Monday Munchies - Homemade Microwave Popcorn

I absolutely LOVE popcorn!  It makes a great low calorie snack, and is a frequent Hoffman family Sunday night dinner.  If I ever get married I think it would be awesome to have a popcorn bar with lots of toppings and candy mix-ins.  Although I love stove popped popcorn (props to the Whirley Pop), the convenience of microwave popcorn is appealing.  There are no dishes to do afterward, it's much cheaper, it's faster, you don't have to stand over the stove watching it.  But, it never tastes as good - it's too buttery, there are all sorts or weird ingredients, and it isn't as healthy as stove popped corn.  I had seen several recipes online for homemade brown bag popcorn and wondered if it would really work.  There are so many different variations, and people telling you to stand the bag up, lay the bag down, put staples in the top, just fold it, soak the kernels in water before popping, use oil, don't use oil, squeeze the air out, don't squeeze the air, it was kind of overwhelming.  Well, I think I've figured out a pretty good combination, it may not be quite perfected, but it is still pretty good.  I'll give you two recipes today, a standard recipe as well as a kettle corn recipe but the possibilities with this are almost endless!

Basic Microwave Popcorn
1/4 cup popcorn kernels (Earl May sells our favorite kernels - no nasty hulls!)
1/2 teaspoon oil (This is optional, you can just throw the kernels into the bag and pop for a healthier option)
Salt to taste (If you want to get fancy, popcorn salt is finer and gives a more even coating)

In a small bowl mix together the popcorn kernels and oil. Pour the coated corn into a brown paper lunch bag and sprinkle with salt. Fold the top of the bag over twice to seal in the ingredients. Other recipes say that you can just dump the oil and salt into the bag on top of the popcorn and shake to mix.

Instead of laying the bag on it's side like several recipes call for, I found that my kernels popped much better when I stood the bag up normally. Cook in the microwave for 2.5 - 3 minutes or until you hear a pause of about 3 seconds between pops. Open the bag carefully (it's still steamy) and pour into a serving bowl.



Microwave Kettle Corn
1/4 cup popcorn kernels
1/2 teaspoon oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla
1/4 teaspoon salt
1.5 teaspoons powdered sugar

Stir everything together until evenly coated. Pour into a brown paper lunch bag and fold the top of the bag over twice to seal.

Cook in the microwave for 2.5 - 3 minutes or until you hear a pause of about 3 seconds between pops. Open the bag carefully and pour into a serving bowl.

Adapted From: allrecipes.com