Some of my favorite childhood memories revolve around Sunday nights sharing a big ol’ bowl of popcorn with my Dad and brothers. Mom would always pop corn on the stove in the same beat up 2-quart saucepan that looked like it had survived a hail storm because of all the dimples hammered on the outside. I can still recall the sound of that pan scraping back and forth as she shook it over the burner. The smell would curl in tendrils throughout the house so no matter where you were or what you were doing, you knew it was time to gather when it reached your nose. Once popped, the corn was dumped into a large stoneware crock, which was what my Dad used as his bowl. Mom took hers out using a medium sized melamine bowl, which was speckled turquoise. My brothers and I, each with a cereal bowl, took turns scooping out of Dad’s big crock for our own portions. Mom always sat in her blue recliner, while Dad sat on one end of the sofa and the boys and I snuggled in to eat our popcorn and listen as he read us stories. It was also the only time we got to eat in the living room.
So nowadays, popcorn remains a favorite snack of mine! One way to make healthier popcorn is to reduce the amount of oil during popping. Forget tossing commercial microwave popcorn into your microwave, even the reduced fat, “healthy” options still include chemicals potentially harmful to your body. One of the best microwave poppers I’ve found is this glass and silicone popper. Not only does the round, pot-belly design appeal to me, it pops your corn without using any oil or chemicals at all! If you choose to add butter in the top, it will melt and drip down, but it is totally YOUR call. If you are short on storage space, another winner is this collapsible silicone microwave popper. You can pop your corn without oil and eat it right out of the popper. Toss it in the dishwasher to clean and smash it flat to store.
If you are a fan of corn popped in oil, I love this refined coconut popping oil which helps create that authentic movie theater taste. And speaking of taste…zany flavors are currently all the rage. Wake up your taste buds with the most popular Dill-Icious Pickle popcorn seasoning. You must taste it to believe it! Some like hot, right? How about Firey Hot Thai? Definitely NOT for the faint of heart. And for those of you on the sweeter side, try our French Toast or Sweet Caramel toppings. So, whether you lean sweet or savory, we’ve gotcha covered when it comes to flavor. Try these or any of our other popcorn seasonings.
Its never too late to start creating your own traditions or memories and I encourage you to make some with popcorn.
