Spiced Kettle Corn!

Who doesn't love kettle corn right!? Well okay, maybe I shouldn't start out assuming everyone loves kettle corn because my brother, for one, does not. He's into the super unhealthy, movie theater, drenched with butter, popcorn. I guess for him if it's not artery clogging, it's not delicious, so unfortunately this was not his favorite but that didn't stop him from grabbing a handful anyways.

It's been a while since I've made popcorn the old fashion way; it's been a while since I've made any popcorn for that matter. The last time I think was about a year ago...popcorn is not something I crave very often. Being the frugal (except when it comes to kitchen, craft, or food, then all that goes out the window) spender that I am, I almost never buy popcorn in the theaters plus my body hates me every time I eat that stuff...the butter or grease or whatever the yellow stuff is and my body does not agree very well anymore. As yummy as it once was (probably still is) I prefer to avoid the crap feeling that likes to follow after eating it.

The last time I've had any movie theater popcorn was probably when the 6th Harry Potter movie came out in theaters and I only remember because it was so hilarious. My friend was lucky enough to have won pre-release movie tickets and knowing I was a HUGE Harry Potter fan she decided to take me! Well we got to the theater and since the movie was free, decided we can afford some popcorn... 2 feet before we reached the theater entrance something happens and it was popcorn everywhere! We felt so bad we attempted to ask for a broom so we can clean it up but sadly we were not allow to do that. Even though the employees there kept saying it was okay, deep down I knew it wasn't...deep down I also knew we were going to be part of the fun stories of the day. 

Anyways so what inspired me to pop some corn? Well my friend is back in the area for a bit from her optometry residency and as part of "girl's afternoon" I bought over a movie (Sparkle featuring Jordan Sparks and Whitney Houston) and suggested making some kettle corn for fun. Unfortunately we never got around to making any popcorn just movie. My heart was set on making some kettle corn and once that's set, it was going to take place. Rather than making it with her, I ended up venturing into the kettle corn on my own. Originally I was just going to make the kettle corn from //Kettle Corn//Allrecipes.com which I've made before but then a small light went on, and I thought "what if....I added some spices..? Some ground black pepper, garlic salt, and tiny bit of cumin." What a combination of flavors, sweet and salty with a hint of black pepper and cumin, it's perfect! These also reminded me of the bagged popcorn I've bought at Whole Foods a while back, those were so addicting and now I can make my own, that's always exciting not to have to depend on the store.

Recipe adapted from Kettle Corn from Allrecipes.com

(Printable Recipe Here) 

Makes 10 cups

Ingredients:

• ½ cup un-popped popcorn kernels
• ¼ cup olive oil (garlic infused even better)
• ¼ cup of white sugar
• ¼ tsp ground black pepper
• ¼ tsp garlic salt
• ¼ tsp ground cumin

Procedures:

1. Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat, throw in 3 kernels in with the oil and cover the pot. Once the 3 kernels pop that means the oil is hot enough.
2. Once the oil is hot, stir in the kernels and sugar. Cover the pot and constantly shake the pot to keep the sugar from burning. Lift the pot off the stove once the popping has begun and continue shaking the pot above the fire (lowering once in a while) until the popping begins to cease to once every 2-3 seconds.
3. Remove from heat and shake until popping has stopped. Lift the lid and add in spices, cover, and then shake some more to incorporate the spices into the popcorn.
4. Pour into bowl allowing it to cool, stir if necessary to break up large clumps.