Cashew Bacon Caramel Corn

The taste of this caramel corn will  BLOW. YOUR. MIND!

I came up with the idea while watching a cooking show about bacon. Go figure.

I started to think about all the things I hadn't heard bacon go into...yet...and then I hit upon popcorn and ultimately caramel corn! If it has been done before, I didn't know about it, so I'm going to take full credit for it! You can thank me anytime. HAHA!

Once I hit upon the idea I decided to make some for my dad for Father's Day. Can I just tell you? My dad LOVED it (and so did everyone else who has tried it). It's even been suggested that I try and sell it. I actually think I could give Garrett's popcorn a run for their money, but who's got time to take on another project? Not me. So the next best thing is to share the recipe and let you make some for yourself.

CASHEW BACON CARAMEL CORN

1 cup unpopped popcorn
2 tablespoons canola oil
3/4 pound bacon, cooked, drained (reserve 2 tablespoons of bacon drippings) and crumbled.
2 1/4 cups salted cashews
2 sticks salted butter
2 1/4 cups packed dark brown sugar
1/4 cup real maple syrup
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon baking soda
additional salt for sprinkling

-In a large, heavy bottomed pot over medium heat (and working in two batches) add 3 tablespoons of the canola oil and 1/2 cup of the unpopped corn. Cover the pot and pop the corn making sure you remove the pot from the heat after you hear the last few kernels pop. Do not walk away from the stove as this happens rather quickly (approximately 3-4 minutes). 
-Pour the popped corn on to 1 of 2  tin foil lined baking sheets.
-Repeat the process with the remaining unpopped corn and oil.
-Divide the cashews and add them to the popped corn on the baking sheets.
-Divide the cooked bacon and add them to the popped corn and cashews on the baking sheets.
-Set aside.
-In the same heavy bottomed pot over medium/high heat, melt the butter and add the dark brown sugar to melt, stirring occasionally.
-Add the bacon drippings, maple syrup, corn syrup, 1 teaspoon salt and the cream of tartar.
-Bring the mixture to a rolling boil, stirring occasionally and cook until a candy thermometer inserted reads 260 degrees (approximately 7-8 minutes).
-Remove the syrup from the heat and carefully stir in the vanilla extract and the baking soda.
-Add one of the sheets of popcorn into a LARGE bowl and pour half of the syrup over the corn.
-Add a light sprinkle of salt and stir well with a wooden spoon to cover the popcorn well with the syrup.
-Pour the syrup coated popcorn back out onto the foil lined baking sheet into an even layer.
-Continue the process with the remaining uncoated popcorn and syrup mixture.
-Preheat the oven to 200 degrees.
-Bake the caramel corn in the oven for approximately 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
-Allow to cool and break into pieces.

Now, hide it or give it away because the temptation to eat it all will be far too great and you'll be cursing me out before you know it :)

Oh, and here's another idea if you're wanting to give a gift of this caramel corn in a bowl that will keep on giving long after the popcorn is gone. Click out the "shop now" button located at the top of this page and order one of these adorable custom popcorn bowls I paint at my Kudos Kitchen table. They make super great gifts and can be personalized in any way you choose. They're all completely dishwasher safe as well as being non-toxic. Don't you think they'd be adorable filled to the brim with some delicious Cashew Bacon Caramel Corn??? I certainly do!!

Thanks for stopping by my Kudos Kitchen. Where food and art collide on a regular basis!

Until we eat again,
Reneé

Cowboy Egg Rolls ~ TO INFINITY AND BEYOND

Somebody once said to me "I think just about anything would taste good wrapped in an egg roll", and it got me to thinking...  Ye HAW!   Why don't I add some of the leftover Barn Dance Bean Dip to the inside of an egg roll?  I think I'll call them COWBOY EGG ROLLS!

Of course you can also substitute any sort of sloppy joe recipe you might have and I'm sure it will be equally as good.  Because, you know..."Just about anything would taste good wrapped in an egg roll!!!"

Let me prove it to you...

