Heavenly Homemakers

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Stovetop Popcorn is Really This Easy?

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Stovetop popcorn has been my snack of choice lately. So quick to make, so delicious, and everybody is happy.

Stovetop popcorn is really this easy?

by Tasha Hackett

Sometimes I make burgers from scratch with homemade sweet potato fries and avocado dip and caramelized onions with balsamic vinegar. Homemaker over-achiever award, amen? And other nights I toss around apples, cheese, and popcorn and beg the children to eat and be happy while I put myself in timeout. Popcorn is versatile like that. I’ll agree that even though stovetop popcorn is not unhealthy, it doesn’t have much in the way of nutrition. But if you’re going to stuff your mouth with something salty and crunchy, stovetop popcorn is a great way to go about it.

Stovetop PopcornYum

We received an air popper for a wedding present. We used it frequently and poured melted butter over the top. Easy. Yummy. Last year, I don’t know why, I started using my large pot and the old-fashioned method and I’ve fallen in love with popcorn all over again.

Step 1: Pot for the Popcorn

Please use the biggest stock pot you have. I’ve used a smaller one, thinking I was going to make a smaller amount of popcorn. Clearly, it was a foolish choice. Just use the big one.

Step 2: Chose Your Oil

I have successfully used coconut oil (flavored, or flavorless), olive oil, bacon grease, and butter. My go-to is olive oil. Coconut oil is nice, but it’s more expensive. Butter is more likely to burn and I don’t always have bacon grease on hand—it makes a unique crisp type of corn. You should definitely try it.

Step 3: Chose Your Kernel

Truly, I have purchased all different varieties, thinking that I’m going to be scientific and compare the results. Alas, I’m too interested in eating the popcorn and therefore have yet to track any noticeable difference in the popcorn brands. If you have a preference, by all means, let us know. I will say, ten years ago I bought Mushroom Popcorn from a co-op in Kansas and there was a difference. Almost all the kernels popped with a mushroom shape. That was fun. So if you’re looking to make popcorn for gifts or something where you want each kernel to be beautifully uniform… splurge for the Mushroom Popcorn. Otherwise, meh.

And Now the How-To for Stovetop Popcorn

  • Pour (or scoop) a 1/4 cup of oil of choice into the pan. Oil makes things yummy. Don’t be afraid of it. Melt on medium heat.
  • Add 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels.
  • Add a teaspoon of fine salt. (Blend a cup of salt in your snazzy Blendtec for fabulous and cheap popcorn salt!)
  • Put the lid on your pot and wait for the magic. I used to frantically shake the pan back and forth to make sure nothing scorched or burned, but then one time I didn’t do that… and nothing scorched or burned. From then on I was flying free. I haven’t been frantically shaking the pan in months now. Just stand near and LISTEN.
  • Keep the heat on medium. Too high and your popcorn will burn. Too low and the kernels will swell and crack, but not pop.
  • Let it pop while you put away the oil and break the cheese into chunks and yell at the kids for someone to get the toddler out of the bathroom. Do the popcorn dance and when it starts to slow down, that’s your cue. Pop, Pop, Pop, Pop… and Pop, Pop… wait for it Pop… Pop… NOW remove the pan from the heat. Take the lid off.

popcorn

Eat. Smile. Stuff your face with crunchy salty popcorn goodness.

Of course, if you want to be really fancy, check out Laura’s recipes for a large selection of homemade popcorn flavors. BBQ, to Chocolate, to Ranch, and more. “But Tasha,” you say, “I thought you were on a Paleo diet that didn’t include any grains? Isn’t popcorn a grain?” OHMYGOODNESSYES. Stop judging me. Popcorn is a grain. Sadly, it is not included in a strict paleo diet. But it’s been six months and I’ve been trying new things. (Side note, I’ve been MOSTLY headache free for six months!) I’ve learned that I can do small amounts of popcorn. So there.

How do you pop the corn? Ever tried it on the stovetop? Share all your tips!

book cover of bluebird on the prairieTasha Hackett is a friend of Laura and author of Bluebird on the Prairie, a Christian romance set in 1879. She spends most of her time with four chatty children and an incredibly supportive husband. They give her the kind of love people write books about. To connect with Tasha, check out her website at www.TashaHackett.com. Follow her on IG @hackettacademy and find Laura @heavenlyhomemaker.

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The Day I Forgot To Sift the Popcorn Out of the Waffle Mix

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blueberry_waffle

Often I try to do too many things at once. Multitasking? Sometimes it just doesn’t pay off.

Take for instance the night last week our 13 year old, Justus, invited some friends over for a movie night/sleepover. You must have popcorn for a such an event, which my boys were in charge of popping since I was in the middle of making and canning tomato sauce. Somewhere in there, I had also started mixing up the waffles for our breakfast the following day. Like I always say, “why measure flour tomorrow when you can put it in a bowl tonight while you’re making tomato sauce?”

