Comfort Sundays I & Caramel Corn

I love January Sundays!!! The colder the better for me as I never leave the house (well it’s a goal…. sometimes life gets in the way). Not leaving the house on Sundays led to "Stock up Saturdays." Stocking up for me means what will I cook & will I read or watch movies???

This Sunday is Movie Day! The SUS (Stock Up Saturday- work with me people….) ritual begins with a stop at the coffee shop for a double shot Venti latte. Being from the “old school” I head off to the Video store to scour the shelves. I luck out finding a copy of Rear Window and being in dire need of comedy I pick up Bringing Up Baby with Cary Grant and Airplane; obviously in a nostalgic mood.
Sunday AM begins; I am building the fire & contemplating food for the day. Oh how I love this part!!! My pantry resembles nothing short of a “fall out shelter” so my choices are endless. For Movie Time I am going with Kitchen Sink Caramel Corn which has nuts and cranberries; be still my heart! I hear nuts & cranberries are healthy so I am comforted those will balance out the butter and sugar.



Kitchen Sink Caramel Corn

Peanut Oil (can sub vegetable oil but peanut oil rocks)
2 1/2 cups unpopped popcorn – I use yellow
1 cup butter
2 cups packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup – tip- grease cup with butter & you will get more back out of the cup
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or jazz it up with orange liqueur or almond extract
1 cup jumbo salty peanuts ~ I love Hubs
1 cup pecans - I use Mascot
1 cup almonds
1 cup dried cranberries

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

Step I
For perfect pop corn, place ½ cup kernels in a heavy-bottomed large pot and cover them with oil. Put the lid on and cook on high until you hear the first pop. Immediately take pan off the heat and let it sit 1 minute. Return pan to the heat and finish popping, shaking the pan the whole time. Remove unpopped hulls and place popped corn in oven to keep warm. Repeat until all corn has been popped.

Step II
Melt butter in a medium saucepan, and then stir in brown sugar, syrup, and salt. Bring to a rolling boil, stirring constantly; boil without stirring for 5 minutes. Remove from heat.

Step III
Stir baking soda, vanilla, peanuts, pecans, almonds and cranberries into brown sugar mixture. Quickly pour nut mixture over warm popcorn in a gianormous bowl and toss until well coated with a greased spatula. Spread on several greased cookie sheets.

Step IV
Bake for 45 minutes, stirring well every 15 minutes. Cool on aluminum foil; any leftover or for gift giving store in an air-tight container. This makes a crap load but does half nicely! FYI; I do not halve nuts & cranberries.

Now I get it's the first Sunday in the New Year, you are worn out and not up for all the fuss??? Honey, just pop some corn, cover in yummy butter, add some grated Parmesan and for a kick use the pepper grinder liberally, relax and tune into Lifetime.

This is the first in a series of Comfort Sundays…..be sure to tune back in!

XO
"BB"