CANDY & POPCORN
Bark
1 cup butter 1 cup sugar 1 teaspoon vanilla
Line a cookie sheet with foil. Then line with Saltine Crackers, salt side up.
In a saucepan, heat butter, sugar, and vanilla until frothy; stir often. Pour mixture over crackers on foil lined cookie sheet.
Bake at 350 for about 10 minutes until bubbly and crackers just begin to brown. (Cover with aluminum foil if necessary.)
Remove from oven, sprinkle a 12 oz bag of nestle semi-sweet morsels on top. Let sit 5 minutes or so, until you can spread the morsels like icing, covering the crackers.
Cool in freezer or refrigerator until hard. Break into pieces.
Date and Nut Balls
1 cup pitted dates 1 cup walnut meats ¼ teaspoon grated orange rind 1 tablespoon undiluted frozen orange juice concentrate ¼ cup finely chopped walnuts
Use steel blade of food processor to chop dates into large chunks. Add walnuts and blend until well mixed. DO NOT let mix become paste. Add orange juice and orange rind. Form into ¾-inch balls. Roll in finely chopped nuts. Allow to dry 1-2 hours before serving.
Makes 24 ¾-inch balls
Microwave Caramel Corn
3 quarts popped corn 1 cup butter ¼ cup light corn syrup ½ teaspoon salt 1 cup packed brown sugar ½ teaspoon baking soda
Place popped corn in a large brown bag (grocery bag); set aside. In a 2-quart glass bowl or dish put butter, brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Microwave on high for 3-4 minutes; stirring after each minute. Do this until mixture comes to a boil. Boil for 2 minutes. Stir in baking soda and mix well. Add to bag of popcorn. Roll down bag and cook in microwave for 1 ½ minutes. Remove and shake bell well. Microwave for another 1 ½ minutes. Remove bag and shake well. Pour popcorn into a large roasting pan to cool. Mix occasionally to separate pieces.
Betsey LaBroad
Peanutties
1 cup very coarsely chopped peanuts 1 cup very coarsely chopped raisins ½ cup peanut butter ¼ cup very finely chopped or ground peanuts
Blend together chopped peanuts, raisins, and peanut butter. Form into small balls and roll in ground peanuts.
Dry for 1 to 2 hours before serving. Use mix to stuff dates or prunes. Unsalted cashew nuts can be substituted for peanuts.
Peanut Butter Fudge
2 cups granulated sugar 2/3 cups milk ½-pint jar marshmallow creme 1 cup chunky peanut butter 16 ounces chocolate chips 1 teaspoon vanilla
Butter sides of saucepan. In it, combine sugar and milk. Stir over medium heat until sugar dissolves and mixture boils. Boil to soft-ball stage on a candy thermometer. Remove from heat and quickly add marshmallow crème, peanut butter, chocolate chips, and vanilla. Stir just until blended. Pour into a 9 x 9 2-inch square pan. Score while warm. Cut when firm.
Peanut Butter Popcorn
3 quarts popped corn (½ cup uncooked) 1 ½ cups nuts (peanuts, cashews, mixed, or almonds) 1 teaspoon vanilla 1 cup sugar ½ cup honey ½ cup light corn syrup 1 cup peanut butter
In a large roasting pan combine popcorn and nuts; keep warm I a 250° F oven. Butter sides of a heavy 1 ½-quart saucepan. Combine sugar, honey, and corn syrup in pan. Bring mixture to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil hard for 2 minutes. Remove from heat. Stir in peanut butter and vanilla. Immediately pour over popcorn mix, stirring to coat well. Cool. Break into bite size pieces. Makes 3 quarts.
Peg's Note: A scrumptious nutritional snack. Makes a good gift.
Pepper Popcorn
½ teaspoon salt ½ teaspoon paprika 1.8 teaspoon ground black pepper 1/8 teaspoon ground white pepper 1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper 4 quarts popped popcorn (about ¾ cups uncooked) 6 tablespoons butter, melted
Mix first 5 ingredients in a small bowl. Toss popped corn with the melted butter. Then sprinkle on spices and toss again, spreading spices evenly throughout.
♥An early Spanish account of a ceremony honoring the Aztec gods who watched over fishermen reads: “They scattered before him parched corn, called momochitl, a kind of corn which bursts when parched and discloses its contents and makes itself look like a very white flower; they said these were hailstones given to the god of water.”
Chapters: APPETIZERS, BEVERAGES, BREADS & CRACKERS, BREAKFAST DISHES , CAKES, PIES, & COBBLERS, CANDY & POPCORN, COOKIES, BARS, & BROWNIES, FROSTING & ICING, MAIN DISHES, MISCELLANEOUS, MIXES & BLENDS, MUFFINS & SCONES, SALADS, SAUCES & DIPS, SOUPS, STEWS, & CHILIS, VEGETABLES