Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn Recipe

I am in the midst of holiday baking, and thought I would share my latest recipe creation. I have spent plenty of money in the past buying chocolate covered caramel corn from various children's fundraisers. I thought I would try my hand at my own version of this tasty treat. I will be giving it out as part of our treat gift packages for Christmas. This is my own original recipe.



Chocolate Covered Caramel Corn



14 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 packages of milk chocolate almond bark



Pop the popcorn (I have a regular popcorn popper, and 1/2 cup unpopped popcorn yielded 14 cups popped). In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup. Heat on medium low heat, stirring constantly until mixture is lightly boiling. Continue to simmer and stir until mixture is a caramely texture. Immediately pour mixture over popcorn, stir and mix well until popcorn is evenly coated. Allow caramel to set. Take the chocolate almond bark, a few squares at a time, and melt in a small saucepan. Remove from heat. Roll chunks and pieces of the caramel corn in the chocolate, and place on waxed paper to cool. Let cool, then enjoy or gift wrap!

Probiotics Help Allergies?

I am by no means a medical doctor or expert, but I do try to keep educated and informed about ways I can improve my health, especially in ways that do not require putting medication in my body. Don't get me wrong, I do believe medications can be a blessing in many ways, but if I can find a solution to my health issues without using medication, I will try to go that route.

For many years, I required prescription medication and treatments for my allergies and asthma. If necessary, I will seek those treatments again, and I still have my rescue inhaler handy at all times. However, I have, through natural remedies and dietary changes, been able to keep my allergies and asthma at bay. One of the things that I have recently discovered that affects my allergies and asthma are probiotics.

Recently, I had run out of probiotics and had decided I could just forgo them until I was ready to put another order in at Vitacost.com. A week had gone by, and all of a sudden I was having allergy attacks, which often lead to asthma attacks for me. I got to thinking about why my allergies were flaring up suddenly again. Then I remembered I had stopped taking my probiotics for the time being. Curious, I decided to look up online whether or not probiotics affected allergies. Sure enough, there is ample evidence that suggests good bacteria in the gut affects allergies. I stopped by the local drugstore to pick up some more probiotics for the time being, and shortly after starting them, my allergy issues began to subside again.

There are many good food sources that contain probiotics, such as yogurt, kefir, raw honey, raw milk, etc. I am not always good at getting these foods into my diet regularly, but they definitely do contribute to a healthy gut (if you are ever looking for some interesting health reading, studying up on how the gut affects overall health is fascinating!). While I try to eat some probiotic foods, in order to positively affect my allergies, a probiotic supplement is what seems to have the most effect. My preferred probiotic supplement is called Kyodophilus and contains several strains of good bacteria. This link is one of the Kyodophilus products that I have successfully used: http://www.vitacost.com/Kyolic-Kyo-Dophilus-45-Capsules .

Obviously, my story is more of an anecdotal type of evidence, but when looking into the issue, the scientific evidence backs up my experience. For further reading on this subject, you can click on the links that follow: http://abcnews.go.com/Technology/AllergiesNews/Story?id=4727318&page=1 http://www.jigsawhealth.com/resources/probiotics-and-the-gut http://www.beyondallergy.com/allergy-news/probiotics-for-allergy-relief.php . For even further reading, an internet search should turn up additional information.

Salt Dough Christmas Ornaments Craft Project

Yesterday, the kids and I started the process of making some Christmas ornaments out of a homemade salt dough. It was really simple, I mixed up the dough, then we rolled the dough out with a rolling pin and used cookie cutters to cut out different shapes. You do have to bake these ornaments, but before I put them in the oven, I used a skewer to poke a hole in the top of each ornament, so that we can use some ribbon, yarn, or string to be able to hang them. We will be keeping some of these for our own Christmas tree, but will also give a few for gifts. I got the recipe for the salt dough from http://www.divinedinnerparty.com/christmas-ornament-dough.html .

Salt Dough Recipe

4 cups flour

1 cup salt

1 1/2 cups water

Mix ingredients together well and knead dough until well blended. If too sticky, add additional flour a little bit at a time until the right consistency is met. If too dry, add additional water in small amounts until desired consistency is achieved. Roll out dough and cut with cookie cutters, place shaped dough on a foil lined cookie sheet. Bake at 300 degrees for 30 minutes. Let cool, then paint.

