n 1893 two brothers, Fred and Louis Ruekheim, German immigrants to Chicago, came up with the idea of covering popcorn with molasses. In 1893, Cracker Jacks, a delicious mixture of popcorn, molasses, and peanuts, showed up at the 1896 Columbian Exposition at Chicago. Cracker Jacks is the great grandfather of this fantastic recipe that is tastier and healthier than the store-bought kind available today and super-easy to make.

Ingredients:

3 packages Healthy Choice unbuttered microwave popcorn
2 sticks salted butter
2 c brown sugar firmly packed
1/2 c light Karo syrup
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp cream of tartar

Preparation:

1. Heat oven to 200 degrees.
2. Cook popcorn according to direction on package, then pick uncooked kernels out. Place popcorn in large container in oven.
3. In a heavy saucepan combine butter, brown sugar, and Karo syrup and boil for 5 minutes. Mix in the baking soday and cream of tartar.
4. Pour over popcorn and mix well.
5. Leave in the oven for 1 hour at 200 degrees.