#3752 - Valentine Popcorn Bark

(by Shirley McNevich)

2/3 cup good quality popcorn kernels (popped but left plain)
12oz. pink candy melts
2 cups broken salted pretzel pieces
1 1/2 cups M&M's (Valentine's colors)
Valentine's colored nonpareils

After popping the popcorn, remove any unpopped kernels and discard them. In a large bowl add plain popped popcorn, broken pretzel pieces and Valentine's colored M&M's--toss gently with your hands to mix. Lay out two large sheets of wax paper on your counter and place one on top of the other so that the long side of one piece overlaps the long side on the other piece by 2". Melt the pink candy melts according to bag directions. Evenly pour HALF of the melted chocolate over the popcorn mixture, then use two rubber spatulas to toss/coat the mixture. Spread the whole popcorn mixture evenly over the wax paper, then drizzle the other half of the melted chocolate over the top of the popcorn mixture. Gently shake some Valentine's colored nonpareils over the popcorn mixture. Cool until chocolate hardens, then break the mixture into pieces.

#3444 - Caramel Chex Mix

(by Rachel [Guarini] Magid - friend)

4 cups plain popped popcorn
2 cups Corn Chex cereal
2 cups Rice Chex cereal
1 cup mixed nuts (optional)
1/2 cup butter
3/4 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1/2 cup Nestle's white chocolate chips
1/2 cup Ocean Spray sweetened dried cranberries

In a roasting pan add plain popped popcorn, corn chex, rice chex and mixed nuts--stir and set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add butter, brown sugar and lite corn syrup--cook/stir until boiling. Remove from heat--pour the hot corn syrup mixture evenly over the cereal mixture--stir/toss to coat. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 250 degrees for 1 hour (stirring every 15 minutes). Remove from oven and spread the mixture on wax paper to cool. Use your hands to break up any large clumps. Melt the white chocolate chips according to bag directions. In a bowl add 3 cups of the cereal mixture--pour the melted white chocolate chips over the 3 cups of cereal mixture--stir/toss to coat, then spread the mixture on wax paper to cool. Once coated cereal mixture is cooled, in a large mixing bowl add the plain cereal mixture, the white chocolate coated cereal mixture and the dried cranberries--toss to mix.

#3327 - Homemade Cracker Jacks

(by Shirley McNevich)

8 cups plain popped popcorn
1 cup roasted peanuts
3/4 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1/4 cup butter
3 TBSP Kayro clear corn syrup
1/4 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease a large jelly roll pan (pan with a lip on all sides) with Pam. Spread the popped popcorn evenly over the pan. Sprinkle the peanuts evenly over the popcorn. In a cast iron skillet add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup and salt--cook/stir over medium heat until butter is melted. Once butter is all melted, cook for 3 minutes WITHOUT STIRRING. Remove from heat--add baking soda and vanilla--stir briskly until mixed. Pour the hot mixture evenly over the popcorn (it's ok if you don't coat every single piece of popcorn). Use a greased spatula to gently mix the popcorn mixture, then spread it out again evenly in the pan. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes. Cool completely. Break into pieces.

#3185 - Quick Peanut Butter Popcorn

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Jif smooth peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla
8 cups plain popped popcorn

Place popped popcorn in a large metal bowl. In a saucepan over low heat add lite corn syrup and white sugar--cook/stir until sugar melts. Add peanut butter--cook/stir just until peanut butter melts and mixture is smooth. Remove from heat--add vanilla--stir to mix. Pour the peanut butter mixture over the popcorn while stirring with a wooden spoon. Continue stirring until popcorn is coated.

