Too Many Snacks

Our Writing Project site goes a little crazy with the food each summer. Every day, participants bring "a.m. carbs, a.m. fruit, and p.m. carbs." As the week progresses, more and more food piles up since no one brings the food home. The result? Lots of snacks. Dare I say, too many snacks? This year, we suggested that people didn't need to bring big portions of "p.m. carbs." We also tried to look at what we had and cancel the snacks for the next day, if necessary.

Still, there were some mighty fine snacks. One of my favorites was Linsey's Caramel Chex Mix (otherwise known as "crack in a bag"). The salty ingredients were coated with a sweet substance, thereby creating a nice balance of flavors. It was rather addictive (not just to me, but to many of the participants). Linsey brought the recipe, which I'll include at the end of this post.

Another hit was Kristy's seven layer dip. I'm not sure what she added to the sour cream layer, but it was quite tasty. The dip was gone by the end of the afternoon.

See all the fresh vegetables (tomatoes)? This is healthy, right?

I would love to live on snacks alone.

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Caramel Chex Mix

1 pound butter (you read that right. A pound. No wonder it tastes so good)
2 c. brown sugar
3/4 c. white corn syrup
1/2 t. baking soda
4 quarts popcorn (2 bags)
Nuts
Pretzels

Melt butter, sugar, corn syrup, and baking soda until glossy. Just before it boils. Mix all dry ingredients. Pour syrup over the dry ingredients. Spread thinly on baking sheets.

Bake at 225 degrees for a hour. Mix every 15 minutes.

Makes 4 gallon size bags.