Fall Pumpkin Lollipops

As some of you know, I've been venturing into candy lately. I'm not sure why although I think it has something to do with the challenge. When I first started this blog, I was pretty impressed with myself when I managed to perfect a hard boiled egg (okay, I shouldn't say perfect... I still screw this up occasionally). But now I am feeling more confident in the kitchen and with that confidence comes a new set of tasks that I'm willing to try. So I guess that is what led me to candy.

Not all candy needs special equipment, but some definitely do. And my mom was awesome enough to get me a really nice candy-jelly-deep fry thermometer. This big guy even has "legs" so you don't have to worry about the thermometer touching the bottom of the pan. It sure is a step up from the $1.99 one I picked up at the grocery store!

Last night while watching a movie with my husband, I turned to him and said, "Pumpkin pops! With Mike and Ike stems!" He nodded as if he was used to these random outbursts. I quickly jotted down an idea on a Post-It note and this is what happened next...

Ingredients:

• 3/4 cup sugar
• 1/2 stick butter
• 1/2 cup light corn syrup
• 1 (3 oz) box orange jello
• Mike and Ikes (just the green ones, eat the rest!)
• lollipop sticks
• nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

• Butter or spray nonstick vegetable cooking spray onto parchment lined cookie sheets. Arrange half of the lollipop sticks on each and set aside.
• In a small saucepan over medium heat add sugar, butter and corn syrup together until sugar has dissolved.
• Slowly bring to a boil, stirring frequently. Insert a candy thermometer into syrup and continue cooking until temperature reaches 300 degrees F. Remove from heat. Stir in gelatin until smooth.
• Using a metal spoon and working quickly, drop heaping spoonfuls of lollipop syrup on end of each lollipop stick. Place a green Mike and Ike candy at the top to look like a stem. Cool completely.

Okay maybe it's a little early for Halloween, but these would be perfect for any fall event too!

I did give these a try and they had a great flavor. Just like a lollipop you could buy at the store! You could sub out any flavor for orange... the possibilities are endless! But either way, these could be my new favorite thing to make (and give).

It was a little hard to get them into perfect shapes, but hey... not all pumpkins were created equal either, right?

Source: P Deen

Bacon wrapped venison bites

Our good friend Charlie might have the best job in the entire world. You see, Charlie is a park ranger. He gets to enjoy the wild outdoors all year round and a few different state parks around Iowa. Did I mention he also has a house with his wife and two beautiful children at one of these parks? Yep, DREAM JOB I'm telling you. And he's good at it too.

Drew and I love going camping so on a whim we decided to call Charlie and see if he had any room at one of his parks for us (we were asking on Labor Day weekend, it was a long shot). He said absolutely! In fact, he set us up with a spot at the park where he lives. We were expecting to set up our tent and get ready to relax but oh no, Charlie had pulled his beautiful camper into the spot for us to use instead. How thoughtful!! We were so excited since we usually rough it in sleeping bags. But not this time. Check it out:

And that was only one half of the inside. Spin around and you'll find a couch and bed!

So we sat down with friends around the campfire to have a few beers and just catch up. It was very relaxing. After awhile I wandered down to the river for a little fishing. I didn't manage to bring back any catfish that night, but I didn't care. With a view like this I was in heaven:

When I got back to the campsite, Charlie had brought out some venison for the grill that he had hunted himself. This was the most fantastic venison I think I have ever had. The meat was lean, flavorful, and didn't taste "gamey" like it does sometime. So I had to know just how he did it...

Ingredients:

• Venison loin
• Italian dressing
• Cavendars Greek seasoning (okay I absolutely LOVE this stuff. I put it on eggs, pizza, EVERYTHING. Pick some up, you'll love it too)
• Bacon

Directions:

• Marinate venison in Italian dressing for at least 24 hours. A long time marinating helps ensure that the meat won't taste too gamey.
• Remove from marinade and generously sprinkle Greek seasoning.
• Cut up into small pieces. Wrap each piece with bacon and place on skewer.
• ---note--- venison is very lean so it dries out quickly. The bacon definitely help it keeps in some moisture.
• Now grill and enjoy!

These were AMAZING! I'm sorry I don't have an 'after' photo but we gobbled these up just too fast.

Thanks again Charlie!

