Thinking & Favorite Recipe!

While we were @ Carter's baseball game last night, we got to talking to one of his teammates, Grandparents. The more we talked, the more we learned we had a lot in common. The Grandpa had lived in Germany for a while...that opened up a whole other conversation. The conversation made its way to the topic of German food. John & the Grandma were reminiscing about their favorite German meals. I left there feeling a little sad. Sad, that I don't have any of my Mother in laws tried & true recipes in one spot. My mother in law, Renate, was a fabulous cook. She was the kind of cook who would add a little of this & a little of that to the things she cooked. She did not cook with a recipe. There fore, I can't cook some of my hubby's favorite meals, the meals that he enjoyed as a child. Renate passed away 6 months after we were married. June 1st, marked 12 years since her passing. I have been thinking a lot about her this week & how I wish I could have gotten to know her better. Everyday, I say a little prayer, thanking her for the son she raised. I really do have a fabulous hubby & for that I am so grateful!

As I have thought about our conversation with this set of grandparents last night, I have come to the conclusion that I need to record our families favorite recipes & get them into one spot. I want my boys to have copies of the things they loved while growing up in our home. I am thinking I need to compile a book. Not just a book, but one that is scrapbooked. I am going to include pictures of the finished recipe & include those too. We have a Recipe Album class coming up at the end of June at Green Tangerines. I think I just might take this class to get this project started. Tonight, I will share with you the first recipe that is going in our book. I have to thank my dear friend, Meridee for this one- I hope it is okay to share your recipe Mer? It is her Caramel Corn recipe. My boys ask for it all the time, especially when they know that we have Marshmallows in the house. The first time we enjoyed her Caramel corn was when her hubby was our Home Teacher. He showed up one Sunday evening to visit our family. I knew Meridee was out of town & Joe showed up with a plate of Popcorn (caramel) balls. I was surprised & asked him if he had made them? He proudly said "Yes". Okay, I have to tell you that not only did he make them himself, but he put them on a plate, wrapped in cellophane & tied it with a raffia bow. Wow-what a guy! He's been our favorite Home Teacher ever since. You will love this recipe. It is so yummy & so easy to make. It has that great sweet/salty combination.

Here is Meridee's Caramel Corn Recipe:

2 bags of microwave popcorn (Meridee uses low fat, we use the butter kind)

1 c. of Brown sugar

1 cube of butter

14 large marshmallows.

Pop your popcorn in the microwave. Remove as many of the un-popped kernels as you can & place in bowl.

On the stove, melt your butter, brown sugar, & marshmallows. It should take about 6-7 minutes (don't rush it). Once it's all melted, I let it simmer for about 30 seconds (don't boil it).

Pour marshmallow mixture over your popcorn & use a spoon to coat. Enjoy

*You can make popcorn balls with this recipe too. I just spray my hands with Pam cooking spray & roll popcorn mixture into balls once it has cooled a little.