Friday, October 19, 2007

Mount St. Caramel

Last night we made caramel corn for Jackson's Scarecrow Day. Family fun! Cooking together! Making memories!

Or, if you know us even a little bit: Total Disaster (but still funny).

The short story is that I decided to double the caramel corn recipe. Brad literally ran out of the kitchen when I announced my intentions because I have a LONG, BAD history of trying to mix higher math and cooking. (When I have a slow blogging day, I will recount the Amish Friendship Bread of 2000 incident.)

Everything was boiling nicely on the cooktop until I added the baking soda. Picture a very large, science project-esque volcanic eruption in a 2 quart saucepan. It was not projectile, but a slow, lava-like seepage.

"Brad, come in here quick!" There is urgency and terror in my voice.

"Do you want me to bring the camera for the blog?" he says very casually.

"NO. I want you to SAVE MY BRAND NEW COOKTOP!!" By now, my biceps are shaking because the caramel lava is rapidly expanding and I've already filled one saute pan.

According to the cooktop owner's manual...if so much as one granule of sugar melts on the cooktop that spot will be forever ruined. (note: I do not like this cooktop, but I am also not ready to buy a new one after 5 months).

This was not going to end well, so we all started laughing. The kids were howling, Brad was doing his silent, shaking laugh, and me and my very fatigued upper arms were hysterical. We filled 3 roasting pans, 1 saute pan, and covered 4 bags of popcorn with this concoction.

There was caramel everywhere. On my running shoes, pants, all over the counters, heating vent, and in our hair, faces, and sink.

But, PRAISE GOD, not a drop was on the cooktop.

I have spent over an hour cleaning caramel (which has similar adhesive qualities to Super Glue) off everything.

scrubbing...

...and more scrubbing

Epilogue:

All of the mothers in Jackson's class were very complimentary of the caramel corn and asked for the recipe.

The students, of course, would have been fine with CrackerJacks.

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