Pumpkin Spice Popcorn

So how does everyone decide when to pack up for the season? We always have a hard time knowing when to bring in the lawn furniture, put the grill away and since last year bring in the pond fish. At the beginning of last summer we dug a small pond in our yard. We got 6 goldfish and they have now survived about a year and a half.

Last year we debated whether or not we should bring them inside. From everything I read and heard you can just leave them outside and they will go into hibernation mode. They just stop eating when it gets cold out. However I felt sad for their poor fishy lives to just be frozen all winter. I mean how boring right? So we ended up buying a large aquarium for them and they lived in our casual dining area in the desk nook for the winter. The cats loved it. Harry sat there and watched them for hours. Tonks even came to enjoy the fun.

Then in the spring we refilled the pond and brought them back outside. I think that they have doubled in size from this past spring. Anyway we are having the big debate when to bring them in this year. We already brought in our patio table, since it was easier to stain the deck with it put away. However there have been a couple of nice nights where I wish we had it. I fear I will think the same thing if we bring the fish in too early.

So every couple of nights we will sit by the pond and be like when should we bring these fish in? I feel like its the last piece of summer for me to hang on to.

Ok lets talk about this popcorn. It is amazingly great. I have to admit before this recipe I hadn't done much with popcorn. Other than putting it in the microwave to pop it. I made this though and it was AMAZING. It tasted like something you would buy at a fair or a festival. The greatest part is that it is relatively easy to make and you can make it at home whenever you want it.

This would make a fun fall gift. Put it in a cute bag and give it as a thank you or a fun pick me up. It would also be great to take to a football game or a tailgate party. Pack it for that apple picking or pumpkin picking trip. Trust me this popcorn is addicting.

Now is when I plug the contest that is still open until Sunday so check it out and register to win. I mean who doesn't want to win a $10 gift card to Starbucks just saying. Pumpkin Spice Lattes at Home.

Ingredients

1 bag of microwave popcorn
1/2 cup unsalted butter
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup corn syrup
1 1/2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ginger
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1/4 tsp baking soda

Start out by popping the bag of microwave popcorn and preheating the oven to 250 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper for easy clean up.

In a medium sized pan melt the butter over medium high heat. Once melted add in the brown sugar, corn syrup, cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger, and salt. Mix everything in and then bring the mixture to a boil. Allow it to boil for 4 minutes without stirring. Take the mixture off the heat and add in the vanilla and baking soda. Add half of the mixture to the popcorn and toss to coat. Pour the remaining sauce over the popcorn and continue to toss until everything is coated well.

Lay the popcorn out on the prepared baking sheet with parchment paper. Bake for 1 hour taking time to stir/mix up the popcorn every 15 minutes.

Allow to cool and enjoy. I added in some white chocolate chips to one bowl, as you can see the from the pictures. You could do that as well. However we ended up eating the rest plain, because it was just that good :)

Enjoy!

This recipe was adapted from Cooking Classy.

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