Gingerbread Caramel Corn

I came across this recipe in a Taste of Home circular and had to give it a go!! It was a total hit, supremely delicious, and so easy! Gingerbread Caramel Corn has definitely made my list of things to make this Christmas! It is a perfect spin on typical caramel corn for this Holiday Season and it packs well; making it perfect for snacking during holiday road trips, while driving around enjoying Christmas lights and yard decor, or for gift giving!

What you will need:

• 14 cups popped popcorn
• 3/4 cup packed brown sugar
• 1/2 cup butter, cubed
• 1/4 cup light corn syrup
• 1/4 cup molasses
• 1 1/2 tsp. ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp. salt
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract

 What to do:

1. In a nonstick saucepan, add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, spices, and salt. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. Boil WITHOUT stirring for 5 minutes (NO CHEATING!)
2. Remove from heat; stir in baking soda and vanilla (mixture will become foamy). Quickly pour over popcorn and mix well. I tossed mine like a salad... it seemed to work better than trying to "stir" it.

 3. Transfer to a large roasting pan or two 15x10x1. Bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from pans and place on waxed paper to cool. Store in an airtight container.

Yields 3 1/2 quarts...but I promise you will want to make more.

Menu Plan Monday: I am so Thankful!

Good morning All!!! I hope each of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday!  We ended up with the stomach bug in our house and couldn't travel to see family, but none the less we celebrated our blessings at home. We have so much to be thankful for: Our Lord and Savior, Healthy Family, Loving Home, Sweet Boys, Wonderful Marriage, Supportive Husband,  Compassionate Friends... the list goes on and on. I am also very Thankful for each of you!  Thank you for coming back, post after post to share these snapshots of my life and my journey as a writer, cook, and mother.  I love you all and would love to get to know you all better!  Please feel free to leave notes and comments anytime or find me on Twitter!  @cupofdaisies  Until then, here is our menu plan for the week!  ~Audra

Monday:  Bball Game
Whataburger!! with the team!

Tuesday:
Cobb Salads & Cheese Toast

Wednesday: 1st Wednesday at Bay Area Fellowship (come join us for amazing worship!!)
Grilled Cheese Sandwiches, Fruit Salad, Chips

Thursday:
Turkey N Dumplings with green beans (using up that left over turkey!)
  Yes I saved the carcase to boil  for broth, did you?

Friday: Family Movie Night!!
Pizza, Popcorn, Strawberry Peach Smoothies(recipe below)

Saturday:
Breakfast: potato, egg, & cheese burritos
Lunch: Pimento cheese Sandwiches
Dinner: Tamales, Queso Flamado Dip, Salad

Sunday:
Breakfast: Kolaches
Lunch: Out
Dinner: Taco Soup, sliced avocados, tortilla chips

Recipe:

From Stacy @ Texas Neals

Strawberry, Peach Slushies2 c. frozen Strawberries
1 c. frozen Peaches
1 c. Water
1c. raw baby spinach
Honey to taste

Place all ingredients in a blender and blend until slushy!  YUM!
Bonus Tip: I have also added raw yellow squash and purple cabbage to our smoothies and the kids drank them just the same.

Science Fair Project: Skittle Color Count

A few weekends ago, William worked his little heart out on a Science Fair Project for school.  We were so proud of him! He worked so hard, and that hard work paid off.  He ended up placing 3rd!! Great Job William!!


Project Run Down:  

Does each bag of skittles contain the same amount of each color?

William's Little Helper! 

 (Always wear your safety Goggles when doing Science!)

William Counted and Recorded stats on 10 bags of skittles. And through it realized that not only does each bag of skittles not contain the same number of each color, but it also does not contain the same amount of overall skittles.  (Hmmmm....  are we getting jipped on skittles?) :)  Note: There is usually most red skittles and least green skittles in a bag.  (It would work that way... Green is my favorite!)

Do your kids participate in School Science Fair?  What were your project topics?

I got a new camera!!

On my birthday this year, Michael and the boys gave me a new camera!  I love it and I am having so much fun learning a new skill.  I wish I knew more. But here are some fun pictures I caught the first day I got to play with it!  Of course, I took pictures of my three favorite subjects... the brothers! :)

Hot Apple Cider

Over the last week, we have finally had a couple of  "cool fronts" move through South Texas; cooling us down to a freezing 70 degrees. Well, I think we have to make the best of it, so I jumped on the chance to make the first batch of Hot Apple Cider for the year! And oh my.... It was wonderful!!!
 For this recipe and other great holiday drinks visit me at Blissfully Domestic.

Purple Cow ... MOOO!

