[DIY Sweet Treats] Valentine’s Day Pink Popcorn Pops

My first discovery about her was a few years ago when I made these to-die-for Oreo Truffles, which has become a family favorite for the holidays (which I will post about when I can). BUT OH, THEY ARE INSANELY GOOD! Not sure if she has made anything with popcorn, but this creation of mine was inspired by her idea of ‘bite-size’ treats. I’m sure if she did, hers would be a hundred times better Thank you, Bakerella!!!

• Popcorn Balls (see recipe below)
• Lollipop Sticks
• Lollipop Treat Bags w/ribbon
• Red Felt or Cardstock – Cut out of a heart
• Gift tags – I cut up my own tags with decorative edged scissors
• Hole Puncher

• 2-3 Bags of microwaveable popcorn. I used Newman’s Own – Natural flavor 
• 6 T Butter
• 3 Cups Mini-Marshmallows
• 4 T Strawberry Jello 

After popping all the popcorn, I poured it all out into a large aluminum roasting pan, but you can use a really big mixing bowl or baking dish. It’s a lot of popcorn to mix so that is why I chose to use whatever was big enough to hold all the popcorn. In a medium pan, melt the butter over med-low heat. Add in the marshmallows until completely melted. Then mix in the strawberry gelatin until blended into a creamy mixture. Turn off heat. Drizzle the mixture all over the popcorn and then with a rubber spatula or spoon, mix it all up to coat the popcorn as evenly as possible. Don’t worry if every single popcorn isn’t completely covered. Once that is done, form the balls using your hands and because it does get a little sticky and messy, I like to use latex gloves while doing this part.  I also try to make sure that before I form them, I look out for popcorn seeds and be sure I pick them out. No one wants to bite down on hard bits of corn

• Dip popcorn balls into dark or white chocolate, caramel, or cinnamon & sugar
• Experiment other Jello flavors/colors
• Combine popcorn w/nuts, chocolate chips, or M&M’s

MY FAVE RECIPE NO.1 | SUSHI BAKE

A few weeks ago, I happened to make this for dinner after hearing from my sister + cousin how easy and delicious it is. I already love sushi, so I knew that it would be such a great recipe to add to my collection if I ever craved for sushi at home. Many have asked me for the recipe, so I’m happy to finally post this and would love for you to leave a comment if you do make it and let me know how it turned out!

Now, it’s not your typical sushi where you roll it up and cut into pieces, but I’m sure you could if you felt like being creative and inspired to do so. As for me, this layered dish really gives the flexibility and allows for more creative possibilities beyond imitation crab or shrimp which this recipe calls for. You could definitely add your own twist to it, like shredded cooked tuna or salmon, avocado, etc. and mix and match to come up with your own. But for right now, I am posting the basic recipe which still rocks in my opinion. I actually had to make a separate batch that didn’t include shrimp because my poor hubby is allergic to shellfish, but I must say that I personally love it with shrimp because it does add so much more flavor to it.:)

Just a side note, I did google Sushi Bake recipes on the web and only found a few good ones like here and here. However, I did improvise on measurements and eye balled some of the ingredients to my judgement and took note of it. Also added Siracha Hot Chili Sauce per my cousin’s suggestion. Surprisingly, it didn’t make this too spicy unless you really want it to be, but remember, a little goes a long way. Either way, I’m not sure if you could go wrong with the amount of each ingredient you use, except when making sushi rice which does require exact measurements, otherwise it will end up too mushy or too acidic.

Speaking of making sushi rice, I thought it would be difficult, but actually it isn’t so hard. Just remember that it DOES make a difference with the type of rice you use. I was going to use long-grain jasmine since that was what I already had on hand, but found that it is best to not substitute the rice for anything else but Sushi grade rice–short, medium, or variety, which is what I used. You will be so glad you did because it makes up for a great foundation for the whole dish, giving it a really nice texture and flavor as it absorbs the flavors of the rice vinegar, sugar, and salt solution. YUM!

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Left to Right: Short/Med/Variety Calrose Rice, Rice Vinegar, Sour Cream, Mayonnaise, Shrimp, Imitation Crab, Siracha Hot Chili Sauce, Furikake Rice Seasoning, Roasted Seaweed

YUMMY SUSHI BAKE

3 cups sushi rice (See instructions below)
1 pkg imitation crab, chopped
1 pkg cooked frozen shrimp, chopped
1 cup mayonnaise
1 cup sour cream
3-4 dashes of Siracha (hot chili sauce)
2 jars Furikake Seasoning
2-3 pkgs Sushi Nori (roasted seaweed)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cook sushi rice and set aside. In a large bowl, mix together all the ingredients except Furikake Seasoning and seaweed, until thoroughly combined. You may add more mayo + sour cream if you like it a little more creamier and if you don’t mind the extra calories. Then in a 13×9 dish, spread the sushi rice evenly over the bottom of the baking dish. Layer the mixture over the rice evenly as well. Sprinkle the Furikake seasoning generously over the entire top layer. Bake in the oven for 15-20 minutes until nice and hot. Cut up the roasted seaweed into squares. Serve by scooping the sushi bake onto the individual roasted seaweed and enjoy!

