This week's Pinterest project comes from my "Rent-a-Kid" ideas Pinterest board. Candied popcorn. It's colorful. It's sweet. It's fun, right?
Well the kids (and again, by "the kids" I mean Karen's kids, in case anyone gets confused and wonders how RW and I suddenly produced progeny of our own after all these years) thought this idea sounded just grand when I informed them that we were going to make special popcorn. Colorful popcorn.
I arrived at their home, ingredients in tow. They weren't that terribly difficult to carry, as the ingredients consisted only of sweetened condensed milk and a few flavors of jello. We pulled out the air popper and started popping.
Meanwhile back at the stove...
I'm fairly certain we stirred about 10 minutes longer than necessary, only because there were 3 colors and 3 kids old enough to stir. Apparently they have yet to figure out that standing at a hot stove stirring something for 15 minutes is about as exciting as watching a tree grow. Not that I'm complaining. I fully realize that as the kids grow I shall have to up my game a bit. But for now, stirring pots of funky colors is just about the best thing ever.
We poured the colors over the popped popcorn and popped it in the oven. I know. It's a lot of popping.
And then we waited. And we (this time the "we" refers to Karen and I. Just trying to confuse you) also endured endless questions from the kids. "Is it done yet?" "How much longer?" "Deb, can we eat it yet?" Eventually the oven timer beeped. Now a very dedicated and selfless person would have jumped up and immediately whisked themselves over to remove said popcorn from the oven and present it to excited children. Just so we are clear, apparently I am not that person. After Karen and I finished our game (Monopoly cards, for the intensely curious), I sauntered over and took a look:
Well, it did live up to it's promise of being "colorful". It was also sticky. This is the part when "evil Deb" secretly laughs at her best friend, seeing as they are her kids and therefore by default, her mess. Ok, not really. I'm not that mean. Usually.
The kids gathered up with their popcorn bowls, excitement oozing from their every pore. We dished up and they headed back upstairs for their Friday night movie. A few minutes later, Jentzen appeared back downstairs, bowl in hand.
"It's too sticky," he practically whispered, his five-year-old eyes averted. "It doesn't taste like popcorn."
Karen told him to put in a bag of microwave popcorn for himself.
He did, and then ran back upstairs, non-sticky, regular popcorn in tow. Then, in a chain-reaction sort of way, the other 3 kids tip-toed down the stairs one at a time, also looking for regular popcorn that was, apparently, easier to eat.
So I have to tell myself, sometimes it's about the journey, not the end result, right? At any rate, I'm pretty sure we all had fun even if they didn't eat it. After all, they did get to stir. Sweet.
