Good morning, welcome to our Food series featuring Food Holidays: April 6th and I must tell you it’s National Caramel Popcorn Day. I wish I had Kettle Korn. How about you?
National Caramel Popcorn Day Recipe:
1 cup butter
2 cups brown sugar
½ cup corn syrup
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
5 quarts popped popcorn
Step 1
Preheat oven to 250 degrees F (95 degrees C). Place popcorn in a very large bowl.
Step 2
In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring 4 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in soda and vanilla. Pour in a thin stream over popcorn, stirring to coat.
Step 3
Place in two large shallow baking dishes and bake in preheated oven, stirring every 15 minutes, for 1 hour. Remove from oven and let cool completely before breaking into pieces.
Five facts about Caramel Popcorn:
- Popcorn is made by boiling the water inside the corn kernel as the liquid water becomes gaseous, it occupies much volume. Therefore this causes incredible pressure in the kernel causing it to explode into being inside-out. Here is a Science Lesson for the kids.
- Unpopped popcorn kernels are called “old maids.” I never knew this did you?
- Americans consume 17 billion quarts of popped popcorn annually, or 54 quarts per man, woman and child. That might be true for me but not so much for Charlie who isn’t much of a Popcorn eater. Are you?
- United States citizens consume more popcorn than any other country’s. Did you know this? Which is also a fact you can share in Homeschool.
- Being corn, popcorn that is unsalted, unbuttered, and otherwise unaltered is a very healthy snack. Especially for someone like me on a DIET…
Fun Fact:
Caramel popcorn or “caramel corn” used to be directly associated with Halloween for trick or treaters. Isn’t that funny. I would have thought Fairs.
Popcorn is scientifically known as Zea mays everta. Another fun Homeschooling fact.
The Wyandot Popcorn Museum is the largest collection of restored popcorn antiques. Let’s go visit them.
In the world of foodies and pasta lovers, Carbonara is one of the most beloved recipes thatbrings everyone together. We’d like to honor the Carbonara dish and raise awareness of the authentic recipe.
We encourage people to connect with their family and friends over a bowl this evening. National Carbonara Day is a day that invites food and Carbonara lovers alike to celebrate the classic Italian pasta dish made with egg, Pecorino Romano cheese, guanciale or pancetta, and freshly ground black pepper. A combination of ingredients that pair perfectly with a base of al dente spaghetti, for a creamy texture.
The Holiday was founded by Barilla Pasta in 2019.
To celebrate this Holiday you can join the Carbonara Day celebration by taking the #CarbonaraChallenge and making your favorite Carbonara recipe.
To make sure the fun continues, Carbonara lovers can also challenge their friends to make their own favorite Carbonara recipe. Before you ask no, I don’t have a favorite recipe and I can’t even say I have ever tried Carbonara. Have you?
Carbonara Recipe:
1 pound dry spaghetti
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
4 ounces pancetta or slab bacon, cubed or sliced into small strips
4 garlic cloves, finely chopped
2 large eggs
1 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano, plus more for serving
Freshly ground black pepper
1 handful fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- Prepare the sauce while the pasta is cooking to ensure that the spaghetti will be hot and ready when the sauce is finished; it is very important that the pasta is hot when adding the egg mixture, so that the heat of the pasta cooks the raw eggs in the sauce.
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add the pasta and cook for 8 to 10 minutes or until tender yet firm (as they say in Italian “al dente.”) Drain the pasta well, reserving 1/2 cup of the starchy cooking water to use in the sauce if you wish.
- Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a deep skillet over medium flame. Add the pancetta and saute for about 3 minutes, until the bacon is crisp and the fat is rendered. Toss the garlic into the fat and saute for less than 1 minute to soften.
- Add the hot, drained spaghetti to the pan and toss for 2 minutes to coat the strands in the bacon fat. Beat the eggs and Parmesan together in a mixing bowl, stirring well to prevent lumps. Remove the pan from the heat and pour the egg/cheese mixture into the pasta, whisking quickly until the eggs thicken, but do not scramble (this is done off the heat to ensure this does not happen.) Thin out the sauce with a bit of the reserved pasta water, until it reaches desired consistency. Season the carbonara with several turns of freshly ground black pepper and taste for salt. Mound the spaghetti carbonara into warm serving bowls and garnish with chopped parsley. Pass more cheese around the table.
Additional Holiday
Day New Beer’s Eve which you can find more about at:
Thank you,
Glenda, Charlie and David Cates
