This afternoon, after a set of ABCs and coloring, when my teacher chimed the bell that meant snack time had arrived, I decided I would pop some popcorn.
This box is a sample of gourmet popcorn that I’m testing out for OpenSky. It comes in Maple + Sea Salt, Lemon + Sea Salt and Parmesan Rosemary, which I tried today. Love the simple + natural packaging and contents.
You pop the popcorn in the bag just like regular microwave popcorn – and then you add the flavorings via little packets and shake them away. I loved this because you can really make your popcorn to taste (for example, I went lighter on the canola oil in packet 1 and heavier on the parmesan rosemary seasoning!)
Loved the writing on the box – burning popcorn is scary! But these words of encouragement gave me the confidence to set my microwave to 3 minutes and wait.
So someone please tell me why this happened after only TWO minutes!?
Sniff. Luckily I was able to remove the giant ball of burn and salvage the rest.
And the verdict was that it was DELICIOUS!! When I was little, my mom used to make popcorn for a snack all.the.time. in the afternoons. Thus, the smell of popcorn reminds me of Nickelodeon and Full House! Really, really loved these flavors!
The rest of the afternoon was spent pretending I was a walking sleeping bag. SO COLD in this house. I had a make-out session with my hair dryer too.
Supper tonight was spaghetti with meat sauce!!
Specifically, grass-fed ground beef with Whole Foods Roasted Pepper tomato sauce, wilted kale, Garlic Gold Italian nuggets and this new spice by the Delicious Dietitian that I am also taste testing. Three thumbs up for natural, delicious and dietitians!
For the sauce, first I browned the meat. I never crave chicken. Or fish. Or eggs. Sometimes they sound good but I don’t crave them. Grass-fed beef, however, particularly grass-fed and all its flavor, I C R A V E. Usually about once a month. No idea if it’s the iron or protein or comfort-food-ness, but a craving two days ago had me defrosting a pound I bought at the farmer’s market and turned it into sketti.
The sauce and kale went on top along with the seasonings
And it simma-downed into a nice sauce
Served over whole wheat spaghetti
And with a slice of Rosemary Garlic bread –
Going to warm up some more under the throw blankets on our couch – g’night!
{ 99 comments… read them below or add one }
Gosh, did we really have popcorn that much? Come on home, I’ll pop you a bag, although I can’t promise I won’t burn it. I burned a bag majorly a few weeks ago and it took days to get the smell out of the microwave.
I absolutely LOVE that packaging!I’m a huge fan of popcorn…but usually stick to the plain salt.
Your dinner looks delicious!
What a small world, I was actually in the process of making stove top popcorn when I read your post! How funny.
Dinner looks warm and cozy!
Lemon & sea salt popcorn sounds awesome! Too bad some of it burned.
Your dinner looks so beautiful, rustic, and of course delicious! Totally agree with you about this cold! It’s currently 28 but feels much much colder! Definitely an appropriate dinner for such a cold night
Do you have a metal rack in your microwave? If so, you’ll need to take it out and set the popcorn on the regular glass tray on the bottom. Otherwise, this is exactly what will happen!
Hmm…our microwave is a broiler on the bottom…but that’s totally separate from the microwave. But maybe the coils still heated underneath and interfered!?
Hi Kath,
Thanks SO much for reviewing Quinn Popcorn! That’s awesome.
Sadly, you were not kidding when you said, ” Pop-n-Burn”!
What kind of microwave do you have?
Since we have taken out all of the chemicals and the susceptor, our bag pops differently in each microwave. So, if you have an older microwave, it might not work as well. If you don’t have an older microwave, then 3 min, or even 2 min, is way too long!
Do you have a turn table? If not, that could be a huge problem in some microwaves.
Once you hear the popping slow to 2 seconds apart, it’s time to pull the bag!
The big pointer here is that Batch 2 works much better than Batch 1! Our paper is stronger, and the yield is greater. Plus, we have tweaked the bag instructions as well, and instead of saying “set on high for 3 min, STAY & LISTEN” which I have to admit is confusing, we say, ” Steady: Every Microwave is Different & Popping time can vary from 1:30 to 3:00. Listen carefully to find YOUR popping time….. Start on high for 3:00″
Hope this helps. That all said, would love to send you a 3pk of Batch 2. Please contact me directly so we can throw it in the mail today!
Thanks again, and cheers to a very healthy and happy 2012!
Kristy
Hey Kristy!
I think I just wanted every kernel to pop and 2 seconds seemed more like 1 to me
I’m going to try again this week with my second bag and will definitely listen more closely! The flavors were awesome 
Thanks for stopping by!
Hey Kath!
Happy to send you more, just let me know where to send to! You can reach me through website!
Talk soon, and thanks again!
Kristy
I love the packaging on that stuff but man the burn brought back awful memories when that would happen at the office and it reeked the rest of the day! LOL!
