Homemade Mint -n- Chip Ice-Cream, with no food dyes

If you guys saw my last post, then y'all know I'm basically melting right now. I just can't hang with these ridiculously hot temperatures. When my hubby moved us from southern CA to northern ID two years ago he was sure we would have cooler summers. Wrong. Now we get to melt in the summer as well as freeze in the winter. Oh well. I can't change the weather, but I can find ways to cool down.

That usually involves staying inside (or in water, or both), and eating copious amounts of ice-cream. But, since the quality of frozen treats you can find in the stores is severely lacking, I've taken up making my own at home.

One of my favorite childhood flavors is Mint -n- Chip from Thrifty's. You know the kind right? It's green with shavings, not chunks, of chocolate. It's minty and helps cool you down like nothing else. Well, I wanted to recreate that childhood memory. But what is a girl to do, to make a hulk-like green ice-cream without food dyes? My secret may scare you away, but don't let it. You can't taste it, and if you served it up to people they would have no idea what gives this ice-cream it's lovely verdant color.  (I know, because I served it to some friends and they thought my hubby was joking when he revealed the secret ingredient.) Are you ready for it? . . . . It's spinach. Now don't leave me just yet. I promise, you can't taste it. You can't see it (no pieces marring the ice-cream). And you definitely can't smell it. All you'll be able to taste is the mint and chocolate. That's it. Are you brave enough to try it? Even if you're not, you can make this recipe without the spinach. It will just be white instead of green. No crime in that. It just doesn't bring me back to being a kid like the green hue does.

This cone has a scoop of my Mint -n- Chip and a scoop of my Homemade Rainbow Sherbet.

As a disclaimer, I use DoTERRA essential oils in this recipe, but it can easily be switched out for peppermint extract. If you are going to use essential oils, make sure they are pure, you get them from a reputable source, and they are safe for internal consumption. If you are worried at all, just play it safe and use the pure peppermint extract you can find at any grocery store, right next to the vanilla extract.

I have a large ice-cream maker, so if you have a small one, you will need to half the recipe or make two batches. 

After the ice-cream is frozen, I like to keep them in cardboard containers (like the professionals do). I use these containers but anything freezer safe will work. (I think the cardboard helps the ice-cream to not freeze so hard, like it does when I store it in glass.)

Here's the recipe:

Homemade Mint -n- Chip Ice-cream 

6 cups organic cream

2 1/3 cups organic cane sugar (can reduce if omitting spinach)

5 oz clean, organic baby spinach

1/4 cup to 1/2 cup water (just enough to blend the spinach - You can omit this as well if you're not using the spinach.)

2 tsp pure organic vanilla extract

7 drops peppermint essential oil (or 1 to 2 tsp peppermint extract to taste)

2 large bars of high quality dark chocolate, grated or finely chopped (the lower quality stuff tends to taste waxy after freezing)

Blend together spinach, water, and sugar until completely smooth. Pour the spinach mixture into a large bowl and stir in the cream. vanilla, and peppermint. Chill in the fridge for as long as you can. The colder your mix, the smoother the ice-cream. 

When you are ready to churn, follow the directions for your ice-cream maker. When the ice-cream is mostly set (like soft serve consistency) add in the grated/chopped chocolate and continue churning. (If you forget, you can always stir in the chocolate when the ice-cream is finished churning.) Scoop into freezer safe containers, and freeze until ready to eat. 

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Homemade Rainbow Sherbet

It’s summer time. I don’t know what that means for your neck of the woods, but for us it means triple digit temperatures, and no air conditioning. One way that I try to beat the heat is with homemade ice cream. I started making my own ice cream a couple years ago, when I quickly found out that the store bought ice creams didn’t fit into my whole food, organic lifestyle. As it turns out, making your own ice cream is really easy, as long as you have a good ice cream maker. (There are “no-churn” recipes out there, but since I have an ice cream maker I haven’t ventured into that realm of frozen treats yet.)

Sherbet is mostly frozen fruit juice with a little milk and some sweetener. I used organic cane sugar so that the flavors from my usual sweeteners (honey and maple syrup) wouldn’t compete with the flavors of the fruit. The amount of sugar can be reduced if your fruit is in season and extra sweet. Just remember that the freezer dulls the sweetness, so the mixture going into the ice cream maker will taste sweeter than after it’s frozen. Rainbow sherbet is just multiple sherbets that are put in the same container and served as a mixture of colors and flavors. I used the fruits I had on hand, so I’m sure you could change things up by substituting in whatever fruits you like. And, as always, I use organic ingredients, but if all you have in conventionally grown produce and juice, just use what you have. It will still be 100 times better for you than the store bought sherbet! Bottom line: it’s easy, adaptable, and delicious.

