Sunday, February 2, 2014

Superbowl snack: Salted caramel puffcorn

This may be a little out of character for my blog...but sometimes you just need a super snack for a Superbowl.  A friend at work introduced me to this devilish creation this year.  She gave me a bag for a Christmas gift.  I accidentally ate the whole bag that day.  Why not?  I was going to eat them anyway, so why not just get it over with right?  Then she brought me another bag the next day, great.  I was forced to eat that bag too.  So the point is that this caramel puffcorn is addictive and needs to be handled with great care.

I am excited for the rest of the meal too.  I am making the soft pretzels again.  Missed you soft pretzels!  With beer cheese soup and roasted broccoli.  Maybe my favorite cold weather football combo.  Then we'll have this light as air caramel treat for dessert.


Salted Caramel Puffed Corn
from Jackie
2 bags Old Dutch puffcorn
1 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1 tsp baking soda
Sea salt
Milk chocolate chips (optional)

Heat the oven to 250.  Spread the puffcorn into a large roaster, it won't be a single layer.  The high sides help with the frequent stirring.



Bring the butter, brown sugar, and corn syrup to a boil.  Off heat stir in the baking soda until it foams.  Pour over the puffcorn and stir.



Sprinkle on salt to taste.  Bake at 250 for 45 minutes stirring frequently.  Add more salt and keep tasting each time.


And just for fun, you could melt some milk chocolate chips and drizzle that over the top.  I had something called Moose Munch once.  Brilliant.

The meal plan
Sunday:  Roasted broccoli!  With soft pretzels, beer cheese soup, and salted caramel puffcorn.
Monday:  Homemade gyros.  I haven't made this before, but am craving that tzatziki sauce.  Basically cucumber, greek yogurt, and feta.
Tuesday and Wednesday:  Pork ragu in the slow cooker.
Thursday:  Favorite chili with sour cream, cheese, Fritos.
Friday:  Ocean perch.  Fresh at the grocery store and proclaimed to be "sweet" by the butcher.  So we'll see... I bought asparagus to go along side.