Cereal Coconut Crunch

7 cups Golden Graham cereal
7 cups Corn Chex
2 cups nuts
2 cups wide flake coconut
Mix these together in a large bowl. In a separate pan, bring to a boil the following:
3/4 cup butter
1 cup white karo syrup
1 cup sugar
Boil for 2 minutes. Pour over cereal mixture and stir to coat. Pour onto waxed paper and spread out. Let cool and break apart. Store in airtight containers.

Candied Popcorn

I made red, yellow, blue and green popcorn for the Library story time today. We were reading books about those four colors. This recipe is from my dear friend, Utahna Richins.

2 c. sugar

1/4 t. salt

1 T. white karo

2/3 c. milk

Cook to 230° or just under a soft ball stage. Add:

1 t. vanilla

1/4 t. food coloring

Mix well and pour over 6 quarts of popped popcorn. Stir until well coated. Spread popcorn on waxed paper, separate and let dry.

Microwave Crispy Rice Cereal Treats

3/4 cube butter (6 T.)

16 oz mini marshmallows

1/2 c. peanut butter (optional)

8 c. crispy rice cereal

Place butter in a 3-quart microwave safe bowl. Melt on high for 1 minute. Add marshmallows and cover with paper towel. Cook on high for 2 1/2 minutes. Add peanut butter and stir until smooth. Stir in cereal and mix well. Press into 9 x 13 buttered or sprayed pan. Cool before cutting. I like to press the mixture into molds or cookie cutters and shake them out on parchment paper. I added melted almond bark to these and sprinkled with chocolate.

Spooky Witch Fingers

This is a fun recipe from Allrecipes.

1 c. butter, softened

1 c. confectioners' sugar

1 egg

1 t. almond extract

1 t. vanilla extract

2 2/3 c. flour

1 t. baking powder

1 t. salt

whole almonds

red decorating gel

Combine the butter, sugar, egg, almond extract and vanilla extract in a bowl. Beat together with an electric mixer, gradually adding the flour, baking powder, and salt. Refrigerate for 20-30 minutes. Scoop 1 heaping teaspoon of dough at a time onto a piece of waxed paper. Roll the dough into a thin, finger-shaped cookie. Press 1 almond into one end of each cookie to give the appearance of a long fingernail. Shape the knuckles and cut wrinkle lines in each finger. Bake for 15-18 minutes in a 325° oven. After baking, remove each almond, squeeze a small amount of red gel into the cavity, and replace the almond to cause the gel to ooze out around the almond.

Candy Corn Cookies from Betty Crocker

1 pouch (1 lb. 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker sugar cookie mix

1/3 c. butter, melted

1 egg

orange food coloring

yellow food coloring

Line 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with foil, extending paper over sides of pan. In a medium bowl, stir cookie mix, butter and egg until soft dough forms. divide dough into thirds. Color 1/3 orange and 1/3 yellow by kneading the color in until well mixed. Press yellow dough evenly into loaf pan. Press orange dough into loaf shape on waxed paper and transfer to pan on top of yellow dough. Press together gently. Press uncolored dough into loaf shape on waxed paper and transfer to pan on top of orange dough. Press together gently. Refrigerate dough for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until firm. Lift foil and remove dough from pan. Cut crosswise into 1/4 inch thick slices. Cut each slice into 5 or 6 triangles. Place 1 inch apart on ungreased cookie sheet and bake at 375° for 7-9 minutes or until cookies are set and edges very light golden brown. Cool completely.

Fresh Salsa

This great recipe came from my neighbor, Joyce Swyers.

8 ounces Catalina salad dressing

3 large tomatoes, chopped

2 cans drained, rinsed kidney beans

1 green pepper, chopped

1 bunch green onions, chopped (I have used a medium onion before)

Mix well and serve with tortilla chips or Fritos Scoops.

Corn Puffs

This is a picture of the corn puffs. Perhaps this will help you know what to look for when you go to the store. They are used to make the Toffee Popcorn below.

Toffee Popcorn

This wonderful recipe was given to me by my friend, Maria Hall. It is very delicious and very easy.