After the ice-cream is frozen, I like to keep them in cardboard containers (like the professionals do). I use these containers but anything freezer safe will work. (I think the cardboard helps the ice-cream to not freeze so hard, like when I store it in glass.)

If you want the recipe for the Mint-n-Chip, with no food dyes, shown above click here.

Here’s the recipe:

Pineapple Sherbet

2 1/2 cups pure organic pineapple juice
1 cup whole organic milk
1 cup organic cane sugar 

Stir the juice, milk, and sugar together. Refrigerate for as long as possible before churning. (The colder your mix is before it goes into the ice cream maker, the smoother your ice cream will be at the end.) Stir the mix well, to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Following the directions for your ice cream maker, pour the mix into your machine and churn until set. Scoop out and put into a freezer safe container and keep in the freezer until your ready to mix your “rainbow” together.

Orange Sherbet

2 1/2 cups pure organic orange juice
1 cup whole organic milk
1 cup organic cane sugar 

Stir the juice, milk, and sugar together. Refrigerate for as long as possible before churning. (The colder your mix is before it goes into the ice cream maker, the smoother your ice cream will be at the end.) Stir the mix well, to make sure the sugar is dissolved. Following the directions for your ice cream maker, pour the mix into your machine and churn until set. Scoop out and put into a freezer safe container and keep in the freezer until your ready to mix your “rainbow” together.

Raspberry Sherbet

4 cups organic raspberries
1/4 cup water (or a little more if needed to blend)
2 cups whole organic milk
2 cups organic cane sugar 

Blend the raspberries, sugar and water together, and strain “juice” from the seeds using a fine mesh strainer over a large bowl. Stir the milk into the juice. Refrigerate for as long as possible before churning. (The colder your mix is before it goes into the ice cream maker, the smoother your ice cream will be at the end.) Following the directions for your ice cream maker, pour the mix into your machine and churn until set. Scoop out and put into a freezer safe container and keep in the freezer until your ready to mix your “rainbow” together.

It’s easiest to mix the flavors if they are not frozen solid, so the sooner you can mix them the better. I made the first two flavors, and set them aside in the freezer until the third flavor was ready. Instead of putting the third flavor into a container to be frozen, I just put it into a bowl to mix with the other sherbets. 

When you’re ready to make your rainbow, dump all the sherbet out of their containers into a large bowl. Gently mix with a rubber spatula. You don’t want it too mixed, as you still want solid blocks of color. Scoop the rainbow sherbet back into the containers that you used earlier. Keep in freezer until ready to eat.  Let it sit at room temperature for a few minutes before serving to soften enough to scoop.






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Grandma's Apple Rolls

Every Fall I look forward to making my Grandma Roberts' Apple Rolls. She was an amazing cook, and I love making her recipes and recreating memories through them. I grew up eating these biscuit type rolls, bursting at the seems with shredded apples, and baked in a sugar syrup that makes the most delicious sauce/topping for the rolls. My grandma made them for her kids, and my dad made them for me and my siblings, and now I get to pass these recipes down to my kids. Food memories are the best memories. 

These rolls probably won't win any beauty awards, but they would win an apple recipe contest hands down. 

I'm not much of an apple dessert fan (I don't like apple pie, so don't even ask), but I love these apple rolls! I hope you guys like them too!

We like to eat them warm from the oven, with a little bit of cream drizzled on top.

Or . . . a lot of cream. :)

These rolls also pair beautifully with a  hot drink (your choice).

I make these every year, and I look forward to them all year long.

This is my grandma's recipe, word for word. She wasn't much on expounding on her directions, but I'll add a few clarifications in parentheses (so this explains why the recipe/directions have so many parentheses. Sorry. I wanted to keep her words, but I wanted to make sure you could replicate the recipe easily. I hope it helps, and doesn't confuse you too much.) She gives two versions, depending if you want to use shortening or sour cream. They are both listed here. Also, I double the recipe when making it for my family of 7 (soon to be 8), because everyone wants seconds. A single recipe will make about 8 rolls (depending on how you cut it).

Grandma's Apple Rolls

Shortening Version

2 cups flour  (Any flour will do. I use organic whole wheat.)
1 egg (Large. You can also use an egg substitute, like 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water)
2 tsp baking powder
2 Tbsp sugar or whey (I often leave this out, to cut back on the sugar.)
1/2 tsp salt
3 Tbsp shortening (I substitute organic coconut oil.)
1/2 cup milk

(FIlling)
(*4 large apples)
(*Cinnamon and sugar (This is to taste. I use about 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and I omit the sugar.))

