The Best Crunchy Caramel Corn Recipe

For us caramel season is FALL! It’s when we make our caramel apples, caramel apple nachos, creamy homemade caramels, and our very best better than crackers jacks Crunchy Caramel Corn.

first posted on my blog Sweet Life in The Valley back in 2008

Thanksgiving is coming up soon. Why not make some caramel corn to share with friends and family as a little gift of gratitude for them. It's also a tasty snack to eat fireside in the chilly Autumn weather.

Caramel Corn Ingredients list:

• 1 cup butter

• 2 cups brown sugar

• 1/2 cup corn syrup

• 1 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp baking soda

• 1 tsp real vanilla

• 6 quarts popped popcorn

​Sweet & Simple Tip:

Read your labels on corn syrup. I use the Karo brand corn syrup. It is the only brand I have found that is corn syrup rather than high fructose corn syrup

5 Ultimate Banana Bread Recipe From Your Favorite Food Bloggers

Hot coffee, latte, americano, tea etc. on a brisk fall morning topped off with a steamy warm slice of buttered banana bread is my idea of beginning the day perfectly. We’ve gathered a few of the very best banana bread recipes from our favorite food bloggers including The Classic Vintage’s recipe for banana bread that rivals the delicious banana bread at Starbucks.

If you give any of these tasty recipes a try let us know what you think in the comments. We would love to see photos too!

Our Perfect HomeStyle Cinnamon French Toast Recipe

The Story Behind The Recipe:
Cinnamon French Toast

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When I first started thinking about the FIRESIDE FOODIE theme - telling the stories of the food that made us, this recipe for HomeStyle Cinnamon French Toast was the essence of the perfected tried and true recipe that everyone in our family loves. It has been on the table every Saturday morning since my twins were old enough to eat it. It’s buttery and cinnamony and hearty. It is one of the recipes that made my kids. It’s a true comfort food.

“I firmly believe in making a recipe your own so it sings to your tastes. “

Now this my french toast recipe which is a little bit different from my mom’s but it was built on her recipe. I firmly believe in making a recipe your own so it sings to your tastes. My recipe includes a ton of cinnamon and splash of vanilla. My kid’s dad grew up with french toast that was made with salt and black pepper. I know. Pepper! But it’s surprisingly good that way too.

French Toast Toppings

We ALWAYS top it with pure Vermont maple syrup since we have friends and family who are maple producers in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. My sister and her family contribute to the Butternut Mountain Farm’s maple syrup which you can find at William Sonoma around the country. We are lucky enough to get some from them and our other friends who tap the most remote trees in Vermont for the cleanest purest natural organic maple syrup.

We usually top our french toast with fruit in season such as blueberries, strawberries, peaches etc and sometimes even a dollop of whipped cream too!

Here’s to another lovely late Saturday breakfast/brunch together as a family.

HomeStyle Cinnamon French Toast

by April Atwater | Simply the Sweet Life blog

Ingredients

• 8 slices of homestyle bread
• 4 large eggs
• 1/4 cup cream
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 2 tbsp ground cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
• butter

Instructions

1. In a mixing bowl wisk together eggs, cream, salt cinnamon and vanilla
2. Heat griddle on medium low heat and melt 2-3 tablespoons of butter.
3. Dip bread slices into egg mixture then place on griddle.
4. Cook until golden brown on each side.

Yield: 4 Servings

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Total time: 15 mins.

Nutrition

• Calories: 300
• Fat: 14g
• Totalcarbs: 32g
• Dietaryfiber: 4g
• Protein: 10g

Tags: french toast, brunch, breakfast, recipes

Super Easy Lemon Curd Recipe

Low Carb -Keto, Gluten Free, Sugar Free Friendly Recipe

Lemon Curd Recipe

The Best Potato Salad Recipe

Summer Salads Series

My grandpa Bohman was born on the 4th of July. Every year the family would gather together from all over the country for a big birthday party and family reunion for grandpa's birthday at the Bohman farm. Ou reunions would include some of our favorite family recipes. We have a big family. I'm the oldest of 8 and my grandparents had 8 kids too. We are scattered from Vermont to Texas to Florida to Utah. It seems like everyone made it back for grandpa's birthday. One thing the Bohman's know how to do is cook. All of them. We had classics like baked beans, homemade chocolate cake, 3 bean salad and of course potato salad. Our classic potato salad recipe was always on the table. It will rival the best out there and is hands down better than anything you will get from the deli. We never had any leftovers. It's simple and delicious. Grandma Bohman cooked to taste and rarely used a recipe. This is my measured version that comes as close and you can to grandma's recipe.

KETO TIP: If you’re keto like me replace the potatoes with cauliflower for a low carb potato salad!

