I enjoy giving food gifts during the holidays. Every year I deliver at least four, and sometimes more, platters of homemade cookies and sweet breads to friends and neighbors. I also like to make goodie bags of sweet treats to put in the stockings of the male members of my family. Sometimes I make caramelized nuts, a sweet snack mix, or candy. Yes, we still hang stockings for everyone at my parents’ home – even the adults.

Every October Land O’Lakes Test Kitchens holds a bake sale to benefit the United Way. Everyone in the department rallies together to bake a multitude of yummy treats. One of the most popular treats we make is Favorite Caramel Corn. This year we plan on making approximately a dozen batches of this recipe. We then portion the caramel corn into small gift bags to sell at the bake sale to our fellow employees. We’ll have close to 100 bags of caramel corn. This event has become so popular there is typically a line of people waiting for us to open on sale day. This delicious caramel corn is one of the first treats to sell out.

With such a long and drawn out winter in Indiana this year, it seems as though spring will never arrive.  Flowers, baby animals, and plenty of sunshine - ah, the joys of springtime!