Addicting Kettle Corn

Kettle corn is, by far, my number one snack to get at farmer's markets. I was first introduced to it when I was in high school. My church used to meet right in the hub of town on Del Mar Street in the middle of San Clemente. There was a Sunday morning farmer's market on Del Mar, so every week after church, we would stroll up the street market. First, it was that amazing, sweet smell that drew us to the kettle corn cart; but then I actually tasted the fresh, warm, crunchy treat. Unfortunately, it became a habit of mine to buy a big bag of that sweet-n-salty snack every week.


This past fall, my love for kettle corn was rekindled when Peter bought me a big bag of that same fresh street-vendor style when we were at a USC football game. Since then, I have figured out how to recreate that warm, crunchy treat at home! I have played around with this recipe a bunch, so I am finally ready to share the finished product. I will share with you not just the recipe, but also a few tips from some of my trials and errors so that you won't have to endure any wasted test batches like I did.


Recipe List:
3 Tbsp Oil (preferably vegetable, corn, or peanut)
1/3 cup Popping Corn Kernels
3 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 tsp Salt (I actually like a pinch less than a full 1/4 tsp, but you don't have to be so exact if you aren't as particular)

First mix together the corn kernels with the sugar. You'll want to have this done first so that it will be ready to go when the oil is hot. You'll also want a long handled spoon ready and waiting as well.

Then heat the 3 Tbsp of oil in a 3 quart pot over medium-high heat. Watch the oil closely, because you need to know right when it starts to smoke (not the desert mirage type of ripple in the air, but the actual lightly faint smoke). I watch the pot from this angle so that I can see the faint smoke as soon as it starts to lightly billow up: 

then dump in the sugar 'n kernel mixture and stir quickly with your long spoon for about 5 seconds. This is important to mix the sugar into the oil and coat the kernels, or else the sugar can harden together and cooking into one big clump on the bottom of the pot. (Sorry I don't have a picture of this step; it moves so quickly that there's no time to stop and take a picture here)

Then put the lid on the pot. With the lid on tightly, shake it around a little bit, being careful not to remove the pot from the heat source too much. After just a few seconds, you will hear the kernels starting to pop. After just a few more seconds, they will all be done popping. Really, this all moves at the speed of light, and it's done before you know it!

As soon as you hear the majority of the kernels pop all at once, immediately remove your pot from the hot burner and slide it onto a cool one, but leave the lid on, so that the sugar wont burn on the bottom but the pressure can still pop any few remaining kernels (this should only take a total of like 2 seconds):

Swirl it around a bit, and if you don't hear anything else popping in those 2 seconds, then take the lid off, sprinkle the salt in, stir it around a bit, and let it cool just a little. 

If you try to eat it right away, you will find that it is a bit tacky to the touch. But wait about 1 minute and the kettle corn will still be nice and warm to eat, yet the sticky clumps will have cooled just enough that they will shatter apart like broken glass. 

It is the perfect treat: salty, sweet, crunchy, warm... oh my! It hits all the driving forces of hunger; did you know that food satisfaction is centered around any combination of these three things: salt, sugar, and fat. You can have two, or even all three of these factors, to satisfy your cravings. Studies have found that higher levels of satisfaction are reported as more factors (salt, sugar, and fat) are hit :) 

**Warning: this is an extremely addictive snack. And now that it takes a total of just 2 minutes to make at home, it is even more dangerous.

It is seriously JUST like the stuff you find at farmers markets :)

Okay, now here is my biggest tip, (besides having everything lined up and ready to go to appease the speedy timeline of making this recipe), it is important that you have the right sized pot. I've found that my 3 quart pot is perfect for making this kettle corn. If you have a pot that is around 3 quarts, give or take a little, I'm sure you'll do just fine.

I originally thought my BIG pot (that I use to steam my tamales) would be great for popping corn. After one burnt batch, I realized that a simple physics lesson will explain where my logic went wrong; corn pops due to pressure. My big pot was so big that it took too long to heat all of its space, thus it took too long build enough pressure to pop the corn. By the time the corn finally did pop, the sugar had cooked too long and had burt onto the bottom of the pot.

The smaller pot is pictured here right after I used it to make the kettle corn for this post; no burnt remains. The larger pot pictured here shows the stubborn burnt remains after I had already turned my arms into spaghetti noodles from scrubbing it so much. Moral of the story: Use the right size pot that will allow the right amount of pressure to pop your corn kernels in a timely manner before the sugar burns!

BIG Pot of Sweet Chili

This recipe is something that was just kind of made up one night at college after studying numerous chili recipes online. I had never made chili before, but I was so excited that I made a couple BIG pots of it and invited about 20 people over for dinner and an evening of games. Unfortunately, because I had never made chili before, that night was the spiciest chili I had ever eaten! That was one of my earliest lessons that I learned the risks of experimenting with new recipes for the first time when company is coming over... especially for such a large group. 

