Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn

image from here

Ian had peppermint mini-marshmallows and wanted to try this recipe. 

I think you could just use regular minis, as I couldn't really taste any mint. 

Also, I would love to make a batch of this 

and a batch of Caramel Popcorn* and mix the two—Yum!!

Chocolate Peppermint Popcorn
1/2 t. salt, divided
1/2 c. (1 stick) butter
12 cups warm air-popped popcorn
4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
40 peppermint mini-marshmallows

Heat over to 275. Sprinkle 1/4 t. salt over popcorn; toss to coat. Set aside.

Melt chocolate and butter in large saucepan on low heat, stirring frequently. Add marshmallows; stir until completely melted. Remove from heat; stir in remaining 1/4 t. salt. Pour over popcorn; toss to coat. Spread onto greased baking sheet.

Make 20-25 minutes or until crisp, staring after 15 minutes. Cool on wax paper.



*This is our favorite Caramel Popcorn recipe from the Barbara Doney cookbook (see tab above)


Caramel Corn 
2 sticks margarine or 1 margarine & 1 butter
2 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. white Karo syrup
1/2 t. salt
1 t. soda
7-1/2 qt. popcorn

Cook butter, brown sugar, syrup and salt for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda. Pour over popped corn, mix and put in flat pans. Bake at 200° for one hour. Stir every 15 minutes. Can be stored in sealed containers.

Dutch Oven Chili and Cornbread

recipe and image from here

We made this while camping at Mt. Rainier National Park this summer.

I put cooked the chili ingredients together at home,

so we just need to add it to a hot dutch oven and top with the cornbread.

It was pretty tasty!

Dutch Oven Chili and Cornbread

3 lbs. of ground beef (I used less)
1 large onion, diced
1 green bell pepper, diced
8 cloves of garlic, minced
1/2 t. of dried oregano
1 (28-oz.) can of diced tomatoes
1 (6-oz.) tomato paste
1 (16-oz.) can of kidney beans or black beans
5 T. of chili powder
2 T. of ground chipotle powder
1 T. of ground cumin
1 can of water
2 (8.5-oz.) boxes of Jiffy cornbread (or any other corn bread mix you like)
(eggs and milk for the Jiffy cornbread mix)
Salt and black pepper

Make a layer of hot coals on the ground.
Place the dutch oven over the coals and allow the dutch oven to get hot.
Cook the ground beef until it starts to brown, breaking up the meat with a spatula.
Add the onions, garlic, and bell pepper and continue to cook until the vegetables are softened
Add the chili powder, chipotle powder, cumin, diced tomatoes, and tomato paste.
Add the can of water and beans and cook for another 10-15 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Make the cornbread mix in a bowl and pour over the top of the chili.
Place the lid on top of the dutch oven and place about 20 hot coals over the top of the lid.
Cook for about 10 minutes and check to see if the cornbread is done cooking by lifting the lid and poking a skewer through the cornbread. If it comes out clean the chili is done.

Spiced Pear Muffins

image and recipe from here

We just got a box of Barlett pears. I love that fruit, but it has a short shelf life without a frigerator.

I tried these muffins to day and the recipe is a keeper. Since Scott isn't a big nutmeg fan, I halved that amount, didn't include candied ginger (again, he's not a fun), but did add walnuts (he's a fan!)

Spiced Pear Muffins

1/2 c. packed brown sugar
1/4 c. granulated sugar
1 stick unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1 t. vanilla extract
1 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. whole-wheat flour
2 t. baking powder
2 t. ground cinnamon
1/2 t. ground ginger
1/4 t. ground nutmeg
1/2 t salt.
1/2 c. milk [I used kefir mixed with ground flax]
2 to 2 1/2 c. pears, unpeeled and diced small (from 2 medium-sized pears, about 11 oz. whole)
1/4 c. chopped candied ginger, 1/2 c. chopped nuts, or 1/2 c. mini chocolate chips (optional)
Cinnamon and sugar, for sprinkling on top

Heat your oven to 425°F. Spray the wells of a standard muffin tin with nonstick spray or place muffin liners in all the wells.

In a mixer on high speed, cream together the sugars and the softened butter until they resemble fluffy frosting, about 1 minute. Mix in the eggs, one at a time until fully incorporated, about 1 minute each. Mix in the vanilla extract.

In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, spices, and salt. With the mixer on low speed, mix 1/3 of the flour mixture into the butter-sugar mixture followed by 1/3 of the milk. Continue alternating between the flour and the milk, mixing just until the flour is incorporated. It's OK if there is still some flour on the sides of the bowl. Do not overmix.

Scrape the sides of the bowl with a spatula and stir gently to incorporate the last of the flour. Add the diced pears and any optional ingredients all at once and fold them into the batter.

Divide the batter between the muffin cups. The batter will fill the cups and mound slightly on top. Sprinkle the tops with cinnamon and sugar.

Place the muffin tin in the oven and immediately turn down the heat to 400°F. Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, rotating the pan once in the middle of baking. The muffins are done when the tops looked cracked and toasted, and when a toothpick inserted in the middle of one of the muffins comes out clean.

Let the muffins cool enough to handle, then transfer them to a wire rack to finish cooling. Leftover muffins can be kept in an airtight container at room temperature for 3 to 4 days, or frozen for up to 3 months. (Reheat frozen muffins in an oven or toaster oven at 300°F or for a few minutes in the microwave.)

Makes 12 muffins. [I baked 4 dozen mini muffins for about 12 minutes, with this amount of batter.]