(Syrup)
(*1 1/2 cups sugar) 
(*2 cups water)

OR

Sour Cream Version (This is the version I make 99% of the time.)

2 cups flour (Any flour will do. I use organic whole wheat.)
1 egg (Large. You can also use an egg substitute, like 1 Tbsp ground flax with 3 Tbsp water)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
2 Tbsp sugar or whey (I often leave this out, to cut back on the sugar.)
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup milk

(Filling)
(*4 large apples)
(*Cinnamon and sugar (This is to taste. I use about 1 Tbsp cinnamon, and I omit the sugar.))

(Syrup)
(*1 1/2 cups sugar) 
(*2 cups water)

(Preheat the oven to 370F.)
(Mix all the dry ingredients together in a large mixing bowl.)
-Cut in shortening. (OR add sour cream to dry ingredients.) Mix and roll like cinnamon rolls. (This means that after you cut in the shortening - using a fork, two knives, or a pastry cutter-, or you add the sour cream in, then you are going to add the egg and milk, and mix everything together with a fork until it becomes one mass of dough. Turn it out onto a floured work surface, and roll out into a rectangle. The dough should be rolled evenly, to about 1/4 inch thick.)
-*Peel, Core, and Grate 4 large apples, and put on rolled dough. (I just leave the peel on, but if there are any big pieces of peel left after grating, then I take those out. Spread the grated apples over the rolled out dough evenly.)
-Cinnamon and sugar may be sprinkled on. (Grandma always eyeballed this. I omit the sugar, and just sprinkle cinnamon over the apples until it looks like it all has a small dusting of the spice. You don't want it to be overwhelming. This is to taste, but I personally wouldn't add more than 1 tbsp.)
[Roll up dough around filling -like cinnamon rolls- and cut.] (Use a serrated knife, like a bread knife to cut. It makes less of a mess. I like to cut the rolled up log into half, and then cut each half in half again, and finally cut each 1/4 into half again. That way I get 8 even rolls. You can cut less if you want the rolls bigger, or more, if you want the rolls smaller. Place the rolls into a 9x13 baking dish.)
-Boil 2 cups water and 1/2 cup sugar, and pour over rolls (in baking dish). (It will look like a syrupy mess, but it all comes together when it bakes, don't worry.)
-Bake at 370F for 30 minutes.

Elderberry Tea and Syrup

During this time of year, it seems that colds and flu are running rampant. Thankfully, due to my family's diet and use of doTERRA essential oils, we hardly ever get sick; but I am always on the look-out for natural immune boosting items I can use. I had heard of elderberry syrup before, but I never really looked into it until we moved up to Idaho. Elderberries grow wild everywhere around here, and it seems like all my friends are praising the health benefits of using these tiny berries. Some of their most important benefits are their ability to boost your immune system and protect against bacteria and infection. You can use this tea (or syrup) every day as a preventative, or use it multiple times a day when you are feeling under the weather. Hearing all of this, I had to find out for myself what all the fuss was about. 

     The plants look somewhat like lilac bushes, with clumps of berries that have a white coating on the outside. Once the berries are washed they look either blue/black/purple (the ones I have) or red. The fresh berries grow anytime between July and November, depending on the climate. If you decide to go out looking for your own, make sure you research it a bit. I have a book on foraging for wild berries and I studied that, as well as researched online, quite thoroughly before I went out and picked any for myself. I didn't want to accidentally pick the wrong thing. My father-in-law also picked a cooler full of elderberries from our yard while my in-laws were visiting a few weeks ago, so I had a lot to work with. The recipe at the end of the post is only 1/5 of what I am showing you in the pictures, so don't fret when your pot doesn't look as full as mine. You can totally make an elderberry syrup with only 3 ingredients (water, berries and honey), but this recipe has some additional ingredients as well. All of these ingredients have immune boosting and antibacterial/antiviral properties, and they happen to taste really yummy as well. (Aside from the rose-hips that don't really have much flavor on their own.)

    Another important fact to note is that the only edible part of the elderberry plant is the juice from the berries. The leaves, stems and seeds are all toxic, so you have to be very careful when preparing them. (You can also use the flowers, but that is another post.)

     The first step to preparing the fresh berries is to remove the stems and rinse them. Then, just put them in a pot.