SUSHI RICE

3 cups of cooked rice
1/3 cup of rice vinegar
2 Tbsp sugar
1 tsp salt

Cook rice in rice cooker or pot according to the package directions. In the meantime, heat up rice vinegar, sugar, and salt in a small saucepan until it all dissolves, just a few minutes. Turn off heat. Now this next step is very important because it is really critical to making great sushi rice. You will need a wooden bowl and must not use a metal bowl or the vinegar will react with the metal. Scoop 3 cups of rice into the wooden bowl and drizzle the vinegar solution over the rice. Mix and fold rice to combine it all together and if you have an extra hand, have someone fan the rice while you’re mixing it to give it a nice shiny appearance. Continue to mix until all the vinegar has been absorbed.

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There you go!! I am now getting hungry and drooling while typing this. Hopefully, yours will turn out just as yummy as it did for me and my family. This would also be a great potluck dish and will definitely please a crowd which obviously did for my household because it was gone within minutes!

I hope to bring you more of my family favorite recipes on my blog throughout this year, so be sure to sign up for my newsletter (still in the works), join me on facebook, or follow me on twitter.

Happy eating!

Thanksgiving Remembered

The greatest part of Thanksgiving is when we learn to carry the attitude of gratitude in our hearts every single day…

Just thought I’d share a little bit of the photos captured in memory of Thanksgiving 2010

Yes, we all ended up so thankful by the end of the night as we were so blessed to spend quality time together, eating a huge delicious meal, and remembering all the wonderful things that we are fortunate to have. God has been very gracious to us all and we thank Him for the many blessing that He bestows upon our families and loved ones.

Now, we are anxiously looking forward to Christmas! Yay!

Mmmmm…Pumpkin Bread

One of the reasons that I love the Fall season is because of the fact that I love Pumpkin Bread. There is only one in particular that I am head over heels for and it’s the Pumpkin Bread + Muffin Mix at Trader Joe’s. Yes, it’s not your fresh-from-scratch kind, but don’t let this box fool you. It never fails to please my taste buds and it’s extremely moist and buttery, but without the butter.  

Mmm, mmm, mmm…. Pumpkin Bread. I think I’ll go eat a slice now.

xoxo,
Dahlia

RECIPE : Semi-Homemade Pizza Bagels

Last weekend, when we were over our friends’ house for a gathering, we made BAGEL PIZZAS with the kids. Originally, my friend was going to make the dough from scratch, but instead this brilliant idea was born. With only a few ingredients and less than 10 minutes to make, saved us both time and money which was a huge benefit and didn’t sacrifice any fun especially for the kids. They loved it!

So today, I thought about how much my boys enjoyed making Bagel Pizzas and thought it would be nice to make for lunch. Here are some photos of how simple and easy they are to make, following with the recipe down below Enjoy and let me know if you try them!

Lucas in charge of the cheese

• Pre-sliced plain bagels
• 1 bottle Contadina or any Pizza Sauce
• Shredded Cheese

Chocolate Covered Strawberries

Mother’s Day is just a few days away and some of you may or may not have gotten that special mom a gift. If you’re thinking of surprising her with something other than just flowers, a card, or a box of chocolates and want to give her something she will definitely enjoy and doesn’t cost an arm and a leg, why not make CHOCOLATE COVERED STRAWBERRIES? 

If you think that making them yourself isn’t as good as Shari’s Berries or the ones found at Godiva Chocolates, I am here to tell you that its just as good AND easy to make –easier than a lot of you think and easy peasy on the wallet. So, if you’re interested in knowing exactly what to buy and how to make it, then you are in good company.:)

So here is what you need:

Baker’s Dipping Chocolate or Hershey’s/Ghillardelli chocolate chips or baking bar will work just fine. Just follow the package details for heating instructions.

On a baking sheet or rack covered with wax or parchment paper, place the chocolate dipped strawberries on the rack or sheet until the chocolate has dried and settled. For quicker results, you can stick them in the fridge for 10-15 minutes. Voila!

Overall, it took me less than 20 minutes to make and cost me less than $10 depending on where you buy your groceries at. But, the very thought, time, and effort it took for you to make them, will definitely be appreciated and not to mention make her life SWEETER:)

I would definitely suggest packaging it up in a nice little box or pastry bag that you could easily find at your local craft or discount store like the Dollar Tree, Michael’s, or even Target and make it all nice and pretty. I’m sure either way, that special mom, whether it’s your mom, sister, aunt, grandmother, cousin, or friend, will love and remember you for it. I know I would.:) C’mon, who doesn’t love chocolate strawberries or chocolate anything?

By the way, this is great for other occasions besides Mother’s Day, too! It may not be something you want to give as a gift all the time, but perhaps when you’re craving for something sweet and delicious for dessert (like I did with these) or you have a whole lot of strawberries that you have no clue what to do with, this would definitely be a quick fix! Enjoy!

xoxo,
Dahlia