by Brenda 5 Comments
Since I posted about my great grandma’s sugar cookies yesterday, she has been on my mind. There is one other recipe that I have that we love around here that came from her. It is for Molasses Popcorn. The funny thing is that the first time I made it as a girl, I was the first person to know and understand what she meant in her directions. She says to cook everything until thick and done. I got it right and I always have. It aggravated the rest of the family because no one else could manage to do that. No one understood what that meant exactly. And since great grandma had passed away, no one could get a definitive answer from her. But her answer would have most likely been something along the lines of “When it is thick and done. Just like I said.”
Luckily for the family, I have a heart and I eventually figured out what temperature should be reached on a candy thermometer. I still do it by just looking and by feel, but for those less blessed in the mind reading department, I have it written down and included in my directions. I don’t profess to be able to read the mind of anyone else, but I apparently do understand my great grandma. One of these days I just know I will find her salt-rising bread recipe and be able to master that as well. No one seems to have a copy of that one, but I do have a couple of places to still look. I have faith that I will find it and be able to include it in my recipe treasures.
Great Grandma’s Molasses Popcorn
1 Cup sugar
2 TB molasses
1/3 Cup canned (evaporated) milk
1 TB butter
1 tsp. baking soda
Cook all ingredients except baking soda until thick and done. (275* on a candy thermometer.) Then add the baking soda and stir well. Pour quickly over popped corn. (This cooks quickly, so watch it carefully. Stir fast when adding baking soda. It gets foamy.) Never gets sticky, just sugary and good.
What Holiday Bliss are you celebrating today?
by Brenda 5 Comments
I am still going to hold my nativities hostage until Sunday. I’ll post all about them then. i promise. 😉
One of the things I love about Christmas time is making homemade candies and treats. You got my popcorn ball recipe yesterday. Today, I am going to share my favorite recipe for cream caramels. I love caramel and this recipe is especially good and easy to make. I have made this since I was a teenager. It was the recipe of an older lady in my church and people are always excited when I make these.
Cream Caramels
2 Cups Sugar
1 Cube Butter
2/3 Cup White Karo Syrup
1 Cup Light Cream (2 Cups Cream altogether)
Bring slowly to a boil, stirring constantly. Slowly add other cup cream, stirring well. Cook, stirring frequently. When it becomes dark and thick, stir all the time. Cook until it reached hard ball stage. (Or when it forms a hard ball when placed in cold water.) Pour in buttered pan and cool. Cut into pieces and wrap in waxed paper.
Can add 1/2 Cup chopped nuts before pouring in pan. Enjoy!
If you want to dip these in chocolate, I recommend freezing the individual pieces before dipping.
What Holiday Bliss are you celebrating today?
I know that yesterday I said I would tell you about my nativities. But after working so long all day and into the night on work problems, I am exhausted. So today, I am simply going to share a favorite recipe. It is a Christmas tradition around here to make popcorn balls. We love to make red ones and green ones. The funny thing is that Chandler hates popcorn. We could skip this completely each year and make him happy. But I love them and especially this recipe. We have made them every year I have been married and that is a long time. I think I will insist we make these today so I can indulge in the sugary goodness they bring.
Popcorn Balls
1 Cup Sugar
1/4 Cup Butter (the real stuff)
1/3 Cup water
1/4 Cup Karo Syrup
3/4 tsp. salt (optional)
1 tsp. Vanilla
Food Coloring (optional)
12-16 Cups Popcorn
Combine ingredients except for vanilla and food coloring. Cook to hard ball stage. Add the vanilla and coloring. Stir and pour over popcorn. Form into balls. Enjoy.
What Holiday Bliss are you celebrating today?
Today I want to share one of our very favorite holiday recipes. This tradition was begun while I was a young girl and my family lived in Texas. In Texas, it was a tradition to have a pot of Wassail going the whole month of December to serve friends and neighbors who drop in. Even though we no longer live in Texas, we continue this tradition in our home. It is yummy and I love to have this ready to drink at a moments notice. I will be mixing this up today to serve throughout the month.
Wassail
4 Cups pineapple juice
1 1/2 Cups apricot nectar
4 Cups apple cider
1 Cup orange juice
Place in crockpot. Then add:
2 Sticks cinnamon
2 tsp. whole cloves
1 tsp. ground nutmeg
Place spices in cheesecloth and float in juice mixture. Warm in crockpot and Enjoy!
What Holiday Bliss is happening in your home today?