ooey gooey easy caramel corn

This stuff rocks!

Try not to eat it all once you make it- I dare you.

Ooey Gooey Caramel Corn

1 cube butter
1 cup corn syrup
2 cups brown sugar

Melt together in large pot over medium heat and cook and stir until soft ball stage. (test a drop of mixture in cold water and if holds its shape when pinched into a ball, its cooked)

Turn off heat and slowly add;

1 can of sweetened condensed milk
2 cups mini marshmallows
1 tsp vanilla

Mix until marshmallows are just about melted and pour over a large batch of popcorn.
( I usually use around 3-4 bags of light butter popped corn)

Cool on a cookie sheet and devour.
Or shape into balls with intentions of taking to neighbors- it wont make it there. ;)

Zucchini Soup

FYI...the picture doesn't do this dish justice...it's from my phone...! :(

This soup is perfect for cold days. So I whipped up a batch of this and I have rolls rising right now...that will be popped into the oven shortly....for a quick, flavorful meal...! (and it's easily adaptable to the crockpot...just follow the steps, set on low - let it cook all day - but add the peppers 1 hour before serving...)

You'll need:

1 lb. Italian Sausage
1 C. chopped Onion
2 C. chopped Celery
2 lg. Zucchini (cut into chunks)
2 Green Bell Peppers (chopped up and seeded)
(2) 28 oz. cans stewed chopped Tomatoes
2 tsp. Salt
1 tsp. Italian Seasoning
1 tsp. Oregano
1/2 tsp. Basil
1 tsp. Sugar
1/4 tsp. Garlic Powder

Brown the sausage with the onion. Drain the fat. In a large soup kettle, combind all ingredients except peppers. Simmer 1 hour, stirring occassionally. Add bell peppers and simmer 15 minutes before serving.

Some other tasty variations: Add corn, yellow crooked neck squash, pearl barley or (because normally I double this) use half sausage/half hamburger. I sometimes even cheat (like today) and use frozen bell pepper strips that you can find in your grocers frozen section...(yellow, red & green - doesn't matter!) to speed things along. It's super easy...and such a great use of all that left-over Zucchini...! (tho' I admit...I'm not having an excess of that this year!!!) ;)

Enjoy!