Caprese Burger

The other night I was on my own for dinner and craving a burger. After looking through the fridge, I noticed that I still had some fresh mozzarella that needed to be used up. I also spotted one last ripe tomato that our neighbors gave us. Oh, and what's that? My beautiful basil plant sitting on the windowsill. Sounds like a caprese burger to me!

All the flavors of a caprese salad, but on a bun. Who can resist?

Ingredients:

• Please note that this is just for one burger. Increase as necessary.
• 1/4 pound lean ground beef
• 2 large basil leaves (plus extra for topping your burger)
• 2 tsp balsamic vinegar
• salt and pepper
• 1 tomato slice
• 1 generous slice of mozzarella
• hamburger bun

Directions:

• Slice basil leaves into small pieces and add to ground beef.
• Add balsamic vinegar and fold over a few times to mix everything together well. Form a patty.
• Salt and pepper your patty a little bit too. Now throw it on the grill.
• Grill to ALMOST your desired degree of done and add the mozzarella. Allow cheese to melt for a few more minutes.
• Remove burger from the grill, place on a bun, top with tomato and you're done!

This was a delicious burger but I did decide I wanted a little more basil taste. So after the photo was taken, I added three more basil leaves on top of the tomato and one final swirl of balsamic vinegar. Delicious!

Rice Krispy Sushi

Everyone always uses the cliche "It's such a small world" but every once in a while that phrase rings true. You see, through food blogging I've made wonderful friends. Most of which I have never even met. However, we follow each other's stories through food and fun, getting to know each other one update at a time. I did get to meet one blogging buddy recently and it proved to me just what a small world it really is.

Kerstin used to live in Chicago but she now lives in Boston. I stumbled upon her blog one day and have been following ever since! Now who would have believed through all of this that we would come to find out that her family lives just minutes from where I do. And she was coming home to visit!

So Kerstin and I decided to get together. We met at Gateway Market and shared great conversation about college, husbands, food, and of course blogging. She is insanely sweet and very intelligent. I had a fabulous time with her that afternoon. Please check out her blog... Cake, Batter, and Bowl! One of the things that drew me to her was her amazing ability to make dessert sushi. Want to see more? Just check out THIS POST where she dedicated a Chicago Cubs Dessert Sushi to me! And you can see her other amazing dessert sushi versions in that post too. How cool is that?!

Well it just so happens that Kerstin turned the big 3-0 today! Happy birthday, girl! So in her honor, I made a little something that I thought she might get a kick out of. Here's to you, Kerstin!

(this recipe makes two rolls, or about 12 pieces)

Ingredients:

• 2 tbsp butter
• 2 cups miniature marshmallows
• 3 cups Rice Krispies cereal
• gummy worms
• Fruit Roll-Ups - I wanted all green, but they were out. I settled for rainbow!

Directions:

• Prepare a baking sheet by lining it with waxed paper and spraying the paper with nonstick cooking spray.
• Place 2 tablespoons of butter in a large microwave-safe bowl, and microwave until melted, about 45 seconds.
• Add 2 cups of miniature marshmallows to the bowl, and microwave until the marshmallows are completely melted, about 1 minute, stirring every 30 seconds. Stir the mixture until it is completely smooth.
• Add 3 cups of rice cereal and stir until completely coated. Immediately pour mixture out onto the prepared baking sheet. Spray your hands with nonstick cooking spray, and begin to press the candy into the sheet in a thin layer. Begin working from the edge of the shorter side of the sheet. The mixture will only cover approximately half of the baking sheet.
• With the short side of the baking sheet nearest you, place a pair of gummy worms an inch from the edge. Place another pair directly below, and repeat until you have a line of worms stretching across the baking sheet.
• Using the waxed paper to help you, roll the cereal mixture around the gummy worms (similar to how you would use a bamboo mat for real sushi), pressing firmly to make a tight roll. Take a large sharp knife and cut the log away from the rest of the mixture. Place it off to the side, and repeat the worms/rolling/cutting procedure for the remainder of the cereal.
• Slice the logs into 1-inch rounds. Wrap each round in a strip of Fruit Roll-Ups.

From The Rookie Chef to the Queen of Dessert Sushi... Happy birthday and enjoy your day!

Source: About.com