Critters in the Hay

Title:
Critters in the Hay

Yield:
4 Quarts

Categories:
Popcorn,
Holidays,
Kids,
Halloween




Ingredients:





 1 1/2 c  Sugar


     1 c  Light corn syrup


     2 tb Butter


 1 1/2 ts Pumpkin pie spice


     1 ts Vanilla


   1/2 ts Salt


   1/2 ts Green food color(optional)


 3 1/2 qt Popped popcorn; remove any


          -unpopped kernels


     1 c  Candy corn


          -Licorice ropes;black


          -wooden picks


          -small black gum drops or


          -other small black candies


          -red decorating icing


          -tiny red jaw-breakers candy


          -wormshape candies






 In Dutch oven, bring sugar,corn syrup and butter to a boil; boil 2 1/2


 minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie spice,vanilla,salt and food coloring(if


 desired) mix until evenly colored. Add popcorn and toss until evenly


 coated. Spread popcorn mixture in a single layer on greased sheets of foil


 and allow to cool and harden. Break into bite-size pieces and mix with


 candy corn in a wide shallow bowl; set aside. To make spiders, cut licorice


 into 2 inch lengths. To make legs, starting at one end, make three 1/2 inch


 to 3/4 inch cuts to make four legs. Repeat cuts at opposite end. Leave


 about 1/2 inch in center uncut. Gently pull legs apart and curl down. Push


 wooden pick through center of body, leaving about 1/4 inch exposed on top.


 Push one gumdrop onto exposed pick to make a body. Using writing tip of


 decorating icing, squeeze two small dots of icing into gumdrops. Press


 jaw-breakers into icing to make eyes. Place"spiders" and worm-shaped


 candies in popcorn. Remove wooden picks before eating. Makes 4 quarts.


 


 From Gemini's MASSIVE MealMaster collection at www.synapse.com/~gemini