Cherished cinnamon popcorn recipe Prologue: In response to no requests, I am providing my highly cherished recipe for cinnamon popcorn. I made three batches this holiday season, which basically means it's foolproof. A few tips contributing to foolproofness: I use the Jolly Time brand popcorn in an air popcorn popper, with practically every kernel popping every time. The only places that seem to sell Red Hot candies are the Dollar Tree stores, and you will need to buy two bags for one batch. I use salted butter. I also use a wooden spoon to stir and separate the sticky popcorn. The recipe: 1. Begin by putting parchment paper on two cookie sheets (for baking a sticking-free batch.)  2. Next, pop 8 quarts of popcorn (about 24 cups) and divide it into two large bowls. This makes coating the popcorn easier. 3. Then, melt together 1 cup of butter, 1/2 cup of light corn syrup and 9 ounces of the candies until everything is thoroughly melted. (Yes, this is a lot of butter and corn syrup, but at least the candies are fat free.) 4. Alternating between the two bowls, gradually stir the syrup into the popcorn until it's well coated. You will want to do this quickly so that the syrup doesn't get too thick. 5. Place the contents of each bowl on a cookie sheet, spreading the mixture so that it will bake evenly. 6. Place the cookie sheets in a 250-degree oven and bake for one hour, turning/stirring the mixture every 15 minutes, ie. 4 times. Using an oven timer is suggested. 7. Once baking is complete, transfer the popcorn into two 9"x12" pans and break apart any large clumps using a wooden spoon. 8. The resulting cinnamon popcorn will cool quickly and can then be extensively taste tested before being placed into bags, tins, bowls, etc. 9. Enjoy!

'Tis the season:
some favorite Christmas memories so far 
Who doesn’t love a holiday. The decorations, the food, the extra time to connect with family and friends, it all comes together during this time of year. Following are some of my memories-in-the-making for Christmas 2015:
- Every year, I haul decorations out of my garage and it’s almost like a prelude to presents as I unwrap the lights, evergreens and wreaths. I always try to add a few enhancements annually. This year, I hung more than 80 ornaments on my front yard evergreens and added a spotlight for more illumination. It hasn’t hurt that temperatures have been unseasonably warm, with none of that pesky snow to obscure the fa-la-la-la-la.
- I also like to add a touch of whimsy inside and this year it’s a French hen stuffed toy that also doubles as a doorstop. Who can resist a chicken wearing a beret priced at 50 percent off.
- I love to collect the Spode Christmas tree patterned china, as a salute to my love of all things British (even though it’s made in China now).
- I’ve been a little too enthusiastic about holiday treats this year, with hard-to-resist gingerbread lattes and scones adding a few extra pounds. Ditto on chocolate crackle cookies and all things minty. Plus I’ve been accumulating goodies for my upcoming tea for the girls and plan to make cinnamon popcorn for my annual food gift. Oh well, there’s always lean January.

- Speaking of sweets, it was so heartwarming to buy some beautifully decorated boxes of Russian candy for my daughter -- boxes she had received as her only holiday gift during an early childhood in an otherwise bleak Russian orphanage.  The candy came from the Russian government back then but we found it online this year, from a store in New York. Her smile when it arrived was the only holiday gift I needed.
- Another early holiday gift came with the surprise arrival of my second daughter from Italy. A college student there, she hadn’t been home in nearly three years. And that meant we could organize the first-ever comprehensive four-generation family Christmas photo, with nine people ranging in age from 89 to two. The first shot was the keeper, but at least we got one that pretty much caught us all smiling. And it also became our first-ever family Christmas card photo.
- Now that I have the aforementioned two-year-old granddaughter, I have been buying her too many toys. I am unapologetic. I want to see her have the same joy I did when unwrapping lots of fun stuff on Christmas morning.
- I’m reading Christmas themed books right now, such as A Catered Christmas Cookie Exchange, and watching the wacky movie families of the Kranks and the Griswolds fumble their way through home for the holidays.
- That’s about it for now, as the anticipation builds for the arrival of Santa. I hope he can find a chimney for access to my electric fireplace. There also may be a lack of snow.

Ho, Ho, Ho.

Read and Reading

The Scent of Something Sneaky, by my cousin and very talented writer Gail Hedrick. Great read for mid-level grades and above. This is Gail's second published book featuring young intrepid sleuth Emily Sanders and I hope there are many more. 

- Better, Michigan native Amy Robach's compelling memoir about her breast cancer battle, life in television journalism and much more.
- Making Piece: Love, Loss, and the Healing Power of Pie (with recipes!) by Beth Howard.
- B is for Burglar and O Is For Outlaw. Gail introduced me to mystery writer Sue Grafton and I look forward to reading the rest of her alphabet books.
- You're Not the Boss of Me: Adventures of a Modern Mom, by Erika Schickel. The title is self explanatory.
- I'm a Stranger Here Myself: Notes on Returning to America After 20 Years Away, Bill Bryson's hilarious account of moving back to the United States after living and raising a family in England.
- Modern Woman: Eileen Ford and the Business of Beauty, by Robert Lacey.
- Love and War: Twenty Presidents, Two Daughters and Home, by James Carville and Mary Matalin.
- Always Pack a Party Dress by socialite Amanda Brooks. How the other half lives.
- A Fine Romance, Candy Bergen's memoir about the second chapter of her life.