Mid-Week Munch: Kettle Corn

I moved to Connecticut when I was 14.  It was part of a traumatic chain of events which thrust me into a whole new world (but not like the song).  I have to admit that previous to my stint in CT, I had been firmly planted in the "home-school weirdo" club.  Thus, along with massive culture shock and freshly-divorced-family-syndrome, I began my time at private school.  This is where my friend, Liz, comes in.  The first girl I met at my new school, she was a fiery-spirited girl with red hair to match her temperament who firmly took me by the wrist and led me into the frightening world of my peers.  I spent almost every afternoon at her house after school that first year, just two houses down, in the old white (haunted?) house with the picket fence.  Here I learned much from this aspiring basketball star/writer/lawyer including how to make kettle corn, which we usually coerced her little sister into making for us to enjoy whilst watching "Trading Spaces" on TLC every single day.  Its been years since I've had kettle corn, but I just recently picked up the habit again.  Kinda brings me back, ya know?

{Liz and me, circa 1999}

Kettle Corn is a fair classic which apparently dates back quite some time into early colonial days or something.  Popcorn kernels popped with oil and sugar and seasoned with a few dashes of salt for good measure--salty and sweet--just the ticket for a rainy afternoon, don't you agree?

Kettle Corn
serves 4-6

You will need:
1/4 cup oil
1/2 cup popcorn kernels
1/4 cup white sugar
1/2 to 1 tsp salt (I prefer coarse grained Kosher Salt--no additives to alter the taste)
Large pot with lid

To make:
In a large pot, heat oil and 3 kernels of corn over medium/medium-high heat until kernels pop.
Pour in the remaining kernels and remove from heat for 30 seconds.
Put pot back on heat and sprinkle sugar over kernels.
Cover with lid and shake pot over heat until popping slows/stops (making sure to keep shaking to avoid burning the sugar and kernels!).
Empty contents into a big bowl while sprinkling salt evenly and tossing.
Enjoy warm.


{More stories about Lizzie can be found here and here as well as on her own, very well written, blog here.}