I think I know what I’m having for dinner tomorrow! That looks amazing!
i actually love burnt microwave popcorn. unfortunately not the smell, though…
I have intense beef cravings as well but more like 1-2 times/ week. Love it so much!
oh man, you totally have me craving comfort food now! yum!
Our house is freezing too. 62 is far too cold for me. I always have on slippers and a blanket. I also carry around tea and coffee too, everywhere.
Oh sad–was your microwave on too high??
i HATE burnt popcorn–but those flavors sound delish!
I love popcorn! Lately, I’ve been putting my own kernals into a paper bag and popping it in the microwave… that is until this weekend. The paper bag got caught in the top of my microwave and within 10 seconds of starting, we had ourself a fire. Not good.
I do that too but I’ve avoided a fire thus far, hope the microwave is okay!
I always pop mine in a paper bag too, and have for years (at least ten). Never any problem w/ it catching fire. I use the popcorn setting (3 minutes).
Good to know about the fire. I have tried this before and loved it. No fires with the popcorn, but we have had small fires with other things. Scary!
Kris, how much popcorn do you put in the bag?
I put a little more than an 1/8 of a cup in a lunch size paper bag and roll the top down three or four times. I use the popcorn setting which is three minutes, and is usually just about perfect. There will be some old maids/unpopped kernels.
mmmmm..I had some popcorn today too! I picked up some vegan carmel popcorn from whole foods and it was awesome!
I was all fascinated with the popcorn (love the packaging!) but then was dismayed to see the ball of burn – especially since my microwave is temperamental to begin with.
Popcorn reminds me of Nickelodeon and Full House too!! That is too funny!! It sounds absolutely delicious – even despite the burn
Dinner looks fab and fresh as always. Good luck keeping warm!
My space heater and I have been best friends this week! Brrrrrrrr
I love popcorn and eat it all the time but there is nothing worse than the smell of burnt popcorn. One of those lingering smells that just hangs on…forever!
That popcorn (the non burned parts…ha!) sounds delish. Cute concept, too!
Why’s the new place so cold?
The old place was colder!
There’s nothing worse than the smell of burnt popcorn – someone continues to kill theirs in my office.
Love the flavor idea though! It’s so easy to make your own – I like to do jalapeno-tequila-lime in the spring.
That popcorn sounds so good. I’ve been lovin’ popcorn with lots of nutritional yeast lately. So tasty. I have been using my new microwave air popper; works like a dream as long as I don’t turn my back for too long.
Your dinner looks SO good, too. I want!
I recently bought a new microwave and was always burning my popcorn after only 2 1/2 minutes till I realized that I have a popcorn setting. When I push it once it’s only 1.75 minutes or somethings like that but when I pushed it twice it come up to 2 minutes something and now my popcorn is always perfect and there’s only a few unpop kernels left! (sorry for my bad english…I’m a french canadian)
Vous parlez très bien anglais
Merci!
That popcorn looks delicious! I love the beautiful simplistic packaging too!
Sounds like you prefer the flavors over the popcorn… and true homemade popcorn is easy! Those simple ingredients make it sound so DIY!
I’ll tell you what, it’s hard to find a microwave that pops popcorn perfectly! My mom’s microwave is amazing. Just push the popcorn setting, and you’re good to go. It pops perfectly and leaves like 5 unpopped kernals, I kid you not. I think it’s a Sharp? My microwave on the other hand…I have to rely on the “wait for the pops to slow down…” method. Not reliable in the least! Cute product you’ve got there. I love the humor and the pep talk: “Take a deep breath, you’ve got this!” =) Stay warm, I finally turned my heat on today thanks to this lovely cold front. Thermostat is set to a balmy 59°…
I have noticed on my popcorn at home it says “this side up”. Was the bag upside down when you microwaved it? I seem to remember burning popcorn once when I did not place the bag on the right side. Hope this helps
Pretty sure it was the other way – I flipped it over to show the burn on the bottom
I LOVE air popped popcorn and make stove top popcorn for the boys all the time. Love the crunch for a fun snack!
On cold nights I do the same thing with my hair dryer when I get out of the shower. Sometimes I stay in the shower for 5-10 extra minutes just willing myself out into the cold bathroom. I hate the winter!
I’m the same way. I crank the heat up in the apartment for when I get out. But I’m considering getting a warm robe to slip into
Fun flavors for the popcorn! The maple sea salt sounds especially delicious! I am in love with sweet and salty combos!
Do you plan your meals ahead of time or go by what you feel like that day? I rarely see spaghetti in your meals so this was a nice change!
That popcorn sounds delicious. Especially the maple one. I need to add more veggies to our pasta sauce. Thanks for the reminder
There’s a few of my readers who could really benefit from reading all the material you have on eating real food! Also, your blog posts have a lot of photos, and I appreciate that. Keep posting!
