Nothing beats the taste of popcorn on a movie night! But recently my sister told me that microwave popcorn was bad for you, so I had to look into it. Turns out the hot steam contains toxic chemicals, mainly from the buttery flavorings, glue and ink on the bag.
The good news is that you can make your own delicious, low-fat microwave popcorn using a brown paper lunch bag! It’s an inexpensive way to make healthy popcorn, without using unwanted oils or other ingredients.

Here’s how:

• Grab a paper lunch bag and add a 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels.
• Fold over the top of the bag to a couple of times to close.
• Cook in the microwave for 2 1/2 minutes. Make sure to watch the popcorn carefully so it doesn’t burn—stop the microwave when the popping slows to one to two pops per second.
• Get creative and try some different flavors! Some people put the kernels in a bowl with 2 teaspoons of olive oil and seasonings and mix it up before putting it in a paper bag to cook.

*If you don’t want to create waste with disposable bags, we have a glass popper that cooks corn in the microwave. It’s available in two different sizes.

Save time with an early start on holiday favorites.

Ingredients:

6 lbs. potatoes, peeled, cooked, drained and mashed
1 c. sour cream
6 oz. cream cheese
5 tbsp. butter
1/2 c. milk
3 tsp. onion salt
Salt and pepper, to taste

Directions:

Mix together all the ingredients and transfer to a baking dish sprayed with cooking spray. Cover and refrigerate up to 2 days prior to serving. Allow to return to room temperature, then bake it in an oven preheated to 400° F for half an hour. Serves 12.

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Perk up a traditional picnic favorite with fresh herbs from your garden!

Continue Reading Herbed Deviled Eggs

Perfect for a casual party, this recipe is a tasty alternative to Buffalo wings:

Ingredients:

1 10-ounce bottle teriyaki sauce
1 10-ounce bottle soy sauce
3/4 cup cooking sherry
1 T. garlic salt
1 T. ginger
1 T. dried minced onion
1 5-pound package of frozen chicken wings

Direction:

Mix first six ingredients together in a 9″x11″ glass baking dish. Add frozen wings, coating them thoroughly with the mixture, and allow to marinate overnight in the refrigerator. Bake uncovered in pre-heated oven at 350 degrees F 45 minutes to an hour. Serve immediately.

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This sweet treat is sure to be a hit with kids of all ages!
Continue Reading Candied Pumpkin Seeds

Here’s a spicy twist on a Halloween favorite!
Continue Reading Southwestern Pumpkin Seeds

Serve these in place of dinner rolls at your Thanksgiving meal! They also go great with chili.
Continue Reading Cornbread Muffins

Look closer…this version of the classic chips & salsa is sweet instead of savory!

Ingredients:

Apple Salsa:
2 kiwis, peeled & diced
2 Fuji or Golden Delicious apples, peeled, cored & diced
8 oz. frozen peaches, thawed
1 lb. strawberries
½ T. white sugar
½ T. brown sugar
3 T. orange marmalade

Cinnamon Tortilla Chips:
10 (10 inch) flour tortillas
Butter-flavored cooking spray
2 c. sugar
2 tsp. ground cinnamon

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. In a large bowl, thoroughly mix fruit, sugar, and marmalade, adding the apples last. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 15-20 minutes.
In a medium-sized bowl, thoroughly mix together sugar and cinnamon. Coat both sides of each flour tortilla with cooking spray. Dredge tortilla wedges (2 at a time) in the cinnamon sugar and arrange on a large baking sheet in a single layer. Bake 9 to 10 minutes, then cool for 15 minutes. Serve with chilled fruit mixture. Serves 10.

View all of our recipes here.