Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts
Showing posts with label snacks. Show all posts

Tuesday, March 19, 2024

Homemade Moose Munch Popcorn

Moose Munch popcorn is a Harry & David trademark. Their signature popcorn is one of their most popular treats for Christmas. They call it "premium popcorn," and it definitely has a "premium" price tag. So when I saw a recipe for a homemade version, I decided to try it. 

As a teenager, I loved to make caramel popcorn. The caramel base for this recipe is similar to the caramel corn recipe I've used for years. This version has nuts and some chocolate drizzled over the completed snack. Chocolate is sure to make anything premium, right? 

I first tried it for our Super Bowl watch party. But it would be a great snack as year-end basketball tournaments begin. Our K-State men's team didn't make the Big Dance, but they play tonight in the NIT vs. Iowa. And the play-in games for the NCAA tournament start tonight, too. Our K-State women's team will take to the Octagon of Doom court on Friday afternoon vs. the Portland Pilots. So there are plenty of snacking opportunities ahead this week. 

Or, dress it up with some Easter M&Ms for your Easter guests and they'll think you spent the big bucks on the Harry & David trademark!

Enjoy! And Go 'Cats!

 
 Moose Munch Popcorn
From Favorite Family Recipes 

20 cups popped popcorn with kernels removed
1/2 cup whole cashews, lightly salted
1/2 cup whole almonds, lightly salted
1/2 cup salted peanuts
3/4 cup butter
1 1/2 cups light brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 cup milk chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 250 degrees. Cover two large cookie sheets with parchment paper. Place popped popcorn and nuts in a large bowl.

In a medium saucepan, combine butter, brown sugar and corn syrup. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly 2 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in baking soda and salt. It will foam up. 

Pour caramel mixture over popcorn and fold until well coated. Pour equal amounts on prepared cookie sheets. Spread the popcorn to a single layer. Bake 15 minutes, stir, then bake another 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let cool.

Melt chocolate in microwave-safe bowl, stirring every 30 seconds until smooth. Use a spoon or folk to drizzle melted chocolate over popcorn. Let is sit until chocolate hardens. Break into bite-sized pieces. Stores in airtight container or plastic bag. It will stay fresh for about 2 weeks. 
 
Notes:
  • I had cocoa-covered whole almonds leftover from Christmas baking, so I used those in place of the salted almonds. You can use any combination of nuts totaling 1 1/2 cups. 
  • I also used semi-sweet chocolate rather than milk chocolate because I prefer the slightly more bitter version. 

***

Southwest Ranch Dip

Looking for other snack ideas? I included a round-up of sandwiches, meatball, dips and other snacks in a Super Bowl post. Click HERE for all those recipes, just a couple of which are pictured. 

Thursday, March 23, 2023

A Winning Snack Buffet

1957 - my dad and me. Unfortunately, I did not get his prowess on the basketball court.

It's NCAA tournament week. It's time for basketball and for the hoops version of a tailgate party.

From upper left: Cheese Popcorn, chips (purchased), Toffee Snack Mix, Wholly Guacamole, Chipotle Raspberry Black Bean Dip, shrimp cocktail (purchased), Recipe links are at the bottom of this post.

We'll be in Manhattan - AKA the Little Apple - for the annual Kansas Master Farmers/Homemakers convention. But we will definitely find a television to watch our K-State Wildcats take on Michigan State this evening in the Big Apple. Go 'Cats!

Toffee Snack Mix

Pretzel Bites.

During the preseason, our Wildcats were predicted to finish at the bottom of the Big 12. And now they are dancing in the Sweet Sixteen. New coach Jerome Tang had just two players to work with when he became head coach a year ago. He put together a ragtag team through the transfer portal. He and the team call it CRAZY FAITH, and they put together a magical season. And, in the meantime, he generated positive change across the student body and the entire Wildcat Nation.

You can put together some magical treats - whether you're cheering for the Wildcats or another team or you just like basketball.  Yes, it's the second weekend of games in the NCAA tournament. Maybe you reached your quota last weekend with games from morning to night on four different TV stations. But basketball enthusiasts still love the game - and the snacks. 