COWBOY EGG ROLLS

Filling of your choice (I used Barn Dance Bean Dip, but see below at my additional suggestions for even an appetizer and a dessert)
Canola oil for frying
Won ton wrappers  (found in the produce section of the grocery store)
Water

-Working with one wonton wrapper at a time and placed point side toward you (like a diamond), add a scant tablespoon of filling into the middle of the wonton wrapper.
*NOTE ~ Make sure you keep the remaining wonton wrappers covered with a damp paper towel so they don't dry out while they're waiting their turn.
-Using the water and your finger (or a pastry brush), run a line of water around the entire edge of the wrapper (this will act as the glue to keep your egg roll from bursting open while frying).
-Bring up the two sides of the wrapper, up and over the filling, to meet in the middle.-
-Working from the side closest to you, bring the bottom of the wrapper up and over the filling and, using your fingers to keep the egg roll formed and neat, continue rolling it until you reach the end of the wrapper.
-Press to secure and then I like to rewrap the egg roll again in another wonton wrapper to insure proper packaging.
-Place the completed roll aside and continue the process making more egg rolls with remaining ingredients.
-In a large, deep sided skillet heat about 2"-3" of canola oil to about 365 degrees.
-Carefully add 2-3 egg rolls at a time into the hot oil and deep fry them until they nicely, golden brown.
-Remove them from the oil using a large slotted spoon and allow them to drain on some paper towels.
-Immediately season with salt (or sugar if you're making dessert egg rolls)
-Continue frying the egg rolls until they're all complete.
-Serve all manor of egg rolls warm, with your choice of dipping sauces (optional, but fun).

Served with a nice lettuce salad with tomato and avocado, these cowboy egg rolls made a simply delicious dinner...

Now to take egg rolls even further... "TO INFINITY AND BEYOND"... here are two other suggestions I have for you.

The next one is for an appetizer and it's a delicious change from your average mozzarella sticks. Fry it for yourself, won't you?

STRING CHEESE EGG ROLLS

String cheese
Wonton wrappers
Canola oil for frying
water
Dipping sauce of your choice (optional)

-Same method as above.
-Wrap, fry, drain.

YUM and perfect for any party!!!

And now we complete our egg roll extravaganza with dessert.  I made these egg rolls last St. Patrick's day as a surprise for my family. I wanted their first bite to be one they weren't expecting... I think it worked :)

Of course you may choose not to color your pie filling. Your call. Either way, these make for a really tasty end to any meal.

APPLE PIE EGG ROLLS

Apple pie filling (store bought or homemade)
Green food coloring (optional)
Wonton wrappers
Canola oil for frying
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon cinnamon

-Same method as above except if you're using food coloring, add your pie filling to a bowl and mix with the food color.
-In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar.
-Fill, wrap and fry.
-Once the apple pie egg rolls are taken from the oil, drain on paper towels and immediately sprinkle with with the sugar and cinnamon mixture.

I hope you've enjoyed my three methods of filling egg rolls that may not fit your normal expectation of what a standard egg roll should be. If I was able to surprise you a little and maybe even light your imaginations on fire with what you can all do with egg rolls, then my job here is done.

IT'S A WRAP!

Until we eat again,
Reneé

Cilantro Pesto

Having an abundance of brilliant green cilantro in my garden this year, I've decided to make some pesto.  The smell is intoxicating and I can hardly wait to use it on chicken, fish and maybe even some flank steak.

CILANTRO PESTO

3 bunches cilantro, washed and dried
4-5 cloves peeled garlic
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1/8 cup grape seed oil
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper

-Add all the cilantro into the food processor along with the olive oil.
-Pulse until it becomes a firm, broken down paste.
-Add the garlic cloves, salt and pepper and enough of the grape seed oil and pulse to get a pesto with a loose (but not runny) consistency. You may or may not use the entire 1/8 cup of grape seed oil.  It's depends on your personal preference of consistency. I like mine to have a mayonnaise thickness.
-Keep covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.

Without having a firm plan in mind of how I'm going to use this pesto, I kept the ingredient list pretty simple. If you like, I think it would also be a great idea to add in some lemon and/or lime zest to really play up the citrus flavors of the cilantro itself.

I know that there are two camps out there in the world ~ cilantro lovers and cilantro haters. I happen to be a cilantro lover and I'm here to spread the cilantro love people...on fish, chicken, beef and whatever else I can think of.

Until we eat again!
Reneé

Bacon And Corn Macaroni And Cheese

I think macaroni and cheese is just about everyone's favorite comfort food. Mine included.

When my kids were little, they ate macaroni and cheese probably about 3-4 days a week during the summer  month's for lunch. Of course, back then it was all about the blue box macaroni and cheese. It was certainly their favorite, as well as the favorite of all of their friends. You knew you could always make the gang happy when you brought out the neon orange cheese powder and a half a stick of butter.

