Critters in the Hay

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 gumdrops.

Press jaw-breakers into icing to make eyes. Place "spiders" and worm-shaped candies in popcorn. Remove wooden picks before eating.

Makes 4 quarts.