Thanks and welcome James!
I remember eating microwave popcorn with flavor packets/seasonings as a kid. They had cheese and other flavors. Probably totally unnatural but tasted so good! I love popcorn but it hurts my stomach now. I always wonder if its too much fiber or something?
Too bad about the burned bag! I made popcorn yesterday and today. Yesterday’s plain, today’s with nooch, cumin and chili powder (found the recipe online). I also saw an interesting recipe for vanilla popcorn that used a vanilla bean and a small amount of sugar.
Our house is cold too — we’re having a cold front in FL — so I’m drinking lots of tea, bundling up myself and the dog in sweaters.
Oooo yum!
Did you just say you had a make out session with your hair dryer? I just laughed out loud! Too funny. Stay warm! Hot bath? And minus the burnt kernels, that popcorn looks worth trying
I think that when popping corn in the microwave the trick is to listen. I don’t look at the time on the package at all. So start with a large time like 3:00 on the package, and listen. At first, nothing, then some popping, then A LOT of popping, and as soon as the popping starts to die down its done. You might get SOME unpopped kernels, but to me that’s way better than a burnt bag. Try it!
Marie, I do this too! I lose some kernals, but I prefer the quality of the poprn over the quantity.
I wear a coat in the house 80% of the time during the winter! I’ve actually burned my coat sleeves on our stove before…eek! Hope you got warm.
Mmmm… that looks AMAZING!
Maple and Sea Salt?!? Whaaa?!!! I want some, badly. Maple is my favorite fall/winter flavor. I bought brown sugar maple creamer today, it would be perfect with that popcorn. Oh well, i’ll just come up with my own.
Ahaha. Complaints about cold
We had -20C, -28C with the wind chill factor yesterday. That’s what, -20F??
#BrainfreezingfeetnumbingCanada
Do you have a high wattage microwave? I know lots of time that is a major problem, so maybe lower your power settings the next time you do it to say only 50% power or 75%. For me I have the popcorn setting and still have to set it lower than the actual oz on the bag to get it not burnt.
LOVE Quinn popcorn. I burned the first bag too! It just needs less time I think. The 2nd and 3rd bags came out fine! Quinn popcorn was on a website months ago, where you gave a small monetary contribution, and in turn they took the $$$ and built the business!! They are such a cute couple!!
I have burnt a few bags of popcorn myself. But, for some reason, I do not mind the taste of charred popcorn
It.Is.Freezing.Cold.Outside! It is not really that cold, but it is cold!
http://faithfulsolutions.blogspot.com/
I can’t stand when the popcorn bag burns! Very frustrating.. and there’s nothing like hot a spaghetti dinner on a cold night!
That looks like a neat idea/product for microwave popcorn! In college, I popped an old bag in the microwave and it caught on fire, setting off the smoke alarms, and sending everyone in my dorm into the street! Just a little embarrassing!
We never own(ed) a microwave and I was always so jealous of the kids that could make microwaveable popcorn! Now even more so
Its crazy how different every microwave is, even if the wattage is the same. The microwave I have now can cook a small red potato in 2 and a half minutes, while my old one would take around 4-5. I never trust times with popcorn I just listen. I kinda like popcorn that is a little burned so glad you were able to salvage it!
Also, I have been reading your blog since late 2008 (yikes!) and just wanted to say that I have missed more of your writing/personality along with the pictures of your meals. I thought this entry was wonderful in that aspect.
1. You need a Forever Lazy. Warmth plus an “escape hatch.”
2. My husband started making popcorn by using bulk popcorn and a paper lunch sack.
I love the packaging on that popcorn! Lately I’ve been popping my own using the stovetop method, but the different seasonings would make my popcorn way more fun
Burning popcorn is totally scary – I’ve definitely had to evacuate a work place or two because of a burnt popcorn related fire alarm.
I love popcorn, but only air pop.
You’ve managed to make even burnt popcorn look beautiful. way to go, kath!
Your dinner looks FAB!
Love popcorn! Growing up we had one of those popcorn machines. When I got married my husband nixed microwaves so he will occasionally make some on the stove top. He had perfected them. All they need is a little olive oil, salt and pepper… Mmm! He also does Kettle Corn, too, and it’s amazing. When I was doing my Lenten fast I put some Nutritional Yeast on and that was pretty darn good. I’m going to have to try some lemon next time!
Hahah wow your dinner is so fitting, considering the fact that it’s National Spaghetti Day!
I actually got a press release about that! Subconscious!
Is there no heat in your house? What about a fireplace? I decided long ago that life was just too short to be cold in my own house. When we lived in Korea they use floor heating (called ondal), which was divine!
I am also wondering if you ever cook using coconut oil? I think its intriguing, but not sure of a good use for it.
