Popcorn, pizza, pfantastic and pforever-----

Obviously, I have a thing for “p”‘s. The first one is the subject for me today. Popcorn, again this is going down my memory lane, I hope you don’t mind. I was about 8 years old when I first was introduced to that wonder smell and flavor of buttered popcorn. I think we all know what I mean about that don’t we? Well, one of my brothers, which I had 3, let me hang out at our “downtown” theater, you know that kind that were built with just one screen, and it had a stage that announcers with microphones that they would tap to see if was working and would make the usual announcement about not smoking in the theater, but in the glass enclosed balcony, (I guess even back then they had a place for smokers). He would talk to us and set up the mood of the movie. Also, we ushers that used flashlight to keep the older kids from smooching, back then that is all they did. Boy, times they are a changing. (That’s another story) Well, anyway, I watched my brother unfold popcorn boxes, know the kind that were square and were smaller and the base and large on top. They were usually red and white striped, I think. Well, I was given the opportunity to unfold these. They usually came flattened in a box, and you had to push them together with both your hands the flip down the bottoms with your fingers to get in to close and stack them on top of each other. I had a problem getting coordinated at first, but I became very proficient at it. So, much so, the manager of the theater would always let me do it. I became so fast, it became a game with me; I would see how fast I could get the whole box emptied between movie shows. I remember taking them out to the candy/popcorn counter and I would smell that fresh popped popcorn, I don’t know what they did, but it would make me to start drooling immediately. Also, it was fun to watch all of those “younger”, ( don’t see how that could be), kids looking at all of the candy with huge eyes, taking in all of the color and dreaming of having just the right one in their hand and their mouths. I remember, dots, crows, sugar babies, Ju-Ju-Bees, (which I didn’t like because they always got caught in my teeth), Bit-O-Honey, Butterfinger, black licorice, (I don’t remember the red stuff, maybe it came late), and candy bars like three musketeers, that seemed bigger back then, but they were thicker, not longer and would break into threes, hence the name. (Below is a list of all the 50’s candy). Boy what memories and I know I had all of these at some time of my youth. I am surprised that my teeth aren’t all gone. Anyway, I would get a pass for the theater from all of my hard work. I think it was worth 25 cents back then. I worked like a dog for a 25 cent movie pass. Boy did that manager know what he was doing and that he had a dumb kid doing all of his hard work. Eventually, I would get two passes and then three; I guess he was feeling guilty. This went on for several months, until one day he “let” me clean the back of the chairs for a whopping 10 movie passes. Wow, I was in heaven, until I got into the theater with my bucket of soapy water to start with the first row and then finish up to the last row, do you know how many chairs there are? I think there is a thousand, at least it felt that way, I also remember that sticky feeling on the bottom of your shoes from all of the soda pop that people spilt and chewing gum that was on the back of the chairs and other places. After that experience I didn’t want anything to do with the theater. That manager didn’t know what a gem he had in me, or was it a dumb, innocent and inexperienced kid, any way I had free-range of the theater, I would go upstairs to the balcony and remember the awful smell of smoke and I would go down behind the screen and pick up the microphone and turn it on and tap it a few times. Also, I learned a trick that my brothers taught me. I would open the exit door for them and their friends. It was quite the experience. All of this was because of the smell of freshly popped popcorn…..any way I have some recipes for popcorn I’ll tell you more about pizza later on in another story. I just had to use the “P’s”.

The Candy List for the 50's
5th Avenue bar, Almond Joy, Anise Squares, Atomic Fire Balls, Baby Ruth, Barley Drops, Barley Pops, Bazooka Bubble Gum, BB Bats, Beemans gum, Bit-O-Honey, Black Jack gum, Black Taffy, Bon Bons, Boston Baked Beans, Bun, Burnt Peanuts, Butterfingers, Canada Mints, Candy Buttons, Candy Cigarettes, Candy Drops, Candy Necklace, Carmel Creams (Bulls Eyes), Caramel Squares, Charleston Chews, Cherry Mash, Chick-o-Sticks, Chiclets, Chocolate Cigarettes, Chocolate Gold Coins, Choward's Scented Gum and Violet Mints, Chuckles, Chunky, Cinnamon Tooth Picks, Circus Peanuts, Clark Bar, Clove gum, Coconut Stacks, Cotton Candy, Cracker Jack, Crows, Dentyne Gum, Dots (Mason Dots), Dubble Bubble Gum, Flicks, French Chew (Bonomo's replacement), Goo Goo Cluster, Goobers, Good & Plenty, Heath, Hershey Milk Chocolate Bar, Hershey Kisses, Honey Combed Peanuts, Horlick's Malted Milk Tablets, Ice Cubes, Indian Brand Pumpkin Seeds, Jaw Breakers, Jelly Nougats, Jelly Rings, Jujubes, Jujyfruits, Junior Mints, Kits, Lemonheads, Licorice Babies, Licorice Bites, Licorice Laces, Licorice Pipes, Licorice Snaps, Licorice Wheels, Life Savers, Lik-m-Aid, Mallo Cups, Marshmallow Ice Cream Cones, Mary Janes, Milk Duds, Mounds, Moon Pie, Necco Wafers, Nestle Milk Chocolate, Nestle Crunch, Nik-L-Nips (wax syrup bottles), Oh Henry, Orange Slices, Pay Day, Peach Buds, Peanut Butter Bars, Peanut Brittle, Peanut Patty, Pez, Planter's Peanut Bar, Pop Corn Balls, Raisinets, Red Hot (Raspberry) Dollars, Red Hots, Reed's Candy Rolls, Rock Candy, Root Beer Barrels, Saf-T-Pops, Salt Water Taffy, Satellite Wafers, Sen Sen, Sky Bar, Slo Pokes, Smarties, Smith Brothers Cough Drops, Sno Caps, Spearmint Leaves, Squirrel Nut Zippers (Chews), Stick Candy, Sugar Baby, Sugar Daddy, Teaberry Gum, Tootsie Pops, Tootsie Roll, Valomilk, Walnettos, Wax Fangs, Wax Lips, Whoppers, Zagnut, and Zero