I was going to buy some special paint to decorate the ornaments with, but the article at the above posted link suggested nail polish as a nice, decorative paint. Since I had plenty of nail polish around, we decided to try that out. I must say that it adds a nice touch to the ornaments, and the shine is lovely!

Overall, this was a great activity to do with the kids, and they loved it!

Reflections On a Black Friday

First off, I would like to say that I really don't get into a whole lot of hype over Black Friday. Second off, I find that many of the sales offered on Black Friday are comparable to sales at other times of the year. With that being said, there are some good deals to be found out there. I did manage to make it to a few stores today, but I limited it to three.

As for shopping strategies for Black Friday, scouring the ads, making a plan of action (where you want to go, and what you want to purchase at that store), and getting your coupons together makes for an easier shopping day. I never wait outside the store before it opens, either. I arrive upon site at around 15 minutes after store opening, when I can snatch a parking space from someone leaving, and still be early enough to get the deals I want. And considering that there are already stories coming out about people getting trampled to death, I think it is wise to wait until after the crowd enters the store, since that is when people are getting injured/killed. No good deal is worth your life, or someone else's. The three stores I visited today all opened at different times, 3 AM, 5 AM, and 7 AM. It worked out perfectly time wise to be able to arrive shortly after the stores opened. The biggest drawback I experienced today was waiting in line to pay. And I am happy to report, that at least where I was, everyone was polite and cheery for the most part.

I would also like to add a short commentary on shopper conduct as well. For the most part, people were very friendly and in good spirits wherever I shopped at today. But please consider those who have been standing in line for quite some time before you decide to cut into line. Many of us go out of our way to find the end of the line out of common courtesy for our fellow shoppers. When you cut, you are making the pregnant ladies (ummm....that would be me), among others, stand in line for longer than necessary. You are also being rude. Just patiently wait your turn! On another note, I know I previously mentioned people being trampled. I did not personally witness anything like this, but if there is an unruly crowd, leave for your own safety. Don't participate in that madness! And as for parking, if you see someone is waiting for a specific parking spot, don't rush in and steal it from them. This did happen to me today. I was waiting as someone pulled out, I had my blinker on and everything. A purple jeep raced up and took the spot. RUDE! Extend to your fellow shopper common courtesies and kindness. We all want a good deal, but it is not worth being mean and nasty to those around you to get that good deal. And it reflects upon your character. The moral of my post is go shopping, have fun, and be polite! It makes everyone's shopping experience so much better!

Easy Mocha At Home Recipe

Every now and then, I love to treat myself to a mocha from a local coffee shop. It is only an occassional treat, as I find it difficult to shell out $3-$4 for one cup of fancy coffee. I have discovered a really easy way to enjoy a mocha at home, for basically a few cents per cup of coffee. I take a packet of hot chocolate mix, pour it in a cup and add freshly brewed coffee instead of hot water. Then I add a splash of milk. If you really wanted to get fancy, you could add a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon on top. I am enjoying a cup of mocha right now, so yummy!

Yummy Cranberry Nut Bread Recipe

I just made some cranberry bread for the family today, and boy did it turn out yummy! Considering the season, now is the perfect time to try it out! Cranberries are on sale practically everywhere, so it is the most affordable time of year to make it. I got the recipe off of a bag of frozen Ocean Spray cranberries, and I tweaked it to make it a bit healthier, and to family size it.

Cranberry Nut Bread

4 cups whole wheat flour
1 cup sugar
1 cup honey
3 tsp baking powder
2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups orange juice
4 tbsp oil
2 well beaten eggs
3 cups fresh or frozen cranberries
1 cup chopped nuts (I used almonds)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease two 9x5 inch loaf pans, or one 9x13 baking dish. Mix together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking soda. Add orange juice and eggs, mix until well blended. Add cranberries and nuts and continue mixing until well combined. Spread into pan or pans, bake for approximately 1 hour, or until fork comes out clean. Serve warm, with butter if desired.

Don't Forget To Vote Today!!!

Go express yourselves at the voting booth, don't forget to vote!