Gingerbread Popcorn

 This is from TheChunkyChef.com.  My daughter had made it one year for Brownies.  It is an odd taste.  It's not one of my favorites but it is a hit with a lot of people.

Ingredients

- 14 cups popped popcorn (try to remove unpopped kernels)

- 1 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar

- 3/4 cup unsalted butter, cubed

- 1/2 cup light corn syrup

- 1/4 cup molasses (we usually use cooking, but have also used fancy)

- 2 tsp ground ginger

- 1 tsp ground cinnamon

- pinch ground cloves

- 1/2 tsp kosher salt

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1/2 - 1 tsp vanilla extract

Instructions

1. Lightly coat a large mixing bowl with non-stick cooking spray.  Add popped popcorn and set aside.

2. Line two baking pans with parchment paper and lightly spray with non-stick cooking spray.  Set aside.  Preheat oven to 250 degrees F.

3. Add brown sugar, butter, corn syrup, molasses, ginger, cinnamon, cloves, and salt to a heavy bottomed saucepan and heat over MED heat, stirring constantly.  Bring to a boil, and then boil without stirring for 4 minutes.

4. Remove from heat and stir in vanilla and baking soda.  The caramel will foam a bit, that's okay.  Working quickly, pour the mixture over the popcorn and mix as well as you can.  If not all the popcorn is covered, that's okay, as it bakes the caramel with thin out and be easier to stir and coat.

5. Transfer the popcorn to the prepared baking pans.  Bake for 1 hour, stirring every 10-15  minutes.  Let cool in the pans, and then break apart any large clumps and store in an airtight container.

Back in Office

November 22 I went back in to work.  My wife has been going in to the office two days a week for quite some time but, this was the first time back for me since we became isolates.  I was lucky enough to be in a job where I could work from home but they feel that they miss us enough to bring us back.

 

I carried all my equipment back and was able to get everything set up and working at the new desk within an hour.  Someone had moved all of the rest of my stuff that I had left back from the before times to my new desk.  If you know anything about me, you can picture how much stuff that was. 

 

The big difference is that I’m now working on a left hand desk.  I was on a right hand desk for over ten years before we went out and on a straight desk for the last two and a half years.  I’m trying to see if I can get it to work of if it’s going to be too much of a struggle.  The last time I had a left hand desk, I had a bad kink in my shoulder within two days.  I’m working slightly differently now, but we will see how it goes.

 

On the up side, now that I am back in the office, as of Dec 7, I now have my weekends back, as my department only works from Monday through Friday.

 

Figure Painting Total - October 2022

I was hoping to get more painting done but alas.  I had thought that I was easily on track for another 100 figures this year but now we will have to see if I can get the momentum back in time.

Bought

DLB: The Curse of Oak Hill – 2

DLB: Supporting Characters – 6

 

 

 

Painted

 

 

Oct total – 8 figures bought, 0 figures painted

Running total 2022 – figures bought 189, figures painted 75

Holidays, hobby, health, and happiness

 I just finished two weeks of holidays from work.  More and more, I am liking taking the two weeks containing Halloween and Remembrance Day.   Since we aren’t doing costuming as much or conventions really, I usually take Christmas to New Years, and then these two weeks.  I try to spread my remaining holidays around the year but these two picks mean I usually don’t get anything in the July to August part of summer.

I had hoped to get a lot more hobbying done – both painting and playing some games.  Neither happened.  Well, no figure painting.

I did end up finishing painting the living room and front hall.  We finally assembled the replacement wall unit.  We went with a Besta from Ikea.  The wall it goes on isn’t quite long enough for both cabinets but we replaced the other with a Billy bookcase.  This gives plenty of space for the dvds and knick knacks.

We hadn’t really decorated much inside for Halloween, but we did decorate the yard.  The weather held this year, giving a lovely night for Trick or Treating and we had 36 kids visit.  Not a ton compared to some, but a solid number for our area.

We found time to make it to the local ComicCon, which was the first time since the new owners came in just before the lockdowns.  We didn’t go last year, but since Bruce Campbell was the guest, we were pretty much swayed.  Lea Thompson, who is filming a series locally, also ended up attending as a replacement guest at the last minute for Lou Ferrigno.  She was lovely. 

After Halloween, we transitioned right into Christmas.  We got the tree up and house redecorated.  We managed to get the winter tires on ahead of the snow fall.

My wife had taken the second week off as well and we spend the week catching up on the new season of TV.  Thursday through Sunday though, the household came down with some malaise, likely flu, and we were all just sleeping and coughing, and huddled on the couches in blankets watching TV. 

Even still, it was a pretty relaxing time off.

 

Figure Painting Total Sept 2022

 

I picked up the last two Operations for Dust Tactics that I could find.  I still need Operation Cerberus but, since that came with the building it is hard to get.  I don't need the building as I bought three of the Tenements but do want the booklet and figure.  I was also finally able to get a Green Lantern from DCU.  Now I just need to get the Justice League set.

Sept

Bought

DCU – Green Lantern – 1

Dust Tactics: Operation Hades – 1

Dust Tactics: Operation Icarus – 2

Dust Tactics Allied Pelican P-48 – 1

Dust Tactics Axis Horten HO-347 – 1

  

 

Painted

MU – Sabretooth – 1

MU – Wolverine – 1

 

 

Sept total – 6 figures bought, 2 figures painted

Running total 2022 – figures bought 181, figures painted 75

Figure Painting Total - August 2022

Bought

 

Painted

Unmatched – Deadpool – 1

Unmatched – Hell’s Kitchen – Bullseye, Daredevil – 2

Unmatched – Redemption Row – Cage, Moon Knight – 2

BM – Joker’s Gas Canisters Objective Markers – 2

DCU – Superboy – 1        

  

MU – Captain Marvel – 1

MU – Deadpool – 1

MU – Ms. Marvel – 1

SWNYC – New Yorkers – 2

 

Aug total – 0 figures bought, 13 figures painted

Running total 2022 – figures bought 175, figures painted 73

Books read - May to August 2022

 May

Dust Tactics by Olivier Zamfirescu

Street Wars NYC by Iain McDonald

Dust Warfare by Andy Chambers and Mack Martin

Dust Warfare: Campaign Book Zverograd by Andy Chambers and Mack Martin

Airframe by Michael Crichton

US Army Uniforms Europe 1944 – 1945 by Cameron P. Laughlin & John P. Langellier

Dust Warfare: Campaign Book Hades by Andy Chambers and Mack Martin

 

June

Dust Warfare: Campaign Book Icarus by Andy Chambers and Mack Martin

iWoz Computer Geek to Cult Icon: How I invented the personal computer, co-founded Apple, and had fun doing it by Steve Wozniak with Gina Smith

 

July

Commodore – a company on the edge by Brian Bagnall

Beast – Peter Benchley

 

Aug

Too Big To Fail by Andrew Ross Sorkin

The Science of Battlestar Galactica by Patrick Di Justo and Kevin R. Grazier

Colonies in Space by T. A. Heppenheimer

Let Us Dream: The Path to a Better Future by Pope Francis and Austen Ivereigh