Salted Caramel popcorn

“Anyone who thinks they’re too grown up or too sophisticated to eat caramel corn, is not invited to my house for dinner”
— Ruth Reichl

Salted Caramel Hazelnut Popcorn

The Oscars are around the corner friends, so if you are a movie buff or just like to hang out with friends and eat popcorn then this salted caramel popcorn is for you. You know the old saying with Lays potato chips that “you can’t eat just one” well same goes for this salted caramel popcorn. It is one of those sweet and salty flavors that you promise you will only eat a little and then suddenly a little turns into the entire bowl.

To keep the munchies down to a minimum however, you can put it in baggies for your guests and everyone will be delighted. It is a big hit whether you are making it for Oscar night or just to share with your foodie or even non-foodie friends. Oh and when they ask you for the recipe don’t forget to mention you saw it here first.

Happy munching friends!

 

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup Fresh Popcorn Kernels

  • 1 tablespoon coconut oil

  • 1 cup of Salted caramel (see ingredients)

  • 1/2 cup Chopped Toasted Hazelnuts

  • Fine Sea Salt, to taste

Salted Caramel (make ahead)

  • 2 cups sugar

  • 1 cup heavy cream, room temperature

  • 12 tablespoons room temperature butter cut into cubes

  • 1 tablespoon Sea Salt (Maldon is a great brand, I like and use)

 

Step 1

A day or two before make the salted caramel.  Have all ingredients ready before beginning!

 In a large flat bottomed stainless steel sauté pan with high sides or in a  non-nonstick pot heat the sugar on low-medium, pay attention as you wait for the sugar to melt.  Once you begin to see the sugar melt wait a second or two longer then slowly begin to push the sugar to the center, allowing the sugar to melt away.  Once all of the sugar has melted continuing stirring the carmel around until it reaches an amber brown color.  When at the amber color add room temperature butter and stir.  Be careful this is VERY hot! Remove the pan from the heat and stir in slowly the room temperature cream.  It will bubble up quickly so again beware but just keep stirring until everything is incorporated and melted.  Add Salt and pour into a glass container and allow to cool to room temperature. Refrigerate if not using the day of making the popcorn. Remove from refrigerator prior to cooking popcorn.

Step 2

Make the popcorn the day of for  freshness.  Have caramel at room temperature before making popcorn.

To make popcorn:  Use a medium size pot that has a handle and lid. Add the coconut oil to pot and heat on medium heat until melted.  Add popcorn kernels to pot and cover.  When you hear the first kernel pop hold the lid and shake pan back and forth over the stovetop until you hear only one or two kernels left.  Turn off heat and remove lid. Immediately dump popcorn into a large bowl.

Step 3

Pour caramel over popcorn and stir using a spatula or other non-stick utensil.  Add Chopped Hazelnuts.  Taste, and if more sea salt is needed, add, and stir to taste. Place in a large bowl or small bags and serve.

Tips

  • Never leave your caramel unattended and have all ingredients ready before beginning the process.

  • Fine Sea Salt will stick best to the popcorn and the caramel after mixing but use the finger-pinch method and add a little at a time. Remember there is salt in the caramel. TASTE,TASTE,TASTE

  • Homemade popcorn is scrumptious and once you know how to make it you will never go back to the microwave again! It can be made in almost the same time as the Microwave bag!

 

Grilled Peaches

“You could be the tastiest, most juiciest, most delicious peach out there in the world; there’s still going to be people out there who don’t like peaches .”
— Benson Henderson

Last Days of Summer with Grilled Peaches

So question for you my loyal reader were you more a cabbage patch kid or garbage pail card collector?  Tell the truth, be honest.  Or maybe you don’t even know what I am talking about because truth be told, you had to be a kid of the 80’s.

Kid trends are kind of like that, they come, they go, some come back, some don’t, but why is that? If you know could you tell me in the comments below?

 Me, I was a garbage pail card kind of kid. Why? I think because the idea of collecting things was always such a cool idea and also because they weren't actually dolls.

 I wasn't ever much of a doll kind of kid.  Stuffed animals, now that was a different thing.  I had the polar bear, the brown bear, the dog, the horse and on and on depending upon who gave me what animal or whom I could convince to buy me the next stuffed thing. But the idea of a doll with a round face that you put in a crib and took care of, changed it's diapers etc I just couldn't get into that. 

 I am talking about baby dolls with little blue or pink plastic bottles that sometimes were filled with fake milk and when you turned it upside down the milk disappeared.  I never did understand how that worked? Again does anyone? 

 Anyway, I just never got dolls. Was it some instinctual nurture to care  human beings?  Or was it because they didn't have a little brother or sister to care for already? Or maybe they wanted to imitate their mothers and what they did?  I don't know. I still don't know.  But the difference is that now we can "google" it and find out.  So I did.... Turns out there are hundreds of articles on the topic Here is one fascinating article I found. 

 Either way, whether you liked dolls, cars, trucks, stuffed animals,or collecting garbage pail kids the idea is these things take you back.

 You made memories. Some good,  

some maybe,

 not so good.

But, your brain wants to keep hanging onto them, not because you needed another doll or another stuffed animal but because each memory is a story. Your story. 

 So whether you collected garbage pail kids, cabbage patch dolls or just played and created your memories they are yours and yours alone.  

Foods can be memories too.

 Like when I made these grilled peaches this summer.  The juice oozed and the char marks blackened.  The peach flavor melted in my mouth and my summer was complete.  

Summer ends officially in just a few days.  So before you let summer go, grill up a few and make a memory.  

Goodbye Summer, I loved you everyday. Thanks for giving me great memories. 

Peaches before they go on the Grill

Ingredients

  • 3 Peaches Halved and Pits removed

  • 1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Instructions

Step 1

Heat Grill to about 400 degrees. Using a pastry brush, brush olive oil onto flesh side of peaches.

Step 2

Place Peaches flesh side down onto grill.  Cook a few minutes until peaches begin to get warm.  Remove from grill using a metal spatula and eat.

Tips

  • Grilled peaches make a great salad with tomatoes and herbs.

  • Serve grilled peaches over vanilla ice cream.  

  • No grill? Roast peaches in oven instead. You won't have the grill marks but they will still taste great

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