I have very fond memories of my mom, Meagan and I sitting on the green couch in our duplex in Sugar House (Utah) eating warm, gooey, chewy caramel corn with spoons from the popcorn bowl. Yes, we had a bowl dedicated to popcorn. Popcorn is a big deal in my family. We used to have it at Donee & Grandpa Rick's house every time we went over. Grandpa Rick has used a variety of methods over the years but the current - and my favorite - is the pan on the stove (see image on the right). I think this makes the best popcorn. I digress... I was talking about my memories of caramel corn. I remember being 8 years old, in my body cast and being such a pain in the butt! My poor mother, the only things I remember willing eating during that time are pepperoni pizza and caramel corn. I'm not sure how she managed to tolerate me for those 3 months...
Last night I decided I was going to make it. I had the ingredients (listed below) and was ready to go... I was only missing 1 thing - a popcorn popper! I was talking to my mother on the phone telling her I was going to try cooking it on the stove like Steve does, she suggested I could cook it in the microwave. I responded with yeah, that would work, except I don't have a microwave! She thought that was a riot.
I managed to pop the corn without burning it, and it turned out pretty well... not as perfect as Steve's, but good enough to be covered in caramel. I got all the ingredients in the pan and realized I added white sugar not brown! GRRR!! Start over. Next batch I totally over cooked to the point that this morning it was like a brick in a bowl!
I refuse to give up, especially when it comes to cooking something... I will try it until I get it right at least once. I bought everything I needed on my way into work this morning - including a candy thermometer so I won't cook it past the soft ball stage which is clearly what happened last night.
For those ready to try for themselves:
dry popcorn, kernels picked out
1 can sweetened condensed milk
1 cup light Karo syrup
1 cup butter (not margarine)
2 cups packed brown sugar
cook to softball stage, poor over popcorn. I like to add peanuts. Can form into popcorn balls or eat from the big bowl with a spoon :)
