Salted White Chocolate Candy Corn Popcorn

Sweet, salty and super simple, this popcorn is tossed with candy corn, sprinkled with coarse salt and drizzled with white chocolate! It's a perfect Halloween treat!

 Why are sweet and salty things so awesome?

Seriously, I could eat just about any sweet and salty combination.

A few years ago, my aunt and uncle gifted us with a popcorn machine. At the time, I had no idea how much we would absolutely adore this appliance. It's become one of my favorite items in my kitchen! It makes a night on the couch feel special, while it's also a really fun item for parties.

Shaun and I will often make a batch with lots of kosher salt and devour it on the couch with a glass of wine. I find that freshly popped popcorn is perfect just this way, but I do love the occasions when I can dress it up with some fancy mix-ins. With Halloween approaching and candy corn on the brain, this is a super simple yet festive treat that can easily be added to any party menu!

I don't really love candy corn, but I do really like it in this popcorn mix. It adds a nice texture and a super hit of sweetness. Combined with the drizzled white chocolate, it does border sweetness overload, however, the coarse salt balances it all out.

If you have a party this coming weekend, I highly recommend this popcorn mix! And if you plan to stay in with a horror movie and a cocktail, well, it's perfect and easy enough for that occasion as well!

Salted White Chocolate Candy Corn Popcorn

8 C popped popcorn

4 oz white chocolate

1 tsp vegetable oil

1 bag candy corn

1 tsp kosher salt, or other coarse salt

Place popped popcorn on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drop candy corn all over the top. Set aside.

Chop the white chocolate and place in a microwave-safe bowl. Add vegetable oil. Microwave in 30 second increments, stirring after each. Once melted, drizzle over the popcorn. I find that the tines of a fork serve as a perfect 'drizzler'. If you have already salted your popcorn, then it may be salty enough as is. If not, sprinkle salt all over the top of the popcorn. Let set up, break apart, and serve in a big bowl. To cool, place in a cool spot such as in the refrigerator or outside.

I hope you like this recipe! It's so simple yet so addicting!

What are you making for Halloween?

Are you a candy corn lover or hater?

Chopped's Best Bloody in America Brunch

 

This past weekend, my co-worker & friend Allie and I scored tickets to the Food Network Wine & Food Festival here in New York. And not only tickets to an event, but a Bloody Mary Brunch where chefs from around the country competed for title of Best Bloody and judged by the Chopped judges. We both brought our husbands to the event, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't super duper excited to have a day out in New York City like an adult and at a super cool event to boot.

There were 12 stations of bloody marys sampling concoctions from all over the country. I'm not actually a particularly big fan of bloody marys, but I could certainly appreciate the art of making a great cocktail that not only delighted, but tasted wonderful. Oh and there was food. A lot of really good food.

It was really fun to walk from station to station and see all of the ways that people have reinvented the bloody mary. I had no idea that there could be so many interesting twists on a classic!

{clockwise from top: Iowa, Florida, Texas, Lousiana}

Absolut sponsored the brunch and also had some non-bloody drinks which I enjoyed. My favorite of the bloodys was from Pennsylvania {the one pictured all the way at the top of this post} and featured a blended bread and butter pickle in the bloody mary! It was so, so good. I never would have thought it was a pickle that made it so tasty, but there you have it! I took so many photos at the event, so I'm going to let those do the talking.

 

{mom + dad's big day out}

{bloody with mango + prawns}

{new york!}

{mixing up the havana mary; florida}

{raspberry vodka doughnuts from leske's in brooklyn}

 

{allie & me. i think we both enjoyed the accoutrement more than the bloodys...} 

{prepping some awesome pork buns}

{this guy with his havana mary}

{candied bacon aka one of the best things i ever ate...}

{another amazing leske's treat: chocolate frosted doughnut with peanut butter + goat ricotta filling}

{the chopped judges}

{our group at the brunch!}

We had so much fun and it was great to have a day in the city, sans Penelope. Of course, Grandma and Poppy had her ready and waiting for us when we arrived home. We brought her home a Magnolia Bakery cupcake for dessert, so I don't think she minded too much that we were gone all day...

Do you like bloody mary cocktails? How do you take 'em?

The Teal Pumpkin Project

I think that one of every parent's greatest fears is that their children will have food allergies. It was for me, at least. From the moment Penelope began eating solid foods, I worried over everything she ate and whether or not she would have an allergic reaction. I even debated giving her peanut butter for the first time while parked outside the doctor's office. Though we've been fortunate in that she hasn't had any food reactions to a lot of those key allergic trigger foods (nuts, strawberries, wheat, eggs, dairy), I still worry sometimes when she tries something new or when she inadvertently eats a wasabi cracker and I spend the ride home from my aunt's house convinced that she might not be breathing in the back seat...

I imagine that for those parents and children who do suffer from food allergies, it is very stressful. It is difficult enough to worry about kids in everyday life, but to add food allergies to the list? That's a whole new layer of concern and cannot be easy for parents or their children.

This Halloween, there is a movement to offer non-food Halloween treats so that those children with food allergies can still enjoy the holiday without worry. It's called the Teal Pumpkin Project. To participate, people are encouraged to paint a teal pumpkin and leave on their doorstep, or hang a teal pumpkin sign to signify that the home offers non-food treats. 

I really love this idea. While I love chocolate and candy as much as anyone, especially on Halloween, the thought of any children being left out or parents fretting over their kids potentially consuming dangerous food or candy is really upsetting to me. I will happily participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project this Halloween and plan to offer both candy and glow stick bracelets for our trick-or-treaters. Something tells me that kids will have just as much fun with the glow sticks as with any mini Snickers bar, and it will last a whole lot longer too. How fun will it be to wear the glow stick bracelets while continuing to trick or treat? Or to walk outside in the evening with the bracelets glowing? I know that Penelope is going to love this, and I bet that lots of other kids will too. 

I ordered these glow sticks, a tube of 100 pieces for under $10. You can't beat that, in my opinion! And most importantly, no child gets left out. For more information about the movement, for printable signs to hang on your door, and for even more ideas for non-food treats, check out FoodAllergy.org .

And for even more ideas, I absolutely LOVE this list from 100 Days of Real Food and also this updated one! So creative and I think kids would have so much fun with these items!

Will you participate in the Teal Pumpkin Project?

Do your kids, or any kids you know, have food allergies? How do you manage it in these types of situations?