Another plant that grows like crazy around here is rose-hips. When they are in bloom, a lot of people call them country roses. They are extremely high in vitamin C, so I added them to my tea as well, but if you can't find any then you can leave them out. It's an optional ingredient. If you are able to harvest your own rose-hips keep in mind that the brighter they are, the more vitamin C they have. As they get older, they turn softer and darker, and loose a lot of their vitamins.

I just cut the top and bottom off the rose-hips and put them in the pot with the berries. You'll want to add 2-3 fresh rose-hips for every 1 cup of berries. (Or you can use 1 Tbsp ground rose-hips.) Or you can just skip it all together.

Next comes the citrus. I used lemon, but orange works really well also. You can zest 1 clean, whole organic lemon, or just cut it in slices like I did.

Add in some organic cinnamon sticks.

Then add the clove. I didn't have any fresh organic cloves on hand, so I added the ground version. I know some people are very adverse to using cloves, so if you are one of those people, just leave it out. You won't get the antioxidant or anti-septic benefits, but the syrup is still very beneficial without it.

Next comes the ginger. You need 2 Tbsp. It's more potent if you grate it, but I was in a hurry and just sliced it into coins.

I also added some fresh organic turmeric root. It is a good anti-inflammatory and antioxidant ingredient. Again, it is more potent if you grate it in, but I just sliced it into coins. (It's the small circles that look a little like carrots.) If you can't find fresh turmeric root, you can use the powdered version.

The last ingredient is water. The typical ratio is 2 cups of water for every 1 cup of fresh berries (1/2 cup dry), but I wanted to make it stronger, so I only added 1 1/2 cups for every 1 cup of fresh berries. I had 5 cups of berries, so I added 7 1/2 cups of water.

Bring the mixture up to a boil, and then turn it down to a simmer. Get a potato masher and gently smash the berries, so release all the juice.

Simmer the mixture for 20 minutes until it reduces and thickens a bit.

Then just let it cool, and strain it out. (If you are going to can the syrup for later use, just leave it hot and jar it up as you would any other juice. DO NOT add the honey before you can, because the heat will kill alot of the antibacterial/antifungal properties in the honey.)

Once the mixture is cool, then you can add in the raw, organic, unfiltered honey. The more raw and unfiltered it is, the better for you it is. It will last a few weeks in the fridge. The syrup is very sweet by itself, so if you find it hard to take straight-up, you can always enjoy it as a tea by adding luke-warm water to a mug and mixing in some of the elderberry syrup. My hubby actually just mixes the juice with water, and a small amount of honey for his tea. It is more bitter this way, but that's the way he likes it.

Here's the recipe:  As I mentioned earlier, you can make a simple elderberry syrup by boiling 1 1/2 cups water with 1 cup of fresh berries. Smash the berries and simmer for about 10 minutes. Strain out the berry pulp and let it cool. Once cool, add an equal amount of raw, unfiltered honey. The other ingredients in my recipe are all beneficial, and tasty, but if you find you want more or less of an added ingredient know that you are free to change up the recipe to your liking.

Elderberry Syrup

1 cup fresh elderberries (or 1/2 cup dried)
1 1/2 cups filtered water
1 stick organic cinnamon
6 whole organic cloves (or 1/2 tsp ground - optional)
2 Tbsp freshly grated organic ginger (or 2 tsp dried)
2-3 fresh rosehips (or 1 Tbsp ground rosehips - optional) 
1/2 Tbsp freshly ground turmeric (or 1/2 tsp powdered)
Zest of 1 organic lemon, or orange
1 cup raw, organic, unfiltered honey

Combine all the ingredients EXCEPT the honey, in a pot and bring to a boil. Turn down to a simmer. Using a potato masher, smash the ingredients to release the berry juice. Simmer for 20 minutes until the mixture reduces and thickens. Strain the mixture through a fine mesh sieve. You should have 1 cup of juice.  (You may can the juice at this point, while it's still hot, if you are making a larger batch and want to have it shelf stable to save it for later use.) 
Let it cool, and add the honey. Store it in a mason jar, or other air-tight glass container, in the fridge. It can keep for up to 2 months in the fridge because of the high sugar content from the honey, but you will most likely use it up before then. 
Take 1 Tbsp daily as a preventative, or 3-4 times a day to help you get over an illness. 
You can serve it as a tea by adding 2-4 Tbsp of syrup to a mug and fill the cup with lukewarm water. (Hot water is not good for the honey.)

