Get Your Popcorn Ready

Like T.O. infamously said, "Get your popcorn ready."

Homemade popcorn is like homemade marshmallows — you had no clue that making it fresh would be so much more delicious from the store-bought version. Make that popcorn kettle corn, and be prepared to eat the whole bowl. "What popcorn? No, I didn't make any popcorn..."

One of my favorite recent purchases is the West Bend Stir Crazy popcorn maker — we got ours for $20 at Target around Christmas even though we had registered for it. We didn't want to wait any longer!

This recipe is so simple that I hesitate to even call it a recipe. Just a few ingredients and voila!

You don't have to use an appliance to make it either. You can also get the job done with a large, heavy saucepan. Either way, the whole process takes about 5 minutes — not a bad investment time-wise for a delicious snack. Especially one that is Superbowl-worthy!


Kettle Corn (makes 6-8 cups popped)

Ingredients:
1/2 cup popcorn
1/4 cup canola oil (vegetable oil would work too)
3 tbsp. sugar
2 tsp. kosher salt (season to taste)

Directions:

• Pour the oil and popcorn onto the surface of your popcorn maker. Once you start to hear it sizzle (about 2 minutes), sprinkle with the sugar and cover that puppy up before it starts popping!

• Watch with amazement and joy as your snack comes to fruition — that is until you don't hear any more pops. Then snap to it.
• Carefully transfer the kettle corn into a large bowl and immediately sprinkle with salt while it's still piping hot. Stir with a dinner knife or large spoon.
• Note that the sugar on the popcorn is very hot when it first comes out! Give it a couple of minutes before you dive in so you don't get burned.

If you're going to make this in a heavy saucepan, follow the first step above and cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid. Once the popcorn starts popping, grab the pan with your pot holders, securing the lid, and shake the pot for a few seconds to keep the popcorn from sticking to the bottom of the pan. Put back on the heat, and then shake it again after a few seconds, repeating this process several times until the popping stops. Transfer to a bowl once the popping is complete and salt/stir.