Summer Food Fun Hot Off The Presses
This week while we were out grocery shopping, my son suddenly dashed away from me 
and made a beeline toward a check-out several feet away. I ordered him to stop, and he did, but then he continued on until he arrived at the checkout stand where the usual display of magazines were there to tempt shoppers into purchase. He was tempted, all right! He promptly picked up the issue of Fun Food magazine from the fine people at Taste of Home headquarters. On the cover is a fun display of monkey cupcakes and banana cookies, along with a headline across the top displaying 150 family friendly recipes inside. I was sold by the cover alone.
The magazine came home with us, and just a few pages in, my kids have a list of foods they want to make that basically utilizes the whole magazine. We could be cooking for months off of this one issue! This issue cost us $5.99, and states that it should be kept on display until September 21, 2009, so there is plenty of time for you to track down your own copy. The magazine is divided into five themed sections. Sensational Party Fare; Pizzas, Burgers & Campfire Food; Round Food=Fun; Stick Up For Good Food; and Kids Love To Cook all promise to keep your kids cooking and eating for as long as possible. At $5.99, this magazine is a bargain! There are so many recipes inside, it’s like getting a full size cookbook for a real steal. Some of the recipes with catchy names include Bubble Pizza, Breadsticks Jenga, Rack ‘em Up Cheese Balls, and Aloha Burgers.
As for us, we’ll be trying out the Chocolate Popcorn Balls to take this weekend on our Fourth of July adventure. The kids and I will make them together, and then package them individually to hand out to all the cousins this weekend.
Chocolate Popcorn Balls
- 4 quarts popped popcorn
- 2 squares (1 oz. each) unsweetened chocolate
- 2 cups sugar
- 1/2 cup light corn syrup
- 1 cup water
Place popcorn in a large heat-proof bowl; keep warm in a 200ºF oven. In a heavy saucepan, melt chocolate. Stir in sugar and corn syrup. Add water. Cook and stir over medium heat until mixture comes to a boil. Continue to cook until a candy thermometer reads 250ºF (hard ball stage).
Pour over warm popcorn and stir until evenly coated. When mixture is cool enough to handle, quickly shape in 3-inch balls, dipping hands in cold water to prevent sticking. Cool; wrap in plastic wrap.
Yield: 1 dozen