Mama's 100% Whole Wheat Bread

I needed to make bread (for sandwiches and what not), and decided to take a couple after shots for you all. I was originally thinking to just tack these on to a post on my white bread, but I looked through all my posts and I was shocked to find that I haven't shared my white bread recipe with you yet! (I'll have to remedy that in the near future.)

So, I'm sorry that there are no step-by-step pics but I promise to do that when I post my white bread recipe. (I'm still baffled that I haven't blogged that already.) If you've made bread before, then it's no big deal. You know the drill. Mix the ingredients. Let it rise. Deflate it, shape it and let it rise again. Bake. Cool and eat. For those of you who are attempting to bake bread for the first time, I'll say this: it's not that hard! The hardest part is letting it rise and that does it all on it's own - you just have to judge when it's the right time to put your loaves in the oven. (I coincidentally let my loaves rise a little too long when I went to pick up the kids from school this afternoon, so that is why thy aren't as perfect looking as they should be.) But, even if you do happen to mess up, it's no big deal. The results could still be delicious. If not as sliced bread, a baked failure could be used to make croutons, bread crumbs and bread pudding. All delectable options for sub-par homemade bread. 

I like thick slices . . .

Another evidence of my over-rising is the large-ish air pockets in the bread. It still tastes yummy. It's just harder to make sandwiches with since the condiments could seep out of the holes. Next time will be better.

Here is the recipe:  *I added in 1 cup ground flax seed meal in place of 1 cup of the flour for added nutrition, but it's completely optional. I left that out of the recipe, because it's not something I do every time, but it's there in these pictures. In case you wanted to know. :)

Mama's 100% Whole Wheat Bread

3/4 cup warm filtered water (105F-110F)
2 Tbsp dry active yeast
1/4 cup raw, organic honey

In a large bowl, or stand mixer, whisk these ingredients together first. After the yeast has started to foam, then add:

2 2/3 cup warm, filtered water (105F-110F)
3 Tbsp organic, grass fed, unsalted butter, melted (can sub any oil if needed)
3 cups organic whole wheat white bread flour**(plus another 5-7 cups) 
1 Tbsp salt

Whisk it all together until there are no lumps and it's elastic. Switch to a dough hook (or a wooden spoon and your hands if not using a stand mixer), and gradually add 1 cup of flour at a time until the dough comes together. **Depending on the day, you will add anywhere from 5-7 more cups of flour (for a total of 8-10 cups of flour in the recipe - I only added 8 cups today.). Add the flour slowly, and only add enough until the dough comes together and is slightly sticky, but smooth and elastic. Let the dough sit for 30 minutes, so the whole wheat can absorb the liquid properly. Knead for 15 minutes, only adding more flour if it becomes too sticky. (If you add too much flour, the resulting bread will be dense.)

Place in greased bowl, making sure the entire dough ball is greased. Cover and let it rise until doubled. Punch down the dough in the bowl and divide into thirds. Take each third out and place on a flat work surface. Work with one third at a time. Using your knuckles, press out any remaining bubbles. Fold the dough over on itself into thirds (like a wallet or bill fold). Evenly distribute the bubbles and for into a loaf shape. Place into a greased standard loaf pan and let rise until the dough is just 1 inch above the rim of the pan. (It usually more than doubles in size, but don't let it get too tall. If it rises too much it will deflate in the oven and not be so pretty.) 

Bake all 3 loaves in a 380F degree oven on the middle or bottom rack. (Every oven is different. If you know yours burns everything when put too low, then use the middle rack.)
When the loaves are browned on top and bottom, and sound hollow when tapped, they are done. Turn out the loaves onto a flat towel and brush the tops with butter. Cover with another towel and let cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting.

