Turning Cereal Into Dessert

 

I know, I know. Most cereal is sweet enough that it could be considered dessert, but if you want to turn it into a technical dessert, these recipes are for you.

 

Cookie Cereal Marshmallow Treats

Ingredients:

4 tablespoons butter
10 oz. marshmallows (1 large bag)
6 cups cookie cereal
1 bag white melting chocolate/candy coating wafers
Mini chocolate chips

Directions:

Melt the butter in a large pot and add the marshmallows. Stir the marshmallows until completely melted and smooth. Add cookie cereal and stir to combine.

Press cookie cereal into a buttered cookie sheet (you can line the sheet with foil to make for easier removal).

Press flat and let the cookie cereal treats sit until completely set and cooled.

Cut treats into squares. Melt the white chocolate according to the package directions. Dip half of each treat square into the melted white chocolate. Tap off any excess chocolate.

Place dipped treats on a sheet of waxed paper and sprinkle with mini chocolate chips. Let treats sit until chocolate has set.

Source: Big Bear's Wife. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: We didn't melt the white candy coating wafers and dip the treats into the melted chocolate. We simply sprinkled the candy coating wafers on top along with the mini chocolate chips. We did this to cut down on time, but still incorporate the white chocolate flavor.

 

Honey Nut Cheerios Peanut Butter Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1 cup peanut butter
6 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
1/2 cup chocolate chips (optional)

Directions:

Butter a 9x13-inch baking pan and set aside.

In a large pan, melt sugar and corn syrup over medium heat until it barely comes to a boil. Remove from heat and stir in peanut butter. Add Cheerios, 2 cups at a time and stir until fully coated.

Press mixture into a 9x13-inch dish.

Optional: Melt 1/2 cup chocolate chips in the microwave for 1 minute and drizzle chocolate on top of the bars.

Store leftovers in an air-tight container for up to 3 days.

Source: I Heart Nap Time. You can find it here.

Notes: These were quite tasty!

 

Cookie Butter and White Chocolate Cheerios Marshmallow Treats

Ingredients:

7 cups Honey Nut Cheerios
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1/3 cup Biscoff cookie spread
1 (10 1/2 ounce) bag miniature marshmallows
3/4 cup white chocolate chips

Directions:

Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with foil and coat with non-stick cooking spray; set aside.

In a large pot over medium-low heat, melt the butter and Biscoff cookie spread. Add in the marshmallows and stir constantly until completely melted. Toss in the white chocolate chips and stir.

Remove pot from the stove and fold in the Cheerios cereal until evenly coated with the melted marshmallows.

Pour mixture into the prepared pan and press into pan.

Cut into squares after mixture has fully set and cooled.

Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days.

Source: Belly Full. You can find it here.

Notes: I would increase the cookie butter next time. It was a very subtle taste and I would like to make the cookie butter flavor more prominent. I would use at least 1/2 cup next time.

Summer Treats for Kids

Here's a treat that is cute, fun for the kids, and tasty to boot!

Watermelon Rice Krispies Treats

Ingredients:

3 tbsp. butter or margarine, divided

3 tbsp. watermelon flavored gelatin (about 1/2 of a 3-oz pkg.)

1 pkg. (10 oz.) miniature marshmallows, divided

6 cups rice krispies cereal, divided

8 to 10 drops green food coloring 

Red or pink food coloring, if desired

1 tbsp. semi-sweet chocolate morsels

Directions:

Microwave 3 tbsp. butter in large microwaveable bowl on high 25 seconds or until melted. Stir in dry gelatin mix. Microwave 15 seconds; mix well. Add 3 cups marshmallows; toss to evenly coat. Microwave 1-1/2 minutes or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds. (Bowl might be hot.) Add red or pink food coloring, if desired. Add 3 cups cereal; mix well.

Press cereal mixture into 6-inch circle in center of 8-inch round pan sprayed with cooking spray.

Microwave remaining butter in separate large microwaveable bowl 25 seconds or until melted. Add remaining marshmallows; toss to coat. Microwave 1-1/2 minutes, or until marshmallows are completely melted and mixture is well blended, stirring after 45 seconds. Stir in food coloring. Add remaining cereal; mix well. Press to form rim around cereal mixture in pan.

Press chocolate morsels into cereal mixture in center as shown in photo. Cool completely before cutting into wedges.

