It's Friday night and Miss Celia and I decided to do some leftover cooking. A couple of nights ago my dad, "Papa", bought Celia and Charlie a giant bag of kettle corn- yum! Unfotunately we also had a tin of popcorn leftover from Christmas. Needless to say the kettle corn did not get eaten, but I could not let such yummy goodness go to waste, so here's a recipe for popcorn bars. I have never made popcorn balls, but I would guess it is a version of that recipe- but it's for lazy people :) I mean who really wants to make all those sticky balls? Enjoy!
Cashew Popcorn Bars
Ingredients:
4 TBSP Butter, melted
10 Cups Popcorn*
2 Cups Cashews
4 Cups Mini Marshmallows
1/4 Cup Light Corn Syrup
Chocolate Cookie Icing (optional)
1. Measure out 10 cups of popcorn in a large bowl. Add 2 cups of cashews to the popcorn. Set aside.
2. Spray a 10x15 bar pan with pam. In a small bowl, melt butter in microwave.
3. Put marshmallows in a third bowl. Pour corn syrup on top. Microwave marshmallows in 30 second intervals for 2 minutes. They will expand to 3 to 4 times their size. When expanded, fold pour popcorn mixture and butter into marshmallows. Pour into pan and pat down. Let sit for 30 minutes. Swirl icing over top of bars and let sit until hardened. Cut into squares and serve.
*I would not use popcorn with extreme amounts of butter on it.
This is my last week of work for the summer, so I'm breaking out some summertime dessert recipes. I made these bars a week ago for a family dinner. They are creamy and cool, in addition to being delicious! 
CheeseCake Layer Bars
Layer 1- Crust
25 Large Marshmallows
1 TBSP Butter
4 Cups Cornflakes
Spray a 9x13 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray. In a large bowl, microwave marshmallows and butter in 30 second increments. When marshmallows have puffed up, stir in cornflakes. Spread out on the bottom of your pan. Let sit for 30 minutes and smash down.
Layer 2- Chocolate
3 Chocolate Bunnies
6 Squares Semi-Sweet Baking Chocolate
Break up chocolate bunnies into a bowl. Mix in baking chocolate squares. Microwave in 10 second increments, stirring in between. When melted, spread chocolate over cornflake crust. Let sit 10-15 minutes.
Layer 3- Cheesecake Layer
1 Bar Cream Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
2 Boxes Pudding, Chocolate or Vanilla
1 Can Evaporated Milk
Soften cream cheese. Mix all ingredients until smooth and creamy. Pour over chocolate layer. Put in refrigerator for 2 to 3 hours. Keep refrigerated until ready to serve.
I love Peeps. I like to eat them stale. I know that sounds funny, but I leave the package open for a couple of days and then eat them with chocolate. Yum! I think it's great that they now make Peeps for more holidays than just Easter. My favorite thing to do with Peeps is make Peep Treats. These are Rice Krispy Treats made out of Peeps. They are so fun, because they end up being the color of the peeps. We just had pink Peep Treats for Celia's birthday. Peep Treats are a fun treat to make with your kids because they are easy to make and the peeps look funny when you warm them up in the microwave.
Peep Treats
Ingredients:
1/2 Package of Large Marshmallows (I used pink strawberry ones)
1 Package of Peeps (Use the Pack with 3 trays)
3 TBSP Butter or Margarine
6 Cups Rice Krispy Cereal
1. Spray a large, rectangular baking pan
2. Put Marshmallows, Peeps and Butter in a large, microwaveable bowl. Microwave for 1 to 2 minutes in 30 second increments. Peeps will expand, you want to make sure they don't explode.
3. Mix Rice Krispies into melted
Marshmallows. Pour into your baking pan. Let sit for a few hours.
