Kettle Corn

Right when I thought we could turn off the heater until next fall, we're hit with a cold and rainy spell in Bismarck. Not that I'm complaining, as my garden loves a good rain, but it is a little disappointing when everyone's weekend plans in June revolve around sun and fun. No pontooning this weekend. No car show in Mandan. No grilling...ok, we still grilled up some fish. We're diehards.

So on a rainy afternoon, I went to Joy the Baker's blog. It's pure sunshine. Opening her website, you can almost hear the birds chirping in the temperate climate zone perfection that is California. Do Californians understand how lucky they are? Oh, but wait...I guess they have to deal with traffic, crime, high taxes and property costs, that crazy governor, etc etc...

Well, no place is perfect, but sometimes I'm really really happy to live where I do.

Anyway, Joy was making kettle corn. It took me all of three seconds to read her post, glance at the dreary skies outside, dash into the kitchen, and get my popcorn kettle ready to go. Suddenly I was transported to countless street fairs in the heat of summer, the kettle corn vendors hawking their sweet-salty wares for $5 a bag. What a racket. But I still buy it, along with my $9 gyro. It's all about atmosphere.

Warning: if you try to eat the whole bowl, you'll probably get a tummy ache. Trust me on this one.

The recipe is copied straight off of Joy's blog. I'm not messing with it.

Homemade Kettle Corn

1/2 cup popcorn

1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil

3 tablespoons sugar

Salt to taste

Heat oil in a large, heavy saucepan over medium heat. Make sure that it’s a pan that you can easily lift and shake in the air. Have two pot holders on hand. Once the oil is hot, pour in the popcorn, sprinkle sugar on top and cover.

It will take a few minutes for the first pops, but once the popcorn starts popping, shake continuously until the popcorn is popped. This means that, once the popcorn really starts going, you’ll want to grab the pot with your pot holders, securing the lid, and shake the pot above the flame of the stove for a few seconds, return to the heat, and repeat this process several times throughout the popping process. This will prevent the popcorn from sticking to the bottom of the pan and burning.

Transfer to a serving bowl, salt lightly, and mix. The sugar will still be hot, and the popcorn may be sticky. The popcorn will dry as it cools.