Caramel Corn 2 cups brown sugar 2 sticks butter ( 1 cup) 1/2 cup white Karo syrup 1/2 stp salt Combine and boil the above for 5 minutes. remove from heat and add 1/2 tsp soda and 1 tsp vanilla and a pinch of cream of tartar. Pour over 18 to 20 cups of poppes corn in a roasting pan. Stir!! Bake one hour at 250 degrees, stirring every 15 minutes. When done spread out on waxed paper or cookie sheets and cool.

Ruthie, U need to try this sometime! Coyote or Reindeer "Droppings" 2-cups brown sugar 1-cup butter or margarine 1/2 cup white corn syrup 1/2 teaspoon baking soda 14-1/2 ounce package Cheetos **buy ONE 11 oz size of CHEESE PUFFS, NOT cheetos Both Cheetos and cheese puff are great. Two different textures Bring the sugar, butter or margarine and syrup to a boil for 5 minutes. Stir often Remove from fire. Add baking soda. Stir. Pour over cheetos, and toss QUICKLY . ***i USED TWO 9 X 10, ALUMINUM PANS Bake at 250 degrees F. for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes. Pour out on waxed paper rubbed with additional butter or cooking spray. Quickly separate the Caramelized Cheetos ****I used the bottoms of TWO broiler pans that I sprayed, put gloves on, and quickly separated, so you won't end up with big globs. Let cool, IF YOU CAN BEFORE SAMPLING!

I found this quick & easy recipe in "The Diabetes Snack Munch Nibble Nosh Book" by Ruth Glick and sent several batches to work with hubby on Halloween and it was a big hit. This recipe is a better choice for most diabetics than traditional caramel corn recipes, people watching their carbs, as well as a low-sodium diet. It's amazing how many batches you can make quickly if you have 2 containers for microwaving the syrup in, as well as a couple jelly roll pans to alternate for baking in. I used Kraft Caramels (cellophane wrapped cubes) since they were on sale, and also tried the recipe with the Kraft Caramel BITS (little balls of caramel - found near the chocolate chips in the baking department) and it works as well. It seems the cube- shaped Kraft caramels have now disappeared from store shelves after Halloween. -Grainlady EASY CARAMEL POPCORN Nonstick cooking spray 10 c. popped low-fat microwave popcorn (I used air-popped) 6 caramel candies, cut into small pieces (or 1/4 c. Kraft Caramel Bits and you won't need to cut them any smaller) 2 T. dark or light corn syrup (for syrup I've used Lyle's Golden Syrup, agave nectar, and Steen's Corn Syrup - all with good results) 1/2 T. water 1. Preheat oven to 350-degrees F. Spray a large jelly roll pan or rimmed cookie sheet with nonstick spray and set aside. Place the popcorn in a large ceramic or glass bowl and set aside. 2. In a 1- or 2- cup glass measure (cup) or similar microwave-safe bowl, combine the caramels, syrup, and water. Cover with wax paper and microwave on high power for 40-seconds. Stir. Microwave for an additional 30 seconds, or until caramels are completely melted. 3. Being very careful to keep fingers away from the hot syrup, slowly pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn, stirring with a large wooden spoon to coat evenly. Spread the popcorn evenly on the prepared baking pan. Bake the popcorn for 4 to 6 minutes until the syrup hardens slightly. 4. Cool before serving, or store tightly covered at room temperature. Leftover popcorn will keep for 4-5 days. [Grainlady note: I made several "flavored" versions of this recipe. To the hot syrup mixture add ONE of these: - Pumpkin Pie - 1 t. pumpkin pie spice - Apple Pie - 1 t. apple pie spice - Coffee Flavored - 1 t. Pure Coffee Extract (from The Spice House) On my to-try list: -Butterscotch flavoring -Cinnamon Oil (probably only 1/8 - 1/4 t.) -Maple Flavoring -Butter Flavoring Nutrition per 1-cup portion: Exchanges: 1/2 carbohydrate Calories - 53 Total Fat - 1 g Cholesterol - 1 mg Sodium - 59 mg Total Carbohydrate - 11 g Dietary fiber - 1 g Sugars - 6 g Protein - 1 g

Here's my avorite recipe, I've made it many times. Siam Restaurant's General Tso's Chicken 1/2 cup cornstarch 1/4 cup water 11/2teaspoons minced garlic 11/2 teaspoons minced gingerroot 3/4 cup sugar 1/2 cup soy sauce 1/4 cup cup white vinegar 1/4 cup sherry 11/2 cups hot chicken broth 1 teaspoon MSG(monosodium gluconate), optional 3 lbs. deboned dark chicken meat, cut into large chunks 1/4 cup soy sauce 1 teaspoon white pepper 1 egg About 1 cup cornstarch 1 cup vegetable oil, plus more for stir-frying 2 cups diced green onion 16 small dried hot peppers To make sauce, mix 1/2 cup cornstarch and the water together. Add garlic, ginger, sugar, 1/2 cup soy sauce, the vinegar and wine. Add chicken broth and MSG, if desired, and stir until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until needed. In seperate bowl, mix chicken, 1/4 cup soy sauce and the white pepper. Stir in the egg. Add about 1 cup cornstarch, until chicken is coated evenly. Add 1 cup oil to seperate pieces. Divide chicken into small quantities and deep-fry @ 350 until crispy. Drain on paper towel. Place a small amout of oil in a wok and heat until wok is hot. Add green onions and peppers and stir-fry briefly. Stir sauce and add to wok. Place chicken in sauce and cook until sauce thickens, adding water or cornstarch as needed for the right consistency. Serve with rice. Makes 6 to 8 servings. Nancy