Have you missed me?

I’ve missed you.

I was on spring break last week and I did a whole lot of nothing…except bake, clean, pamper and spend time with friends.

It was amazing.

But I really did miss you and have been dying to get a recipe posted!

What better way to come back from my hiatus then with one of my favorite foods ever!

Popcorn.

It does not matter what form it comes in, just as long as there is lots of it.

This recipe comes from my Mom and is the best caramel corn out there.

Aside from Garrett popcorn, which is the greatest in the nation.

Do you know what a Whirley Pop is?

It is the most used tool in my kitchen and I suggest you click on that link and get one!

No more of that microwave-cancer popcorn. This is quick and super easy. Even if you are disabled in the kitchen I guarantee you can make popcorn in this popper. You just add oil and popcorn seeds and stir the handle until the popping stops.

So, now that you are back from purchasing your Whirley Pop and craving popcorn…I’ll show you how to make this caramel corn….

You are going to make a basic caramel sauce with brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and some salt.

Bring it to a boil, add some vanilla and baking soda and pour it over the popcorn.

Bake it for an hour, stirring 4 times throughout (making sure large clumps are stuck to the spoon every single time so you can scrape them off with your teeth. Try to be patient so you don’t burn your mouth!).

I don’t know how I would have survived college without popcorn.

Finals week of my freshman year, my Aunt sent me the largest possible tub of popcorn from The Popcorn Factory. It was the traditional cheese, butter and caramel combo…you know, the one you literally can’t stop eating.

It was about 10 gallons of popcorn and it was the only thing I ate during that finals week, aside from coffee.

Gross…….or awesome?

And I’m pretty sure I hoarded most, if not all, of it from my roommate, who is still consequently one of my best friends…sorry, Meg…thanks for still loving me 🙂

Thank you for spending time reading my blog and leaving your comments! I always love them and appreciate the feedback! I also LOVE when people point out my mistakes. Seriously, that’s not sarcasm. I know my grammar and punctuation are sub-par and that my jokes are not always funny and my stories can ramble on for days…

But then again, no one is paying me for this and for some reason you keep coming back and I LOVE YOU FOR IT!!!!

P.s, I added a recipe index so you can see all the recipes I’ve posted! Check it out!

Recipe: Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

1/3 Cup Popcorn Kernels or 7 -8 Ounces Popped Corn

1 Tablespoon Oil (for popping kernels)

2 Sticks Butter

2 Cups Brown Sugar

1/2 Cup Light Corn Syrup

1 Teaspoon Salt

1 Teaspoon Baking Soda

1 Teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Directions:

Pop kernels with oil in a Whirley Pop or on the stove in a large pot with a lid. Once popped, place into a large bowl and set aside.

Preheat oven to 200 degrees.

In a medium saucepan melt butter, brown sugar, corn syrup and salt over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for about 5 minutes and remove from heat. Add baking soda and vanilla and stir until bubbling subsides. When you add the baking soda and vanilla it will bubble up and may steam, this is normal.

Pour caramel over popcorn and stir until the popcorn is completely coated in the caramel.

Pour caramel corn onto two large baking sheets and place into 200 degree oven. Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes or 4 times throughout the hour.  Remove from oven after hour and let cool. Once cool, break large pieces up with hands and place into and air tight container or ziplock bag for up to 4 days.