Caramel

Bring butter, brown sugar, and Karo syrup to a boil on medium heat.

That's right.

Add sweetened condensed milk. This is my personal favorite, Fat Free! Heaven knows I need all the Fat Freeness I can get. Besides, then I can eat a little bit more right? Ya, I didn't think so but it was worth a try.

See that beautiful dark spot? That's vanilla, but not just any vanilla...Mexican Vanilla...mmm, it's the best! Now, stir, stir, stir, while it's boiling but DON'T scrape the sides! We want this creeeammmy, if the sides get scraped it'll turn out grainy and that just wouldn't be right, would it?

After the ingredients are well combined, lower the temperature to a simmer until caramel reaches a soft-ball stage. What's that? I'm glad you asked. I'm going to show you but not just yet.

Look, it's thickened up and appearing very creamilicious. Let's see if it's reached that soft-ball stage.

You'll need a bowl with about a 1/2 cup of cold water in it. Take a clean spoon and scoop up some of that lucious caramel.

Drop the caramel into the cold water.


If it's ready you should be able to form a soft, flexible ball.


When you remove the ball from water, it will flatten like a pancake after a few moments in your hand. Perfect! Let the caramel stay warm on the stove top and let's get popping the corn, shall we?

Notice the paper towles on the counter and the fact that there's no bowl? Have I gone crazy? No. We don't want any old maids that might end up cracking a tooth. The best way I know of is to let the popcorn pile up on the paper towles. My friend, Jen, taught me that and she learned the technique from her mom, Jeanette. We don't know who Jeanette learned it from but we're glad she did. Do you have to use paper towles? No, but if you do the leftover mess is easily folded up in the towles and tossed. If you're out of paper towles you'll just have to deal with it.


Here it comes...

Here are the left over old maids. Old maids, hmmm, seems sad when you think about it. Okay, let's not dwell on possible object lessons. Chuck those babies in the garbage.


Stir the carmel into the popcorn gradually. Drizzle a little, stir a little, drizzle a little, stir a little, you get it.

Mmmmm.... Can you taste it?

Voila! I like to put a layer of wax paper over it and then saran wrap. There's lots of caramel left so let's use some for dipping apples. BTW, do you know how to pick an apple?

Since I live in the Apple Capital of the World it's imperative you leave knowing how to pick a perfect, crisp apple to dip into this luscious sauce.

Slice it up with a knife or find yourself one of these cool contraptions.

Dip it...you can already taste it can't you? It's gonna be goooood! That's a promise.

Store the left-over in the fridge. When nobody's looking, get a spoon and have yourself a little carmelicious treat, I won't tell.

CARAMEL

1/2 Cup Butter

1 Pound Brown Sugar (2 1/3 cup)

1 Cup White Karo Syrup

1 Can Sweetened Condensed Milk

1 Teaspoon Vanilla