Recipe note: How to use remaining gelatin: Add 1/2 cup boiling water to remaining dry gelatin mix in medium bowl; stir 2 minutes until completely dissolved. Stir in 1/2 cup cold water. Refrigerate several hours or until firm.

Source: Kraft website. You can find it here.

Notes: The watermelon gelatin made these particularly tasty. I used pink food coloring to give a little oomph to the pink color provided by the gelatin mix. I started with the green rice krispies portion because I figured it would be easier to start with the "rind" and then add the "melon" in the middle later. These were quick, easy, cute, and delicious.

 

 

Food That Jiggles

 

I'm not going to lie, I'm not a huge fan of gelatin when it is plain and on its own. Gelatin can be used in some pretty fun and amazing ways in recipes, but made just according to the package directions...it's not really my favorite thing. However, when it is condensed in jiggler form, I can make an exception.

 

Fruit Jellies

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cups fruit juice (any flavor) or water
4 packets powdered gelatin (1 ounce total)
2 1/2 cups sugar
2 cups fruit preserves or jam

Directions:

Place 2/3 cup juice in a small bowl or measuring cup and sprinkle with gelatin. Let sit 5 minutes. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, combine remaining 2/3 cup juice and 1 1/2 cups of the sugar. Bring to a boil over medium-high and cook, stirring, until sugar dissolves, 5 minutes. Add preserves and whick to combine. Return to a boil and cook until thick and syrupy, 2 minutes. Add gelatin mixture and whisk until gelatin dissolves. Pour through a fine-mesh sieve into an 8-inch square baking dish. Refrigerate until set, 3 hours (or up to 2 weeks).

Place remaining 1 cup sugar in a pie plate or shallow bowl. Cut fruit jelly into 1-inch squares. Toss in sugar to coat just before serving.

Source: Martha Stewart. You can find it here.

Notes: These were really good. If you don't plan to eat them all at once (for instance, you aren't serving them at a large gathering, you are just planning to snack on them at home), don't coat the whole batch in sugar all at once. Once they sit for awhile, they will absorb the sugar and become sticky. If you are having just a few here and there, toss them in sugar right before eating.

I made this batch with white grape juice.

 

Fruit Juice Knox Blox

Ingredients:

4 pounches Knox Unflavored Gelatin
1 cup cold fruit juice
3 cups fruit juice, heated to boiling
2 tbsp. sugar or honey, if desired

Directions:

Sprinkle unflavored gelatin over 1 cup cold fruit juice in large bowl; let stand 1 minute. Add 3 cups fruit juice that has been heated to boiling.Stir until gelatin is completely dissolved, about 5 minutes. Sweeten to taste with sugar or honey, if desired (though not necessary).

Pour into a 13x9-inch glass pan. Chill until firm, about 3 hours.

Cut into 1-inch squares to serve.

Source: I got this recipe off the back of a box of Knox gelatin. You can also find it online here. You can also find it here.

Notes: I really love these. I love using fruit juice and unflavored gelatin as opposed to a flavored gelatin. I used apple juice for this batch. I love the taste, texture, and look of these. These seriously look so cool!

 

 

Jell-O Jigglers

Ingredients:

2 1/2 cups boiling water (Do not add cold water)

2 pkgs. (8-serving size each) Jell-O Gelatin, any flavor

Directions:

Stir boiling water into dry gelatin mix in large bowl at least 3 minutes until completely dissolved. Pour into 13x9-inch pan.

Refrigerate at least 3 hours or until firm.

Dip bottom of pan in warm water 15 seconds. Cut into 1-inch squares, or cut into decorative shapes using cookie cutters. Be careful to cut all the way through the gelatin to bottom of pan. Lift Jigglers from pan with a metal spatula. Store in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Source: Kraft Recipe. You can find it here.

Notes: Honestly, this is the only way I ever make Jell-O for my kids and if they have Jell-O served to them in any other way, they kind of look at you like, "Wait, I can't pick this up with my hands?"

I used strawberry Jell-O for this batch.

Kid Friendly Cereal Bars

 

We had this on our appetizer night for dessert. It was a hit with the kids and very tasty.

