Take me out to the ball game,
Take me out with the crowd.
Buy me some peanuts and cracker jack,
I don’t care if I never get back,
Let me root, root, root for the home team…

Today is the first day of the 2009 World Series and unfortunately my “home” team isn’t playing in the series this year.  And that means just one thing: no nice, warm (over-priced) peanuts and cracker jack from the stadium vendor this October!  My kids and I will be watching our favorite team, the New York Yankees, take on the Philadelphia Phillies from the comfort of our own home on television.  But we all love those stadium peanuts and cracker jack.  So this year, we’re going to try making our own.  Sure, we could buy some roasted peanuts and cracker jack at the grocery, but we thought this might be more fun to try.  If you want to try your hand at making some homemade peanuts and cracker jack with your kids this year, here are two good recipes that are worth trying.  Now all you’ll need to do is find some fun little prizes to stick into your cracker jack and you’re all set!

Cracker Jack

Ingredients
4 quarts popcorn, popped
1 cup  Spanish peanuts
4 tablespoons butter
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup light corn syrup
2 tablespoons molasses
¼ teaspoon  Salt

1. Preheat oven to 250 degrees.
2. Combine popcorn and peanuts in a metal bowl or on a cookie sheet and place in preheated oven.
3. Combine all remaining ingredients in a saucepan.
4. Stirring over medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil.
5. Using a cooking thermometer, bring the mixture to the hard-ball stage (260-275 degrees). This will take about 20 to 25 minutes.
6. Remove the popcorn and peanuts from the oven.  Using a pot or bowl which is large enough to hold all of the peanuts and  popcorn, quickly combine the peanuts and popcorn and the caramel mixture, stirring and tossing to mix thoroughly using a large spoon or spatula greased with butter.. Caution: The caramel mixture is very hot, so if you’re making this with kids, you might want to have them stand clear at this point.
7. Then place them back in the oven for 15 minutes. Mix well every five minutes, so that all of the popcorn is coated.
8. Cool and store in a covered container to preserve freshness.

Yield: 4 Servings

Source: Public domain recipe

Roasted Ballpark Peanuts

Ingredients
2 pounds in-shell raw peanuts*
2 tablespoons peanut oil
1 to 2 tablespoons kosher salt

*Cooks note: If eating peanuts roasted right out of the shell, use Virginia or Valencia peanuts.

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Rinse the peanuts under cool water to remove excess dirt. Pat dry and place in a large bowl and toss with the peanut oil and salt until well coated.
3. Place on 2 half sheet pans, making sure to spread them out into a single layer. Roast in the oven for 30 to 35 minutes, rotating the pans halfway through cooking. Once you remove the peanuts from the oven, let them cool slightly before eating. They will continue to “cook” and become crunchy as they cool.

Yield: About 2 pounds of roasted peanuts

Source: This recipe comes from the inimitable Alton Brown