January 10th, 2020

I don't know if you've read the same articles that I have.  So just in case you didn't, it seems that  popcorn is now considered a snack that is Not Altogether Bad for you.  Apparently, unless something tastes nasty and you don't like it, a snack isn't considered completely good for you.  So all things considered "Not Altogether Bad"  is high praise indeed.

I do know that popcorn is a high fiber food and that gives it good marks right away.  I suppose that the  more you fiddle with it, adding yummy flavours and spices, the more quickly it slips down that slope from 'not altogether unhealthy" to bad, bad, bad.  I don't care.  I saw it on the Not Altogether Bad snack list and there it shall forever stay.

And bonus points, Popcorn is yummy ;)

And Tim and I both happen to be popcorn fans.   If we go to the movies, that is often Tim's go-to movie snack.  Oddly that is not what I opt for.  The perfect going out to the movie theater treat for me is Milk Duds. don't know why, Just know that it is.  While I am usually the person who questions everything, there are some things that I just accept as true.  This is one of them.  If I'm watching a movie at home though?  Popcorn, totally.

I almost always have a box of microwave popcorn in the pantry.  And in fact, it's not unusual for me to have some piping hot out of the microwave popcorn as a meal!  There is something about the fragrance of it that is very satisfying. And then the crunch!  Oh my, that crunch is all things wonderful.  And popcorn filling without being heavy. Relatively low on calories. So yes to popcorn.

When we lived in Colorado, someone once gave us an old fashioned popcorn maker.  It looked almost like a stock pot but with a lid that had a turning handle in it.  The handle turned a.....I don't know what to call it....a curved piece inside to keep the kernels moving as they cooked.  It wasn't that difficult to add some oil and some popcorn, some flavouring if we wished, turned the burner on and turn, baby turn until we were rewarded with an entire vat of fluffy white yummy kernels.

We sold at it our moving to Florida yard sale.  It went quickly and we included all of the jars of popcorn and popcorn flavourings. It was a bargain.

As a kid, I recall the rare occasion when my mother bought Jiffy Pop!  Shake shake shaking it over the stove burner as the container grew larger and larger still until we were certain it was going to explode!   I don't recall the flavour so I'm not sure if it actually tasted good.  I think perhaps it was more of a fun activity. Hmmmm.

My friend Marsha occasionally makes caramel corn. And it is, without question the best, most amazing caramel corn I have ever had. Ever!  and the best part is that she shares :)   She even shared the recipe with me so that - if I chose to - I could make it my own damned self.  I even did....once.

But anyway there you go. Clearly, we are clearly a popcorn loving family.  So it was with absolute delight that we opened our gift from Middle son and his wife.  (Thank you Corbin and Julie!!!)  It was an large canvas bag filled with various flavours of popcorn, each in it's own separate bag.  I wish I had thought to take a picture of all of the many varieties before we fell on it like starving hyenas.  What you see above is all that is left.

Some of the flavours were the good old standards but some were positively creative! Let's see there was cheddar, caramel and a lovely combination of the two.  There was a salt & pepper popcorn which was very interesting and actually once I got used it I quite liked it. And then there was the cinnamon sugar which might have been my favourite.  I also remember the S'mores popcorn which was so good it ought to be against the law.  There were also a few others whose names escape me at the moment, in addition to the ones shown above. Oh my gosh!  We have been pigging out on popcorn in a big sort of way.  It's only been a few weeks since Christmas right?  And these three bags are all that are left. Oh dear. 

Go get some popcorn, whether it's creatively flavoured or one of the classic standards, and watch a good movie this weekend!  It's fine, remember? Popcorn is a Not Altogether Bad snack, so it's okay ;)