Crispy Pretzel Bars

Ingredients:

1 cup sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
1/2 cup peanut butter
5 cups Rice Krispies
2 cups pretzel sticks
1 cup plain M&Ms

Directions:

In a large microwave-safe bowl, combine the sugar and corn syrup. Microwave on high for 2 minutes or until sugar is dissolved. Stir in peanut butter until blended. Add the cereal, pretzels and M&Ms; stir until coated. Press into a greased 15x10-inch pan. Cut into bars.

Yield: About 3 dozen.

Source: Taste of Home. You can find it here.

Notes: This is a quick, easy, and kid friendly dessert. Win, win, win!

Happy Halloween!

 

I love Halloween. It is such a fun holiday. I love dressing up in costumes, and especially seeing all of the kids in their costumes. I love the fall weather. Oh, and I love getting creative with my food.

 

Above: String cheese witch's fingers. All you need is string cheese, spreadable cream cheese, and sliced almonds. Make some little slices in your cheese with a knife (you won't be simply making cut marks. You will have to take out tiny slits, otherwise the marks won't be visible). Then put a small dab of cream cheese on the end and place a sliced almond on top. We found this on Our Best Bites here.

 

Above: Our skeleton veggie man (thanks for the idea, Facebook!).

Skeleton Veggie Man with Dip

Ingredients:

Favorite dip (we used a packet of Ranch dressing mixed in with a container of sour cream)

Kale or lettuce for the hair

Sliced olives for the eyes

Celery for bones

Sliced cucumber for the backbone

Baby carrots for bones

Sliced red bell pepper for ribs

Sliced mushrooms for pelvis

Cauliflower florets for hands and joints

Broccoli florets for feet

Cherry tomatoes for feet (I forgot to use these)

Sugar snap peas for bones (we didn't use these, but they were used on the Facebook skeleton in place of the second piece of celery for the leg bones)

Directions:

Make dip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Form skeleton body as shown in the picture. Create a second veggie plate with all of the extra/leftover veggies that you don't use in the skeleton.

Place dip in a round bowl and place kale/lettuce in the dip to resemble hair. Place olives in dip to resemble eyes. Loosely cover and refrigerate separately, until ready to serve.

Refrigerate vegetables until ready to serve. Just before serving, position dip and serve.

Source: We found this on Facebook. It came from a blog called Feeding Four Little Monkeys. You can find the original post here.

 

Above: I saw this in a Kraft recipe book years ago (they served the octopus on top of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese). You simply cut the bottom of the hot dog to form 8 tentacles, and then you pop it in a pot of boiling water. Cook it for a few minutes; until the tentacles begin to curl.

 

Above: Worms. Similar to the octopus above, slice your hot dogs into thin strips, pop them into some boiling water for a few minutes; until they curl. You can even stir in some heated barbecue sauce to turn these into slimy worms. We decided not to because we didn't want the kids to get super messy.

 

  

Mummy Dogs

Ingredients:

Hot dogs

Crescent dough (the refrigerated tubes of seamless crescent dough sheets worked really well)

Mustard

Condiments, for serving

Directions:

You can cut the hot dogs in half or leave them whole. I cut mine in half. Cut crescent dough sheets into strips (about 1/4" wide). Wrap the tops and bottoms of the hot dogs. Place on an ungreased cookie sheet or jelly roll pan. Bake in a 350 degree F oven until crescent dough is nicely browned; 15-25 minutes.

Using a small bowl of mustard and a toothpick, place two dabs of mustard on each hot dog to resemble eyes.

Serve with additional mustard and ketchup, if desired.

Source: We found this on Our Best Bites here.

Notes: These were a hit with both the kids and the adults.

 

Black Halloween Punch

Ingredients:

1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened grape soft drink mix

1 (.13 ounce) envelope unsweetened orange soft drink mix

2 cups white sugar

3 quarts cold water

1 liter ginger ale

Directions:

To make a frozen hand, wash a disposable glove, fill with water, seal with a rubber band, and freeze.

Stir together grape soft drink mix, orange soft drink mix, sugar and water until solids are dissolved. Combine with chilled ginger ale just before serving. Dip the frozen hand briefly in warm water, then peel off the glove. Float the prepared hand in the punch bowl for a ghastly effect.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by Kathleen. You can find it here.

Notes: This was really good. Just be sure to add the water, because otherwise, it will be way too sweet!