No fireplace
I do cook with coconut oil – mostly in the summer
I don´t know how you do it, Kath, but you make every food look absolutely delicious!
Popcorn…. mmmmmm….that reminds me of work, I clean a movie theater and we clean popcorn off the floor!
We don’t actually eat it anymore! LOL
The worst part is when the staff puts too much butter in the bags and the butter leaches out and covers the floor with a grease so dangerous that we have slipped and fallen on our backside at least twice each…. YES, we did eventually learn to look at the floor before we stepped in between the seats now!
oh yum, those look incredible! Sounds like my kind of breakfast.
Your dinner looks fabulous. Did you know it was National Spaghetti day? You must have. Popcorn is so hard to make…I actually think the homemade stuff on the stove top is much easier to make than the microwave stuff.
I love the idea of natural popcorn!
My husband and I are popcorn addicts. We have an air popper and buy rainbow kernels in bulk from my co-op. For emergencies, I keep a box of Whole Foods plain popcorn in my pantry, which is really tasty (even with no butter or salt!)- but I am known to burn it every time. I like to flavor mine with melted coconut spread (Earth Balance) and smoked sea salt. Yumm.
Sometimes spaghetti with meat sauce is the best dinner in the world- so comforting. I’m with ya on the grass-fed beef too. I won’t buy anything else- it doesn’t even compare.
I crave beef about once a month too. And maybe it’s just all in my head, but I always feel amazing and so full of energy the day after I eat it!
The maple and sea salt flavor of popcorn sounds so good! Perhaps I will try that flavor combination at home.
I am notorious for burning popcorn. I used to be that person at work who would stink up the entire office with burnt popcorn, and it takes forever for the smell to go away. My co-workers loved me.
Love popcorn! My son has dairy allergies so we just air pop, spritz with canola oil and toss with sea salt…yummy and healthy! I love the packaging and simple ingredients…lemon and sea salt sounds interesting! Love the idea of adding kale to your sauce…not sure the kids would appreciate it but I could do mine separately…I do hide carrots and celery in the sauce and use a hand blender to make it all disappear…green may be harder to disguise. lol They’ve caught on to my little secret…luckily they love my sauce so I am still getting away with it.
I’m not usually into pasta, but this has me craving pasta for breakfast!
I really need to make a Whole Foods run soon, just to stock up on some more grass fed beef. Just for this.
I don’t every crave beef, being a vegetarian, but the sauce minus the meat sounds tasty! I love converting recipes.
Oh no! What a bad time to have your heat break. It’s been freezing out. Stay warm!
Oh it wasn’t broken – it was actually on 70*! I was just chilled to the bone and couldn’t warm up
Kath after being in Jamaica and feeling the sun 70 is freezing. Turn up the heat! LOL
That looks delicious! Never thought to add my kale to my pasta sauce before, always just served it on the side. Thanks for the great idea!
I love Popcorn and Full House! Maybe you needed another cup of tea to go with the popcorn to warm you up?
But how cold is really cold??!?
Popcorn is the best and your newest adventure looks like it could be super tasty!
My worst popcorn story was the day after I got engaged. I completely lost track of my brain. I put a bag in the microwave, set it for 5 minutes but then got to talking about wedding stuff on the phone. I’m pretty sure the bag was smouldering by the time the buzzer went off, just short of bursting into flames. I could NOT clean the smell out and after a couple days of trying, I ended up buying my friend a brand new microwave!
My mom used to make popcorn every week, but it was usually for weekend movie nights rather than for snacks…so I guess popcorn makes me think of Disney movies, Star Wars, & Indiana Jones, haha!
My boyfriend and I have popcorn, pears, cheese, and carrots every Sunday for dinner, just like the both of us did (separately) when we were kids. Popcorn is one of my FAVORITE foods. I bought a stovetop popper, since Jared is a total luddite and hates the microwave. It’s the BEST, and it’s called a Whirly Pop. Since you have to manually turn the handle, it’s pretty hard to mess it up.
Sarah
Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks, and that pasta looks delicious!!!
Popcorn is so finicky, my worst popcorn fire was right after my husband and I started dating, and I was trying to be smooth and make popcorn before a movie…and set the bag on fire! Who does that? Me, apparently
I had a teeny studio apartment with only 1 window – so we had to leave the front door open to air it out. Ugh!
If you don’t want to buy the microwave bags, there is a super easy and super cheap way to do it at home. All you need is a large microwavable bowl with a lid. Add plain popcorn kernels and microwave with the lid on the bowl (so they don’t go flying all over the place). When it’s finished you can add any seasoning you want! No weird commercial additives! They sell special bowls for this but any bowl, large grocery bag, or brown lunch bag will do!
We love buying the grass fed meat from WF. Especially steaks- soooo much better. We made them for our friends for New Year’s, and I don’t think they’ll ever go back to a regular steak! =)