcorn. Let sit for an hour uncovered. 

     ENJOY! :) And remember you can also make these for Christmas with red and green M&Ms! :)

Peach Cobbler

     For the past 2 1/2 years that I have been married, I have cooked - a lot. Many woman at home seem to either hate, or absolutely lovely cooking. I, thank goodness, have fallen into the "Chef Mama" mode (as I have previously referred to). While being in Wyoming - with Austyn going to school, and me at home with Maci - we are obviously on a tighter budget than before. One thing I always try to ensure when I go to the grocery store is to stick to a budget, as well as make room for goodies.
     I love having fresh fruit and veggies around the house, but the one thing that truly makes me feel accomplished each day is cooking or baking some unbelievable meal or dessert! So, the other day my in laws came to visit and brought us some fresh peaches. I had never made anything with peaches in it, but the one thing I knew off the top of my head was peach cobbler. I've had a few different recipes of peach cobbler, but none that I absolutely loved... until I found this recipe online.
     Delicious!!!
     I will be happy to share this recipe with you. It is truly amazing! So ladies, put on your aprons, and whip out your kitchen aids, "Chef Mama's" in the house! :)
     Ingredients:
6-8 fresh peaches               1 C flour                                 Mix Together:
1/4 C white sugar               1/4 C white sugar
1/4 C brown sugar             1/4 C brown sugar                          11/2 T white sugar
1/4 t ground cinnamon       1 t baking powder                                          &
1/8 t ground nutmeg           1/2 t salt                                          1/4 t ground cinnamon
1 t fresh lemon juice           6 T cubed butter
2 t cornstarch                      1/4 C boiling water

     Directions:                   Preheat oven to 425* F

• In large bowl, combine peaches, sugar, brown sugar, 1/4 t ground cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon juice and cornstarch. Toss to coat evenly and pour into a 2-2.5 Qt baking dish. Bake 10 minutes.
• While baking the peaches, in a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder and salt. Blend in butter with finger tips or your kitchen aid, or any pastry blender, :) Stir in water until all is completely combined.
• Remove peaches from oven, and drop spoonfuls of topping over them. sprinkle entire cobbler with the cinnamon sugar mixture. Pop it back in the oven for about another 30 minutes. 

                                                                  Bon appetit! :)