Best Potato Salad Recipe

• 3 pounds of russet potatoes 

• 6 boiled eggs

• 1 medium onion

• 1/2 cup mayonnaise

• 1/4 cup pickle juice brine

• 3 medium dill pickles

• 1 tablespoon yellow mustard

• salt & pepper to taste

Cube potatoes and boil until cooked. Cool. Chop eggs into chunks. Dice onions and pickles. In a small bowl mix together mayonnaise, mustard and pickle juice to make a dressing. In a large serving bowl add potatoes, eggs, onion, pickles, and dressing and stir. Serve chilled. 

Sweet & Simple Tip: To add a little kick to your potato salad add some chopped pickled jalapenos. 

This Easy Pie Crust Recipe Turns Out Perfect Every Time!

This Easy Pie Crust Recipe Turns Out Perfect Every Time!

Easy Pie Crust Recipe

makes 2 bottom crusts or 1 bottom and 1 top crust

• 1 1/2 cup of unbleached all purpose flour

• 1/2 cup of room temperature butter

• 1/2 teaspoon of sea salt

• 2 tablespoons of cold water

In a food processor add all ingredients. Pulse on and off until blended and small pebbles of dough is formed. This can also be done with your hands.

Press dough together with hands. Forming a ball. Divide in two. Form into two balls; careful not to work the dough too much.

Place dough on a piece of parchment or wax paper tossing some flour over the top. Roll into a circle large enough to cover the pie pan; about 9-10 inches in diameter.

Place pie pan over the dough circle centering it. Flip the pie crust and plan over to put the crust into the pan. Press into pan. Using your fingers pinch the edge of crust to make a decorative pattern. 

With a fork prick holes to allow pie crust to vent while baking. Chill in freezer for 20 minutes then use as instructed in pie recipe.

more pie recipes

Greek Yogurt Peanut Butter Cup Pie Recipe

Post sponsored by Greek Gods Yogurt 

It's officially the beginning of the Holiday Season and Thanksgiving is coming up soon which also means it's PIE Season. Hooray for the Pumpkin Pie! and the Chocolate Pie and the Berry Pie and the Apple Pie and the Banana Cream Pie and the Peanut Butter Cup Pie and all the pies.

Our Peanut Butter Cup Pie filling is made of 4 simple ingredients and starts with thick rich cream and Greek Gods Greek Yogurt layered on top of a chocolate truffle bottom inside a dark chocolate cookie crust. It's so creamy and delicious you might find yourself wanting to eat it all. This pie will go fast so be sure to make a few to share. 

Peanut Butter Cup Pie

Makes 1 Pie

For the filling:

• 1 cup of heavy cream

• 1 cup of Greek Gods Plain Greek Yogurt

• 1/2 cup of creamy peanut butter

• 1 cup of powdered sugar

• 1 teaspoon of pure vanilla extract

For the truffle layer:

• 1 cup of heavy cream

• 3 oz dark chocolate

For the crust:

• 2 cups of chocolate sandwich cookie crumbs - about 12 cookies

• 1/2 cup of real butter- softened

More Pie Recipes

Maple Milk

Vermont Inspired Recipes

Not so much a recipe as a mix in idea, Maple Milk is a family tradition with my kids and my sister's families in Vermont. It's comfort food at it's best.

Did I tell you my sister and her family live on a mountain in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont. They make the most amazing pure Vermont Maple Syrup. A while back my brother-in-law along with his dad and brother decided to put up a sugar house in the middle of a Vermont winter. If you know Vermont winters you know this is quite the fête. They wanted to get it up in time for maple sugaring season which is early Spring.

They collect the sap from some the most pristine woods full of old sugar maples. The area is so remote it is clean and free from water, soil and air pollutants. They stay up all night when the sap is running feeding the wood fired evaporator stove. The results is gallons and gallons of pure liquid maple gold.

Maple Sugar Walnut Blondies Recipe

Vermont Inspired Recipes

When we visited Vermont for Camp Gathering-Vermont this past April we visited just at the end of the maple sugaring season.  A lot of people think of fall in Vermont and they think maple syrup but the maple sugaring season is in the very early spring when the days are warming up but it's still below freezing at night. This is when the sap flows.

To the warm flavor of real Vermont syrup still evokes a feeling of fall. My Maple Sugar Blondies are made up of the warm fall flavors including walnuts and the caramel flavor of a blondie. I use Butternut Mountain Farm's real Vermont Maple Sugar AND pure Vermont Maple Syrup in this recipe too. If you can't find it in your local store you can order it online on their website- Butternut Mountain Farm

We visited Butternut Mountain Farm in Johnson, Vermont and I assure it is some of the purest finest maple syrup you will buy.

Enjoy!

Maple Sugar Walnut Blondies

• 1/2 cup of butter 

• 1 1/2 cup pure maple sugar

• 1/2 cup of grade A dark robust pure maple syrup

• 3 eggs

• 1 teaspoon real vanilla extract

• 1 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

• 2 cups unbleached flour

• 1 cup white chocolate chips

• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

Melt butter. Add eggs, maple sugar, maple syrup, vanilla, baking soda, salt and nuts.

