Chew on This | Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts

The Boy found one of his Christmas gifts. Well, it was more of an accidental discovery, he didn't do it on purpose. I had sneakily hidden the present, the game Risk, under a pile of clothes that needed to be folded and put away. I knew it would be very, very unlikely anyone would discover it there. Amazingly, I was incorrect.

The Boy was in awe of the fact that he had found one of his gifts, until I convincingly said that I had purchased the game for someone else. I didn't smile, I didn't blink, and the words were spoken in a nonchalant way, so I was pretty sure I was in the clear. I sealed the deal by saying that I had found out that the would-be recipient already had the game and I would have to return it to the store.

It worked, he no longer thought the gift was for him! Yahoo! Yet he then spent the next fifteen minutes trying to sell me on the idea of keeping the game for him. "Please Mom! I love this game. I've always wanted this game...." On and on he went. On and on and on. Well, I guess I know he'll love opening it up on Christmas morning. Win!

Cares

Here's our recipe:

I'm sure you have plenty of people to love on over this holiday season. Why not make them some of this delicious, and addictive, Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts? It'll make their day!

Caramel Popcorn with Peanuts

12 C popped popcorn
2 C dry roasted peanuts

1/2 C (one stick) butter
1 C sugar

1/2 C honey

1/2 t salt

1 t vanilla

1/2 t baking soda

Preheat the oven to 225℉. Spread the popped popcorn and peanuts out onto 2 large baking sheets that have been lined with foil. Set aside.

In a deep sauce pan, combine your butter, sugar, honey, and salt over a medium-high heat. Stir constantly and bring to a boil for about 5 minutes. Remove from the heat and quickly stir in the baking soda. Make sure to incorporate the baking soda completely. Pour the caramel over the popcorn. Toss gently until all the popcorn and peanuts are coated.

Place baking sheets into the oven for 40-45 minutes, stirring every 10 minutes. Remove from the oven and allow popcorn to cool on the pan. Break apart the pieces and enjoy! Store caramel corn and peanuts in an air tight container.