Gooey Caramel Popcorn Bars

This recipe is  based on the Rice Krispies Treat method, so it's extremely easy and quick. It's great if you're going to a Halloween party, or you want to get in the kitchen with kids...or if you want a sweet, but it seems like to much to actually bake something. Since this was my first time making these I didn't put any extras in there, but after tasting them, I think these would do well with dried cranberries, chopped nuts, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, pretzels, or if you want to get all gourmet, vanilla beans, cracked espresso beans, or bacon bits  to balance out the sweetness...the possibilities are endless.

Caramel Popcorn Bars

2 tbsp oil

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1/2 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp salt

1/2 cup brown sugar

1- 10 oz package of marshmallows (the big ones)

**This is a two person job, so recruit a friend!

Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat.Place 3 kernels in the oil. When one of them pops you'll know the oil is hot enough to add the rest of the kernels. Shake the pot frequently to help distribute the heat, prevent burning, and once the corn starts popping, to get the un-popped kernels to the bottom of the pot. You'll know it's done when the popping slows down and the pot looks nearly full. Be careful not to burn it! When your popcorn is done dump the pot out into a large bowl and set it aside. 

Now would be a good time to line a shallow, small-ish baking pan (like a  9-inch cake pan) with aluminum foil. Grease VERY WELL with butter and set it aside. 

I just used a wadded up paper towel to get the kernel shells and popcorn bits out before creating my goo in the same pot -which was oiled from the popcorn and also is NON-STICK! 

I turned the heat to medium low and melted my butter and brown sugar, stirring constantly. Do this until the mixture bubbles and no longer looks separated. (By separated I mean, the sugar settles to look like sand in a pool of "butter water" if you stop stirring.) This should happen fairly quickly (in a minute or two). Then turn the heat to low and add your marshmallows, stirring constantly until it's mostly smooth. (A few marshmallow lumps never killed anyone...in fact they might enhance the dish!) 

Turn off the heat and have an assistant carefully scoop the popcorn out of the bowl and into the pot of goo. Try to shake out any un-popped kernels so nobody breaks a tooth!Carefully fold the popcorn into the goo as they scoop it in, so that the popcorn is coated but is not crushed and mashed. If you want to add extras, now is the time to do it. Once it's all incorporated dump the mass into your greased pan, and do your best to pack it down, but not crush it. I used another piece of greased foil to smash it down with my palms.

 Let it cool for about an hour before removing the foil lining from the pan. Set your brick of popcorn on a cutting board and carefully peel the foil away from the sides of the popcorn. Even if some of it sticks,it's okay. Just be patient and gently work the foil away. Use a greased knife or pizza cutter to cut into bars. They're pretty sweet, so I would say smaller is better. (Let's be honest, that's A LOT of sugar.) 

They keep for about two days, in an airtight container, with layers of greased foil between stacks of bars,  before the popcorn gets unbearably stale.

TIP: clean your dishes right away, with hot water. The hot water helps the goo melt and makes it easier to clean up.

The latest in grad student pasta innovation!

 For dinner tonight I made this quick pasta dish ( I feel like I've done a lot of those lately...what can I say? I'm a grad student. It's quick, it's cheap, what do you want from me?) inspired by a baked ziti recipe I saw a few years ago on the Williams-Sonoma website. The original recipe made a sauce from scratch and had whole Kalamtaa olives in it. I highly recommend  you make that dish too, but if you're in a hurry this is what you want. I also found that my friends weren't too keen on being slapped with a full bite of olive in the middle of their pasta, even though the olives did wonderful things for the flavor of the sauce. So, I chopped them up and changed their role in this dish from a featured ingredient to something in the background, like a vegetarian anchovy.

  The whole time I was putting this together, all I could think was, "If I was a mom, I would totally add this to my regular rotation." So, any parents out there reading, if  you try this let me know how it goes.  Inquiring non-parent minds want to know!  Even if you don't have kids, this one is definitely worth making.

Eggplant Pasta Surprise

1 package of short pasta (I used radiatore)

1 medium eggplant

1 lb italian sausage (I used sweet, but spicy works too)

10 pitted kalamta olives

26 oz jar of your favorite tomato-basil-garlic sauce

optional- 1 /4 cup mozzarella cut into 1/4 inch cubes to melt into the dish at the end

Put on your big ol' pot of water to boil for the pasta.

 While you're waiting for the boil,  cut your egg plant into 1/2 inch cubes ( I see no harm in cutting them smaller if your kids are REALLY opposed to mystery veggies) and saute them over medium heat in 1 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan. Once they start getting translucent and the flesh is going from white to green to brown add your sausage to the pan. If you bought links (like I did), remove the casing before adding the sausage to the eggplant. Once the meat is cooked, drain the fat/excess eggplant liquid and return the pan to the heat. Time for the olives. I'm pretty specific with the olive measurement because those little buggers are intense! You don't want to add too many. Rinse the olives and finely chop them. Add them to the eggplant and meat. Cover it all with the sauce and carefully incorporate all the ingredients. Reduce the heat to low and let it simmer while the pasta cooks. 

When the pasta is done drain the noodles and return them to the big ol' pot. Add the mozzarella to the noodles at this time if you're using it. CAREFULLY pour your sauce over the noodles and mix it all up. Dig in! 

I feel like this dish is deliciously odd...much like this song!