Fast forward to today (a mere 20 years later), the blue box is basically a thing of the past. Truth be told, on a rare occasion (what can I say, my boys still love it) I will whip some up as a surprise, but the real treat comes when mom (yes, that's me) makes it from scratch and adds all sorts of real cheeses (not that faux orange stuff) and mixes in awesome stuff like bacon and corn!  Naturally, butter still plays a role but it's not nearly as much as what was used those many, many years ago.

Gosh, if I knew then what I knew now....oh well. I digress.

Comforting, creamy and delicious. Macaroni and cheese brings back so many summertime memories of when my kids were young. No matter how it's prepared, to me macaroni and cheese is love on a plate.

BACON AND CORN MACARONI AND CHEESE

1 pound bacon (cooked, drained and crumbled)
1/2 large Vadalia onion, chopped and sauteed with bacon
1 pound elbow macaroni (cooked according to package directions, and drained. Keep warm with a lid)
1 1/2 cups frozen sweet corn
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated fat free milk
2 cups shredded sharp cheddar cheese
2 cups shredded medium cheddar cheese
1 cup cream cheese
1 1/2 tablespoons apple cider vinegar

-Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
-During the last 5 or so minutes of cooking the bacon, add the chopped onion and cook to soften slightly.
-Drain the onion and bacon on paper towels. 
-In the same large pot that you cooked the macaroni, add in the frozen corn, bacon,onion, salt and pepper.
-In a medium saucepan over medium/low heat melt the butter and add the flour to make a roux. Stir well and cook over medium low heat for a minute or two.
-Add in the evaporated milk and whisk thoroughly. The mixture will thicken as it heats.
-Once thickened, reduce the heat to low and add in the cream cheese and the shredded cheddar cheeses.
-Stir in a figure 8 rotation until all the cheeses have melted and you have a nice, thick cheese sauce.
-Remove from the heat and stir the apple cider vinegar into the melted cheese sauce.
-Pour the cheese sauce over the elbow macaroni mix and stir well to thoroughly coat the macaroni with the cheese sauce.
-Prepare a 9x13 casserole dish by spraying it with cooking spray and pour the macaroni mixture evenly into the casserole dish.
-Bake covered with foil for approximately 30 minutes until completely heated through.
-Serve and enjoy the compliments you'll receive :)

You'll have to watch yourself once this macaroni and cheese is set on the table. It's been known to have people make little piggies of themselves :)

Until we eat again,
Reneé

Vanilla Malted Ice Cream with White Chocolate Chips

My BFF is a huge fan of vanilla malteds and white chocolate, but not necessarily together. She was definitely the inspiration for this ice cream flavor that I created specifically for her a few weekends ago when she and her husband came over for dinner.

If you search through my blog for white chocolate, you'll see a whole bunch of recipes where I added the pristine little morsels to a multitude of recipes in order tailor them to my friend's personal preference for white chocolate...Chewy Apple And White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, White Chocolate Cinnamon Silk Pie and White Chocolate Dipped Cookies just to name a few.

It's as simple as black and white...when entertaining people you love, you take into consideration their  favorite flavors and ingredients and tailor your menus and dishes to them. Not only will you feel good  in making them extremely happy and special but it will keep them coming back time and time again :)

VANILLA MALTED ICE CREAM WITH WHITE CHOCOLATE CHIPS

2 cups whole milk
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 can (14 ounces) sweetened condensed milk (I used fat free)
1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
1 teaspoon salt
1 tablespoon vanilla malted milk powder
1 cup white chocolate chips

-Add all ingredients (except the white chocolate chips) into a large bowl and mix well.
-Pour the ingredients into an ice cream maker and freeze according to the manufacturer's instructions.
-When the ice cream is thick, but not quite finished, add the white chocolate chips and continue freezing until complete.
-Transfer the finished ice cream to a freezer safe container and freeze until you're ready to serve.

That's it! Super simple, Super fast and Super delicious!!! Perfect for making any BFF extremely happy. XO

Shhhhhh. Don't tell her I added her picture to my blog because I doubt that she'd be too thrilled. I don't think she visits my blog so this will be our little secret! LOL

And now for a little something else that's black and white but sweeter than any dessert, EVER...........

It's IVY, our Boston terrier! HAHA! I couldn't help myself!  Ivy does, in fact, read my blog and she'll be thrilled that I added her picture ;)

Until we eat again! Thanks for stopping by!
Renée