#2121 - Brown Sugar Popcorn Balls

(by Shirley McNevich)

1/2 cup butter (NO substitutes)
2 cups Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1 - 14oz. can Eagle condensed milk (NOT evaporated)
1 tsp. vanilla
10 quarts plain popped popcorn (any unpopped kernels removed)

Place popped popcorn in a large bowl--set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add butter, brown sugar and lite corn syrup--cook/stir until boiling, then add condensed milk--stir. Turn heat to simmer--cook/stir to soft ball stage (234-238 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat--add vanilla and stir. Pour hot mixture over popcorn--stir with a wooden spoon to coat. Butter your hands, then take out a handful of the popcorn mixture at a time and form into balls. Set each formed ball on saran wrap covered cookie sheets to cool. Wrap in colored cellophane once they have cooled.

#1736 - Nacho Popcorn

(by Shirley McNevich)

5 TBSP Parkay margarine
1 tsp. paprika
1/2 tsp. crushed red pepper
1/2 tsp. ground cumin
11 cups plain popped popcorn
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese

In a saucepan over low heat add Parkay--melt. Add paprika, ground red pepper and ground cumin--stir. Remove from heat. In a large bowl add popped popcorn--pour the spice mixture randomly over the top. Sprinkle the grated Parmesan cheese randomly over the top. Carefully toss popcorn until coated. Add more cheese if you wish.

#1506 - Shredded Wheat Snack Mix

(by Shirley McNevich)

4 cups spoon sized shredded wheat cereal
2 cups popped popcorn
1 cup mini pretzels
1 cup mixed nuts
1 envelope Good Seasons Italian dressing mix
1/2 stick butter (melted)
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce

Spread the cereal, popcorn, pretzels and nuts evenly on a 15 x 10 jelly roll pan (with 1" lip). In a bowl add melted butter and Worcestershire sauce--stir. Use a teaspoon to carefully spread the butter mixture over the top of all ingredients. Sprinkle the Good Seasons powder over the whole top of the mixture. Bake at 300 degrees for 15 minutes--remove from oven and stir the mixture. Spread the stirred mixture back across the jelly roll pan. Return to oven and bake 15 minutes longer. Cool completely.

#1469 - Peanut Butter Popcorn

(by Shirley McNevich)

6 cups popped popcorn (plain--no butter)
1/2 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup Jif creamy peanut butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Place popped popcorn in a very large bowl--set aside. In a saucepan over medium heat add corn syrup and white sugar--cook and stir to a soft boil (234-236 degrees on a candy thermometer). Remove from heat--add peanut butter and vanilla. Stir until smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over the popped popcorn--stir with a wooden spoon until coated.

#1460 - Microwave Caramel Popcorn

(by Shirley McNevich)

1 cup Domino's dark brown sugar (packed)
1 tsp. salt
1/4 cup Kayro lite corn syrup
1 stick butter
1/2 tsp. baking soda
20 cups popped popcorn

Place the popped popcorn in a brown paper grocery bag--set aside. In a microwave safe bowl add brown sugar, salt, lite corn syrup and butter--microwave on high for 2 minutes, then stir. Microwave again on high in one minute increments until mixture is hot and smooth. Remove from microwave--add the baking soda and stir. Open the paper bag, pour the hot mixture over the popcorn, close the top of the bag and shake until coated.

#709 - Popcorn Balls

(by Aunt Hazel [Haupt] Herman)

8 cups of popped plain popcorn (not buttered)
1 cup white sugar
1 cup King syrup molasses
1/4 cup water
1 tsp. cider vinegar
2 TBSP butter + 2 TBSP butter
1 tsp. vanilla

Put popped popcorn in a large glass bowl--set aside. In a skillet or Dutch oven over medium heat add white sugar, King syrup, water, vinegar, 2 TBSP butter--bring to a boil but do NOT stir. Once boiling cook about 15 minutes and then test--drop a teaspoon full into a glass of water. If it forms a soft ball it's ready. If it's runny it's not ready--cook longer. When it's ready remove from heat, add the vanilla and stir. Pour the candy mixture over the popped popcorn--stir with a wooden spoon until coated. Use the extra 2 TBSP butter to butter your hands--take out a handful of the popcorn mixture at a time and form into balls. Set each formed ball on saran wrap covered cookie sheets to cool. Wrap in colored cellophane once they have cooled.