Princess Kaitlyn's Kitchen: Popcorn Trail Mix

Once upon a time there was a little girl named Princess Kaitlyn and she lived in a beautiful castle by an enchanted forest, a magical lake, and a fantastically fun playground. Princess Kaitlyn ventured out to the enchanted forest one day for a game of hide and seek with her forest friends, Ferber (squirrel), Cookie Piepea (bear), the honey bees and the boisterous butterflies. However, before she made it to their meeting spot, Princess Kaitlyn noticed that the sly foxes in the enchanted forest were playing tricks on her. They were constantly changing her path by magically moving the forest tress, shrubs and flowers to block her way or hide the way she just traveled. Ferber the squirrel found Princess Kaitlyn lost in the forest. She explained to Ferber that the sly foxes kept getting her lost. While chatting, Princess Kaitlyn shared some of her popcorn trail mix with Ferber. As they were eating, Ferber chimed in and told Princess Kaitlyn that she should use her trail mix to mark her path and that he would use his great 'sniffer' to lead her out of the forest and back to the castle. Ferber's plan worked and Princess Kaitlyn returned to the castle having outwitted the sly foxes with Ferber's help.

Popcorn Trail Mix
adapted from a Cat Cora recipe from Parenting Magazine

• 2 mini bags (~2.4 ounces) unsalted 100 calorie popcorn; popped
  
• 1 cup raisins
• 1/2 cup dried Cranberries (we used Craisins)
• 1/2 cup dried cherries (Cora called for apricots)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup M&M's (mommy thinks it's better w/out, but daddy and Kaitlyn like w/)
• 1/4 - 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
• 1/2 cup plus 1 Tablespoon honey
• 2 Tablespoons butter
• 1 heaping teaspoon cinnamon

Princess Kaitlyn adds the first five ingredients into a large bowl.



Princess Kaitlyn waited patiently while mommy placed the honey, sunflower seeds, butter and cinnamon into a small saucepan on low heat. Once combined, mommy removed the saucepan and carefully pouring the honey mixture onto the popcorn mixture. Princess Kaitlyn stirred this sticky goodness together.
The instructions suggested letting it sit overnight, but we nibbled after several hours. We didn't notice a textural difference after several hours versus the next day.

Beware, this is a sticky snack. Princess Kaitlyn's fingers were gooey! Be sure to have little ones eat this at the table, not near your furniture. ;-) Bon Apetite!