Super Super Bowl Snack: Cajun Caramel Corn Recipe!


Blazin' Cajun Snack & Dip Seasoning, (3.5 oz/100 g), 02069

Turn "ordinary" into "extraordinary" with our versatile Gourmet Snack & Dip Seasonings. Just mix with regular or low fat sour cream, pureed cottage cheese or plain yogurt to create delicious dips and spreads for everything from crackers to crudités. Mix with cream cheese for flavorful spreads for roll-ups, cheese balls and canapés.

Cajun Caramel Corn
Makes a great Super Bowl snack!

18 cups/4.5 liters popped popcorn
1 1/2 cups/375 mL firmly packed brown sugar
1/2 cup/125 mL butter
1/3 cup/80 mL light corn syrup
1 tsp/5 mL lemon juice
2 to 4 tsp/10 to 20 mL Watkins Blazin' Cajun Snack & Dip Mix
1/2 tsp/2.5 mL baking soda

Heat oven to 200° F/95° C. Pour popcorn into a large roasting pan.

In a heavy saucepan, combine sugar, butter, syrup and lemon juice. Mix well. Cook on medium, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Boil until mixture reaches 260° F/125° C (hard ball stage). Remove pan from heat. Quickly stir in 2 tsp/ 10 mL of Watkins Blazin' Cajun Snack & Dip Mix and the baking soda. Pour over popcorn and stir to coat well. Bake for 1 hour in preheated oven, stirring every 20 minutes.

Remove from oven. Empty popcorn onto waxed paper. Break apart with hands. Sprinkle with additional Blazin' Cajun seasoning to taste, if desired. Store in a tightly-covered container.
Makes 18 (1 cup/250 mL) servings.

Lesson in Parenting: Poop is...

B has 3 of the most obnoxious dolls created! She loves these dolls which helps me control my desire to tie them to poles and burn them at the stake during a family BBQ.

The other morning she brought one of these said dolls to the table, the one she named "Brown Baby Alive", the one that poops.

B: "Mom, I want to feed Brown Baby Alive"
Me: "OK, I'll get her food ready."
B: talking to her doll, "Let me check your diaper first baby. Yuck, you have poop in there."
Off comes the pretty pricey disposable doll diaper.
B: "Mom, Brown Baby Alive has poop in her diaper I am going to throw it away now."
Me: "Is that poop from yesterday or today?" Hoping she'd get it that she can reuse the diaper if it is dry and not too soiled.
B: With a 'hey dumb ass' look on her face- "Mom, what does it matter? Poop is poop."
Then she turned and threw the diaper away.

Lesson learned: All poop is created equal.

Want to check out my other Lessons in Parenting? Then click here, make sure you take some notes, there will be a quiz at the end.

Planning our Little Angels DVD Release Party!

Excitement is in the air at The Mom Standard's house! We are planning our DVD viewing party sponsored by Fox Home Entertainment of Little Angels--for preschoolers!

What is in store for our party? Well of course Shortycake Creations is providing the sweets--cookies, cake, and whatever else comes to mind. B and I will be making mini jelly, ham, and tomato & cheese sandwiches. Of course lots of preschooler snacks that I will pick up from Walmart with my gift card I receive for throwing this party.  B will pick out the goodies which I'm sure will include Goldfish, Lemonade, Grapes, and Candy.

While B finalizes the munchies I'll be getting the craft station ready.  Valentines stick bouquets each kid can assemble and take home along with Little Angels Activity Sheets. Thank heavens some smart person created the Cricut cutting machine!

Since each child will be receiving their own pair of wings and a halo I will incorporate a bit of Angel dancing which should  make for some great photo ops.

Time to get working on things!

Stay tuned for the party recap (i.e. "Ha ha, but you wished you would have let your kiddo come after all. Bad Mommy! xoxo)

Couponing is pissing me off. A Rant.


Seriously, I'm getting aggravated with couponing. Not with coupons themselves but the stores and their "new policies". I get it. Coupon usage is up like a trillion percent as of late and shows like Extreme Couponing have caused otherwise non-gluttonous folk to turn into "I need 1000 bottles of antacid because it's a moneymaker" shelf-wiping, hoarding, wasteful freaks. But hey! That's not the majority of us. Guess what else? I totally understand that coupons take more time to process which in turn lowers your ROI on the cashier you have ringing me up. I get it, but come on. Don't punish your customers, instead tell your freaking stockholders and BODs to stop being so damn money hungry.

Last week I had 2 coupons for Joann Fabric & Craft Stores. First off, the associate at the register needed to be pulled due to her very unpleasant, why sugar coat it, bitchy attitude. She freaking scared ME she was so rude and mean. Anyway, she so pleasantly (what's that you smell? It's my sarcasm.) informed me that I cannot make 2 transactions at the store in one day with coupons. Store policy. If I stood in line again she would not ring me up! WTF!

I'm a mother of an almost 4 year old girl which means she talks all day long and anything I need to remember, like stuff needed from stores, I forget and on a daily basis go back to said stores a couple times because of this motherhood phenomenon, BUT because I have a coupon I can't come back in the same day. If every store started pulling this "policy" they may see a big hit in their bottom line or worse a Night of the Living Dead trampede from people like me! Oh, don't think I won't eat your brains.

What did I do about my angst? Well of course I tweeted about it immediately as I got in the car pissed that I was treated like a 2 year old "no you cannot have another piece of candy" and headed to Michael's to finish my purchases. A trip I did not want to make since Michael's is always butts to nuts with people gathering their crafting supplies for some project they found on Pinterest.  Luckily, I did have a coupon to use there, their cash-wrap associates were quite pleasant, AND I remembered some things I needed that I had forgotten while at Joann.