Here is a picture of some of us playing 'night tag' after that chili dinner 4 years ago. The boy in the far back with his hands up- the one in the black sweatshirt that almost disappears into the night sky- that is Peter. Who knew that almost 2 years later he would ask me out, and 4 years later, we would become husband and wife. How fun.


Luckily, that first experience didn't scare me away from chili, and I've made it about ten dozen times since then. I can now confidently say that you will not burn off your tongue anymore. In fact, I now have several different versions depending on who I'm cooking for. For example, if I'm cooking for Peter and I and our friends, we like it with a little kick. But for a very large diverse group, I will keep it sweet and mild. This time, my dad asked me to make it for his Super Bowl Sunday party. Because my mom can not stand ANY heat at all, I made an extremely mild and sweet chili version for their party. This is the version I will share with you today. If you want to kick it up a little bit, simply add more cayenne pepper. 


Shopping List: 

• 4 cans Stewed Tomatoes, approximately 15 oz each (I usually try to get some sort of 'zesty jalapeno' or 'mexican seasoning' version of stewed tomatoes, but really- it doesn't make a huge difference what type you choose)
• 3 cans Kidney Beans, approx. 15 oz each
• 2 cans Black Beans, approx. 15 oz each
• 1 can Whole Kernel Corn, approx. 15 oz each
• 2 large Onions, diced
• 2 large Bell Peppers, any color, diced (Green adds more color variety but tends to be a little more tart-smokey in flavor; Red has a much sweeter taste to it. I prefer the red bell peppers for this recipe, but I just get whichever is less expensive)
• 1 Jalapeno pepper, deseeded and minced
• 1 lb meat 

**Nutrition Noteworthy: I usually use ground turkey, but you could use ground beef if you desire. Today I used ground Buffalo to give it a Super Bowl spin. Also, buffalo meat is extremely high in protein and yet very low in fat. A very healthy option :)

• 1/3 cup Ketchup (optional. Basically, this is a source of sugar and salt to flavor your chili. Sometimes I even forget to add it and it is delicious anyway. If you are watching your sodium levels, skip the ketchup. If not, it's a nice hint to boost the flavor)
• 1 Tablespoon Chili Powder
• 1 Tablespoon ground Paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground Cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon Cayenne Powder, (if you like it a little spicy like I do, add 2 teaspoons)

**It is important to use a very large pot for this recipe. You will see later that the pot that I use here is just barely the perfect size. This was Nana's pot. I've mentioned in my bio that Nana is one of my big inspirations for playing in the kitchen. This was one of her big pots that I remember her cooking lots of meals in- except the knob was broken off the lid, so she used to use a hot pad to pinch the nubby screw that remained, in order to lift the lid. When Nana had passed, some appraisers went through her house to mark items of value, and chuck those with no value. After they had left, my mom saw Nana's pot in the dumpster; Mom recovered it and sent it to me at college. It is one of my most valuable possessions. For quite a few years, I used it just like Nana- pinching the screw to lift the lid. I recently found a 'Le Creuset' knob that screwed right onto the existing hardware! One man's trash is another man's treasure... and what a treasure it is...

(you can't see through the blinding glare behind the ingredients, but outside those windows, all the boys are playing a pre-Super Bowl game of Whiffle Ball. They have chalked lines, a pitchers mound, foul poles, ...they take their games very seriously. As Nana would say, 'boys will be boys!' :)

In your large pot, heat some oil  (today I will use grape seed oil- I will explain why at the end of this post) to saute all your diced fresh veggies. 

**Tip, when mincing Jalapeno, I hold the knife in one hand and on the other hand that handles the pepper, I cover it with a plastic sandwich baggy (like a glove) so that my fingertips won't burn for days (because they will- trust me!). Then just throw away the baggy along with all the seeds.

The key here is low and slow; over low heat, let these veggies slowly get soft and sweet. When the onions become transparent, then it is done. They should eventually look like this:

Then remove your veggies from the pot, and brown your meat over medium-high heat. (Sometimes I will add a little garlic powder or chile powder here, this time I didn't, but it doesn't hurt :)

Once your meat is all cooked, mix the veggies back in:

Then dump ALL of your canned ingredients, juices and all (do not discard the liquid!), and the ketchup and seasonings/spices:

Let it simmer over medium to medium-high heat, uncovered, for about 40 minutes. During this time, all the flavors and spices will marry together and condense into a more stew-like consistency. The somewhat transparent juices in the pot should eventually thicken and become homogenous and somewhat opaque. 

