Kettle Corn

This recipe came from The Savory Sweet Life



1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/3 cup sugar
3/4 teaspoon salt

Heat oil in a large pot over medium-high heat.  Add popcorn and sugar giving it a quick stir and then cover with lid.  Once popcorn starts popping, pick up pot and give it a quick shake every few seconds until popping slows down, between 3-4 minutes.  Remove immediately from heat and pour into a large bowl or spread on a cookie sheet.  Sprinkle with salt and ENJOY!  Do not make the mistake of removing the pot from heat without transferring to a bowl. Due to the high heat of the pot, if you don’t transfer the popcorn it will caramelize and perhaps burn.

**I LOVE how quick this is, and easy...but very easy to burn also.  My first batch I burned, but realizing that I let it stay on the heat two seconds too long, I made a second batch and it turned out GREAT!  Yes, it can burn in a matter of seconds.  It is better to have some unpopped kernals than to wait for them all to pop.....that is when they burn!

**DO NOT let the kids help make this.  It is too hot and if the sugar/oil gets on them it will burn bad.  It cools really quickly though so they can eat it!

Cracker Jacks

2 cups Brown Sugar
1 cup Margarine or Butter
1/2 cup White Karo Syrup
1 tsp. Salt
1 tsp Baking Soda
5 quarts popped corn (I use 1 bag buttered microwave popcorn then the rest air popped).

In medium sized saucepan bring brown sugar, margarine, syrup and salt to a boil and boil for 5 minutes.  Remove from heat and add baking soda.  Pour over popped corn.  Stir well then place on cookie sheet.  Bake at 200 degrees for 1 hour, stirring every 10 minutes.

This recipe came from Jim's mom.  When your not wanting the sticky version of caramel corn, this is the one to use.  To get the kids involved, let them pop the corn and measure it.












The Little Brick Ranch

White Chocolate Popcorn

2 bags microwave popcorn (8-10 cups popped)

2 cups white chocolate chips

Separate unpopped kernals from popcorn.  Melt chocolate chips in microwave by heating them at 50% power for 1 minute.  Stir chocolate.  Continue heating in microwave in 30 second intervals at 50% power, stirring them after every thirty seconds till the chocolate is smooth.  Do not over heat, the chocolate will burn. (If the chocolate goes grainy you have overheated it).

Pour chocolate over popcorn and stir till popcorn is well coated.  Spread popcorn out on a parchment lined cookie sheet and let it dry.  Enjoy!

Stir in Ideas:

Chocolate chips, crushed candy canes, nuts, M&M’s, any chewy candy, sprinkle with colored sugar

You can also drizzle melted semi-sweet chocolate over it while it is on the cookie sheet.

Caramel Popcorn (OOEY GOOEY)

Using 1 bag of microwave popcorn and the rest air popped popcorn, fill your BIG tupperware bowl with popcorn.  Remove all unpopped corn as you do this.  I use my 8 quart bowl because it's the biggest I have.  You can use bigger if you have one.  I always end up with an extra 1/2-1 cup caramel left, which definately gets used for other things! (Like letting the kids (and I) each have a spoonful :))!

2 cup brown sugar

1 cup white kero syrup

1/2 cup margarine

1 can sweetened condensed milk

In a heavy saucepan bring to boil the brown sugar, syrup, and margarine.  Let boil for 3 minutes.  Add sweetened condensed milk.  Mix well and let boil for another minute...stirring constantly to avoid scorching.  Pour over popcorn and stir well coating the popcorn.  Let cool until you can't take it any longer and ENJOY!  Make sure to have a wet hand towel nearby to wipe fingers on, or just lick them!  Who ever gets to the bottom first gets to eat the CARAMEL that has settled on the bottom!

This is my Mom's recipe.  One of my favorite traditions is when she would make this for Christmas.  She would make it into balls and my sisters and I would bag the balls.  Then we would enjoy them all Christmas break.