8 oz bag of baked corn puffs

1/2 c. butter

1/2 c. white karo syrup

1 c. brown sugar

1 t. baking soda

Pour bag of baked corn puffs into a large bowl or roasting pan. Set aside. Bring butter, karo, and brown sugar to a boil in a 2 quart pan and boil for 5 minutes. Add baking soda and stir quickly to dissolve soda. Pour over corn puffs and stir until well coated. Spread on a large cookie sheet and bake in a 250° oven for 45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Pour out onto waxed paper. I baked mine in the roasting pan for 20 minutes, stirring after 10 minutes, and it turned out fine. If you leave out the soda, it will resemble a hard toffee.

Note: You can find the corn puffs in the potato chip aisle.

Candied Chex Mix

This is Beverly Campbell's recipe. She was my wonderful aid when I taught school. Thanks, Beverly.

1 c. margarine

1 1/2 c. karo

1 1/2 c. sugar

Bring to a boil and boil for 4 minutes. Pour over the following mixture:

1 box Rice Chex

1 box Wheat Chex

large flake coconut

pecan halves

slivered almonds

any other items you want in your mix

Use the LARGEST bowl or pan you have. Mix the cereal mixture well before stirring the boiled mixture into the cereal mixture. You can leave it a little sticky or place it in the oven on cookie sheets for 15-20 minutes. Use the lowest setting on your oven.

Pretzel Turtles

Someone brought these to me. They are simple and delicious.

pretzels

Rolo candies

pecan halves

Place a single layer of pretzels on a sprayed, foil-lined cookie sheet. Unwrap Rolo candies and place one in the center of each pretzel. Carefully place in a 300° oven and cook for 2-4 minutes. They should look glossy and still hold their shape somewhat. Remove and quickly place a pecan half on each Rolo and press down on pecan to flatten Rolo. Cool until completely set. Store in covered container.

Halloween Witch's Brew

This was one of my favorite things to do on Halloween with my first grade class. Now that I have retired from teaching, I get to make this brew for my grandchildren's classes and for story time at the Public Library. You can add anything to the brew that you want. I put each thing in a brown paper lunch bag and label it "bat bones", "smashed bugs", etc. Have the children read each bag before you dump it into a large kettle. Stir after each addition. It is more fun if you do not let them see any of the ingredients until it is all mixed up. Then I bag it in snack-sized bags for them to take home. The following are some of my favorite ingredients:

braised beetles--milk duds

dragon wings--crisp snacks (triangle shaped)

pigeon poop--yogurt raisins

shredded lizard gizzards--shredded coconut

cat claws--shelled sunflower seeds

bat bones--pretzel sticks

ghost noses--mini marshmallows

colored flies--M & M's

smashed bugs--raisins

owl eyes--peanuts

pumpkin eyes--candy corn

blood drops--red hots

spider legs--black string licorice cut in 2" lengths

cobwebs--waffle pretzels

skeleton kidneys--jelly beans

witch fingernails--hot tamales

witch warts--chocolate chips

unicorn horns--bugles
bat brains--Nestle Buncha Crunch candy
witch fingers--cheetos

Frosted Pecans or Walnuts

Here is another great candied nut that can be used for gifts.

1/2 c. dairy sour cream

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 1/2 t. vanilla

4 c. pecans or walnuts

Combine sour cream, sugar and vanilla in a large pan. Cook to soft ball stage (234°), stirring frequently to prevent scorching. I cook it on medium low the whole time. Add nuts and stir to coat. Keep stirring until it becomes sugary and then spread out on a buttered cookie sheet. Separate with two forks. I always double the recipe and it works just fine. Warning: it is very addictive.

Cinnamon Almonds

I received this recipe from Michelle Fawcett. This is a great recipe to bag and give as gifts. I usually make it with almonds, but I tried a few pecans in the syrup today and they tasted just as good.

1 c. sugar

1/4 c. water

1/8 t. cream of tartar

1 t. cinnamon

Boil to a soft ball and add 1/2 t. vanilla and 1 1/2 c. almonds. Mix well, stirring until it goes sugary, and pour out into a cookie sheet sprayed with non-stick spray. Break into individual almonds with two forks. At Christmas I five times the recipe and use the 3 pound bag of almonds from Costco.