Our oldest had his braces removed a month and a half ago, which ended his ban from certain foods, such as caramel and popcorn. While no one in our house is mad about popcorn, it is nice to be able to make this treat while watching a movie or when friends are over.
Having dined at a restaurant that served herbed popcorn in lieu of bread, it seemed like the perfect snack to try at home. I was able to do some experimenting with popcorn recipes on a recent, rainy Sunday. With two of my teens at a home (and all homework completed), we decided to watch a movie and have some snacks. This was the perfect setting to test popcorn flavors on two guinea pigs!
To keep things balanced, I made two flavors: one savory and one sweet. Using fresh herbs for the savory was an obvious choice, as we have at least a dozen herb plants at our disposal. For the sweet, it was a toss-up between caramel and cinnamon-sugar. Taking the easier option, I chose cinnamon-sugar.
My guinea pigs gave solid feedback: they liked both of them. Seeing that both bowls of popcorn were devoured in little time, they were hits. Having two opposing flavors really helped keep things in balance. No worries about being overwhelmed by salty or sweet, just take a handful of the other flavor. Simple to make and serve, these recipes will be used often, I am sure.
- Rosemary Popcorn
- 4 cups prepared popcorn*
- 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1-1/2 tablespoons fresh rosemary, minced
- salt, to taste
- Cinnamon-Sugar Popcorn
- 4 cups prepared popcorn
- 1-1/2 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1-1/2 tablespoons sugar
- 1-1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
- Place popcorn in a large bowl, and pour melted butter over it.
- Toss well.
- Sprinkle rosemary and salt over popcorn, and toss to combine.
- If making sweet popcorn, combine sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl, then sprinkle over popcorn and toss after adding butter.
- *Four cups of popcorn can be made using 1/3 cup of popcorn kernels either on stovetop or with an airpopper.
- Microwave popcorn can be used, if desired.
