Gooey Caramel Corn.....or do you like it Crunchy?

My friend Gretchen was kind enough to be my guest columnist this week for my article in The Ledger - it was such an easy and awesome recipe, she gave me the "A-OK" to post it on the blog as well.  Here it is - I hope you'll will try it, come back to comment, and let us know how much you enjoyed it!  Happy 1st Day of Fall!!!

Post and photo credit:  Gretchen Wakeman

I purchased this recipe almost 30 years ago at an Elementary Bake Sale.  Along with all of the freshly prepared baked goods, my elementary school also sold recipes for a quarter to help with the fundraising. 

My 25 cent purchase bought me a recipe that has become somewhat of a legacy in my family. 

Even as a little girl I loved to bake.  I became an expert at this recipe at a very young age.  I had it memorized and could whip up a batch of Gooey Carmel Corn at any given family event.  We looked forward to it at family movie night, birthday parties, or any event that called for a little sweet celebration.   

The original recipe has since been lost, but I had written the instructions down on a plain notecard. 

Recently, my mom found my hand written recipe tucked away in her cookbook.  She smiled when she gave it back to me,  “Remember when you used to make your Gooey Caramel Corn?”   

To celebrate the return of Fall, I have already whipped up several batches to share with my two little girls.  Without a doubt, this recipe will be in my family for years to come.  Enjoy!



 

Gooey Caramel Corn

Makes 8 Cups 

1 packed cup of brown sugar

1/2 cup of butter (one stick)

1/2 cup of light Karo syrup

1/8 teaspoon of salt

1/8 teaspoon of baking soda

Approx. 8 cups of popped popcorn 

Prepare popcorn without butter or salt.  Place popcorn in a large mixing bowl. 

On stovetop combine brown sugar, butter, Karo syrup and salt.  When mixture gets to a rapid boil add 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda and stir.  (The baking soda will cause the mixture to expand and turn foamy)

Immediately pour the hot mixture over the popcorn.  Fold in caramel until popcorn is well coated.  I normally stop here.  I love to eat it gooey and warm.    

If you prefer Crunchy Caramel Corn and have the willpower to wait, you can bake it in a large roaster pan for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Spread on waxed paper to dry.

Thanks for taking the time to read my guest column.  I hope you will try the Gooey (or Crunchy!) Caramel Corn. 
 

For my local followers, if you are looking for a family and lifestyle photographer, please visit Gretchen's site at Gretchen Wakeman Photography to see her work and contact information.

Pumpkin Snowballs

I ran across this cute little recipe in my November issue of Parenting magazine - it looked easy, somewhat healthy, and a great way to finish off Thanksgiving weekend.   There are a couple of modifications to the original.  While getting the oatmeal out of the pantry, I decided to add some wheat germ and then dropped in a couple of more tablespoons of pumpkin puree to balance it out. 

The result?  My boys loved them - as did I and my visiting mother-in-law.  Total prep time was 10-15 minutes (includes time spent defending myself from lightsaber attacks in the kitchen from a 3 year old and 6 year old).    Quick and easy!

Pumpkin Snowballs
Makes approximately 12 snowballs
Recipe adopted from Parenting magazine

1 cup oatmeal
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 teaspoon pumpkin-pie spice
5 tablespoons pumpkin puree
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup raisins
3/4 - 1 cup powdered sugar

Combine oatmeal, wheat germ, pumpkin-pie spice, pumpkin puree, brown sugar, and raisins in a bowl.  Form into 1-inch balls and roll in powdered sugar.

Halloween Party

This year we headed over to the home of good friends for some pre-trick-or-treating fun, pictures, food, and drinks before we headed out into our neighborhood.  I can't take credit for any of the photos shown here - they are all the creative work of Gretchen Wakeman - but couldn't resist sharing the decorations, buffet table, and fun pictures Gretchen took! 

Our hosts did a great job choosing the perfect food for their guests!  We had two kinds of sandwich platters from Costco - one included deli pinwheels (you know, those yummy bites that have deli meat, cheese, etc wrapped in a tortilla and sliced?) and the other was deli croissant sandwiches - perfect, delicious, and filling!   Also on the buffet table were bowls of chips, salsa, a veggie platter, cookies, and of course....buckets of candy!  For the kids we had juice boxes and for the grown ups, cocktails and beer.....awesome. 

To top it off, the hostess and host were dressed as a shot girl and shot boy - it was perfect for them and made for some great photos!

How did you celebrate Halloween this year?

photo courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman

photo courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman

photo courtesy of Gretchen Wakeman

Halloween Guacamole

Looking for a gross, but fun and easy way to serve guacamole during the Halloween season?  Check this out!  I can't take credit for the idea - last fall I found a similar image on Pinterest with the website of My Food Looks Funny.com at the bottom of the picture - I couldn't resist but to give it a try!

You can certainly use store bought guacamole (like I did here) or you can make your own.  Check out my Guacamole with Grapes recipe for another idea.

I bought the tiny pumpkin and carved out a face, put some of the guacamole in it's mouth, then spread the rest on the platter.  Add some tortilla chips and you are done!  

If you dare to make this....I'd love to see your photos!

Happy Halloween!

Candy Corn and Dry Roasted Salted Peanuts

One of my favorite fall treats!  I have two of these little pumpkins and used to just fill them with candy corn until last fall when a friend of mine suggested I add dry roasted peanuts and eat them together.

Thanks to the woman with whom I share a fence line for the tip - I will never look back and fill these pumpkins with candy corn alone!

Seasonal Basket - Fall

Several years ago when we built our home, we purchased this basket at one of the "model home sales" that used to happen all over the Valley!  Once a builder finished a neighborhood and they no longer needed a model home, they would sell all of the decor and furnishings in the model home. 

I thought this basket would be a great addition to our kitchen.  Unfortunately, it is too tall to fit on a counter under the cabinets, so it sits on our island.  We then started the "seasonal-ize" it by changing it's look with the seasons.

Here's a photo of the basket for fall this year.....another quick and easy way to make simple decorating updates in your home as the seasons change.