One time, I forgot to tell a *certain someone* to leave it uncovered so that some of the liquid could evaporate and thicken the pot... she wound up letting it simmer for a few HOURS and it came out very thin and soupy and she couldn't figure out why... so I'm telling you now, "leave your pot UNCOVERED while it simmers!"

I don't normally encourage people to 'stir the pot', but when making chili it is important that you do so, and all the way to the bottom -especially if you have your burner on the higher end of the heat spectrum. If you do not stir and scrape the bottom frequently, some of the thicker parts of the stew will bake and/or burn to the bottom of the pot. If you're lucky enough to have a little niece who loves to cook with you, then this part should be easy.   :)

See how thick and stew-y it has become!? mmmmm. You can even see the line that marks where the chili was, and how far down it is now. This can help you measure how much has evaporated. 

Serve it up...

...and watch it disappear!

*Suggestions: 

-My grandpa LOVES chili! And because he is living a 'heart healthy' lifestyle, I sometimes call this my 'heart healthy chili'. Here are some reasons that you too can enjoy this heart healthy recipe:

• Use low sodium canned ingredients
• No added salt
• Lean ground meats, such as turkey or buffalo
• I use grape seed oil for sauteing here, because it can withstand the cooking process better than other common oils. This is due to its higher 'flash point' (the point at which oil breaks down during heating). In nutrition terms, this means that it retains its health properties at higher cooking temperatures than do other oils. 
• Beans provide lean protein and are also a great source of fiber for the heart healthy diet.

Homemade Chicken Soup for the Soul

Peter and I have both been under the weather for a little bit, so I thought it would be a good idea to make some homemade 'chicken soup for the soul'. Some time ago, I learned about a study which found that, when compared to several other soups, chicken soup actually did help to expedite recovery from the common cold in the study's subjects. Now, this might mean nothing except that there could be a placebo effect associated with the 'healing powers' of chicken soup... but for now, placebo or not, I'm hoping this soup helps us get better soon!!


Ingredient List:

• 2 1/2 cups Chicken Meat, (preferably pulled from a whole cooked chicken)
• 1 Chicken skeleton and all remains (reserved from a whole cooked chicken)
• 2 tsp lemon pepper
• 1 tsp onion powder
• 1 tsp Parsley
• 1 tsp Italian Seasoning (Basil, Oregano, Marjoram, Thyme)
• 1/2 tsp each Cumin & Paprika
• 1 tsp of a general no-salt seasoning (includes citrus, dehydrated veggies, etc.)
• 3/4 tsp Cayenne (of course, you can do more or less as desired. I found that this amount was a good starting point because it produced just enough heat to give a wonderful hint that makes you ask, 'what is that secret ingredient?' ..but not so much that your mouth burns or anything.)
• 3 large carrots, chopped
• 3 large celery sticks, chopped
• 1/2 onion, largely sliced
• 1/3 cup rice

**note: no added salt! :) (besides any that sneaks in with the chicken skeleton if you used salt when cooking the whole chicken) 

(There are lots of other spices in the recipe not pictured here, but only the Cayenne pepper is in this picture; this is because I wanted to emphasize the importance of the Cayenne- this is the secret ingredient that will give your homemade soup that little extra something that you just can't put your finger on.)

Pull all the meat off of your whole chicken, and place all the remains of your chicken in a big pot... everything- bones, skin, and all! If you cooked your whole chicken with vegetables, add those too. If you didn't already cook it with veggies, throw in a few chunked onions and carrots to help season this broth.  Then cover with water (about 8 cups).

Cover your pot and let boil for a couple hours over low heat.  Maybe this is part of what makes homemade chicken soup so great when you're sick-  it comes with a built-in nap! While the pot boils, seize the opportunity to take a nap and get some rest!

And when you wake up from your nap, voila!, it made its-self and your broth is ready! Just fit a separate pot with a strainer or steamer basket, and dump your big pot of broth through the strainer/steamer. This will separate all the chicken parts and bones and leave you with a beautiful pot of fresh, flavorful broth.

Now, take the chicken meat that you pulled off the whole chicken earlier, and add it into the chicken stock that you just made. Also add the fresh cut pieces of carrot and onion, and all the herbs & spices, then let it all boil together for about 10 minutes:

Then add the rice and the celery, then cover with a lid for about 8 minutes or so. I like to add the celery later because it doesn't take as long to cook as the other vegetables take. I like the celery to be slightly soft with just a little fresh crunch to it still. If you add celery earlier with everything else, it gets too soggy for my taste:

After the rice and celery have been added and it has been cooked, covered, for about 8 minutes, turn off the fire, keep the lid on, and let it sit for another 5 minutes. This will let the rice finish cooking, and let the soup get to temp so that it's ready to eat as soon as that lid comes off.

Mmmm...

 mmmm....

GOOD! 

Garnish with a little Celery leaf :)