Popcorn

I love a nice big bowl of popcorn.  Restraint isn't even attempted when I've got a bowl in my lap.  But popcorn from a microwaveable bag is gross and when consumed, I'd always feel awful after.  It's been a long time since I purchased a box of bags of the stuff - I just can't wrap my head around the fact that the inside of the bag flavors the popcorn for you.  Wouldn't you rather just melt real butter and put real salt over the top... amiright?  If this isn't a good enough reason to stay away from the stuff then mayhaps this won't interest you.  However, I think it's worth noting that even if it's been proven that microwaveable popcorn doesn't cause lung cancer, it's likely that it's probably not a good idea to consume it.

One suitable alternative to bags of microwave popcorn are the kernels you can buy and pop in a pot - much healthier and safer and you can flavor however you like.  But, how about you take it one step further and try it from an actual cob of popping corn!

I dropped by Green City Market a couple of weeks ago and one of the stands was selling cobs of popping corn for $1 a piece.  I've read many positive articles about people who've tried it so I decided to give it a try. It was recommended to me that I put it into a paper bag and microwave it to contain the mess, but I couldn't handle not watching it pop for my first time... it made a bit of a mess, but was totally worth it.  I microwaved it for about 4 minutes and ended up with a wonderfully hot and fresh bowl of popcorn.  Flavor however you like - melted butter, cheese, truffle oil, spice blends, hot caramel - and you've got a delicious snack that you can use for entertaining or for a quiet night in on the couch.

I think if I heated it in a bag more kernels would have popped - it will take a bit of experimenting to get the perfect recipe down, but I'm up for the challenge.  There were plenty of cobs to go around at the market - try it out!