Caramel Corn*

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 teaspoon SALT
1 cup BUTTER
2 cups BROWN SUGAR
1/2 cup light CORN SYRUP
...
1/2 teaspoon BAKING SODA
...
5 quarts POPPED POPCORN

DIRECTIONS:

Pop corn until you have 5 quarts of popped corn.  Put into a large bowl, and set aside.

1. Put salt, butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup into a heavy-bottomed pot, and stir constantly.  Bring to a boil over MEDIUM heat--  then, continue to boil (a "boil" that can't be stirred down) for only 2 minutes.  While all of this is happening, just keep stirring all the while and make sure nothing is sticking/burning on the bottom of your pan. (Be careful-- this mixture is so very hot!!!)
2.  Remove from heat and stir in the baking soda which will cause it to change color a little and foam up. 
3. After the baking soda is stirred in, pour the very hot mixture over popped popcorn and GENTLY mix --lifting from the bottom and coming up through the kernels until popped kernels are well coated.  (Vigorous mixing would break the fragile kernels up too much.)   
4. Put coated popcorn on a large baking sheet (about 16-inch by 11-inch?) that was ever so LIGHTLY sprayed with non-stick spray.  

Below:  Because I made a double batch, I had two pans...

5.  Bake in a pre-heated 250-degree oven for 1 hour, but you must gently lift/stir it (to sort of separate the "clumps") EVERY 15 minutes.

6.  At the end of 1 hour, remove from the oven; stir for the last time and let the caramel corn cool in the pans. 

7.  When cool, dump into a large bowl and gently break up the largest clusters before putting into whatever kind of containers you choose.

*Recipe from Smurawa's Country Bakery in Pulaski, WI, and you can find them right here: http://www.smurawabakery.com/

Can you imagine ANY small-town bakery selling 20,000 Paczkis on "Fat Tuesday" like they did last year?  Well, check this out:  http://www.smurawabakery.com/paczki-day    (Oh, those "Polish things" are SO GOOD!!!!)

Man-Catcher Brownies*

Oh, WAIT!!!-- I do not think these "Man-Catcher Brownies" are going to work for me, nor do I want them to!  Why?  I already have the man I want-- and have for almost 51 years, already!!!  

(Way back when, I didn't have nor need "magic brownies", but,... I, a 100% country girl, was born and raised on a working dairy farm and, even if he wasn't farm-born/raised, he... LIKED farms/farming!!!  So,... I guess,... my country way of life was "all the brownie" I needed!  ☺ )

Below:  Here he is (was) on his 67th birthday--  

looking darned good, I say!

I think the "country life" treated him quite well!

(Under that cap is a full head of "naturally" brown hair.)

Anyhow,... this recipe comes from Amy Westerman*.  She and her husband, Drew, live in Maumelle (just north of Little Rock), Arkansas.  She teaches high school Spanish and spends her free time cooking, baking and playing Roller Derby.  Seriously, ...this IS the name these brownies come with!!  And, there is a story* connected to this recipe, too-- I will put that story at the bottom of this post.  ☺

INGREDIENTS:

30 Kraft caramels, unwrapped
2/3 cup evaporated milk, divided
1 of 15.25-oz. box German chocolate cake mix (For a deeper/darker chocolate brownie, I may try a fudge chocolate cake mix the next time I make these!)
1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup chopped pecans OR walnuts

DIRECTIONS:

1.   Heat oven to 350-degrees and line the bottom of a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper.
2.   Melt caramels with only 1/3 cup of the evaporated milk in a small saucepan, stirring mixture occasionally; set sauce aside.
3.   Stir together cake mix, melted butter and the remaining 1/3 cup evaporated milk to form a dough.
4.  Put 1 and 1/3 cups of the dough into the pan by putting dabs of this all over the parchment paper like this and then, with dampened fingers, gently press dough clumps down until entire pan bottom is evenly covered...

Yes, press it down into an even layer like this...

