Recipe for Nostalgia

A chef in North Carolina - Katie Button - offers diners Crackersnacks which we know more familiarly as Cracker Jacks.  Remember them?  Frit0-Lay owns it now but the initial mention of this "first junk food" was in 1869 when it was registered  by a German immigrant named Frederick "Fritz" Rueckheim.

Sailor Jack, the boy on the front of the box, and his dog Bingo were real.  Jack was a son of one of the partners; he died of pneumonia at just eight years of age.  Bingo was a stray, adopted into the family. 

In 1908 Cracker Jack's got national notice when the song "Take Me Out to the Ballgame" was introduced and became popular.

Conversely a reference to the prize found in each box became something of an insult because people would say about something new and/or cheap - "Oh, it came in a Cracker Jack box."  Ouch.

The recipe says that they will keep in an airtight container for up to a week.  This means you could ship them as Christmas snacks...

CRACKERSNACKS
1/4 cup plus 2 T canola oil
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1 cup salted, roasted peanuts (go upscale and use almonds or pistachios for Cadillac Jacks)
1/4 teas. ground cumin
1/4 teas. ground cinnamon
 1/8 teas. sweet, smoked paprika
pinch of cayenne
1 cup plus 2 T sugar
1 1/2 teas. kosher salt

Heat 2 T of the canola oil and pop the corn.  Put it in a large bowl and add the peanuts, cumin, cinnamon, paprika and cayenne and toss well. 

Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside.  Put the rest of the oil in a saucepan and add the sugar, salt and 1/4 cup of water.  Bring it to a boil and then stir until it's a light amber color.  Pour it over the popcorn and use spoons to toss until it's well mixed.  Let it sit in the baking sheet until it's set and then break it into clumps. 

You'll be saying, "This is crackerjack!" (meaning good.)