Good Mothering Requires Brain Cells

My last post was 4 days ago. At that time, I was an idiot. Fast forward 4 days, and I've gotten dumber. I didn't even think it was possible. But here I am, proof that I'm on a downward slide in intelligence.

In an effort to be "fun", I told the kids we were making carmel popcorn in the microwave. You place all ingredients in a paper bag, shake, cook, shake, eat. I thought that they would dive right in with excitement. But, I was wrong. The kids were a hard sell. They asked if they could just eat regular treats out of the pantry. I denied all requests and tried to force my fun upon them.

We started out by using an actual, real life popcorn machine. When I took it out of the box, the girls all asked, "What is that?" I had to explain that not all popcorn was cooked in a microwave sack. They were shocked.

After the popping was complete, I really kicked into high gear with my intelligence. I decided that the babies would find sheer joy in flying popcorn. I placed the machine in the front room and let it loose.

The first minute was tons 'o fun. Then, un-popped kernels started flying everywhere, and they were lava hot. One of the babies has a burn to prove it. And, you can only imagine what the clean up was like. Again, I remind you, I'm on a quick downward slope in the brain department.

Once all ingredients were combined in our large paper sack, the shaking began. I had to use my precious See's bag because you simply can't find spare, brown grocery sacks anymore.

The end result was delicious. I should know, because I ate half of it. The kids only took a miniature bite and then retrieved a treat from the pantry. My "fun" mothering skills failed yet again. At least this time they tasted yummy!

Brown Bag Carmel Corn
(this actually turns out more like Cracker Jacks)

3-4 quarts popped popcorn (tip: 1 quart equals 4 c.)
Place in a clean, brown grocery sack
Option: add peanuts or almonds

Place in a bowl:
1 c. brown sugar
1 stick butter
1/4 c. light corn syrup
1/2 t. salt
Microwave this for 1 minute, then stir.
Microwave 3 more minutes, then stir.

Add to bowl (will make it foam):
1/2 t. baking soda
1/2 t. vanilla
Stir well.

Pour mixture over popcorn in the bag.
Fold over bag 2 times.
Shake.
Microwave 1 1/2 minutes.
Shake.
Microwave 1 minute.
Shake.
Pour onto a cookie sheet.

Best when served immediately.