5.  Bake until puffed but not cooked through-- about 7 minutes, like this...

6.   Remove from oven and pour the slightly cooled and set aside "melty" caramel sauce evenly over the top, like this...

7.   Sprinkle chocolate chips over caramel in an even layer...

8.   Top with remaining dough, crumbled into bits and scattered evenly like this...

9.   Sprinkle with chopped nuts...

10. Return to oven.
11. Bake until brownies are puffy and set-- 11-12 minutes more (or, according to how your oven bakes)...

12. Cool completely.
13. Then lift out of pan by holding the edges of the parchment paper... 

Cut into squares...

SERVES 16 

(These are not a thick/puffy kind of brownie.)

Because of the caramel layer in these bars, they will be less sticky and more chewy if kept a little on the "cool" side.

+ + + + + + + +

Below is the word-for-word description and the accompanying story that goes with the above  recipe.  It comes from Pages 82 and 84 of The Ladies Home Journal / February 2014.

* "'This dessert is so good that it's prompted at least two proposals.  I can't promise a wedding, but y'all be careful.  Don't give these to just anyone.'-- Amy Westerman.  (Amy admits, "I make one addition to my mom's famous recipe: extra caramel.")

"When I was 7 my mother Susan, met my future stepfather, Larry.  They had been dating for about a month when she made him a batch of caramel nut brownies-- a recipe she'd come up with herself.  Larry took one bite and blurted, 'Oh my gosh, I love you!'  It was the first time he'd said anything like that, and it was sort of a joke-- but then he followed up with, 'Actually, I really do love you, and I've been wanting to tell you that.'  After they got engaged, Larry renamed the recipe 'Man-Catcher Brownies'.

"Mom taught me how to bake when I was 12, and these brownies were one of the first recipes she shared with me.  'Remember, Amy, whoever eats these will fall in love with you,' she said.  I knew she was teasing, but the brownies still took on magical properties in my mind.  My friends and I would have sleepovers and bake batches of them for boys we had crushes on.  Sometimes we'd be sneaky about it and bring the brownies to the whole class, just so that a particular guy would be sure to eat one.  When one of us had a steady boyfriend, we'd make up a nice little bag for him and tie it with a boy.  Larry was on to our schemes.  'Those man-catcher brownies work, so y'all be careful,' he'd say.  'Don't give 'em to anyone who won't treat you right for the rest of your life.'

"In fact, there was one boyfriend of mine in junior high who wasn't so nice to me, so I dumped him.  The next day he came up to me and said, 'I know we broke up, but my mom really wants the recipe for those brownies.'  I told him, 'Nope.  That's for boyfriends only.'

"I made these brownies for my husband, Drew, early in our relationship.  I'd say the recipe definitely worked its magic, since we've been together for 11 years.  He'll never admit it was the brownies.  But I know better."

+ + + + + +

My husband's comments, with a smile, after he read this story?  "Hm-m-m-m,...tricky women!"

Caramel Popcorn Balls (two recipes)

I never thought I say I'd like a popcorn ball recipe that was different from the one I already had/liked, but... I'm saying it now!  I'll include my 'other (first) favorite' recipe at the bottom of this posting.

Leading up to my switcheroo on recipes, why wouldn't a 'marked up' recipe in an old recipe book get my attention!?!?  Check this out...

A bit about how this happened:  Just today, my sister, Nadine, gave me some old cookbooks and I've been having a good time looking through them.  Here is a photo of this particular recipe book's cover:

It's dated 1954 (I was just a kid back then!) and is from when these church members were meeting in the beautiful white country church that still stands on Highway 29--now, a Baptist Church.  Yes, this one...

Getting back to the easy recipe on page 35, here goes...

INGREDIENTS:

(Below, I've doubled the recipe that's in the book.)

Pop enough popcorn to have 2 gallons of popped corn set aside.  Also have handy, a large bowl or kettle.  (From when we had our own 'fresh cow milk', I have gallon-sized Rubbermaid containers that I use for measuring the popped corn.)  P.S.  We very much MISS having our own cows' good RAW MILK to drink!)

