Pop Pop Pop - Feature story

Pop Pop Pop
By: Jennifer Israel

It’s 2 a.m. my body is exhausted but my mind still races – What will I write about for my essay due on Friday? I can’t wait to see the new movie with Sandra Bullock. What did I eat for dinner today … actually did I even have dinner? I can’t sleep! I fling the cotton-stuffed black comforter off my legs, and tiptoe barefoot down the hall. The buttery aroma barrels down the hall. The tile is freezing, which speeds my tiptoe into more of a skip. I reach the carpeted living room where my mom is sitting on the couch dangling her feet off the side.

She is watching a Lifetime movie marathon, of course. Every night she watches, while eating extra butter popcorn in a clear Tupperware container. And every night I join her, when no one else is awake but my mom, me, and our bag of half-eaten popcorn (she always gets a head start).

She takes a handful and sets it on the paper towel in her lap, tossing a few pieces in her mouth and wiping her hands on an ankle-long pale pink robe snug around her body. I sneak a piece – one piece, two if I’m quick enough, preserving every last taste as it melts in my mouth.

Everyone loves popcorn, the buttery, sweet, salty, crunchy mixture that actually dissolves in your mouth - what other food encompasses this delicious multi-flavored paradox? There is even an official month to celebrate the treat: October. Oh, you didn't know there was a National Popcorn Month, we didn’t either. Americans consume 17 billion quarts a year, that’s 54 bags per person annually. With 365 days in a year, my mom and I alone practically triple that statistic with our frequent fixation.

Popcorn has even more potential than the typical traditional goodness: cheesy popcorn, caramel popcorn, kettle corn. Perhaps you are a fan of Snicker doodles, the warm cinnamon sugar swirls with a hint of vanilla. Well ... snicker doodle popcorn exists! Yes, you read correctly. Snicker doodle popcorn tastes exactly like the cookie.

Popcorn can transform into any concoction imaginable and still taste incredible, whether it is dipped in chipotle sauce or chocolate sprinkles. Perhaps this explains why America’s sale of un-popped popcorn was over 900 million in 2008. It can be personalized for each consumer without ingredient restrictions or taste conflictions. In essence, popcorn makes everyone a unique creator of flavor: a specialty cook. For example, white chocolate syrup on Cheez-It would probably just make you ill, but on popcorn it could work.

Microwaveable popcorn is full proof cooking-for-dummies (like me), unless … you burn it. I experience this about 30 percent of the time. It’s nothing to be ashamed of really, it happens to all of us. Microwaves have different scales of intensity. Mine for instance, will pop almost every kernel to its fullest capacity in 3:50 minutes; however my mom’s microwave will only takes 3:00 minutes, anything more will burn half the bag. So, the next time you burn a three-ounce bag; just blame it on the microwave.

My mom and I prefer the traditional butter popcorn, but the array of choices can be fun. Even those that don’t know the difference between broiled chicken and grilled, can create a tasty masterpiece with popcorn on their side. It’s simple: pop a bag of plain or butter microwaveable popcorn, collect a few of your favorite ingredients (peanut butter or vanilla or honey or lemon or mustard - anything and everything will work) placing them in a container with the ready-to-eat popcorn, mix it all together and eat. I can’t cook scrambled eggs without burning them or presenting them soggy, but I can make (mix) marshmallow popcorn bars … fancy!

If you are not a fan of popcorn, I hope you can at least appreciate the semblance of the 1.23 gram popped kernel that was first found in the archaeological Bat Cave site in New Mexico over 60 years ago. The tiny seed has travelled across the country filling the tummies of children at baseball games and couples in movie theaters; my mom and I included.

Popcorn was shared and savored between us for eighteen years. Now, we live in different cities an hour or so away, but we will always share those memories every time we bite down on the buttery, sweet, salty, crunchy seed. All we have to do is press the popcorn button.

Simple/Quick/Easy Popcorn Recipes

Marshmallow Popcorn Bars
Makes 24 bars| Hands-On Time: 10m | Total Time: 20m

Ingredients
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, plus more for the dish
1/2 cup popcorn kernels or one 3.5-ounce package plain microwave popcorn
1 10-ounce bag marshmallows

Directions
Butter a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Pop the popcorn according to the package directions. Melt the butter and marshmallows in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth, 5 to 7 minutes. Fold in the popcorn until coated. Press into the prepared dish and let sit for 10 minutes before cutting into 24 bars.
Source: www.realsimple.com


Snicker doodle Popcorn

Ingredients
1 Tablespoon canola or vegetable oil
1/3 cup unpopped popcorn kernels
1/4 cup unsalted butter
1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt

Directions
Place oil and popcorn kernels in popcorn popper. While corn is popping, place butter and sugar in a microwave-safe small bowl and heat until butter is melted. Stir to dissolve sugar thoroughly. Stir in cinnamon and salt until combined. Place hot popcorn in a serving bowl and drizzle with butter mixture; toss to combine. Serve immediately. Makes about 5 cups.
Source: www.healthy.betterrecipes.com