Cinnamon Chex Popcorn Balls!

During the years of my early childhood I was very skinny. My sister, Yammie, called me "Beanpole". I can remember getting very, very upset that she called me such an awful name. Now I would give a thousand cookies to hear her call me that again.
At age 13 I started binge-eating popcorn. I couldn't get enough of it. Hungry betwee
n meals? Make a bag of popcorn. Can't find anything to eat for lunch? Make a bag of popcorn. And every single night before I went to bed, I would make an entire bag of buttery, greasy, salty popcorn and stuff my face will I watched tv. I gained twenty pounds.

Well, a few years later I went through that horrible stage all girls go through where I actually gave a rat's toot about my appearance. Which stunk. The popcorn had to go. I lost some weight, bought some clothes that weren't from Christopher and Banks, and that lasted for about 2 years.
Popcorn remains my favorite snack, and I've found a much better solution than dieting. You just have to learn to suck in your tummy. Even when no one's looking. Even when you're sleeping. So you can hide the truth from everyone, even yourself. That you're a big, fat, popcorn loving animal.

Well, I decided to go the extra mile and make a popcorn ball. It's really very healthy, if you think about it in the right way. I mean, cinnamon is a very healthy spice. And it's made with a vegetable: Corn. See? You suck in that stomach and lie to yourself about what food group you're eating from, and you're well on your way to pretending to be fit!
But now, let's really dig into to these gooey, sweet and salty, succulent, cinnamon popcorn balls.

Cinnamon Chex Popcorn Balls

What you will need...
3/4 Cup Corn Syrup
1/8 teaspoon Salt
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Marshmallow Fluff
1/2 Cup Butter (Room temp)
5 Cups Popcorn (1 microwave bag)
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 Cups Cinnamon Chex

What you will do...
Lay out a sheet of wax paper.
Pop the popcorn and sprinkle 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon over it, shake it up in the bag.
Measure out 3 cups of Cinnamon Chex, set aside.
In a medium/large pot melt together corn syrup, sugar, fluff, salt, and butter on high heat. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly and scraping bottom of pot with spatula.
Remove from heat.
Pour popcorn and Chex into pot and fold in with spatula until coated thoroughly.
Butter up your hands and form balls (If it's too hot and burns your hands, wait a minute, it won't run away.) place on wax paper.
Enjoy!

They make a really cute gift too! This is how I served them for debate night. (Which btw was way better than the Super Bowl. Hilarious)

Secretly Healthy Pumpkin Granola Bars

As the weather gets progressively colder, we get progressively fatter. It's not scientific fact, but it's human nature. That wild bear inside all of us senses it's almost time to hibernate. We need to fatten ourselves up in order to survive winter. Except we never get to the actual hibernation part. We just stay awake and keep eating...

I've created a recipe for bars that not only keep you healthy and strong during winter without gaining 30 pounds, but also satisfy that crazy urge to eat Autumn sweets. They contain pumpkin (Yummy and healthy), oats (Of course), and honey! No sugar or butter added, chocolate chips optional! Delicious and healthy.

I liked them in the fridge, but room temp works too. Not to mention fresh from the oven :)

Pumpkin Granola Bars

What you will need...

4 Cups Oats

1/2 teaspoon Salt

2 teaspoons Cinnamon

1 8oz. Canned Pumpkin

1/4 Cup Peanut Butter

2/3 Cup Honey

1 Tablespoon Vanilla 

2 Cups Chocolate Chips

What you will do...
Preheat oven to 350F
Mix together dry ingredients, then add wet ingredients and stir until oats are fully coated. Add chocolate chips last. 

Line a 9 by 13 pan with parchment paper and bake about 30-40 minutes or until edges brown. Enjoy!

The Best Pumpkin Dessert

Well, it's the first day of October. It's an exciting month for my family. 

My sister, Rachel, lives in Berlin, Germany with her husband, Samuel (AKA the Bread King). They are expecting their first baby on October 8th. Actually, Rachel is expecting the baby at any, and every, moment. She's been texting me every other day saying she's positive that she's going into labor. But so far, no baby. So we are all on pins and needles, the edge of our seats. What makes it all the more thrilling, is that we have no idea if the baby is a boy or a girl, or what the name will be. They've successfully kept it a secret for almost nine months.
 Of course, I've been trying to sneak the truth out of Rachel the entire time. It will be my first niece or nephew and I can't wait to buy baby clothes and knit some tiny socks or a little tiny hat, but I want to wait until I know what colors to use. I've already gotten a ton of gender neutral, white baby outfits, but that gets boring after a while.

  Since they live in Germany where her husband goes to college, I won't be able to be there when the baby is born, or for the baptism, which I'm very sad about. But I've still never been more excited for anything in my entire life. My other sister, Kimmy, and I already have our tickets to visit them in Berlin for a week in December. The baby will be nearing two months old, so he or she will be even cuter by then. Who am I kidding, babies are cute at every stage! I'm just so happy. I think this merits a special dessert. How about it?

  This pumpkin dessert is derived from my grandmother's recipe. Three layers of absolute pleasure. The crust on the bottom, the pumpkin in the middle, and crunchy top layer made with cake mix, butter, and sugar. Every bite is heaven. Topped with real whipped cream, this is the perfect pumpkin dessert.

 Pumpkin Desert

What you will need...
Crust:
1 Box of Yellow Cake Mix (Save 1 Cup for topping)
1/2 Cup Melted Butter
 1 Egg (Beaten)

Second Layer:
1 15oz Can of Pumpkin
1 Egg + 1 Egg White (Beaten)
1/3 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Sugar
1 teaspoon Cinnamon 

Topping:
1 Cup Dry Cake Mix (The one you set aside)
1/4 Cup Butter (Cold)
1/4 Cup Sugar
1/4 teaspoon Cinnamon

Whipped Cream:
1 Cup Heavy Whipping Cream
2 Tablespoons Sugar

What you will do...
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. 
In a medium mixing bowl, mix together: cake mix (Minues one cup), butter, and beaten egg and press in a 8 by 8. Bake for 15 minutes.
While crust is baking mix together: Pumpkin, eggs, milk, sugar, and cinnamon. Remove crust from oven, pour filling over crust.
In a seperate bowl cut butter into 1 cup cake mix using a fork or pastry blender. Add sugar and cinnamon. Crumble over dessert.
Bake another 30-50 minutes until topping browns.
Let cool. Make whipped cream and sprinkle on cinnamon. 

Dig in.