Saturday my husband had to run to Walgreen's. He came back and informed me that the lady in front of him was informed by the cashier that customers are only allowed to purchase once per day with store coupons at that store as well. Holy WTF Batman! It's a pandemic! Here's what I don't get. If you offer store coupons and I want to use them in one day and am willing to stand in line multiple times for this money savings how does this piss you off Mr. Retailer? At the end of the day each transaction is just that, a transaction. It doesn't have a face or personality or emotion attached to it, just money. Does my money lose it's value in your store the more times I want to spend it? 

The retail industry is forcing us to learn how to survive on what we have, to not purchase multiple convienance items from them, and ~gasp~ save our Money. Thanks Retail, though I'm still miffed at the customer service I received and really pained at a decision I have to make. Boycotting the stores that piss me off.

Seriously, I don't purchase from Macy's because of the whole Marshall Field's thingy and that was a long time ago, and I spent tons of money there (really, tons, I would tell my friends to look away when I would be rung up due to the embarrassment of the total).

My rant is over. You are welcome.

Executive Homemaker Series: Stage 2

January 27th will mark my 2 year anniversary as a SWAHM. The first couple years for any executive are the make or break years. You come in like a tornado and either leave mass destruction or a rainbow in your wake. I'm proud to say I've created a rainbow. At the end of this rainbow I know is a pot of gold so I'm looking forward to climbing the beautiful colored arch to reach it.

Quick Self Performance Review
  • I have a great team of family and friends and happy helpers who made my transition a manageable one.
  • Ramped up productivity in pre-existing divisions. (Blogging, Shortycakes, Mom, Wife)
  • Started a second home business (Independent Watkins Associate #390284)
  • Formed The Home Binder Division as a starting point for the evolution of a more streamlined, efficient, and goal oriented household.
  • Cooked a whole hell of alot more than ever in my life, and 99% of it was edible!
  • Found and Reignited my passion for life, love, family, friends, business, and me!

What do I have planned for year 2?
  • Tweak and fine tune last year's goals and procedures
  • "Thin the herd" literally: Husband & Wife weight loss is on the books and the ROI is well worth the time & money investment. Also continue tightening the belt on spending and financial frugality.
  • Embrace my position as long term and no longer probationary.
  • Create 30 hours in a day
  • Cultivate my Purpose.

Bird, Bird, Bird is the Word! [sponsored post]




Beginners’ Guide to Birding
Comedic Icons Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson Star in the Hilarious Outdoor Adventure Coming to Blu-ray and DVD January 31!

Was your New Year’s resolution a pact to yourself to get outdoors and make 2012 your Big Year?  In this beginner’s guide we’ll direct you to where you can find online field guides, deals on binoculars, regional checklists and new birding buddies to go on trips with.  Grab a notebook and start practicing your birdcalls and soon you will be having the biggest year ever!

Steve Martin, Jack Black and Owen Wilson portray three men from very different walks of life, facing a mid-life crisis, a work-life crisis and a no-life crisis.  In the biggest competition of their lives, they undertake an unforgettable trek through North America, engaging in hilarious and bizarre adventures and forming friendships that will last a lifetime!

Online Field Guides

Many hardcore birders like to have physical field guides that they can take with them, and many people employ the use of regional field guides, as they offer more specific advice. As you are starting your birding adventure, try using a site like http://www.whatbird.com/, which allows you to search for species in many different ways (including by region and by appearance). What Bird also has handy apps for e-readers and smart phones, which allow you to access their immense database on the go!

Binoculars

If you want to get serious about birding, you need a proper pair of binoculars. When you’re searching for your first pair, you need to pay attention to seven things: magnification, objective lens size, close focus, field of view, roof vs. porro prism, eye relief, and the 3 Ws (weight, waterproof and warranty). Go to http://store.onlinenaturemall.com/article-binoculars.html for help choosing the type of binoculars that are right for you, as well as suggestions on where to buy them for the best price.

Regional Checklists

The best way to start birding is to observe (and learn to recognize) the birds in your own backyard!  To do this, you should consult a checklist of the birds that appear in your region. One of the best sites to visit when looking for information on species in your region is http://www.wildbirds.com/FindBirds/StateProvinceChecklistsatWildBirdscom/tabid/198/Default.aspx. Wild Birds has each state in a United States (as well as most of Canada) represented on their site, with comprehensive checklists, reading lists and relevant links included.

Birding Buddies
 

The best way to find a buddy to bird with is to join different groups for birding enthusiasts. Two of the largest birding organizations in the United States are the American Birding Association and the National Audubon Society. Each of these larger, national organizations can steer you towards either region-specific sectors of their organization, or smaller birding clubs in your area. You could also use http://www.Meetup.com to find birders in your area, and local events or trips to take part in. 



*Disclosure: Think Jam/Fox Publicity and 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment provided me a review copy of this film.*

DIY Home Decor on a Budget Series: Crochet Swiffer Cover

One of my new year's resolutions is to crochet an item a week. Now when I say Item I'm not talking blankets, sweaters, or anything too intricate. No, I want to crochet a dishcloth or swiffer cover a week. We go through both like crazy so any way to save money and create reusable items I'm all about!

A while back I posted about wanting to make my own Swiffer covers. Last night I finally made good on my word.

Realize I am a beginner with crochet, my gauge is usually all wrong and I miscount my stitches. With that said my first go round turned out pretty darn good. It works great too! (BTW it took about 2 hours to make)  You can find the pattern I used here.

It fits!
It works! And it is reversible!
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