Carmel Corn---Childhood Calling

Fall has arrived. The walnut trees are dropping their yellow leaves and walnuts(go squirrels). The pin oaks are dropping acorns and the deer are making their annual return to our Downing Road backyard and driveway to feast on them. It is an Indian Summer with warm days and cool nights. Halloween is just around the corner. Coyotes are yipping. I guess the sights and smells of early fall triggered a yearning for some good ole fashion carmel corn---the easy stuff that Mom used to make on the stove. So one evening I got out a pan, heated up some olive oil and popped me a big ole bowl of popcorn. Then I cooked some brown sugar, butter, salt(optional) and water in the same pan(after I dumped said popcorn into the bowl of course). I stirred the concoction until it stared to bubble a little and slightly thicken then I drizzled it over my popcorn for a light coating, just enough sweet but not too much as to make the popcorn soggy or to be overwhelming. John came down stairs and grabbed a handful not realizing it was carmel corn(Yuk, said his facial expression) and while he obviously does not really like carmel corn, he did say it was the best he ever had. I guess it was the best carmel corn he ever disliked.

Anyway I ate nearly the whole bowl, probably thousands of calories, but it tasted so good!
So if you ever get a hankering for something on the sweet side and you have some popcorn, brown sugar and butter available there you go.

Mom used to make this once in a while when I was a kid, so I like to think that maybe Mom was sharing that bowl with me----unfortunately probably not the calories.