If you're looking to add to your NCAA snack buffet, here are some tried and true options from Kim's County Line. As always, I don't share recipes unless they are get the thumbs up after I've made them here at home.  You can always search my blog for tried-and-true recipes. Type in "sandwiches," "meatballs," "snack mix," "drop cookies," "dips," "bar cookies," etc., in the search engine in the upper lefthand corner of the blog. It will give you lots of options.

Visit the links below for the recipes:

 

 Chipotle Raspberry Black Bean Dip 

Photo from Cooking for Keeps. For more information and lots more about the recipe, go to the Cooking for Keeps blog.

 
WARNING: Neon yellow fingers are a side effect of this snack. Cheese Popcorn.
 
If you want to get really fancy like a popcorn specialty shop, combine cheese popcorn and Caramel Corn. (Click here for the Caramel Corn recipe.) 



Thursday, March 18, 2021

Score with a Snack Buffet

From upper left: Cheese Popcorn, chips (purchased), Toffee Snack Mix, Wholly Guacamole, Chipotle Raspberry Black Bean Dip, shrimp cocktail (purchased), Recipe links are at the bottom of this post.
 

It's NCAA tournament week. It's time for basketball and for the hoops version of a tailgate party.

The tournament won't look the same this year. The stands won't be packed with fans. The teams are all congregating in "bubble format" at venues near Indianapolis.

And it's likely the big watch parties of years gone by will be "bye-bye" for another year. But after 2020 when the NCAA tourney was stopped before it ever started, it's still good news for basketball fans to contemplate hours of watching the Big Dance.

We had our own Super Bowl watch party back in February. Yes, just us two. (That's where the photo above originated with some tweaks for round ball.) So we may just have to have our own NCAA snack buffet, too ... even if my K-State Wildcats will not be making an appearance this year. I have the Big 12's teams circled on my bracket so I don't miss any of the action. And Wichita State University attempts to play into the tournament in a game tonight.

One of the new snacks I tried for our Super Bowl party was a Chipotle Raspberry Black Bean Dip. I had a hankering for a dip that's popular at So Long Saloon in Manhattan. (Ah, the pre-pandemic days of restaurant dining ... and trips to Manhattan!) And I even found a recipe from Cooking for Keeps blog that mentioned So Long and Aggieville by name!

The blog's author - Nicole - is a fellow K-State alum. So I was excited to try her version of the restaurant dip. It didn't disappoint. 

Photo from Cooking for Keeps. For more information and lots more about the recipe, go to the Cooking for Keeps blog.

Nicole's version used fresh raspberries as the base for the sauce, rather than purchasing a bottled salsa or sauce. Score!

Chipotle Raspberry Black Bean Dip
From Cooking for Keeps blog

1 tbsp. olive oil, divided
1/2 cup diced onion
2 large garlic cloves, minced and divided
10 oz. raspberries
1/4 cup + 1 tbsp water
1/8 cup white sugar
1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce
2 tsp. adobo sauce (from the canned chipotles)
1 14-oz. can black beans, rinsed and drained
1/4 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. salt, divided
6 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
 
Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Heat an oven-proof medium skillet to a medium heat. (Cast iron works well if you have it, but don't worry if you don't.) Add 2 teaspoons olive oil. Once the oil is hot, add onion and 1 garlic clove and cook until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add raspberries, 1/4 cup water, sugar, chipotle pepper, adobo sauce, and salt. Bring to a boil and reduce to a simmer. Simmer until the raspberries break down, stirring occasionally, about 5-7 minutes.

Transfer the mixture to a blender or use an immersion blender and blend until smooth. Season with salt and pepper. If you want your sauce a little bit spicier, add more adobo sauce or chopped chipotle peppers until you reach your desired heat level. (It was plenty hot for Randy and me, but our kids tease us about our low spice threshold!)

Rinse the pan you cooked the sauce in and wipe clean. Add remaining olive oil to the pan. Heat over a medium flame. Add remaining garlic; sweat 1 minute. Add black beans, water, chili powder and remaining salt. Saute until garlic is softened, about 2-3 minutes.

Push the black beans to the side and put the cream cheese in the middle. Cover with sauce. Sprinkle with cheese. Bake until the dip is hot and bubbly, and the cheese has melted, about 10 minutes. Serve with tortilla chips. 
 
