Kitchen Slave...and a Caramel Corn Recipe!!

Today (Wed.) I plan to spend a lot of time in my kitchen, preparing for our long weekend in Pentwater!! :) We are leaving early Thursday morning and coming home Sunday night. I am dying to get there - it's my favorite place in the world!! This gorgeous weather is not holding me back, either! I'm grocery shopping and cooking today, and here's what I'm planning to bring with us on the trip:

• Mexican Layer Dip (for happy hour on Friday when Adam's parents come for a visit!)
• Pinwheel Appetizers (my dad loves these, and he will probably eat most of them...)
• Blueberry Coffee Cake (every year I bring it and every year it's amazing. Yum.)
• Homemade Caramel Corn (a little excessive, but it is SO good and not really that hard to make - good for the beach)
• Pineapple Chicken Salad Pitas (everyone loves this recipe - I've posted about it before and brought it with me several places this summer - even my picky brother eats it. It's a fantastic make-ahead lunch for a beach day!)
• Probably "Ugly Dip" for my honey - he requests it often and will eat 1/2 a bag of chips with it in one setting - I may surprise him with it. :)

Here's a recipe for you!

Caramel Corn

15 c. unsalted popcorn

1 c. packed brown sugar

1/2 c. stick butter or margarine

1/4 c. light corn syrup

1/2 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. baking soda

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees. Divide popcorn between two ungreased rectangular pans (9x13)

2. Cook brown sugar, margarine, corn syrup, salt in a 2-qt. saucepan over medium heat, stirring occasionally, until bubbly around the edges. Continue cooking 5 minutes; remove from heat. Stir in baking soda until foamy. Pour sugar mixture over popcorn mixture; toss until evenly coated. Bake one hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Cool completely.

*For caramel-nut corn, decrease popcorn to 12 cups and add 3 cups nuts (peanuts are good.)