Popcorn 101

So today I picked up Julia & Julia

....this gal Julie spent a year spent a year making every recipe in Julia Child's 'Mastering the Art of French Cooking' and blogging about it every day. Which got me to thinking that perhaps I could do something similar, but not French cooking, I'm into the whole French thing. I like Italian culture...and it'd go great in my Tuscany-painted kitchen, but I'm not a tomato sauce and pasta kind of girl. I could do it with my new Paula Deen cookbooks! That'd be darn yummy, but I don't think my doctor would like it much. So heck, I still don't know what this blog is about....but since food is on my mind lately today it's going to be about popcorn.

Love popcorn. My Mom told me that as a wedding present someone got my folks a huge tub of popcorn. I imagine there's been very few days since that you couldn't find popcorn kernels in the pantry of my parent's house. That's true for mine as well.

Anyhoo...this week I watched as Giada GoodnessOnlyKnowsHowToSpellHerLastNameItalianChick and Rachael Ray tried to show the world how to make the perfect bowl of popcorn. Nuh uh. My Momma should teach Popcorn Making 101 and seat them both in the front row. Since my Momma is not blogging this and I am and I don't make such a crummy bowl of popcorn myself...here's my recipe....

First you find the cheapest can of shortening....the one your Kroger card will work on and you have a 20 cent coupon for. The shortening that's so white there's no way it comes from nature...Momma would use butter-flavored shortening...so brightly yellow it too doesn't come from nature...or any part of nature you'd want to eat anyway.

Even though you know you can get it 30 cents a pound cheaper at the bulk place near Hubby's work but you always forget to and since you are already in Kroger pick up two bags of Kroger brand popcorn kernels....one white and one yellow (Hubby likes yellow, I like white...mix 'em together - everybody's happy).

So now you're home, getting ready to watch a spooky Halloween movie...or a CSI rerun...or some serious channel-surfing, you don't really need a reason you just want some popcorn! Go grab your 'popcorn pan'....mine is medium-sized with blackened burned grease covering the outside. Melt two or three hefty spoonfuls of shortening (Paula'd be so proud : ) Once completely melted then go ahead and throw in the popcorn kernels and turn the heat up to med-high. Now see, this is where those famous chicks went wrong...their shortening to popcorn ratio was way off. You want those kernals looking like they need to pop or else they'd drown in the shortening.

Now when I pop popcorn, I usually bust the lid open, have to pour out half the pan and quickly throw it back on the fire. It's either that or making two batches and well, I'm lazy.

As soon as it's done you slather that bowl with salt....and butter too if you're adventurous, but I've never been accused of being adventurous, so I haven't been doing the buttah thing lately. ; ) You know, moderation and all. I think my Grandma used to sprinkle her popcorn with Lawry's. Now I love me some Lawry's, but not on my popcorn. Probably the only thing I'd disagree with Grandma about.

So yeah, I just wanted to add that if I'm gonna get harrassed into updating this thing more often, ya'll better start commenting from time to time. Love ya!