 

Above: Chili topped with cheese slices that we cut into pumpkin shapes with a cookie cutter. We also served our chili with cornbread. We originally posted this chili recipe here, but it is also below, for your convenience.

Natalie Holbrook's Slow-Burn Chipotle Chili

Ingredients:

1 pound ground beef
1 pound ground sausage
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced green pepper
1 cup diced celery
1 (15 oz) can black beans, drained
1 (15 oz) can kidney beans, with liquid
1 (15 oz) can pinto beans, drained
1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes, with juice
1 (6 oz) can tomato paste
1 cup tomato sauce
2 tablespoons chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle chili powder
1 teaspoon chipotle-flavored Tabasco sauce, or more to taste
Salt, to taste
Brown sugar, to taste
Water, optional

Favorite toppings such as shredded cheese, sour cream, and chopped cilantro

Directions:

Brown the ground beef and Italian sausage together. Drain.

Place all ingredients in slow cooker and cook on low for 8-12 hours. Adjust seasoning, sweetness, and thickness as desired with salt, brown sugar, and water.

Source: This came from my friend, Natalie Holbrook, who lives in my ward and neighborhood. She submitted this to our ward chili cook-off. She and her friends also have a food blog of their own. You should check it out! You can find more of her yummy recipes on her blog: Cookbook Junkies.

Notes: This is good stuff! Definitely crave-worthy! Probably one of the best chili recipes I have ever, ever tried. Oh, I could go for a bowl of this right now. I added 1/2 cup of brown sugar. You can add up to 1 cup of water; just add water until you reach your desired thickness (or skip the water altogether if you want your chili on the thick side).

 

 

Sugar Cookie Bars

Ingredients:

1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1 egg

Frosting:

3 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1/2 cup unsalted butter, room temperature

1/4 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon vanilla

Food color, if desired

Candy sprinkles, if desired

Directions:

Heat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 9-inch square pan with cooking parchment paper or spray with cooking spray.

In large bowl, beat cookie mix, 1/2 cup butter, and the egg with electric mixer on medium speed until a soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan.

Bake 25-30 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 30 minutes.

In medium bowl, beat powdered sugar, 1/2 cup butter, the whipping cream and vanilla with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth and creamy. Stir in food color, if using, until well blended. Spread frosting over baked cookie bars. Top with candy sprinkles. Cut into 4 rows by 4 rows.

Sources: Betty Crocker website. You can find it here.

Notes: I would suggest using the parchment paper, because these were really hard to get out of the pan. Once we got them out though, they were fantastic! Be careful not to overcook them. You want these to be soft and chewy, not crunchy.

No Bake Cookies and Cream Bars

Ingredients:

One 16 oz package Oreo Cookies

5 cups large marshmallows

4 tablespoons butter

Directions:

Butter an 8x8-inch baking pan. Line the baking pan with parchment paper, letting the paper extend up two sides of the pan, and overhang slightly on both ends. Butter paper; set pan aside.

In the bowl of a food processor fitted with the metal blade, process Oreos into fine crumbs; set aside.

In large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Stir in ground Oreo Cookies until combined. Transfer to prepared baking pan. Using a piece of waxed paper, press mixture evenly into prepared pan. Cool. Cut into squares. Best if served the same day.

Source: Picky Palate. You can find it here. Also found on Sweet Pea's Kitchen here.

Dirt 'n' Worms Chex Mix

Ingredients:

4 cups Chocolate Chex cereal

1/4 cup butter

2 tablespoons chocolate instant pudding and pie filling mix

8 chocolate sandwich cookies, coarsely chopped

2 cups gummy worm candies

Directions:

In large microwavable bowl, place cereal.

In 2-cup microwavable measuring cup, microwave butter uncovered on High 1 minute. Stir in pudding mix. Pour over cereal, stirring until evenly coated.

Microwave uncovered on High 2 minutes. Stir in sandwich cookies and candies. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

Makes 12 servings (1/2 cup each)

Source: Betty Crocker. You can find it here.

Kid Friendly Dinner

Time for a kid friendly dinner! A gal in my neighborhood started a Facebook page for people to share their favorite recipes on. This recipe for chicken nuggets was shared on that group page. I decided to pair it with some veggies--carrot and celery sticks with ranch dressing and roasted broccoli.

