I spend every weekend at the baseball field watching back to back baseball games. And several days a week at the batting cages watching batting practice. I started batting practice by reading a book and now I watch each swing to remind him to keep his front foot down; to keep his head down; to watch his wrists; to compare lengths we think the last ball went. We are a baseball family. I am a baseball mom. So it only seemed appropriate that I try to make America’s favorite snack for America’s favorite pastime. CRACKERJACKS!

It’s basically caramel corn with peanuts. It’s super simple and makes a huge batch so you can take it to your next game - double header - or batting practice - and share it with everyone!

Homemade Cracker Jacks

12 cups air popped pop corn (about 1/2 cup kernels)

1 ½ cups tightly packed brown sugar

¾ cup light corn syrup

¾ cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 cup spanish peanuts

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 300 degrees. Spread popcorn out on a lined baking sheet.  Line with either a sil-pat or buttered parchment paper. 

STEP 2

Place sugar, corn syrup, butter, and vanilla in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat and bring to a boil, stirring constantly until sugar dissolves.  Cook until a candy thermometer reaches 250 degrees.

STEP 3

Remove from heat and stir in the popcorn and peanuts. Spread out on a lined baking sheet and sprinkle the top with coarse salt.

STEP 4

Pop into the preheated oven and bake 50 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes, until caramel is set. Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to one week. 

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There is nothing the kids love more than when I make meringues. It’s a fan favorite - and one of the simplest treats you can make! They are literally three ingredients. The secrets are:

1. Don’t make these when it’s pouring down rain, the humidity kills them.

2. Don’t go too fast with the sugar. Be slow.

3. Watch your oven temperature and don’t rush anything.

These are super elegant for this holiday that doesn’t always inspire elegance!

Eyeball Meringues

Makes about 1 dozen

4 large egg whites

pinch of salt

1/2 cup sugar

1/4 teaspoon meringue powder

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with sil-pat or parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, whisk together egg whites and salt until bubbly.  With the mixer running slowly add sugar and meringue powder. Whisk until stiff peaks form - about five minutes.

STEP 2

Fit a piping bag with an Ateco number 12 piping tip. Paint stripes on the inside of the piping bag using red food coloring. Carefully fill the piping bag with white meringue.

STEP 3

Gently pipe out giant dollops. Place a candy eye in the center of each circle to flatten out the piping point.

STEP 4

Bake meringues two hours until crisp to the touch.  Remove from oven and let cool 10-15 minutes. Store in an airtight container (I use a ziploc bag) for about a week.

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It’s national S’more Day! If you’re like me and SUPER disappointed that we can’t have camp fires, then boy do I have the recipe for you. It’s no-bake and topped with homemade marshmellows. You’re welcome. The only trouble with these bars is that they are ADDICTIVE.

S'mores Bars

12 ounces milk chocolate, roughly chopped

1 package graham crackers
1 recipe marshmallow
butter

Lightly grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13 pan with the butter. Cut a piece of parchment to line the bottom of the pan and to hang over two of the sides. Press parchment into the buttered bottom and set aside.

In a small pan, bring two inches of water to a low boil. Place a glass bowl over the top of the pan and fill with the chocolate. Melt the chocolate, stirring often, over the hot water. If the water begins to boil too hard, turn down the heat and continue.

Pour melted chocolate into the bottom of the prepared pan. Press the graham crackers into the chocolate so they completely cover the bottom of the pan. Cut crackers with a serrated knife if needed to make them fit. Set aside.

Make marshmallows and pour into the pan. Using a buttered offset spatula, spread marshmallow to completely cover the graham crackers.

Let sit at room temperature - undisturbed - for 24 hours. Cut into 2x2 squares and roll sides in powdered sugar. Store in an airtight container at room temperature for 3-4 days.

Marshmallow Recipe

4 packets unflavored gelatin 3 cups sugar
1 1⁄2 cups water
1 cup light corn syrup

1 teaspoon vanilla

Powdered sugar

In a stand mixer, combine gelatin and 3⁄4 cup water. Let stand.

In a medium sauce pan with a heavy bottom combine sugar, remaining water, corn syrup, and salt. Slowly bring to a boil over medium heat. Continue to cook until mixture reaches the soft ball stage on a candy thermometer (about 240 degrees).

Turn on stand mixer and pour in sugar mixture in a slow steady stream. Leave mixer running on high speed for 15 minutes until mixture is light and fluffy.

Blend vanilla into marshmallow mixture and pour marshmallow onto prepared pan and smooth out to the corners.

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More decadent desserts!

This recipe was my grandmother's.  She made this every year at Christmas time and it was possibly my favorite part of the dinner at her house.  My grandmother had very specific times of year that she made recipes and she did not stray from her very EXACTING menu plans.  So it could have been that I got so excited about this caramel corn because I only got it once a year, but I'm pretty sure it's actually because it is so amazing.  

I've added a little flaked salt to the top as it cools because I have never had anything that wasn't better with a little salt.  Espcially caramel.  

SALTED CARAMEL CORN

makes 12 cups

STEP 1

Spread popcorn out on a baking sheet lined with a sol-pat or buttered parchment paper.  

STEP 2

Place sugar, corn syrup, butter, table salt, vanilla and baking soda in a heavy bottomed sauce pan over medium heat.  Bring to a boil, stirring constantly, until sugar dissolves.  Once the sugar has completely dissolved, boil four more minutes without stirring.

STEP 3

Remove from the heat and pour over the popcorn.  Stir quickly to caramelize every kernel,  Sprinkle flake salt over the popcorn.

STEP 4

Place in a safe place at room temperature for at least three hours until dry.  Break into pieces and store in an airtight container for up to one week.

