#29 Popping Good Times!

Shownotes for #29 Popping Good Times!

The music for the opening and ending of the show is Fast Food Rampage by the The Touch Ups, courtesy of the Podsafe Music Network.

Stuff you need to know for this show's recipe:

All the recipes here are an hour or less. Total preparation time for is less than 30 minutes.

Talk Back! We are a Snacking Community. Go to the end of these Shownotes and click on comments. Leave your thoughts and experiences. Or email me at [e-mail].

The podsafe music used in the show:

This week, I am featuring the song "Metro Jets Premiere Concert" by Brainpool, Scandinavia's pop�punk stars. They switch directions with their fifth full�length release "Junk," an intelligent, robust rock opera. This three�piece rock group crosses retro sounds with modern sensibility. Think David Bowie meets the Who, Yes meets Queen, and Pink Floyd meets Hedwig and the Angry Inch! The album features 28 new cuts. You can listen to ten of them and view their video on the website.

Here is the lead recipe I describe in the show:

Chocolate Popcorn Trail Mix 4 squares semi-sweet chocolate 2 cup dried cranberries 4 cups shredded wheat cereal 4 cups popped microwave popcorn Melt chocolate as directed on pkg. Pour over cranberries in small bowl; toss to coat. Set aside. Mix cereal and popcorn in large bowl. Add cranberries; mix lightly. Spread into single layer on large piece of wax paper. Cool completely and store in an airtight container at room temperature.

"Cracker-Jack" style Caramel Popcorn 1 pkg. (340 g) soft caramels, unwrapped 3 Tbs. butter 10 cups popped popcorn 1 cup peanuts Directions Preheat oven to 300°F. Place caramels, butter and 1 Tb sp. water in large heavy saucepan; cook on low heat until caramels are completely melted, stirring frequently. Combine popcorn and peanuts in large bowl. Add caramel mixture; toss to evenly coat. Spread onto large, greased parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake 10 min.; stir. Bake an additional 10 min. Spoon onto sheet of wax paper; cool completely. Break apart into clusters. Wrap clusters in plastic wrap to store. To unwrap, place caramels in the freezer for 5 min.

Peanut Butter Popcorn Balls 8 c popcorn 3 c shredded wheat cereal, crushed 1/4 c butter 3/4 c peanut butter 1 pkg mini marshmallows Combine 8 cups popped corn and 3 cups cereal, Set aside. Melt 1/4 cup butter and 3/4 cup peanut butter in a large microwaveable bowl on medium (#5) power for 1 minute. Add 1 pkg (250 g) mini marshmallows; microwave on medium (#5) power fro another minute or until marshmallows puff. Add cereal mixture to melted peanut butter-marshmallows, stirring well to mix. Using moistened hands, form into small balls.

Chewy Popcorn Bars (From the Popcorn Institute.) 2 qt popped popcorn 1 c honey 2 c rolled Oats 1 c raisins or chopped dates 1 c chopped dry roasted peanuts Heat honey in saucepan until it thins out and pours easily. Put popcorn, oats, raisins and nuts in a large bowl and mix until blended. Pour honey over mixture and stir with wooden spoon. Press into greased 9x13" pan, cover with plastic wrap and chill for several hours. Press mixture firmly before cutting into bars. Serves 12.

Here is the shopping list for next week:

Next week I'm going to take a box of raisin out of my pantry and show you some tasty and nutritious snacks you can make with them. You'll need a large box of raisins, flour tortillas, corn tortilla chips, peanut butter, 2 medium bananas, sherry vinegar, 1 cup oil cured or pitted ripe olives, capers, garlic, anchovy fillet, soft white bread, 8 ounces) cream cheese, paprika, cayenne pepper, cinnamon, fresh parsley, shredded Monterey Jack cheese, brown sugar, and whipping cream.