Hi Donnalynn,
Here's the popcorn ball recipe, I actually posted it a couple of years ago so it was easy to find and post again!
I'm guessing it's a pretty standard recipe but the important part is to not cook the syrup to as high a temperature as the cook books tells you too. You want soft popcorn balls you can eat, not baseballs!
Popcorn Balls
2 Cups sugar
2/3 cup Karo syrup
2/3 cup water
2/3 cup butter
1/2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. vanilla
Put in saucepan and bring to boil over medium high heat. Then at medium tell it reaches 245 degrees. Stir in the vanilla after it reaches 245 degrees. Take off stove and put on popcorn. Add coloring if desired, for Christmas of course we use red (use lots or they turn out pink, my favorite color) for one batch and green for the other. We use to make popcorn balls on Christmas Eve, it kept us kids busy so we didn't think so much about the presents under the tree. The kids can help pop the corn, the older ones can help with the syrup and everyone can form the balls. We butter our hands then dip them in cool water so the syrup doesn't burn your hands or stick to you as you make the balls. If memory serves me correctly we make about 3 batches of popcorn in an air popper per batch of syrup. If you don't have a candy thermometer or even if you do I water test the syrup to make sure it's ready, drop a bit of syrup in a cold cup of water and if the syrup gels together it's ready, if it melts away cook it a bit longer, if you cooked it to long and the syrup is hard you can use the popcorn balls for baseball practice and make another batch, thermometers aren't always right! Enjoy!
Party Mix
3 Cups Corn Chex cereal
3 Cups Rice Chex
3 Cups Wheat Chex
1 Cup mixed Nuts
1 Cup bit-size pretzels
1 Cup garlic-flavor bite-size bagel chips
6 Tbs. margarine or butter
2 Tbs. Worcestershire sauce
1 1/2 t. seasoned salt
3/4 garlic powder
1/2 t. onion powder
Heat oven to 250 degrees. In ungreased large roasting pan, melt butter in oven. Stir in seasonings. Gradually stir in remaining ingredients until evenly coated. Bake 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Spread on paper towels to cool, about 15 minutes. Jill Notes: I always use margarine, I don't care for butter. Different brands of Worcestershire sauces & seasoned salts will make the party mix taste different, if you have a favorite when cooking stick with it. I don't use pretzels as they don't seem to taste any different in the mix then in the bag. I use peanuts instead of mixed nuts, family prefers that. I don't always use the bagel chips. The great thing about party mix is you can pick out the parts you like when eating it or you can make the party mix to each persons liking. I sometimes use cheerios(put them in last before you bake as they tend to burn if stuck on the bottom) and or cornuts. A guy at work has to eat gluten free things so I make the party mix without the wheat chex, then he is able to reach in and grab a handful instead of worrying about what he eats. As for the spices, as I mentioned before my youngest likes to experiment with baking so he got me to add more of everything, so after I measure, I pour in a bit more Worcestershire sauce and sprinkle in some more seasoning salt and garlic powder. Play with it batch by batch and see what everyone likes!
I made your delicious bon bon Christmas cakes two Christmas's ago, I gave them away and my husband took them to work. I lucked out and found the muffin papers at Kmart while getting Ziploc containers for the party mix. My husband loves fruit cake so I made the bon bons for him. He also loves ginger cookies, I've never made them so could you please post the recipe for me. You bon bon recipe is on the first page of this thread for others that would like to give it a try.
Priscilla, I don't have a shortbread cookie recipe for you but I do have a Vanilla Crisp recipe you might want to try. My Mom loved the shortbread cookies that the Girl Scouts sell and her ultimate favorite cookie was sugar cookies that we made every Christmas and cut into Holiday shapes and then frosted. I don't have that recipe because although I loved to make them I didn't like to eat them. When I went off to college I found this recipe that was easy to make and she loved it, she was a cookie connoisseur.
Vanilla Crisps
1/2 Cup margarine
1/2 Cup shortening
1 Cup granulated sugar
2 t. vanilla
2 eggs
2 1/2 cups flour
Cream margarine, shortening and sugar. Add vanilla and 1/2 t. salt. Add eggs, beating well. Stir in flour: mix well. Drop from teaspoon 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet. (Or chill dough; shape into 1-inch balls.) Flatten with floured glass. Bake at 375 degrees for 8 to 10 minutes. Remove immediately and cool on rack.
That's it for tonight, going to help my hubby do outside work tomorrow before the really cold weather hits Sunday, will bake and warm the house then, Jill