12 cups air popped popcorn

1 1/2 cups tightly packed brown sugar

3/4 cup light corn syrup

3/4 cup butter

1/2 teaspoon table salt

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 tablespoon flake salt or fleur du sel

Every party dinner needs a dessert.  A good one.  This year with my 'clean eating' Easter, a 'clean'-ish dessert was needed.  It's a no-dairy, no-wheat, low sugar dessert that's perfect for the season!  It's full of berries, full of champagne, and is an AMAZING brunch dessert because it's light and refreshing.  

You can choose to use what ever berries you want - this would be great just packed with strawberries - but I love how it looks with all different berries floating on the inside.  There is champagne in the dessert so you can choose if it's a 'kid-dessert' in your house or not.  Because the champagne cooks for a few minutes + it's not much, I let my kids have some of it.  They don't love it so it works out all the way around - they don't feel excluded and I don't feel like I'm feeding my kids champagne.  

MIMOSA BERRY TERRINE

serves 4

4 cups mixed berries

2 envelopes gelatin

1 cup champagne

1 cup DRY Blood Orange

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons fresh squeezed orange juice

STEP 1

In a small bowl, sprinkle gelatin over 1/4 cup of the champagne.  Let sit until the gelatin melts.

STEP 2

Spray the bottom of a glass container with cooking oil and layer all of the berries in the dish.

STEP 3

Heat the remaining champagne and sugar over low heat and stir until sugar is dissolved.  Remove from the heat.  Whisk in gelatin, DRY Sparkling, and orange juice..  Let cool slightly.

STEP 4

Pour gelatin mixture over the berries.  Place in the refrigerator and let cool at least 6 hours.  But ideally overnight.  

I was with a friend of mine talking about the Super Bowl party last month and she said "You have to have bacon at the party."  As soon as she said it, I said "What about bacon brownies?" You would not believe the look of disgust on her face.  

But I could imagine it.  Salty, sweet, creamy, rich, perfect.  A caramel topping with extra bacon on top seemed like the perfect way to finish it off.  Can you imagine a better dessert?  Especially for a big group?  

Bacon Brownies

makes 12

STEP 1

Preheat oven to 325 degrees.  Prepare the brownies according to package instructions.  Crumbled three strips of bacon into the batter.

STEP 2

In a saucepan, melt butter.  When butter is melted add brown sugar and 2 tbs heavy cream.  Whisk until the sugar is dissolved.  

STEP 3

Let the brown sugar mixture bubble for 2 minutes, stirring regularly.  Remove from heat and pour into the bowl of a stand mixer.  Let rest 30 minutes.

STEP 4

Remove the brownies from then oven when they are done and let cool.

STEP 5

Add the whisk attachment to the stand mixer and blend in powdered sugar, 1/2 cup at a time, until the frosting is spreadable.  You may not need all of the sugar.  If it's too thick, add a tablespoon of heavy cream.

STEP 6

Spread frosting over cooled brownies and crumble remaining bacon on top.

1 box brownie mix

6 strips cooked bacon

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 cup brown sugar

4 tablespoons heavy cream

2 1/2 cups powdered sugar

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One of the hidden bonuses of working with Pop Secret popcorn is that they sent boxes and boxes of popcorn to make sure I had enough for the Oscar Party Photo shoot.  We used tons of the popcorn for the shoot and we still ended up with tons left over.  What to do, what to do?

I made popcorn bars.  But these aren't just any popcorn bars because I used Pop Secret's Cinnamon Roll Popcorn in the bars.  Epic.

Printable Version of the Recipe

1 package puff pastry, defrosted

2 cups pitted and roughly chopped cherries

½ cup sugar

2 tablespoons cornstarch

2 tablespoons melted butter

sugar for dusting

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a floured surface, roll puff pastry dough out to approximately 16”x14”.

In a mixing bowl toss together cherries, sugar, and cornstarch.

Spread cherries out on one side of the puff pastry.

Cut a handful of air vents out on the opposite side of the puff pastry using a cookie cutter.

Pick up the unfilled side of the puff pastry sheet and lay it over top the cherries enveloping them completely.

Pinch the edges tightly to close.

Brush the top of the pastry with melted butter, sprinkle with a bit of sugar and bake 20-25 minutes until bubbly and browned.

Remove from oven and let cool slightly.

Serve at room temperature.

Oh, hey!  Don't forget to watch the video!

I dig St. Patrick's Day.  It's such a fun and quirky day of the year to dye random things green and eat corned beef.  Plus it's the only time of year I buy Lucky Charms cereal.  My kids have eaten their weight in it already, so I almost didn't get to make these Lucky Charms Treats.  But I whisked away the box in time to rescue enough ingredients for a batch.  

If this is your first time making these, they are super easy.  I have tried them a variety of ways and have learned the best way to make them is with a combination of Rice Krispie cereal and Lucky Charms cereal.  Sadly, to get the best ratio of tiny charms marshmallows to cereal you have to rob most of the box of Lucky Charms which leaves cereal behind with no fun marshmallows.  My children were not humored.

Oh well.  

Grease the bottom of a 9x13 pan and set aside.  Mix together cereals + Lucky Charms marshmallows in a bowl.  In a 4 quart sauce pan over low heat, melt together butter and marshmallows, stirring often, until everything is melted.  Pour in cereal mixture and stir very gently until all of the cereal is coated in marshmallow.  Spread mixture into prepared pan and do not pat down.  Grease the tips of your fingers with butter and gently pat mixture into the corners. 

Let sit at least one hour.  Cut into squares and serve.  Delish.

3 cups Rice Krispie Cereal

3 cups Lucky Charms Cereal (marshmallows removed)

1 ½ cups Lucky Charms Marshmallows (cereal removed)

40 regular sized marshmallows (about 10 ounces)

¼ cup butter