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Gratin

My closest Costco (that happens to be 1 1/2 hours away in the next state over) is gradually getting more and more organic options available to us consumers, and I couldn't be happier about it! I have learned to not bat an eye when I have to drive long distances, because that is just my way of life now. I live in the mountains, and drive a long time to get almost anywhere. I want my kids to participate in sports? I drive. I want to shop at more than one store (that doesn't have much of a selection)? I drive. I need a hospital? I drive. (We recently found out this last one when my oldest daughter fractured her arm so badly that she needed surgery. We went to the closest hospital - 30 minutes away in the next town - and found out that they don't do surgery there. So it was another 1 hour drive to the closest "big" city to go to their hospital. Now I drive that far (1 1/2 hours) for surgery followups and doctors appointments. FUN! (Can you sense the sarcasm?)) So, I still make Costco trips once a week (usually on the days that my girls take gymnastics - also in the next state over), and I get beyond excited when I see a new organic produce option that wasn't there before! When I was there a few days ago I picked up some spaghetti squash with no real plan in mind, but I knew I would think of something delicious.
   I wanted to stay away from the traditional - treating the squash just like spaghetti noodles, and serving them with a marinara or a meat sauce. Not that the traditional preparation isn't good, it's just that I find myself serving it that way more often than not, and I wanted to switch things up tonight. I remember seeing a few posts about a cheesy spaghetti squash, and thought that would hit the spot nicely. Pardon the dark pictures, but this is real life. The sun is setting as dinner is getting done, and that's just life. So, here is the dish right before (or as) we dug in. Everyone enjoyed it - some more than others - but my daughter, who would live on macaroni and cheese alone if allowed to, said that she LOVED it. And had a huge bowl full. She said that "it's a case of 'don't judge a book by its cover.'" She didn't think that she was going to like it based on it's looks, but then she tasted it's cheesy goodness and was blown away.
   It's basically macaroni and cheese, but with squash instead of noodles. What's not to love? You can change up the cheeses with any you wish. I used cheddar and Parmesan because that is what I had in the fridge, but some Gruyere and Monterey Jack would be lovely too.

Here's the recipe: (organic ingredients are always encouraged)

Cheesy Spaghetti Squash Gratin

1 large spaghetti squash
2 Tbsp butter
2 Tbsp flour (I used organic sprouted whole wheat)
2 cups milk or half and half
1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
1 tsp salt (to taste)
1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
3/4 cup cheddar cheese - divided*
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese - divided*

Cut the squash in half and use a spoon to scoop out the seeds. Roast, cut side down, on a parchment lined baking sheet @ 350 for 45 minutes (until tender), and let cool. Once cool, Scrape out the strings of squash with a fork, and drain in a fine mesh strainer over a bowl while you get the sauce ready.
In a large skillet or saute pan, over medium heat, melt the butter and whisk in the flour. Let the flour cook for 1 minute, and then slowly whisk in the milk so there are no lumps. Grate in the nutmeg, and add a little salt and pepper (to taste). Continue to whisk until the mixture bubbles and thickens. 
Stir in the drained squash and the half of each of the cheeses. Once it's all combined, put the mixture into an oven safe baking dish and cover the top with the remaining cheese. (If your skillet is oven safe you can just leave it in the pan, sprinkle with cheese and put the whole thing in the oven.) Bake at 350 for 20 minutes, or until the cheese on top is brown and bubbly. Serve warm.
**Another good cheese combination would be 1/2 cup Gruyere, 1/2 cup Monterey Jack and 1/4 cup Parmesan

Pumpkin Spice Kettle Corn

Have you ever made homemade kettle corn? It's not much different than making Stove-top Popcorn. You just add sugar in with the salt when you pop it. (The foil lid trick that I learned from watching Alton Brown is genius, so make sure you employ that! I explain it here.)
    Well, I just completed making my Homemade Pumpkin Pie Spice, and Little Bit (my youngest) asked me to make popcorn, and Squishy (my second youngest) amended that request to be the "caramel kind." I asked her if she meant kettle corn, (which is a rare treat around here because it requires granulated sugar) and she affirmed my assumption. She wanted kettle corn, and I wanted to use my new spice blend, so I combined the two. The final product was delicious, and I knew I couldn't keep the recipe to myself.  The spices do cause it to be a little darker than normal, but nothing that's off-putting. It just speaks more of fall.

Here's the recipe:

Pumpkin Spice Kettle Corn

3 Tbsp organic coconut oil
1/2 cup organic popcorn kernels (mushroom popcorn if you can find it)
1/3 cup organic cane sugar
1 tsp fine sea salt
1 tsp organic Pumpkin Pie Spice**

Place the oil and a few popcorn kernels in a 6-quart metal mixing bowl, or large pot. Cover with heavy-duty aluminum foil and poke 10 slits in the top with a knife.
Place the bowl (or pot) over medium-high heat and shake constantly using tongs to hold the bowl. (I use oven mits when I use a pot.) Once the kernels pop, carefully remove the foil, and add the remaining kernels, sugar, salt, and pumpkin pie spice**.
Re-cover the bowl and return to medium high heat. Continue shaking constantly until the popcorn finishes popping, about 3 minutes.
Remove the bowl from the heat and carefully remove the foil. Let it cool before eating.
**If you are worried about the spices burning, you can sprinkle the pumpkin pie spice blend on after the kernels are popped, before it cools.