Stir by hand, Then mix in flour. Pour into 9x13 inch greased cake pan. sprinkle white

chocolate chips on top. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until golden brown and pulling

away from the pan on the sides. Cut and serve. I like to sprinkle a little bit of maple sugar over top and drizzle with a little bit of pure Vermont maple syrup right before serving.

Sweet Tip: Only mix by hand and be sure stir only to incorporate the ingredients and no more for best 

More Vermont Posts

Easy Hummingbird Food Recipe

It’s spring time which means the hummingbirds are coming back. Every year my grandma would hand a hummingbird feeder so we could watch the hummingbirds from her kitchen window. I carried on that tradition with my kids. Now that they are grown and off to college I look forward to the days I feed the hummingbirds with my future gandkids just likemy grandma.

Hummingbird food is really a simple recipe. It consists of sugar and water. You boil the water to make sure it is clean and pure for your hummingbird friends.

This is a basic plain sugar syrup. Do not use food coloring. The hummingbirds will love their freshly made nectar.

Info for feeding hummingbirds:

Hummingbirds eat the most during the early morning and about a half an hour before dark so it's best to check on your hummingbird feeder just after dinnertime.

Humming birds are drawn to the colors red and orange. To attract them to your yard plant bright hues of red and orange flowers. It's also good to make sure your hummingbird feed has red on it too.

A few good hummingbird friendly flowers are petunias, lupine, lilies, and bee balm in shades of reds and oranges.

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Hummingbird Food Recipe

By Simply the Sweet Life

This is a simple recipe for your favorite hummingbird friends..

Ingredients

• 1 cup sugar
• 4 cups water

Instructions

• In a pot bring water to simmer. Add in sugar and stir until the sugar is dissolved. Cool then place in your hummingbird feeder.

Yield: 5 cups

Prep Time: 00 hrs. 05 mins.

Cook time: 00 hrs. 10 mins.

Total time: 15 mins.

Nutrition

• Calories: 773
• Fat: 0

Tags: recipes, hummingbird food

SAVE IT FOR LATER - PINTEREST

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The Most Delicious Springtime Stuffed Tilapia Recipe

It's springtime and the stores are full of great deals on fresh asparagus.  Asparagus is not only delicious but good for your body.  It's a wonderful high alkaline nutrient dense vegetable that's low carb- keto friendly and of course gluten-free making it a great food for almost everyone.

When I was growing up my Grandma Bohman grew a patch of asparagus just outside her garden gate.  It's a tall wispy plant with little green berries on it when it goes to seed.  I use to love running my hands through it as I walked by.

I love fish and tilapia is a beautiful mild white fish that pairs well with some many flavors.  I love finding new tilapia recipes.  For this recipe, I put together some colorful and flavory veggies that are easy to find this time of year at the market.  I topped it with a lemon garlic sour cream sauce.  

Stuffed Tilapia Recipe

serves 2 - can easily double

• 2 Tilapia fillets

• 1 Lemon

• Marinated artichoke hearts 

• 1 Red, yellow or orange sweet pepper

• 2 Cloves of fresh garlic

• Red pepper flakes

• Pink Himalayan salt or sea salt

• Bamboo Skewers

• 1/2 cup of pure sour cream 

• Pinch of dried garlic granules or garlic powder

Pre-heat your oven to 375 degrees. Gather your ingredients then slice your sweet peppers in thin slices. Snap off the ends of your asparagus and peel your cloves of garlic. For my tilapia, I get this fresh frozen tilapia fillets that are individually wrapped.

Layer a few pieces of asparagus, a few sticks of sweet peppers, a piece of artichoke heart and one clove of fresh garlic. Top with red pepper flakes and pink salt.

Roll the two ends of the fish together overlapping slightly and hold together with your bamboo skewers. If they are too long just snip off the end.

Drizzle a little avocado oil in the bottom of your pan then lay tilapia fillets in pan and drizzle a nice amount of avocado oil over the top. Top each piece of tilapia with a lemon slice. Bake in a 375 degrees oven for about 20 minutes until fully cooked.

In a small bowl add 1/2 cup of sour cream, a pinch of dried garlic granules, 1/2 teaspoon of pink salt and 2 pinches of red pepper flakes to taste. Squeeze the juice of half a lemon on top and stir until completely mixed.

Serve with a generous spoonful of lemon sour cream sauce. It's the perfect light yet filling spring dinner.

kitchen tools I used

• Bambo cutting board look at this nice thick butcher block style one.

• White dinnerware these are like the ones I use.

• Fish spatula 

• Chefs knives these are my favorite!

• Here is the blue plate that's under the sauce bowl.

SAVE FOR LATER ON PINTEREST

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MORE MUST TRY RECIPES

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