Snow Day: Homemade Kettle Corn

It's official: snow day! The city is shutting down in preparation for the impending storm. I'm safe inside my home and I could not imagine being anywhere else! We live in one of the last high rise buildings on the south end of the city, where we usually have an amazing view of the Museum of Science and Industry, the lake and everything farther south. Currently, the snow is so bad I can barely see the museum right across the street and it's only just begun!
So today I am going to share with you, lucky reader, my favorite snowed-in, winter-day snack: Homemade Kettle Corn. I'm pretty sure everyone loves popcorn, and especially kettle corn at that. It's just a little bit sweet, a tiny bit salty and always crunchy and delicious! It's perfect for watching movies with your love, as an after dinner dessert or late night snacking. My honey and I love it so much that we often find ourselves in the kitchen, taking turns shaking the pan (a key to homemade popcorn success), no matter what times of day: morning, noon or night.

I did some food blog sleuthing when I was coming up with my recipe and none of them were ever quite right, don't get me wrong, they were always good, but they lacked that special something. After a little experimenting I found out exactly what that special something is: Butter. Of course, you pour it on regular popcorn, why not kettle corn as well? I'm about to head in the kitchen and make a batch myself, I have a pile of mail that needs organizing and this is just the snack to get me through such a tedious task.

(Note: When selecting popcorn kernels, most any "popping corn" will do. Each variety pops differently, some "butterfly" and others "mushroom." I am a big fan of the "butterfly" varieties, which are the most common and I think have the best mouth feel.)

Homemade Kettle Corn
1/2 cup of popcorn kernels
1/2 cup +2 tbsp superfine sugar
1/2 tbsp popcorn salt
2 tbsp salted butter, room temperature
2 tbsp vegetable oil

1. Combine all ingredients, except oil, in a bowl. I usually add the butter into the bowl last so that it sits on top of everything else and goes directly into the pan with no hassle.

2. Heat oil and three individual corn kernels in a sauce pan with a tight fitting lid over medium-high heat.

3. Once the first three kernels have popped (which indicates that the oil is hot), quickly remove the lid and add all other ingredients. Immediately re-cover the pan and begin to shake.

4. Shake. Shake. Shake. Don't let it sit!

5. Once the popping slows, immediately turn the heat off and pour popcorn out of the pan into bowls. Serve immediately.

6. Save yourself some trouble: add a few drops of dish soap and enough water to the pan to fill about an inch deep, place the pan back onto the stove, cover and bring to a boil. This will help melt away any sugar that is trying to cling to the pan and makes clean up a lot easier!

Enjoy.

For some more popcorn fun, check out this incredible video by Brainiac Science which actually shows popcorn kernels popping. (The science nerd in me loves their explanation of the process... and also the narrator's accent.) And for the adventurous foodie, try replacing the vegetable oil with bacon fat, decrease the sugar in this recipe by 2 tbsp and add 2 tbsp of maple syrup instead. This will make an extremely sticky, and hot maple syrup bacon popcorn which is just to-die-for. I emphasize the word hot because the maple syrup retains its heat and can lead to some minor burns if you're mindlessly reaching into the bowl for more, so pay attention.