Popcorn

This is a little more my pace--popcorn that takes five minutes ...

My mother instilled in myself and my sisters a love for popcorn. It's actually pretty excessive; I don't think I know anyone who likes popcorn as much as my mom. Here's the evidence: 1.) the people at Vic's Popcorn on 132nd and Center in Omaha know (or knew) my mom by name (she's a regular), 2.) if we or just she and my dad are planning on seeing a movie, my mom will purposely eat a light dinner to save room for butter popcorn, she asks for extra butter and will go back for seconds, 3.) we choose movie theaters based on the quality of their popcorn (AMC Oakview's is awful), 4.) she once sent me a 5-gallon bag of white popcorn and a 2-gallon bag of cheese popcorn before finals--the box was big enough to transport a three-year-old child.

Instead of getting a box of microwaveable popcorn at the store last time, I opted for a bag of kernels. I was without a microwave when I moved into a previous apartment. Unable to live without popcorn, I figured out that you can cook popcorn on the stove (duh, right?). My friend Lindsey gave me some spices for Christmas that flavored this popcorn nicely.

Stovetop Popcorn:
3 tablespoons oil or butter
1/3 cup popcorn kernals
salt, pepper and other seasonings
melted butter

Heat oil in a 2-quart pot, add the popcorn and cover with a lid. Once the kernals start popping, try to shake the pot a little so the already popped kernals aren't resting on the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat once popping subsides. Drizzle with melted butter and season with salt and pepper.