Caramel Popcorn Balls

Most the day on Friday I spent busily putting away my overly large collection of kitchen glassware and gadgets into this china hutch I recently received. It used to belong to my sister but she is moving out-of-state so I bought it from her. It needs some new hardware, but that will be an easy fix. I really needed the extra storage. My kitchen storage was bursting at the seams, all due to my addiction for all things cool looking and cooking related.

I'm excited by just how much counter top I freed up by storing my occasional use appliances in the bottom of the hutch. I can't wait to make a Lattice-top Apple pie in my kitchen now. Or maybe some Italian Pastry cookies. Oh, the ideas I have for my kitchen this upcoming holiday season. I even grabbed my rolling-pin and mimed rolling out some dough.

With all the ideas of baking possibilities swirling through my mind it really got me into the spirit of fall so, I made some Popcorn balls for a special treat. They were surprisingly easy to make. More importantly the kids loved them.

Caramel Popcorn Balls

Yields about 6 popcorn balls

Ingredients
2 quarts popped popcorn or 1/3 cup popcorn kernels

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/3 cup water

1/3 cup dark corn syrup

1/4 cup butter (no substitutes)

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. Pop the 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels using your preferred method. Put the popcorn in a large bowl and set aside.
2. In a heavy saucepan, combine the brown sugar, water, corn syrup, butter and salt. Bring mixture to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly.
3. Continue cooking, without stirring , until a candy thermometer reads 270 degrees F (soft-crack stage).
4. Remove from the heat; stir in vanilla. Pour over popcorn; stir until the popcorn is evenly coated. When cool enough to handle, quickly shape into balls.
5. Let cool at room temperature.

Variation

This recipe also makes a great popcorn munch. To make this recipe as a popcorn munch reduce the amount of popped popcorn you use and add 1 cup of your favorite nuts. To cool, spread on waxed paper at room temperature. You can also drizzle with melted chocolate.

Boiled Eggs

When boiling eggs and you notice a crack forming in the shell as it cooks, simply pull the egg out of the water with a slotted spoon and throughly coat the crack in salt. Let the salt sit for a minute then add the egg back to the boiling water.  The salt will seal up most cracks that form after cooking has begun.

Or to prevent the cracks in the first place add a few Tablespoons of white vinegar to the water.

When making deviled eggs do not over crowd the pan. Leave room to stir the eggs around while cooking.  If you gently stir the eggs while they cook the yolk with form in the center for an attractive uniform base for the deviled eggs.

When poaching eggs add a Tablespoon of white vinegar to the water and the eggs will stay formed better.  Cook as usual.

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Fall is here... finally

It's fall according to the calendar but someone hasn't gotten that memo to the weather.

I miss experiencing the changing of the seasons. There is no change of seasons living in Las Vegas, just hot and dry or colder and windy. It has me looking back fondly on the years we lived in Tennessee. I spent hours raking the leaves to the curb for collection by the city that's turned into mulching. Raking was a mindless and repetitive chore, but I loved every second of it. I loved watching as my scenery changed daily, breathing the crisp fresh air, and watching the squirrels hurriedly store their nuts. With all the enjoyment I got out of raking there still was no leaping with wild abandon into piles of leaves for me, the fear of some random creepy creature hidden beneath the crunchy layers restrained me. That very fear of creepy creatures was born from being chased by a snake while mowing the lawn one summer. It was a harmless snake but I still shudder just looking at pictures of snakes.

This will be yet another year when my kids will have to omit portions of their full Halloween costumes due to the oppressive heat. I remember growing up in Utah and having to plan our costumes around whether we could fit our winter coat under it or not. You were no longer just a fairy princess but a fairy princess with a glandular disorder. I recall longing to wear the costume without the extra multiple layers for warmth. Looks like I got my wish, in my usual over active overachiever style. Which is really better though, being so hot that you can't wear the adorable full body zip up fuzzy costumes or so cold that you need mittens or risk your first fall cold? Just another instance of the grass being greener.

One thing I am very grateful for this year is that there will be a VERY long weekend around Halloween for both my kids and husband. We may have to tolerate the ridiculous heat 9 months out of the year but at least we get October 30th off from school and work all thanks to Nevada Day. This year the kids will get a long 5 day weekend to recover from their Halloween antics. It wont be a break for me because I will be the one sleeping with one eye open to guard the candy stash. If left unguarded they will slowly sneak off with it into their own secret stash that ends up being the cause of their sudden lack of appetite before dinner is even cooked or cause of their complaints about tummy aches. Let's hope our 4-year-old learned a lesson about sneaking too much candy after she experienced chocolate puke episodes. I doubt she did learn anything from it, which is why I get to become the candy warden.

Even with the craziness of Halloween, candy thieves, bake sales, fall festivals, catalog fundraisers. (does my 5th grader really need to sell Tupperware?) Autumn is still my favorite season. With the start of fall comes my favorite scent filling the stores, apples and cinnamon. These scents combined sends me into a baker's frenzy. Just one whiff and I want to bake cinnamon rolls, pies, turnovers, crumbles, baked apples and so much more. I could go on for hours about the baked goods that dance through my head with the slightest hint of these smells.

If you enjoy the cinnamon scent as much as I do you should try this simple way to fill your house with its wonderful aroma. With the cooler weather comes the use of home heating that in turn dries out the air, which can lead to many problems including dry skin, sinus problems, and much more. This simple air-freshener restores the humidity to the air while making your home smell wonderful.

Simmering Potpourri

Just add a tablespoon or more of ground cinnamon in a pan of simmering water and keep adding water as it boils away. Or use a small crock pot with the lid off.

Make sure not to let the mixture run dry.

Some variations include: 1 cup of apple cider or orange juice added to the water, and ground cloves instead of or in addition to the ground cinnamon and even adding a sliced apple.