Caramel Corn
It’s that spooky time again. Time to create mouth-watering treats for your tricksters. But, beware of this treat; it can send you into the addictive realm of deliciousness…
Caramel Corn
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups packed brown sugar
6 quarts popped corn (do not air pop)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light corn syrup
½-1 cup honey roasted
¼ cup water
peanuts, or your favorite nut
Place popped corn into a large paper bag or two large heat-resistant bowls. Pour peanuts on top of popcorn. (If using two bowls, pour half of the peanuts on top of the popcorn in each of the bowls.)
Melt butter in 2 quart saucepan. Add brown sugar, salt, corn syrup and water. Heat to boiling. Boil for 5 minutes. Be sure to watch it carefully so the syrup doesn’t boil over. Remove from heat and add baking soda; stir well. (Don’t be alarmed when it bubbles up violently; just keep stirring it until it calms down.) Pour over popped corn and peanuts and stir until well coated. Pour the coated popcorn on two cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake both batches at the same time using lower and middle racks in oven. Take caramel corn off cookie sheets immediately after removing from oven.
`I give this caramel corn out to the “lucky” kids we know on Halloween. When my friend Debi used to spend Halloween with me while our guys were hunting, she would revel in this buttery sweetness. She complained that she hadn’t had any recently. I’ll have to surprise her with some soon.
If you decide to give it out at Halloween, make sure you give it only to kids you know. Since it’s not factory wrapped, most parents would throw it away—that would be a waste of such a special treat.
Caramel Corn
1 cup butter
1 teaspoon baking soda
2 cups packed brown sugar
6 quarts popped corn (do not air pop)
½ teaspoon salt
¼ cup light corn syrup
½-1 cup honey roasted
¼ cup water
peanuts, or your favorite nut
Place popped corn into a large paper bag or two large heat-resistant bowls. Pour peanuts on top of popcorn. (If using two bowls, pour half of the peanuts on top of the popcorn in each of the bowls.)
Melt butter in 2 quart saucepan. Add brown sugar, salt, corn syrup and water. Heat to boiling. Boil for 5 minutes. Be sure to watch it carefully so the syrup doesn’t boil over. Remove from heat and add baking soda; stir well. (Don’t be alarmed when it bubbles up violently; just keep stirring it until it calms down.) Pour over popped corn and peanuts and stir until well coated. Pour the coated popcorn on two cookie sheets and bake at 250 degrees for 40 minutes, stirring occasionally. Bake both batches at the same time using lower and middle racks in oven. Take caramel corn off cookie sheets immediately after removing from oven.
`I give this caramel corn out to the “lucky” kids we know on Halloween. When my friend Debi used to spend Halloween with me while our guys were hunting, she would revel in this buttery sweetness. She complained that she hadn’t had any recently. I’ll have to surprise her with some soon.
If you decide to give it out at Halloween, make sure you give it only to kids you know. Since it’s not factory wrapped, most parents would throw it away—that would be a waste of such a special treat.
Turkey Trot Neighborhood Drive
I have a fun idea for Thanksgiving this year. We are always wondering what to do after our delicious meal. There is always the Lions game; I love football. But I was thinking, couldn’t we do more than eat and veg on the couch? So, this is what I’m going to propose to my family:
I will make flyers to post in our small neighborhood, asking them to contribute non-perishable food items. The flyer will indicate that our family will be around to collect whatever they would like to contribute on Thanksgiving Day. If they are going to be gone, they can leave a bag of items on their front porch, marked Thanksgiving Day Drive, and we will pick it up. Then, once we have collected all of the items, I’ll deliver them to the local food bank the next day.
What do you think? A good idea? Perhaps you can have your own food drive this Thanksgiving Day. After all, isn’t being thankful for what we have and sharing, what Thanksgiving is all about?
I will make flyers to post in our small neighborhood, asking them to contribute non-perishable food items. The flyer will indicate that our family will be around to collect whatever they would like to contribute on Thanksgiving Day. If they are going to be gone, they can leave a bag of items on their front porch, marked Thanksgiving Day Drive, and we will pick it up. Then, once we have collected all of the items, I’ll deliver them to the local food bank the next day.
What do you think? A good idea? Perhaps you can have your own food drive this Thanksgiving Day. After all, isn’t being thankful for what we have and sharing, what Thanksgiving is all about?
How to Grow Raspberries
Don’t you just cringe when you see the $5 price tag on a six-ounce clamshell container of raspberries in the market? Don’t you wish that you could just go out your backdoor and pick them right off the canes? It was a fantasy of mine to have my own raspberry patch ever since I was allowed to pick raspberries from canes in our neighbor’s yard. So, when we bought our first house, we decided to plant some raspberry plants.
First, look for two-three year plants, so that you can have raspberries quickly. The first year plants will not produce raspberries. Plant them in full sun and give them plenty of water. Often I will give them some fertilizer at the beginning of the season in order to boost the growth. They should thrive. My plants have two crops of berries. I’m usually very excited to find the first berries, but it’s the second crop that produces the largest and the best tasting berries. Of course varieties may differ. Make sure you buy the ones that are best suited for your climate. Your local nursery is a great resource.
After the last crop prune the canes down about twelve inches. Some people wait until February or March to prune off any winter kill. I’ve done both with equal success.
Raspberries seed themselves, so you will have a huge patch in no time. Don’t be afraid to dig up excess plants and why not share them? People will love you for it!
First, look for two-three year plants, so that you can have raspberries quickly. The first year plants will not produce raspberries. Plant them in full sun and give them plenty of water. Often I will give them some fertilizer at the beginning of the season in order to boost the growth. They should thrive. My plants have two crops of berries. I’m usually very excited to find the first berries, but it’s the second crop that produces the largest and the best tasting berries. Of course varieties may differ. Make sure you buy the ones that are best suited for your climate. Your local nursery is a great resource.
After the last crop prune the canes down about twelve inches. Some people wait until February or March to prune off any winter kill. I’ve done both with equal success.
Raspberries seed themselves, so you will have a huge patch in no time. Don’t be afraid to dig up excess plants and why not share them? People will love you for it!
10 Things That Bring Joy
What gives you joy? That emotion seems to be the most sought after, yet often the most elusive. People often scoff at the notion of finding joy in the simple things, but when they stop and consider them, those are the experiences that give us our daily smiles. Here are some examples:
- Picking a juicy ripe raspberry right off the cane in my backyard (and popping it right into my mouth, savoring its tangy sweetness)
- Finding the perfect pair of jeans, even marked “slim-fit” and at a size lower than the last time, all for 50% off and an additional 20% off—Score!
- Wondering what to do when all of a sudden a girlfriend calls and asks if you want to go out for coffee-Yes!
- Remembering that you have a lovely basil plant in your backyard for that delicious bruschetta you plan to make
- Picking a warm, nothing like it, vine-ripened tomato from your garden for that bruschetta you plan to make
- Delighting your daughter with the deals you find
- Going on a verdant hike with your husband and kids and watching them brave the frigid water while “shooting the rapids”
- The perfect bite of a homemade chocolate chip cookie still warm from the oven
- Watching his face light up when I surprise my sweetheart with an unexpected bag of deliciously soft licorice
- Cheering as your son steals home
What is important to remember is that if you want to have joy or you want to bring joy to others, don’t ruin the experience with overanalyzing or putting too much of your own needs ahead of other’s. If you agree to go get a treat after someone has suggested it, make sure that s/he has the full experience. If you don’t like the menu, get over it, find something that you do like and share the experience. Don’t cut it short because of your own desires. Don’t complain about the cost. Let go of your own ego. In short, don’t take the joy out of it.