Three Simple Pleasures: Classroom Video, Popcorn Bars, Background Noise and a Keeper from the Recipe Box

1. Part of the requirement for earning my National Board Certification is to have two videotapes of my teaching  submitted in my portfolio. Thursday my friend SueDean did an excellent job taping a whole group discussion on The Outsiders with my eighth grade students. The students responded well in the discussion and no big catastrophes happened.

2. Last Sunday Rella brought Popcorn Bars to church for coffee hour. Everyone went nuts over them. I was so pleased when she sent out the recipe this week. It is actually Popcorn Cake that I guess has been around for a long time, but she made them into bars.  With the combination I used today they look very yummy and were the easiest thing to make. See recipe below.

3. It was a busy day as I did holiday baking, but it was made more enjoyable with nonstop Christmas music most of the day on the television, then having the Zags basketball game come on at the end of my baking day. They won also!

Popcorn Bars

Make 4 quarts of popcorn. I made two bags of microwave popcorn.

Heat until melted. Cool 1 minute.
1/2 cup margarine or butter
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1 lb. bag of marshmallows

Combine the popcorn and the melted marshmallow mixture.
Add two cups trail mix. ( I sent JEJ to the store and he brought back a great trail mix of almonds, dried fruit, chocolate stars. and other nuts)
You can add what you want. I had a small amount of dried cherries and threw them in. I put peanuts on the top.

Mix all together and press into greased 9x13 pan. Let stand one hour and remove carefully. This can also be pressed into a bundt or angel food cake pan.  Enjoy!