Funny face (cereal) we love you!




When I was a kid, my mom would get me to eat my Cream of Wheat by making a face in it with m&ms. Now I do that with Bella. She calls it "funny face" cereal.

Here is what my family looks like as m&ms. (Sizes are not to scale -- Bella's tall and getting taller but she has yet to pass me up. Maybe in kindergarten.)




A more recent family food tradition is making this cinnamon candy-coated popcorn for Valentine's Day. It's also yummy at Christmas, but I usually don't make it for all the other traditional holiday goodies.



CINNAMON POPCORN

32 cups plain popped popcorn (If you're using an air popper, this is 1 1/4 cups unpopped kernels.)

1 cup margarine or butter

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1 9-ounce package Red Hot candies

Grease with shortening or cooking spray three 13-by-9-inch pans. Put the popped popcorn in the pans.

Melt margarine, syrup and candy together; bring to a boil (the candies will sort of clump at first, but they do eventually dissolve.) Boil 5 minutes.

Pour over popcorn and stir to coat.

Bake at 250 degrees Fahrenheit for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool. Break apart. Store in airtight container.


Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Farewell, My Hero (Burger)

One of my guilty pleasures -- the Hero Burger -- is gone from the market. A Hero Burger is two hamburger patties on a six-inch hero sandwich bun, topped with grilled salami and ham, cheese, mayo, lettuce and tomato and grilled onions if you wish. Late this summer I noticed that the Dairy Mart in my town became a Mountaineer Mart. Throughout the fall more Dairy Marts and All Star Expresses in my area became Circle K convenience stores. The Hero Hut sandwich stations in them closed. Finally this week I noticed that the standalone Hero Hut restaurant in Sabraton has also shuttered. Chico Enterprises sold 26 stores to Circle K and at least one to Mountaineer Mart. From now on, I will only get Hero Hut's signature sandwich, my guilty pleasure -- a Hero Burger -- if I make it myself and then it doesn't taste quite the same. Hero Huts have been around since my childhood, if not before. I'm sad to see them go.
Read more

Old-fashioned candy: January Thaw

Image
Among my fondest memories of growing up in an Appalachian holler is the food, specifically the sweets. Late last year, foodie trend watchers predicted old-fashioned candy is going to be hot this year. I have yet to see Google return this recipe in response to my request for "old-fashioned candy." Trust me, it's a goodie. As a kid, I never gave much thought to why January Thaw was called that -- we sometimes made it in months other than January -- but a Web site that printed a recipe similar to my mom's says it’s because it looks like muddy slush. I assure you it's much tastier. And as the foot or so of snow outside my house has melted this week, the candy doesn't much resemble what's in my yard. Nor does the batch I made tonight exactly match what I remember from 25 years ago. I chalk that up to ingredients and technique and I'll throw in different elevation for good measure. While not "perfect", it's still pretty good -- who could find f...
Read more

Family cooking contest reinvents hot dogs

Image
I'm fortunate to be virtual friends with today's guest blogger, Kara Glenn, because we share a love of food. I ogled her photos of Thanksgiving dinner one year and sent her a Facebook friend request for that reason (though I had met her in person when we worked for the same company years ago.) And I'm excited to share with you the cooking contests her family holds. Without further delay, meet Kara. Kara Glenn lives in Morgantown with her husband Trevor and Golden Retriever Kelsey. She currently works for the Department of Energy doing design work, and enjoys cooking, reading (mostly Harry Potter), blogging, gaming with her husband and spending time with her family. Here's her story of a recent family get-together over Columbus Day. One of my family's favorite activities is eating. OK, actually it's our favorite. My mom went to culinary school in New Orleans, and good food has always been the centerpiece of our gatherings. With the growing popularity of the Food ...
Read more