Table-Foods: October 2011

It’s been that time…You know…when people take their prized items to be judged at the Fairs of this great country. I know… it seems old fashioned. It seems like something of yesteryear. People only go to ride the rides (which I would not be caught dead on – just saying honestly) and the concerts, and the food that you only get at the Fair! Some of us though got our start entering these Americana events. My baking started with 4-H. What??? You don’t know what 4-H is? Aww… 4-H is what I did for fun growing up in the rural mid-west. The green four-leafed clover stands for Head, Heart, Hands, and Health. It is a practical hands-on learning club and it instills, leadership, citizenship, and life skills. I mean how else would I have made biscuits or pancakes over and over until the crumb was just perfect? I wanted that blue ribbon at the Fair!!!

What started all of this nostalgia is, yes it has been Fair Time, but I noticed a spider working to weave her web outside my front door between two trees. It was like Charlotte’s Web.

Remember when Wilbur and Charlotte go to the Fair? Re-read this classic if you don’t remember the story, it is one of my favorites.

Thoughtful living moment: Remember your childhood loves and past-times, they can reconnect you with where you need to be today.

So we headed on a rainy day to our County Fair and it brought back all of those memories of agonizing over my baked goods to choose the best of the best.

Passing all of the Food Booths, I was reminded how much I LOVE the smell of Fair Food. You know open air and cooking food just makes my mouth water!!! ( Ohhh marketing, marketing we are easily led astray) The kettle corn was at the top of my list and yes; I refrained because of the butter. However, I could not get the craving out of my head, so I came home and created this at home baked version that takes the standard oven caramel corn recipe and spices it up with an Autumn flavor flair - try it – You’ll like it!!! I based the recipe on one out of an old church cookbook from Kingfisher Oklahoma.

This recipe pairs sweet with spicy and would be a fun Fall Festival or Halloween Party Treat to share in the days ahead.

Start by making the spice blend – you won’t use all of this at once, so store in airtight container because you WILL be making more!!!

Grind in a spice grinder until it is finely ground and then sift to get any large particles.

1 T. anise seed

1 T. chai tea

1 T. ground cinnamon (unless you want to grind your own)

1 T. whole black peppercorns

1 tsp. whole cloves

1 tsp. ground allspice

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1 tsp. red pepper flakes

I know it seems like a lot of spices, but it is TOTALLY worth the flavor and it makes enough so next time you won’t have to make the spice blend. Just place in an airtight container and try not to make more caramel corn everyday.

Pull out that old air popper from the back of the cupboard. Pop those kernels until you have 16 cups of popped, fluffy corn. It took me two batches and I had enough left to munch on too:-)

Pre-heat your oven to 200 degrees Fahrenheit

In a deep sauce pan:

Melt ½ cup of Earth Balance (1 stick of the vegan buttery stick)

1-cup brown sugar

¼ -cup light corn syrup

¼ cup amber agave syrup

½ tsp. kosher salt

Bring this to a slow boil and cook for 5 minutes. It will be bubbly goodness and stir occasionally.

Remove from heat and add 1 T. of the spice blend. Then add ½ tsp. of baking soda. This will foam a bit and syrup will lighten in color.

Pour this over the popped corn in a very LARGE bowl. I added 1 cup of slivered almonds to my popped corn just because I could rationalize having a small protein snack when I munched. The nuts are totally up to your liking. Stir this until all pieces are coated well.