Critters in the hay

MMMMM----- Recipe via Meal-Master (tm) v8.04
  
       Title: Critters in the Hay
  Categories: Popcorn, Holidays, Kids, Halloween
       Yield: 4 quarts
  
 MMMMM--------------------FROM JONI'S KITCHEN-------------------------
   1 1/2 c  Sugar
       1 c  Light corn syrup
       2 tb Butter
   1 1/2 ts Pumpkin pie spice
       1 ts Vanilla
     1/2 ts Salt
     1/2 ts Green food color(optional)
   3 1/2 qt Popped popcorn; remove any
            -unpopped kernals
       1 c  Candy corn
            -Licorice ropes;black
            -wooden picks
            -small black gum drops or
            -other small black candies
            -red decorating icing
            -tiny red jaw-breakers candy
            -wormshape candies
  
   In Dutch oven, bring sugar,corn syrup and butter to a boil; boil 2 1/2
   minutes. Stir in pumpkin pie spice,vanilla,salt and food coloring(if
   desired) mix until evenly colored. Add popcorn and toss until evenly
   coated. Spread popcorn mixture in a single layer on greased sheets of
   foil and allow to cool and harden. Break into bite-size pieces and
   mix with candy corn in a wide shallow bowl; set aside. To make
   spiders, cut licorice into 2 inch lengths. To make legs, starting at
   one end, make three 1/2 inch to 3/4 inch cuts to make four legs.
   Repeat cuts at opposite end. Leave about 1/2 inch in center uncut.
   Gently pull legs apart and curl down. Push wooden pick through center
   of body, leaving about 1/4 inch exposed on top. Push one gumdrop onto
   exposed pick to make a body. Using writing tip of decorating icing,
   squeeze two small dots of icing into gumbrops. Press jaw-breakers
   into icing to make eyes. Place"spiders" and worm-shaped candies in
   popcorn. Remove wooden picks before eating. Makes 4 quarts.
  
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