Popcorn

Let's talk about popcorn. And not those microwave bags either, it seems many of us have forgotten that the prepackaged bags with who knows what in them were not always the way we got popcorn at home. Popcorn is an easy, delicious, not to mention high in fiber treat, that doesn't have to have all those added who knows what in it. I can remember as a kid we used to use an air popper and pop a large batch of popcorn into a paper shopping bag to then douse in melted butter in salt. YUM. However Lilly and I do not have (nor particularly have the room in our cabinets for) an air popper. Luckily though Lilly grew up using neither an air popper nor microwave popcorn. She makes it old school. Like on the stove. Which I thought was tricky, but turns out, it's pretty easy, though it is a bit more hands on. First we drizzle a little oil to coat the bottom of a pot (we use olive oil).

Then we pour enough kernels in to just about cover the bottom of the pan in a single layer. The lid goes on the pot, we turn on the heat and wait (you may not be able to see it in the picture below, but the stove is on). Every 30 seconds or so I swish the pot around so that the kernels move and don't just sit still in one place. Once I hear the first few pops (which does take a few minutes) I try and keep the pot in constant motion with a little shaking, so that the popped kernels don't get burned from sitting on the bottom of the pan.

Eventually the popping slows and then all but stops, much like making it in the microwave, and it's time to turn off the heat and remove the lid. Viola! Popcorn!

   

I don't care what anyone says, popcorn and melted butter were made for each other. So melt some butter. Then drizzle it on. My preferred seasoning on popcorn these days is this little concoction I have in a baby food jar in our cupboard. Good news, it tastes amazing. Bad news I'm not entirely sure what I put in it. It definitely has sea salt, parmesan cheese and curry powder. It might have season salt, cayenne pepper and/or garlic powder? To be honest though, all of those things in the right proportions would taste great on popcorn. I will warn you though that when dealing with seasonings beyond the salt and cheese, less tends to be more, the first time I seasoned my popcorn with this I used more than I needed and I regretted it. Sprinkle a little on, stir it up, and taste it. You can always add more, but it's harder to take it back. 

So put on a movie, make some popcorn and enjoy! See you next Tuesday kids!