Bake Sale Tomorrow! My Contribution: Homemade Caramel Corn
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
United States
April 16, 2009 6:33pm CST
I love homemade caramel popcorn. Our agency is holding a fundraiser Friday and Saturday and has asked the employees to make something for a bake sale. I chose to make caramel popcorn.
My old recipe is good, but I couldn't find it. Hubby has been really busy while being unemployed and took it upon himself to organize the kitchen. Now I realize that my old Betty Crocker cookbook has seen better days, but it still has my favorite recipes inside the torn and tattered pages.
I searched the internet and found a great recipe for caramel popcorn. I popped the corn and put it into the baking pan. Then I began to prepare the caramel coating. Butter, brown sugar, salt, and corn syrup. I decided to kick it up a notch and add molasses to the corn syrup to give it more flavor. I found the corn syrup and had barely enough in the bottle to give me 1/4 cup. I needed 1/2 cup. So I had to add 1/4 cup molasses to the syrup to get the half cup!
Another rant coming here....who in their right mind tosses out perfectly good corn syrup? My hubby of course! I had 2 or 3 bottles of it in the cupboard. One of them was half full and the other had maybe a little less than half. He tossed out two of the bottles!
Now I wait for the timer to go off at 15 minutes so I can stir the caramel corn. Tomorrow I have to go back to the store and purchase more corn syrup so I can make another batch of caramel corn. Grrrrr. Wish I could do it all tonight! Maybe I will go to the store after this batch is done. I am so tuckered right now I don't know if I can muster up the energy to head back out again. Ah well...tomorrow is another day.
4 people like this
13 responses
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
17 Apr 09
Rant duly noted and approved...1000 demerit points to your hubby (100 plus points for his good intentions). If anyone re-organised my kitchen I'd be feral. My daughter was here for a few days and I'm still searching for things. My cupboards are a higgledy piggledy mess and I can't be bothered at the moment to take everything out and put it where it belongs. I needed to search for something while she was here so she stopped putting things away and left them on the bench...but the damage was done...I had to put stuff away any old whooo so I would not 'offend' her by taking stuff out and doing it all properly 
.
.1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Apr 09
Even when I ask hubby where the item is he says he can't tell me. That means he tossed it. Grrrr. I know that when I am at a client's home and I have to go through their cupboards I check the expiration date and tell them that it is for their own good that I dispose of it. But, they still get in a tizzy. Many of them have been through hard times and that meant they kept everything. Hummm...have I fallen into that too?
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Apr 09
You are probably correct there. I have heard that they are supposed to put an expiration date on the product. Many have said that the product last for years. Look at honey for instance. It crystallizes and all you need to do is put it in a pot of hot water and it is ready to use.
1 person likes this
@MsTickle (25180)
• Australia
18 Apr 09
Fallen into that? No, I reckon we've always been there...lol. I bought something the other day with a best before date of Nov. last year! So it's not just us. It wasn't on special either. Things have so many preservatives in them these days...I reckon they could last for decades. The manufacturers want us to throw stuff out and buy more. It's a conspircy my dear...
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
I decided not to go out for more. But, when I woke this morning I started a batch of soft oatmeal cookies. I had the ingredients for that.
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
When I brought my offerings they were quite happy. I told them I would have brought more had it not been for the fact that I ran out of sugar and steam!
@Thoroughrob (11742)
• United States
17 Apr 09
Boy that sounds really good. Take some time and relax, don't overdo things.
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
My husband said the same thing to me today. I had finished with the baking and began to clean up the mess. He said I should be relaxing instead of cleaning.
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
18 Apr 09
When I brought it to the agency they were amazed that I could make so much!
@paula27661 (15811)
• Australia
17 Apr 09
I don't bake but I can see what you're making there sounds absolutely scrumptious! I do not let my husband anywhere near any of my cupboards kitchen or otherwise! Not that he is likely to want to do anything that resembles tidying up!
I know how you feel; you just want to get it done now! Send him out to get some more corn syrup!
Good luck with the bake sale! 
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
I hope that my scolding let him know to ask me next time! I always try to make a double batch when I make caramel corn. There are many people who ask for it whenever I make it.
@cynthiann (18602)
• Jamaica
17 Apr 09
Oh the stresses and strains of life! Your husband probably meant well but this is the hting that men do. I hope that you got it al finished htough and that you were not too tired. I am still praying for your husband to get a job. Take care and many blessings
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
I finished the batch of caramel corn and decided to call it a night. I did start baking again in the morning.
@marciascott (25529)
• United States
22 Apr 09
Wow that really sounds very good, I bet it was good! I haven't seen you in a while, I guess you are buzy, I ran across your name and came to say Hi, How are you I hope very well!
@KrauseHome (36448)
• United States
6 May 09
Carmel Corn is definately something that I have never considered trying to make. I am not sure I would want too for Fear of it not turning out, and then I would have a lot of it to throw out. So personally I think I will leave the Carmel Corn making to others. But was you Corn a success and a hit? I sure hope it was.
1 person likes this
@sugarbritches (289)
• United States
17 Apr 09
Yum! That sounds sooo good! Since you like to cook, did you know that Pillsbury is having a bake-off?
www.notsoaveragemama.com/2009/04/15/pillsbury-bake-off/
You can win a million dollars!
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
That would be wonderful! I will check out the link.
1 person likes this
@Modestah (11179)
• United States
24 Apr 09
I was looking at the back of the popcorn kernals bag yesterday and saw a recipe for caramel corn and started thinking about making it... been thinking about it since... thought to myself naw, wrong season - but the idea has been plaguing my thoughts so after reading your post I reckon I am going to be making it.
my husband recently lost his job and I know what you mean about the "helping"
I sure hope one of us gets employed soon because this arrangement is starting to get old! (besides we need $$ to pay our bills)
1 person likes this
@Feona1962 (7526)
• United States
17 Apr 09
I had to chuckle about the part of him throwing out your corn syrup....Caramel popcorn is very good but I've never made it.....I am sure it will go over well at the bake sale.....I hope you get it all done in time...
1 person likes this
@ElusiveButterfly (45940)
• United States
17 Apr 09
Got it finished last night. I made 20 bags of it.
1 person likes this
@coffeebreak (17798)
• United States
6 May 09
Sounds like some days i have had!!! I have a recipe for carmel corn...brown sugar and Karo... and it is AMAZING!!! I bake 2 huge turkey roast pans of the stuff... and I can have it eaten in 2-3 days - it is addicting.... so I purposely dont make it as I don't need the calories or the hard crunch on my teeth all the time and I know if I make it.I make it for gifts alot and get the container back asking for more!!!
1 person likes this
@cortney09 (1345)
• United States
9 May 09
That sounds like a good contribution to the fundraiser. Not to mention the fact that it sounds really yummy. I hope that you got that corn syrup that you needed. Hehe.