More INGREDIENTS:

1 cup (2 sticks) butter

2 cups light brown sugar, packed

32 large marshmallows (I weighed the Jet Puffed kind I used, and this amount comes so close to being 4 oz.-- so,...that much in mini-marshmallows should work just fine.)

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium/large kettle, combine first the butter and brown sugar-- constantly stir this over moderately low heat with a spatula until you can feel the 'grainy' of the sugar pretty much gone.  Dump the marshmallows in and continue stirring over heat until marshmallows are melted.

    As soon as the marshmallows are totally melted and completely blended in, it is READY! 

 To make it easier to coat all the corn, I dump only one gallon popped corn in the big kettle, pour mixture over, dump the other gallon of popped corn on top of that, and quickly coat top of all with remaining mixture.  Immediately, gently stir until all is coated. 

 Now, shape into balls with buttered hands.  And,... as if one wouldn't know, huh,....BE CAREFUL because the mixture will still be hot. 

These ten balls are a large 4" across.  I know that's a LARGE ball, but....... it certainly isn't difficult to 'hack one in half' and share it.

A popcorn ball recipe could hardly be any simpler.  Here they are, wrapped and.................. so good.

Over a year ago, I bought 'online' popcorn sold through the Boy Scouts to help grandson Sam with his fundraiser.  Their popcorn is quite expensive, but it is SO good-- the 'gourmet' corn pops almost twice as large and fluffy as some other kinds and there are so few 'old maids' after popping.  I LIKE!!!

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BELOW is the recipe for my former 'favorite' popcorn ball-- this recipe makes a lot, too, but it's more time consuming and it does have more of butter/sugar-- but, then, there are the marshmallows in the top recipe.  Which is more 'damaging'?   Probably both... but, is one less than the other?  Decide for yourself.

First, pop enough corn so that you have 32 cups (2-gallons) of popped corn set aside and 'waiting' in a very large bowl/kettle.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~

INGREDIENTS to make the caramel coating:

1 and ½ cups granulated sugar

1 and ½ cups brown sugar (packed)

1 cup light corn syrup

1 cup water

2 teaspoons white vinegar

½ teaspoon salt

~~~~

1 and ½ cups butter 

DIRECTIONS for the cooking part:

Combine sugars, corn syrup, water, vinegar and salt in 4-quart saucepan.  Heat to boiling over medium heat, stirring.  Cook, stirring constantly, until temp. reaches 260-degrees on a candy thermometer (or, until small amount of mixture dropped into very cold water forms a hard ball). 

Remove from heat, add all of the butter and stir until it is melted and totally blended in. 

 Pour syrup in thin stream over corn in large bowl, stirring gently until all corn is well coated.  This is where a helper comes in handy--someone to stir while you pour, or the other way around.   Cool slightly.

Be careful as this is still a very HOT mixture and can (will!) burn your hands.  Make sure no young children are within reaching distance.  Butter hands, shape mixture into balls and place on waxed paper. 

Caramel Icing (with PHOTO)

When I first made this recipe of caramel icing, the ingredient amounts were doubled and I didn't want that much!  So, I've cut the ingredient amounts (below)in half and this makes just enough for a 'modest' layer spread over a 9x13-inch cake. 

INGREDIENTS:

1/2 cup butter
1
1 tablespoons light corn syrup (like Karo)
1 very tiny pinch salt
1/2 teaspoon vanilla

Mix all ingredients in a heavy saucepan and stir over medium heat while constantly stirring and scraping the bottom of the pan. Do this until you get the desired caramel color/flavor.  (I let it get hot enough to do a 'bubbly boil' and maintained that 'bubbly boil" for about six minutes.  Your time may be different.)  The picture below shows the color of it when I took it off the heat... 

Using my hand mixer (on high speed), I beat it until thick enough to spread over cake.  I stopped beating it when it was just stiff enough to keep little designs in it for a while before it leveled out again... like in the next photo:

Below: Before pouring the caramel icing on the still-very-warm German Chocolate cake, I poked some holes into its top with a dinner fork (mainly so the icing has a better 'grip'):

After leveling the icing and sprinkling a crushed mini-sized Baby Ruth candy bar on the top, it leveled out like this...