Purple Cow

• Grape Soda **
• Old Fashioned Vanilla Ice Cream

1. Fill medium sized glass 1/3 full of soda
2. Using an icecream scoop, place 4 scoops vanilla ice cream in the glass.
3. Fill the rest of the way with soda

** Grape Juice can be substituted for the grape soda. I love the tangy flavor of the juice with the sweet creamy flavor of the icecream, but the rest of my family prefers the soda. :)

Get it.. Purple for the Grape... and Cow for the "milk"/ ice cream! :) haha... makes a Purple Cow, and a might yummy one at that!

Cade = Cheetah One

I don't think I have ever shared how much the brothers like to play dress up! We have an entire bucket of pirate hats, super hero capes, fake muscles, animal ears & tails, ties, caps... the list goes on and on.

But there is one costume that will always outweight them all... you see, Cade also has a huge interest in Big Cats! Especially cheetahs! Which explains the picture.   I had to capture these pictures to share the wonder and amazment that my sweet boy has for God's creation.  He spends his days, drawing pictures of animals, reading books about animals, and quizzing me on information about animals, I'm learning more and more every day! :)

A little bit about Cheetah One, aka, Cade.   Cheetah One has a Supersuit complete with cape, mask, and ears.  Cheetah One's super powers include, super speed (of course), bravery, kindness, and firecly sharp claws! He also has some(imaginary) friends that come togther to complete his superhero "squad".. Their names are Turtle One, Hippo One, Saber Tooth Tiger One (seen below), and Snake One, each complete with their own set of unique powers.  I love to listen to his stories and imagination run wild, litteraly!

 Cade got his little brother to join him and be a Saber Tooth Tiger One... Isn't this the most ferocious lil thang you have ever seen! :)

Halloween Fun!

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween Night.  Our neighborhood was crawling with cutie pies and spooky creatures last week.  It was fun to get out meet a few more neighbors, run into some sweet friends, and watch the excitement in each of our kids as they went from house to house visiting and hoping for some sweet treats. 

 We have a fun tradition on Halloween.  After the bags are full and we have had our fair share of trick or treating, we head home to dump out all the fun goodies.  After Michael and I look over everything, we let the kids loose.  They have 15-20 minutes to indulge in any treats they want.  I know most of you are thinking, "Seriously! you let your kids eat pure sugar for 20 minutes!"  but hear me out!   I will say for the 3 years we have done this the most candy eaten has been 5 packages.. Honestly, that's not even a full sized candy bar.  Last year, William chose A Piece of Gum... yes for 20 minutes and out of all that sugar, he chose one piece of gum... Anyways, afterwards, the boys choose their 5 favorite pieces of candy to eat later, and the rest of it gets sent to work with Michael. He sets it on the counter for customers and co-workers. He usually brings the basket home a week later empty.  That's right no more candy to loom over, and non thrown out... it is a win-win situation!  What do you do with all that candy?

Here are our sweet boys ready for Trick or Treating!

 The ZooKeeper

 Anakin Skywalker!  (Great job on the costume mom!!)

Superman!

 Ready, Set, EAT!!!

Hope you all had a Happy Halloween!! What did you do?

Menu Plan Monday with E-Mealz.com

Well, This week I'm heading back over to e-mealz.com, for my weekly meal planning... Have you tried e-mealz for you budget friendly, quick and easy, meal planning needs?  A while back E-mealz asked me to do a review and all I can say is, Thank you E-Mealz!! you have been a life saver on so many occasions!

Product Review: THE ACTION BIBLE

Ok,  so let me start by saying this isn't actually an item our family currently owns.  It is however a product that we are hoping for under the tree this year. :)  But I do want to let you know,  this book has come highly recommended to us.  My sis-in-law, as well as a few friends all with boys ages 5-12.

 The Action Bible isover 200 stories from the Holy Bible put in Graphic Novel format (Comic Book Style).  If you have a super hero junky or comic book whizz in your home... I have three...

Or You want to make the events from the Bible come to life  for your son?  I would highly recommend The Action Bible.

Here are some of the highlights that I have found in this book...

• Over 200 action packed Bible Stories in Chronological Order
• Illustrations drawn by Marvel, DC,  artist Sergio Cariello
•  * Note: William wants to be a Cartoonist and I love the fact that the profession and God's Word colide in this book, as well as the Artists Personal Testimony!
• I really enjoy that the people and events that my boys learn about everyday in our Bible reading, now come to life in a familiar and in a relatable form to them... let's face it most of our children don't even know what flannel graph is. **giggle**

I do love the disscussions and questions that opening the Bible can bring into our family life. The Action Bible is no exception.  I know as our boys begin to read through The Action Bible, curiosity and wonder of God's plan will begin to errupt. For some great discussion questions, please visit Focus on the Family.

The Action Bible runs between $14.99-$25.99 depending on retail establishments So SHOP Around!!

I do hope this review was helpful for you!  I would love to hear about any products you are considering purchasing for the upcoming holidays, and will help out in any way possible!