Man Food

Its well into the Christmas season and we've definitely broken in our kitchen! A couple of weeks ago, Seth prepared me that we would be hosting a Monday Night Football party for the guys in our new church. He was VERY excited and sent out a powerpoint email with google picture directions as well as the detailed menu for the night. Seth requested "man food" that should not include a fruit or vegetable of any sort, although the guys didn't seem to mind the mexi-corn cheese dip at all! But the favored of all foods that evening was the dish that combined sweet, smokey, and salty.... bacon caramel popcorn. Here is the recipe:

Bacon Caramel Popcorn

1/2 cup popcorn kernels

1 Tbsp vegetable oil

5 slices of cooked bacon, chopped (approx 6oz)

3/4 cup whole cashews

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/4 cup water

2 Tbsp light corn syrup

1/2 cup heavy whipping cream

2 tsp Kosher salt

1/2 tsp chipotle powder

1.) Heat popcorn and oil in a large covered pot until kernels start to pop. Hold lid and pot handle (with oven mits) and shake the pot until the kernels stop popping. Pour popcorn into a very large bowl and add bacon and cashews.

2.) Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

3.) Combine sugar, water, and corn syrup in a bowl and stir to combine. Cook over medium heat, without stirring, until the caramel turns deep amber. Remove from heat and immediately add the cream, salt, and chipotle (the mixture will bubble up). Quickly pour over popcorn mixture, and stir.

4.) Pour caramel popcorn into the baking sheet and spread out. Bake until the caramel is shiny (approx 10-20 minutes). Let cool completely then break up popcorn into handful sized chunks.