All Aboard the RMS Titanic and Caramel Popcorn Yum

Now boarding the R.M.S. Titanic!  All aboard!....

We are big fans of the I Survived series of books by Lauren Tarshis around here.  

Each book tells a harrowing account of an historical event as told through the eyes of a child, and surprise, surprise -- in each account, the main character narrowly averts danger.   They are exciting and intense and prompt interesting discussions about true events.   

The I Survived the Sinking of the Titanic, 1912 is a particular favorite here and has spurred many a conversation about the Titantic and all the logistics about what really happened back then.  

We even had a Titanic-themed birthday cake for a certain someone, which I wrote about here: https://wolfbanditpupbrigade.blogspot.com/2017/10/bake-for-good.html

So it came as no surprise when she said she wanted to be the Titanic for Halloween.  Let's be clear -- not the captain, not a passenger --  but the actual ship.  THE Titanic.  Oh boy.  

Well, as we were walking home through our neighborhood last week we happened upon this long, rectangular box from Casper.com.  Apparently, it boxed a high-end dog mattress designed for ultimate comfort.  Lucky dog.   

Using a serrated knife as my tool, I quickly got to work.  I opted for colored electrical tape instead of paint, which turned out to be way easier and more effective in getting this done.

 A couple hours later -- and a trip to my second home, JoAnn Fabric & Craft Store to acquire these amazing letter stickers -- the Titanic was done and ready to set sail again!

It's designed so she can step into it and put her arms in the box to carry the ship.  

Although, we may need to add straps!  

We'll see how trick-or-treating goes tomorrow.  The ship may sink before we're done.  

Caramel Popcorn Yum

Over the weekend, we went to a small Halloween party and were invited to bring a small treat to share. Caramel popcorn, baby.  

I found this easy caramel corn recipe without corn syrup and decided to give it a try: https://brownthumbmama.com/make-caramel-corn-without-corn-syrup/

Making caramel can be a little intimidating as it can quickly turn too brown, burn and ruin.  Afraid of this potential disaster,  I made sure to keep stirring and took it off the heat a tad quicker than was  required.  

Let me tell you, this stuff is addictive.  

Essentially, you make the caramel and pour it over the popcorn.  Then you bake your caramel corn in a low temperature oven for approximately an hour, making sure to stir it every 15 minutes.  It's definitely high maintenance, but so well worth it.  

Afraid of overloading the kids with too much sugar, I mixed the caramel corn with a batch of regular popcorn after the caramel had completely cooled.  It made for a great sweet and salty treat!

We'll be making this again soon.  I promise.  

As we are getting ready for tomorrow's big night of Halloween fun, I'm keeping my fingers crossed everyone stays healthy in this house.  Flu season has already begun around here.

Time for a little witch's brew to ward off those germs.  A hot, citrus-y, canela tea with a splash of honey will hopefully do the trick.  Here's to hoping it works!

Stay safe tomorrow and happy Halloween!

Peace.

 Caramel Popcorn Recipe by Brown Thumb Mama

Ingredients:
About 10 cups air popped popcorn (1/2 cup unpopped kernels) [NOT MICROWAVE POPCORN]
3/4 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar, packed
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking soda

Steps:
1.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees F and place popped popcorn in a bowl.
2.  In a large saucepan, melt the butter and sugar over low heat until the sugar is completely dissolved.
3.  Turn up the heat to medium/high and bring the mixture to a boil, taking care to mix constantly, approximately 3 minutes.  It will change from grainy to smith and then will begin to thicken.
4.  Remove from heat and add remaining ingredients: vanilla, salt and baking soda.  The mixture will foam.
5.  Pour sauce over the popcorn and mix well.  Spread the mixture over a parchment lined baking sheet and bake for approximately 1 hour in a 250 degree F oven, making sure to stir every 15 minutes.

Enjoy!