Baked Chicken Nuggets

Ingredients:

3 skinless, boneless chicken breasts
1 cup Italian seasoned bread crumbs
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon dried basil
1/2 cup butter, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.

Cut chicken breasts into 1 1/2-inch sized pieces. In a medium bowl, mix together the bread crumbs, cheese, salt, thyme, and basil. Mix well. Melt butter in a separate bowl or dish for dipping.

Dip chicken pieces into the melted butter first, then coat with the breadcrumb mixture. Place the well-coated chicken pieces on a lightly greased cookie sheet in a single layer, and bake in the preheated oven for 20 minutes.

Source: Posted to the Facebook "What's For Dinner" group by Bronwyn Patton Lassen. Originally from Allrecipes.com, submitted by Teresa. You can find the recipe here.

Notes: We dipped these in barbecue sauce, but they would also be tasty dipped in ranch dressing, honey mustard, or marinara sauce. My kids really liked them and that is a big plus in my book!

Roasted Garlic Lemon Broccoli

Ingredients:

2 heads broccoli, separated into florets
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1 clove garlic, minced
1/2 teaspoon lemon juice

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F.

In a large bowl, toss broccoli florets with the extra virgin olive oil, sea salt, pepper, and garlic. Spread the broccoli out in an even layer on a baking sheet.

Bake in the preheated oven until florets are tender enough to pierce the stems with a fork, 15-20 minutes. Remove and transfer to a serving platter. Squeeze lemon juice liberally over the broccoli before serving for a refreshing, tangy finish.

Source: Allrecipes.com, submitted by NERDYCHEESECAKE. You can find it here.

Notes: I love this method of preparing broccoli. It is tender, but not mushy, and it is full of flavor. Oh, and it is so easy!

The search for kid friendly foods never seems to end, does it? Here is a recipe for corn dog muffins that we recently found that my kids seemed to like...for now, at least!

Corn Dog Mini Muffins

Ingredients:

1 cup cornmeal

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

2 tbsp packed light brown sugar

1 tbsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup milk

2 tbsp unsalted butter, melted

1 large egg

1 cup shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese

5 hot dogs, diced

Optional: Ketchup, mustard, sour cream, and/or honey mustard for dipping

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Grease a 24 cup mini muffin pan generously with shortening or non-stick spray.

In a medium bowl, whisk together the cornmeal, flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and baking  soda.

In a large bowl, combine the buttermilk, milk, butter, and egg. Stir in the dry ingredients and cheese just until combined. Spoon a generous tablespoonful of batter into each muffin tin. Add a few pieces of hot dog to each muffin cup.

Bake for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown. Let the muffins cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan before removing. Serve warm with desired dipping sauces.

Nutrition information: 1 mini muffin is 103 calories, 9 g carbohydrates, 4 g protein, 6 g fat, 0g fiber, 23 mg cholesterol, 312 mg sodium.

Source: My mom found this in Parade magazine, I believe.

Notes: We made these as regular sized muffins. If you do the same, the cooking time will be slightly longer. Just test the muffins with a toothpick for doneness after about 12 minutes.

No Recipe Required: Classic Kid Treat

My Mom made these for us...I've made them for my kids...hopefully, the tradition will continue.

Dirt Cups

Ingredients:

Pudding (instant pudding prepared according to package directions--or heck, you can even use pudding snack packs!)
Crushed Oreo cookies
Gummy worms

Directions:

Divide pudding equally among glasses. Top with crushed Oreo cookies (if using snack packs, you can put the crushed cookies directly on top of the opened pudding cup rather than putting the pudding into a cup, of course).

Place one or more gummy worms on top of the crushed Oreo cookies.

Variation: Using vanilla pudding and crushed vanilla wafers or crushed golden Oreos, you can make Sand Cups instead of dirt cups. You can top your sand cups with beach or ocean inspired gummy candies instead of the worms.

Source: I think this was first thought up by the Kraft Recipes folks. You can find their slightly different version of the recipe here.

Notes: You can keep these simple, as seen above, or you can add a little more (as found in the Kraft recipe--they add Cool Whip, by mixing it into the pudding mixture. They also add crushed cookies into the pudding as well as on top of the pudding).

Carnival!

