Cinnamon Popcorn

Pop 3 bags of microwave popcorn.

Put 12 ozs cinnamon imperials (little, round, red hot candies) in 2-cup measuring cup, and fill the rest with granulated sugar.*

Pour into saucepan with 2 sticks of butter and ½ cup light corn syrup. Bring to a boil and boil for 5 minutes, stirring often until candies dissolve, then stir occasionally.

Remove from heat. Stir in ½ tsp baking soda and 1 tsp vanilla.

Pour over popcorn and mix well. Bake 1 hour at 250º, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on waxed paper to cool. Store in airtight container.

*The sugar measuring instructions do seem strange and imprecise, but this is another never-fail popcorn recipe. I pour the sugar over the candies to the 2-cup measure mark, give a very gentle shake, and add more sugar, if necessary, to reach the mark again. For years, I've not been able to find 12 oz packages of red hots, so I buy in whatever quantity they're packaged and divide bags. Most often, I've found them in 9 oz packages, so I use 1 bag + 1/3 of another.

______________________________

Caramel Popcorn

6 quarts popped corn (3 bags microwave)
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup (light or dark)
1 tsp salt (omit with microwave popcorn)
½ tsp baking soda
1 tsp vanilla

Preheat oven to 250º. Butter bottom and sides of roasting pan or another type of pan with equal capacity. In a heavy saucepan, slowly melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup, and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for five minutes. (Original recipe gives this no-stirring instruction, but I usually stir it at least 3 times during the 5-minute boil, feeling better assured it won't develop a burnt taste.)

Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Pour over popcorn and mix well. Bake for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Turn out onto waxed paper and shove it around to separate. Cool completely and store in an airtight container.

This has been a never-fail, simple (no candy thermometer) recipe and creates a very crisp and tasty caramel corn.

______________________________

Coconut Strawberries

14 oz pkg coconut
½ cup almonds
6 ozs strawberry gelatin
1 can sweetened condensed milk
½ tsp almond extract
½ tsp vanilla extract
-----
red granulated sugar
green toothpicks, broken in half
construction paper leaves

[Place several drops of red liquid food coloring in about ½ cup sugar and stir until sugar is evenly colored deep pink. Break natural wood toothpicks in half and drop in bowl of shallow water which has been heavily colored with green liquid food coloring. Allow to stand 10-15 minutes; drain; place on paper towels to dry.]

Rough-chop coconut in food processor. Grind almonds in food processor. Combine all ingredients in a bowl;this is most easily, quickly, and thoroughly done with your hands.

Use approximately 1¼ tablespoons of mixture to make each strawberry. Form into a ball, then pinch one side to form the elongated part of the strawberry. Roll in red colored sugar.

Press the sharp end of a green half toothpick through the center of a green construction paper leaf. Press the toothpick-leaf combo into the bulbous end of the strawberry.

Note: While forming strawberries from coconut mixture, it's an enormous help to keep a damp paper towel at your side, wipe your hands after each strawberry, and rinse the paper towel as needed. Otherwise, you'll develop a build-up of the coconut mixture on the palms of your hands, and you won't be able to roll the balls.

______________________________