Peanut Butter & Jelly Popcorn

What is it about the combination of pb & j that kids loved so much. Seriously? I remember eating peanut butter & jelly sandwiches every chance I got as as kid. Any meal, any time. I didn’t care. I’m pretty sure I o.d.ed  on it I ate it so much. As an adult the thought of eating it makes me feel slightly ill. Yep, definitely o.d.ed on the two as a kid. Thankfully, my own kids seem to have managed to avoid the same fate. They beg for the stuff. I’ve caught all of them at least once, ok maybe twice, hiding in the pantry and eating peanut butter by the spoonful out of the jar. They love it on celery sticks. Apple slices? You bet! Even tortillas. My crazy kids use peanut butter like it’s a condiment.

With that in mind, we decided to get creative with our next popcorn experiment. I hit the web and found this simple, but totally awesome, looking recipe for Peanut Butter & Jelly popcorn. The finished product knocked their little socks off. I’m talking toe-curlingly delicious level. It was snack time and dessert all rolled into one. Even I enjoyed the stuff.

Fix a batch for your own pb & j fans and rock their world.

PB & J Popcorn

recipe originally from Something Swanky

8 cups popped popcorn (about 1/4 cup kernels, popped)
1 cup white chocolate, divided
1 1/2 tbsp. grape jelly & 1 tbsp. peanut butter

Directions

1. Divide Popcorn as evenly as possible into two separate bowls.
2. Over medium low heat on the stove top, melt 1/2 cup white chocolate with 1 tbsp. peanut butter. Stir until smooth. Pour over 1 bowl of the popcorn. Use a rubber spatula to mix well and coat thoroughly. Spread out on a silicon mat or parchment paper to let cool.
3. Meanwhile, melt the remaining 1/2 cup white chocolate with 1 1/2 tbsp grape jelly over medium low heat on the stove top. Stir until smooth. Pour over the other bowl of popcorn, and stir with rubber spatula to coat well. Spread out on silicon mat or parchment paper to let cool.
4. Once both batches of popcorn are cooled enough that the coatings are set, mix them both together in a bowl and serve!

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The Great Popcorn Experiment (aka Christmas Break)

Christmas Break. Two whole weeks with the sons without schedules or commitments. In true son’ style we made the second week a giant movie marathon. We watched one each day, and one each night. It was great qt snuggled up with my favorite guys. We enjoyed re-watching some of our long-time family favorites and found some new gems to add to our collection along the way. A week long double feature movie marathon meant a whole lot of popcorn. Who wants to watch a movie without munchies? After day 2, plain popcorn wasn’t cutting it. We decided to ‘spice’ it up. This meant a whole lot of experimenting with spices and new popcorn ideas. It was amazing. We might even have a new tradition on our hands. Each movie became it’s own unique experience with everyone looking forward to the ‘special’ popcorn. This week I will be sharing our new favorites that we found. Today is Cheddar Chili Popcorn, and it’s pretty darn tasty.

Plain old buttered popcorn is out. Gourmet, flavored popcorn is in.

Cheddar Chili Popcorn

recipe adapted from Clarks Condensed

8 cups popped popcorn
5 tbsp butter
1 1/2 tbsp nacho cheddar popcorn powder seasoning
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp mustard powder

Directions

1. Separate kernels from popcorn, and place popcorn in a large bowl.
2. Melt butter in a microwave safe bowl.
3. Mix the cheddar powder, chili powder, and mustard powder with the butter.
4. Slowly pour the butter mixture over the popcorn, shaking the popcorn as you do it so one spot doesn’t get overly saturated.
5. Let the popcorn cool about thirty minutes before serving.