NOTE: As I indicated, I don't have a cast iron or oven-proof skillet, so I just assembled the components in a square glass baking dish. You can still bake until the dip is hot, bubbly and melty. 
 
For the other snacks pictured at the top, visit the links below:
 
WARNING: Neon yellow fingers are a side effect of this snack. Cheese Popcorn.
 
If you want to get really fancy like a popcorn specialty shop, combine cheese popcorn and Caramel Corn. (Click here for the Caramel Corn recipe.) 

 

Toffee Snack Mix

You can always search my blog for tried-and-true recipes. Type in "sandwiches," "meatballs," "snack mix," "drop cookies," "dips," "bar cookies," etc., in the search engine in the upper lefthand corner of the blog. It will give you lots of options.


Thursday, January 30, 2020

Super Bowl = Super Snacks

At Christmastime, I typed "cheese dip" into my blog's search engine, hoping to save a little time and not dig through a pile of printed-out recipes. Some cheesy recipes popped up, but it wasn't the dip recipe I was looking for. I tried other combinations because I was just sure that I must have shared such a tried-and-true recipe before on Kim's County Line.

Nope.

So when one of my friends asked if I was going to do a Super Bowl food blog post, I decided it was time to remedy that oversight. After all, we'll need all the sustenance possible to cheer on the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl this Sunday!

This Southwest Ranch Cheese Dip was a recipe shared by my friend, Kim Volker, back when I was compiling favorites for a recipe book project as a shower gift for Jill and Eric.
They've been married more than 10 years now, and both Jill and I have used the recipe over and over again. Even though we eat leftovers for our after-Christmas-dinner supper, I always stir together Southwest Ranch Cheese Dip to serve alongside the ham sandwiches. And it's a favorite with Mexican meals and for parties, too.

It's super simple, and I usually have all the ingredients on hand in my fridge and pantry. Though the original recipe's directions called for using a slow cooker to heat up the dip, I've also sped up the process by combining the ingredients in a microwave-safe bowl and "zapping" it.
It's great served as-is with chips or fresh veggies. You can also use it as a topping on tostadas or baked potatoes.

It's been 50 years since our Kansas City Chiefs have been in the Big Game, so having the right munchies is paramount. Besides the recipe for the cheese dip, I've provided links to more tried-and-true recipes from Kim's County Line. I don't put them on the blog unless we've enjoyed them ourselves.

With Kansas City known as a barbecue hub, try out the BBQ Oven-Baked Ribs, BBQ Meatballs or BBQ Beef Under a Bun.

Since the Super Bowl is in Miami this year, I shared some tropical flavors with both the Lemon Buddy Snack Mix and the Chili Lime Tacos with Grilled Pineapple Salsa. Or try Jill's Guacamole recipe.

You'll also find a variety of sandwiches, snack mixes and sweet treats compiled below.

Enjoy and Gooooooooo CHIIIIEEEEEFFFFS!
Southwest Ranch Cheese Dip
From the kitchen of Kim Volker
1 can fiesta corn, drained
8 oz. cream cheese
8 oz. fiesta blend cheese, shredded (the original recipe called for Monterey Jack. I always have the fiesta on hand)
4 oz. can diced japalenos
1 pkg. dry ranch dressing mix
8 oz. sour cream
A little milk, if needed

Mix together all of the ingredients (except milk). Heat for 2 hours on low in a slow cooker, stirring every 30 minutes or so. If the dip is too thick, add a little milk to thin it.

Optional: Microwave the ingredients in a glass bowl. Microwave for 1 to 1 1/2 minutes at a time and stir. Keep heating and stirring intermittently until it's melted. Add additional milk as needed to thin it.

It's also good as a dip for raw vegetables or served as a topping for tosadas and baked potatoes, for example.

***

Click on the links for the recipes pictured below. Looking for something else? Type "bar cookie," "snack mix," "cookies," "sandwiches," "soup," etc., into the blog search engine. The search engine is found in the upper lefthand corner of the blog post.

Oven-Baked BBQ Ribs AND Sweet & Sour Baked Beans

BBQ Meatballs - Make them full-size or bite-sized
Brownies for a Crowd

Let's hope the San Francisco 49ers have Butterfingers - NOT the Chiefs!
Butterfinger Blondies

Peanut Butter S'Mores Bars