Here is a recipe that fits the topic perfectly-----

Pizza Popcorn

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese

1 teaspoon garlic powder

1 teaspoon Italian herb seasoning

1 teaspoon paprika

1/2 teaspoon saltPepper

2 quarts hot popcorn

Directions:

In blender, blend cheese, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, paprika, salt and pepper about 3 minutes. Place popcorn in large bowl; sprinkle with cheese mixture. Toss to coat evenly.
Makes 3 quarts.

Popcorn Snack Mix

Ingredients

3 quarts popped popcorn

2 1/3 cups salted peanuts

2 cups pretzel sticks

2 cups miniature cheese crackers

1/3 cup butter or margarine, melted

3/4 teaspoon salt

3/4 teaspoon curry powder

3/4 teaspoon garlic powder

3/4 teaspoon onion powder3/4 teaspoon steak sauce

Directions:

In a large bowl, combine popcorn, peanuts, pretzels and crackers. Combine remaining ingredients. Pour over popcorn mixture; toss to coat. Place in 2 ungreased 15 x 10-inch baking pans. Bake, uncovered, at 250 degrees F for 1 hour; stir every 15 minutes.
Store in an airtight container when cool.
Yields about 4 quarts.

Cheddar Bacon Popcorn

Ingredients:

5 slices bacon, cooked crisp and crumbled

10 cups popped corn

1/4 pound sharp Cheddar cheese, finely grated

Directions:

Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.
In a large baking pan, combine bacon, popcorn and cheese. Bake for 3 to 5 minutes or until cheese is just melted.

Now for the sweet stuff-------

Baked Caramel Corn

Ingredients:

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups firmly packed brown sugar

1/2 cup light or dark corn syrup

1 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

6 quarts popped popcorn, unsalted

Directions:

Melt butter. Stir in brown sugar, corn syrup and salt. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Boil without stirring for 5 minutes.
Remove from heat. Stir in baking soda and vanilla extract. Gradually pour over popped corn, mixing well. Turn into 2 large shallow baking pans. Bake at 250 degrees F for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.
Remove from oven; cool completely. Break apart.
Makes about 5 quarts.

Butterfinger Popcorn Balls

This recipe's "hands-on" preparation is a thrill for kids and results in a sweet and chewy combination of chopped Butterfinger, crunchy popcorn and miniature marshmallows. Easy to make and fun to decorate, Butterfinger Popcorn Balls will be a smash at your next Halloween bash.
Ingredients:

6 cups popped popcorn

3 (2.1 ounces each) NESTLÉ BUTTERFINGER Candy Bars, chopped

1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter or margarine

3 1/2 cups miniature marshmallows

Nonstick cooking spray

Directions:

Combine popcorn and chopped Butterfinger in large bowl.
Melt butter in medium saucepan over low heat. Stir in marshmallows. Heat, stirring constantly, until marshmallows are melted and mixture is smooth.
Pour over popcorn mixture; quickly toss to coat well. Spray hands with nonstick cooking spray. Form popcorn mixture into six 3-inch balls. Place on wax paper to cool. Store in airtight container.
Serving size: 6

M&M Peanut Butter Popcorn

Directions:

10 cups popped popcorn

1/2 cup plain M&M's

1 tablespoon butter

1/2 cup peanut butter

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup honey

1/4 cup light corn syrup

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions:

Put popcorn and candies into large bowl.
Grease the sides of a medium-size pan with the butter. Put sugar, honey and corn syrup in a pan. Set the pan over medium heat. Bring to a full rolling boil. Stir sugar mixture carefully with a large wooden spoon for 3 minutes, then remove pan from heat. Add peanut butter and vanilla extract to hot syrup, being careful not to let syrup splatter. Stir with a wooden spoon until peanut butter is melted and smooth. Pour peanut butter mixture over popcorn and candies. Mix with 2 large spoons until popcorn is completely coated. Spoon onto a large pan and spread. Let cool. Break into bite-size pieces.

Popcorn Haystacks

Ingredients:
1 quart popped popcorn

1 cup peanuts

3 ounces chow mein noodles

12 ounces chocolate chips

Directions:
Toss popped corn, peanuts, and cm noodles together in large bowl. Set aside.
Place chocolate chips in glass bowl. Microwave on medium-high for 3 minutes. Pour over popcorn mixture. Toss until well mixed. Place spoonfuls of the tossed mixture onto wax paper. Cool until firm. Store in tightly covered container.
Makes 24 haystacks.

Well, are you eager to go out there and make a feast of popcorn? I know I am. There are so many recipes. I could only give you a few.