Critters in the Hay
Source: unknown
Yield: 4 quarts

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup light corn syrup
2 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tsp pumpkin pie spice
1 tsp vanilla
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp green food color(optional)
3 1/2 quart popped popcorn; remove any unpopped kernels
1 cup 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 gumdrops. Press jaw-breakers into icing to make eyes. Place "spiders" and worm-shaped candies in popcorn. Remove wooden picks before eating.