So the flour/baking powder/salt mixture sat on the counter by the popcorn maker, which was being manned by our eleven year old who had left the room. I was cranking my Victorio on the other side of the kitchen so as to get the tomato sauce in jars and in the water bath. Since I’m so careful and good at multitasking, I was also squirting tomato juice into my face and onto my flip flops. Somewhere in there, popcorn kernels began flying around the kitchen, which went unnoticed by the eleven year old who was no longer in the room, and which was noticed too late by the woman cranking out tomato sauce.

Popcorn on the floor and flying outside of the bowl? Eh, it’s happened before. After all, an air popper does like to send popcorn flying at times whether you’re watching it or not. The chief popcorn maker made his way back into the room because pre-teen intuition in the form of motherly hollering gave him a hint that something was amiss. He picked up the popcorn that had tried to escape, and started another batch in another bowl. After all, you can never have too much popcorn during a movie night. I insisted that he stay by the machine this time so as to lasso in more popcorn escapees.

Five quarts of tomato sauce and four batches of popcorn later, we cleaned the kitchen and gathered around to watch a movie.

The next morning, I set about making big stacks of waffles for all of my boys and their friends. Ironically, it was our eleven year old who was the first to find a popcorn kernel in a bite of waffle. “Mom, you accidentally got a piece of popcorn in the waffles.” (Wait – who accidentally got popcorn in the waffles, Mr. Turn On the Popcorn Machine and Walk Out of the Room?)

He and I hoped it was only that one kernel, and we were relieved that it was he who found it and not one of our guests. Our relief lasted for about three minutes, at which time one of our guests found a popcorn kernel in his waffle too. Then Justus almost broke his tooth on one. And then our other guest found one. It was one of my finer hospitality moments.

Lesson learned: Never make tomato sauce, waffles, and popcorn all at the same time. But if you do, be sure to sift your waffle mix.

This tip is, without a doubt, just as helpful as the information I shared about Freezing Peaches Whole, is it not? I make it a goal to try to continually amaze you.

Has your multitasking ever caused more trouble than efficiency?

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Mother’s Day Cake Update – Finally

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My apologies that it took so long to give you an update on what in the world my family was baking for me while I was shut into my office yesterday afternoon. As soon as the mystery dessert was finished baking, we headed out to play some “Mother’s Day Soccer”. My choice. As in, I actually chose playing soccer over taking a nap. Go figure.

By the way, if you would have told me a year ago that this year I would suggest that we play a family game of soccer in honor of Mother’s Day, I would have laughed. But indeed, now that I’m getting fit and learning to enjoy playing with my kids, I just can’t get enough. Soccer on Mother’s Day just seemed like the perfect idea. And it was.

So back to the dessert you’ve been waiting to hear about.

Oh, but another reason I couldn’t update you on this mystery earlier is because after we played soccer, we had a nacho and movie night – with popcorn. Yes, didn’t you know that it’s always good to have nachos and popcorn together? Eh, it worked and it made everyone happy.

We are pretty good popcorn makers around here, always using coconut oil to make delicious popcorn. But this time, we used a fun new recipe from the Deliciously Organic cookbook. It was fantastic. However, we did have a wild ride in the kitchen while I was making it because I didn’t use a big enough pot. You know what happens when you don’t use a big enough pot when you’re making popcorn on the stovetop? The popcorn just keeps popping, and the lid comes off the pan, and popcorn goes absolutely everywhere. Jen was over hanging out with us, and Matt was in the kitchen too – both of them being very supportive while I was standing at the stove feeling rather helpless while popcorn started overflowing and flying. Matt offered some suggestions. Jen handed me a bowl for the flying popcorn, but with it, I only managed to make a bigger mess. Oh, you should have been there to witness the madness. ;)

This is the popcorn that managed to make it into the bowl.

But really, back to the dessert you’ve been waiting to hear about.

If you can believe it, the dessert recipe they picked wasn’t chocolate. I know, shocking. But wow, was it good.

They picked a “Hot Milk Sponge Cake” recipe from my old, worn out Better Homes and Gardens Cookbook. Then, like good children, they figured out how to adapt the recipe to use healthier sugars, fats, and flours. Is that not impressive? More on that in another post.

So apparently that’s what all the beating was about. Sponge cakes take a lot of beating. Thus, the beaters were running for minutes on end. :)

Then, if you can believe it, they made a “Broiled Coconut Topping” to go on top. I’m telling you, they outdid themselves. Talk about tasty!


This cake was delicious. My family is the greatest. And without a doubt, I will look up the recipe, ask them about their adaptations, and post it for you so that your family can make it for you sometime. Or so that you can make it for them. Or whatever. ;)

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