Bingo, Bango, Bongo: It's Trick-or-Treat Brittle!

Girrrl! Don't get me started on how much I love Bingo!

Whenever I'm in Northern California visiting my folks, I try to make it to the local JCC game where I once took home $250 bucks thanks to a kite formation. I even went on Bingo America, hosted by Patrick Duffy, who I noticed was a fan of Crocs, and won $6500 a few years ago.

Bingo is the jam!

So why don't I go more often? Especially when there's Hamburger Mary's "world famous" drag queen game around the corner from my place? It was a wrong that needed to be righted. So this pre-Halloween week, I grabbed Mario and Rachel and got ready for some B-I-N-G-O f-u-n.

From the moment I landed this sexy dobber, it was game on!

And by the second round, I'd won! What did I win? A bingo set (which happens to be my second one), a slew of candy and some bubbles.

Not to be excluded, Rachel scored tickets to the ballet and Mario took the night's top prize, a Kindle, a picnic set, and a little spanking...

Inspired by the candy in my prize pack, I went home and tried out a new recipe that I totally fell in love with. A spin on my new favorite, Bar Stool Brittle, this is Trick-or-Treat Brittle and, as our Bingo host would say, it's fiiiiierce.

It combines salty goodness, like potato chips, pretzels and peanuts, with sweet yummies, like chopped up Snickers, Reese's Pieces and Peanut M & M's or any other candy you have leftover from Halloween. Betcha can't eat just one...pound.

Trick-or-Treat Brittle

2 cups white sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
1/2 cup water
4 tablespoons butter
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 cup Munch ‘n’ Crunch or Cracker Jacks
1/2 cup pretzels
1 cup potato chips, lightly crushed
1/2 cup chocolate covered pretzels
1/2 cup white chocolate covered pretzels
1 cup Halloween candy, chopped (i.e.: Snickers, Baby Ruth, 3 Musketeers, M&Ms, Reese's Pieces, Whoppers)

Grease a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with crushed potato chips, chocolate and regular pretzels and half the candy.

In a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved and begins to turn a light amber color, about 7-10 minutes or until it reaches 300 degrees (for those of you with a candy thermometer).

Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in butter and baking soda. The brittle will instantly change; bubbling up, becoming caramel and releasing steam. Be very careful and work quickly.

Pour brittle over chips and pretzels on cookie sheet. Drizzle with Munch ‘n’ Crunch, and remaining candy.

Allow brittle to cool and snap into pieces.

Afterschool Special Recipe: "Bad Girl on a Bar Stool," Beer Sorbet and Bar Stool Brittle

"Here’s the story/Of a lucky lady/Who was cooking up some really yummy food.

It was for the cast of My Fair Brady/So I tried not to come unglued."

Okay, okay, my rhyming skills need some work, but I’m trying to keep it classy here, which means lewd, stewed or poohed are out.

When I was in high school, I had the following obsessions; anything 1970s, anything on Food Network and a guy named Greg who looked exactly like Greg Brady but had Ben Affleck's teeth pre the veneers he was given for Armageddon.

To find myself in the kitchen, preparing a meal for Christopher Knight, aka: Peter Brady, and his wife Adrienne Curry (of America's Next Top Model fame--love that show!), took a teenage dream, rolled it in rad dust, dipped it in awesome sauce and served it up on a silver platter. The only thing that might have made it better is if my unrequited Barry Williams look-a-like love had walked through the door and asked me to prom.

For the Very Brady Birthday episode, airing next week on Food Network, I created a dessert I like to call "Bad Girl on a Bar Stool," a combination of beer sorbet and "Bar Stool" brittle, a toffee that incorporates all the snacks you'd find along the rail of a dive where your feet stick to the ground and peanut shells are the carpeting.

Beer sorbet is going to sweep the nation! Mark my words. It's flavor is close to lemon sorbet and the texture is between sorbet and a slushie (because of the alcohol in the beer, it melts very easily). Add in this ridiculous brittle and you have every great flavor dessert needs: sweet, salty and boozy.

The first thing you need is the juice and zest of two lemons, then you add one can of lemonade concentrate...

Add three bottles of lite beer...

Stir all the ingredients together and process the sorbet base in an ice cream maker according to the manufacturer's instructions...

This is what it looks like when it's done. Cover and freeze until ready to serve.

Next, prepare the brittle using these ingredients...

In a greased sheet pan, layer crumbled potato chips and pretzels...

Heat sugar, water, salt and corn syrup in a heavy bottom pan until it dissolves...

And turns a light amber color...

Immediately remove the sugar from heat and stir in baking soda and butter. The brittle changes instantly and starts to look like this...

Pour the hot brittle over potato chips and pretzels and top with Munch 'n' Crunch, peanuts, chocolate covered pretzels or any other treats you might want to use.

This is what it looks like when finished (and after your friends have started to dig in)...

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"Bad Girl on a Bar Stool" Recipe

makes 6-8 servings

Beer Sorbet:

3 12 oz bottles Miller Genuine Draft, Bud Lite Lime or other light beer
1 can lemonade concentrate
Zest and juice of 2 lemons

Mix together all ingredients and process in an ice cream maker following manufacturer's instructions for sorbet. Freeze until firm.

Bar Stool Brittle:

1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
pinch salt
1/4 cup water
1 cup Munch ‘n’ Crunch or Cracker Jacks
1 cup pretzels
1 cup potato chips, lightly crushed
2 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
4 oz. semi-sweet choc, melted (optional)
1 cup chocolate covered pretzels (optional)
1/4 cup beer nuts (optional)

Note: The idea for this brittle was to take everything you’d find on a bar and use it in a dessert. If you have a personal favorite to add, go for it!

Grease a large cookie sheet and sprinkle with crushed potato chips and pretzels. In a high-sided skillet over medium-high heat, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and water. Stir and cook until sugar is dissolved and begins to turn a light amber color, about 7-10 minutes or until it reaches 300 degrees (for those of you with a candy thermometer).

Remove pan from heat and quickly stir in butter and baking soda. The brittle will instantly change; bubbling up, becoming caramel and releasing steam. Be very careful and work quickly.

Pour brittle over chips and pretzels on cookie sheet. Drizzle with Munch ‘n’ Crunch and anything you’re using that includes chocolate. Allow brittle to cool and snap into pieces.

Serve with beer sorbet.