Blue Jeans and Cotton Tees

My dad is famous for his popcorn and the size of his popcorn bowl! But when the calendar turns to December his favorite treat gets a sweet holiday make-over into Caramel Corn! Mom was kind enough to share our family recipe with you all- enjoy!

Here on the prairie we have 6 inches of snow covering everything and blowing about into drifts. Our Christmas Tree is up along with other traditional decorations.

Now it’s time to think about making all of our favorite Christmas treats, starting with caramel corn!

Popcorn is a staple at our house. We eat it every Sunday night and many times will have a bowl in the evening. But at Christmas Papa Jim turns the ordinary into a treat when he makes caramel corn!

A large tin of it provides a sweet and crunchy snack.

No one can resist the fragrance of warm caramel & freshly popped corn. We get it picked up off the counter and in the can as soon as it is cool to be sure we have some for later!

Papa Jim has experimented with several different recipes including one that you bake in the microwave, but we’ve always come back to this one. It was given to us years ago by good friends. (They still make it too- although for health reasons they can only eat the “puffed corn”. So this year she used this recipe to make caramel puffed corn! Which is melt-in-your-mouth delicious!)

Oven Carmel Corn
From Karen Jungling

Pop 8 or 9 quarts of popcorn and set aside. Do not salt or butter.

Mix together in a saucepan:

2 Cups Brown Sugar
1 Cup Margarine
½ Cup Syrup (light or dark)
¼ tsp Cream of tarter
½ tsp Salt

Bring to boil. Boil for 3 minutes, stirring often. Remove from heat.

Add 1 tsp. baking soda & stir well. It will foam. Keep stirring until soda is well-mixed & foaming dies down. Pour over Popcorn. Mix with wooden spoon until corn is coated.

Put in cookie sheets—can be a thick layer.

Bake in 250° oven for 1 ½ hours, stirring every 15 minutes.

Pour out on a flat surface to cool.

Store in an airtight container.

You can add peanuts to the popcorn before you pour the caramel over to make your own cracker jacks! Almonds or walnuts are also delicious.

This makes a great and inexpensive gift to share over the holidays with friends or teachers. Just put it in a pretty jar or even a plastic bag with a bright bow and a tag!

Until next time,

Nana Shirley

I sometimes think that my children eat by the clock rather than because they feel hungry because every day at 3:00 the questions begin. “What’s for snack mom?” I’m hungry, what can I eat?”

Inexpensive and healthy snacks are hard to find. Fruit is a wonderful snack and always my first choice, but it’s not always available at a good price.

Popcorn has become a favorite stand by. It’s pretty cheap to buy in bulk, easy to pop, and everybody around here likes it. It also fills up those tummies that seem to be bottomless at times.

Personally I prefer oil popped popcorn slathered in melted butter (yes, I know it isn’t good for me!), but for snack time I wanted something easier and healthier.

We found a hot air popper at a garage sale last summer and it has turned into an excellent investment. It’s so easy to use that even my youngest can do it and there’s minimal clean up involved, (except for sweeping the popcorn off the floor!)

If you’re really feeling brave or need a wild afternoon activity, put a clean sheet on the floor and take the top off of the hot air popper. The popcorn will fly into the air as it’s popped and your kids will think you’re amazing!

Cheap, filling, and even somewhat nutritious, popcorn earns a spot on our Thrifty Snack List.