Last summer, we did a mini carnival/state fair for the kids/cousins/grandkids on my side of the family. We had corn dogs for dinner, tortilla chips with nacho sauce and jalapenos, cupcakes, chocolate covered rice crispies treats on a stick, kettle corn, funnel cakes, cotton candy (my Mom has a cotton candy maker, and we bought some watermelon flavored cotton candy sugar at Zurchers), churro chex mix, etc. Nope. No one can accuse us of going over the top...right?

None of that really requires a recipe...except for the kettle corn and the funnel cakes (I will need to get that recipe from my sister, who is the one who made those...they were so good!). This stuff is so delicious! Plus, if you add food dye, you can make it any color you darn well please (red and green for Christmas, pastels for Easter, pink, red, and purple for Valentine's, green for St. Patrick's Day...go crazy).

I have a Whirley Pop popcorn maker. See here. They are $20. They come with a fun recipe booklet (where I found the recipe for kettle corn). Or, it is just a nice way to pop your own popcorn. It takes 3 minutes or less.

If you don't have a Whirley Pop popcorn maker, you can make it in a pan on your stove top. I have never done it, myself. However, on Allrecipes.com, the recipe (which is very similar...almost identical) has 4 1/2 stars and over 900 reviews. So, I think it is a good bet. I will share both versions for you.

Kettle Korn (Whirly Pop)

Ingredients:

1/3 cup popping corn
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup popping oil (I only use about 1/8 cup vegetable oil...I just fill my 1/4 cup measure half-way)

Directions:

Preheat electric stove (just above medium setting). For gas stoves, set low, never higher. Preheating is unnecessary. Pour all ingredients into popper. Stir constantly until kernels have finished popping. Quickly empty kettle corn onto cookie sheet. While the corn cools, take popper immediately to sink, run hot water into it with liquid detergent. Close lids on suds and let it soak for easy cleanup. When kettle corn is cool, break into pieces with a wooden spoon. Pick out any upopped kernels. Makes approximately 4 quarts of kettle corn.

To add color: Add a few drops of food coloring on the unmelted sugar when ingredients are put in popper. Don't squirt in one spot; it will lump. Dot small amounts around in 6 or 8 places. Store finished kettle corn in an airtight canister or jar.

To add flavor: Choose from coconut, rum, vanilla, almond, or other flavorings. Try 1/2 teaspoon in the first batch, and increase with each batch to suit your taste.

Source: This came from my Whirley Pop recipe booklet.

Notes: I use less oil than the recipe calls for because seriously, that much just isn't needed. It just makes your hands messier when you are eating it! Even with the Whirley Pop, the hot oil splatters (even through the lid of my popcorn maker). I always stir it while I am wearing oven mitts and an apron...and I stand as far back as I can!

Kettle Corn (using a regular pot)

Ingredients:

1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 cup unpopped popcorn kernels

Directions:

Heat the vegetable oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once hot, stir in sugar and popcorn. Cover, and shake the pot constantly (over the heat) to keep the sugar from burning. Once the popping has slowed to once ever 2 to 3 seconds, remove the pot from the heat and continue to shake for a few minutes until the popping has stopped. Pour into a large bowl, and allow to cool, stirring occasionally to break up large clumps.

Source: Allrecipes.com submitted by Sue202.

Notes: As mentioned above, the oil gets really hot and splatters. Wear oven mitts and an apron, and do not forget to cover the pot while you shake it as the popcorn is popping!

 

Above: Here is a picture of the mini funnel cakes topped with some powdered sugar that my sister made. Holy cow, they were good. I need to get that recipe from her!

 

Above: Don't forget to add some caramel sauce, jam, or pie filling to your funnel cakes!

 

Above: We got these containers for our carnival food from Zurchers.

  

Above: Yum!

 

Above: Rice crispy treats dipped in melted chocolate, and then sprinkles, and put on a stick.

  

Above: Churro Chex mix. Recipe found here.

 

Above: Cotton candy made with our cotton candy machine. We got watermelon flavored cotton candy sugar from Zurchers.

 

Above: I would just suggest making these in advance, because otherwise, you will spend the whole time making cotton candy to keep up with the kids' demand!

 

Above: We made some confetti/sprinkle cupcakes. We just used a boxed mix, and a canned frosting (that came with sprinkles).

 

Above: We got the cupcake liners and balloon picks from Zurchers.