Popcorn Snacks Make Delicious Holiday Treats By Joyce Rosencrans
Scripps Howard News Service
There once was a man who would eat popcorn only at the movies--which is the world's most expensive place to buy it, of course. At home, popcorn can be a pennywise snack.
People have paid a lot of money for the convenience of microwaving popcorn packaged in self-cooking bags ever since the 1980s. But that raises yet another issue--overpackaging and the environmental problem of too much trash.
Every October, with Halloween party plans in the works and homegrown apples to eat, old-fashioned popcorn recipes come to mind. For these, it's fun to skip the microwaveable bags and pull out a favorite popcorn popper, be it a hand-crank style with stirrer rod attached to the lid or simply a deep pot with holes in the lid for steam to escape.
It's fun to dip into a bag full of popcorn kernels and throw some into a heated pan glazed with vegetable or coconut oil. Hurry, clap on the lid, or you'll need a broom.
Steam is everything when it comes to popcorn. With about 13 percent moisture trapped inside each kernel, it expands when heat is applied in a popper, steam forms and each kernel explodes with the pressure. It's a regular party in a pan. When the popping noises die down, the popper's job is over. Grab the kernels from the heat before they burn.
For special occasions this month, we're definitely going to butter our popcorn. It's going to be gilded and glazed and turned into globs (better known as popcorn balls). It's going to be mixed with dried cranberries, toasted walnuts and cereal squares for a big bowl of snack mix. It's going to be seasoned in unusual ways. It's an autumn thing.
First off, here's all you need to know to make the Smith family's favorite microwave caramel corn. Sure, you can pour on the butter-brown sugar mixture, toss it and bake slowly for an hour or two. But microwaving is faster and results are very similar.
The Smith family came to be associated with popcorn because of Cloid H. Smith, an Iowa farmer and entrepreneur. In 1914, he founded the American Popcorn Company in Sioux City, Iowa, and created America's first brand name popcorn--Jolly Time. Obviously, Smith passed on his business to succeeding generations savvy enough to update the family's formula for baked caramel corn to this microwave version.
Smith Family's Microwave Caramel Corn
Ingredients:
10 cups popped popcorn
1/3 cup butter
1/3 cup corn syrup
2/3 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. vanilla
Preparation:
In a 4-quart microwave-safe glass bowl, microwave butter on high until melted--about 45 seconds. Stir in corn syrup and packed brown sugar. Microwave on high until mixture boils, one to three minutes, stirring once. Microwave on high three minutes without stirring. Stir in baking soda and vanilla. Stir in popped popcorn and mix well. Microwave on 70 percent power for one more minute. Remove and stir to coat popcorn evenly. Cool on a cookie sheet. Break apart. Store in tightly covered containers.
Yield: 2-1/2 quarts
More Holiday Ideas:
To offer loose, seasoned popcorn to guests at a Halloween party, buy small colored sacks and stand them upright side-by-side. For seasoning, consider drizzling the popcorn with butter or spray with butter-flavored nonstick cooking spray to make the seasoning stick.
Consider these popcorn additions: Grated Parmesan cheese, canned fried onions, crumbled bacon, dry taco seasoning mix, Italian salad dressing mix, dill weed, chili powder, seasoned salt, basil or oregano.
(Joyce Rosencrans is food editor at The Cincinnati Post.
Additional Recipes:
Patchwork Party Mix
Coconut Honey Popcorn Balls
Easy Popcorn Haystacks
)
