National Popcorn Day?

Supposedly the 18th was National Popcorn Day.  I don't know if that's true or not.  And I really don't care.  I just needed an excuse to write about popcorn.

I was considering a Black Swan tie-in.  I just saw it in the theaters and loved it, although I'm not entirely clear on what happened.  I just know I was on the edge of my seat the whole time; Natalie Portman did an amazing job; and the symbolism was fab.  Very cool.  I didn't actually eat any popcorn at the movie (I smuggled in Christmas candy), but I THOUGHT about popcorn.

And there you have it.  Popcorn.

I met the folks from Jody's Gourmet Popcorn at the Fancy Food Show and they were awesome enough to send me some samples afterward.

They sent three different types of their popcorn (they have other flavors as well).  This one was double cheddar:

Now I love cheese flavored popcorn.  When I buy those tins with the three flavors, this is the flavor that I always chow down first.  But I'm sad to say, this cheese popcorn was no good.  It had a weird flavor and I actually pitched it.  For me throwing away cheese popcorn is like Lindsey Lohan thowing out vodka.

Next up was Kettle Corn:

This was perfect.  I mean perfect.  Not overly sweet, just the right balance between sweet and salty.  Awesome!!

And look at those kernels - all their popcorn is like this - fully popped, nice and fluffy - no bits.  Some popcorn is filled with unpopped bits and hard pieces and is just crappy.  The last time I got popcorn from the Popcorn Factory it was like that - bleech.  This was great.

This is Jody's Recipe 53 Caramel Corn:

Also very cool - a nice light coating of caramel corn - very, very well done.  You can still taste the popcorn - it's not overwhelmed by the caramel.  A work of popcorn culinary art.

This is Great Scott's Peanut Butter Cup popcorn (I was sooooo excited to try this one!):

Boo!  No good.  Not very peanut buttery or chocolately; a weird flavor. There are so many better choices that I pitched this one too.  You know it's no good if I threw away something involving peanut butter.  That goes against everything I believe in.

Before we write Great Scott's off entirely, look at this flavor - bleu cheese (notice how not full the bag is):

I love the fact that the bleu cheese actually has a bit of a bleu tint to it!  Gotta tell you - this stuff was delicious!!  Love it!  As you can see, I ate half the bag before I could even get to a camera to take a picture of it:

Everybody is getting in on the popcorn act.  Harry & David just lauched a line of flavored popcorns.  Here's loaded baked potato:

and bacon ranch:

I'm sure you are wondering why I don't have pictures of these flavors.  Well, I now have like 5 open bags of popcorn in my house.  I have to eat some before I open any more!  I did sample both of these flavors in the Harry & David store and they were delish.  There's no room for crappy entries once Harry & David is in the house.  Popcorn makers of the world - step it up!

Harry & David also has their entire line of Moose Munches  (coated popcorn with chocolate and assorted nuts or other ingredients).  This stuff is over the top addictive.  I saw this flavor (Milk Chocolate Pumpkin) and was dying to try it:

As Tim (my sweetheart) observed, "Pumpkin has it's place and this isn't it."  I have to agree.  As much as I love pumpkin, somethings just don't lend themselves as well to that flavor.  Popcorn really shouldn't be pumpkin flavored.  This wasn't very good.  I was going to throw the bag away, but Tim said, "Don't get crazy, it's not that bad!"

So far, this is the best flavor of Moose Munch that I've tried - White Chocolate Macadamia Nut:

This is sooooooo good and is completely addictive.  If you open a bag, the next thing you know it will be empty and your jeans will be tight.  It's wicked good.

Harry & David also has a line of Moose Munch chocolate bars.  This one is caramel with cashews and almonds:

It looks pretty good and in theory is a good idea.  But I honestly think loose Moose Munch is better.  This is too much chocolate.  I know, I know - how can you have too much chocolate?  If you eat the Moose Munch with only a few chocolate covered kernels, it's perfect.  If you have all of it coated in chocolate, it's too much.

The takeaways?

Let's all be grateful for the awesomeness of popcorn.  It can be healthy as heck or decadent beyond belief.  It makes movies better and smells delicious. 

Contrary to what I have long believed, pumpkin really doesn't make everything better.  Neither does chocolate.  I'm soooo happy they are both out there, but they don't need to be everywhere.

Really great things usually do get the recognition they deserve - Black Swan, Cirque du Soleil, popcorn.  We all have different tastes and opinions, but we agree more than we disagree.  If given the chance, Orville Redenbacher could probably have gotten us world peace.

 

Chocolate and Chex Don't Mix

Everybody wants in on chocolate. Sometimes this is good. Sometimes this is bad.

And remember that crazy USA Today poll about holiday snacking where vegetables scored higher than chocolate? Well, the chocolate section at Target was wiped out yesterday. The veggie bin at the grocery store still looked pretty full. Liars.

I also did a little research. Christmas is a BIG chocolate selling season. Candy sales are higher at Christmas than at HALLOWEEN! Do you think vegetable sales hit a peak at Christmas? That poll is such BS.

Ahem. Anyway, Chex Mix has totally jumped on the chocolate bandwagon with these four flavors:

Dark Chocolate is described by Chex as "the great taste of chocolate with Chex cereal, pretzels and chocolate cookies to bring you the perfect sweet and salty snack." It's not bad, but eat any piece in isolation and it's mediocre at best. I've had way better chocolate covered pretzels and much better chocolate cookies. Not enough salty here for me. I would rather have regular Chex mix and get better chocolate elsewhere. But it might be a fun novelty for a New Year's or Superbowl Party.

Okay, Chex' descriptions are weak. They describe Chocolate Turtle as "combining the great taste of chocolate with Chex pretzels and nuts to bring you the perfect sweet and salty snack!" Uh-oh - I thought Dark Chocolate Chex was the perfect sweet and salty snack! This is so very boring sales copy. If I worked for Chex, heads would roll!

Um, I would think it would be important to mention the popcorn? To me the popcorn is a real addition to Chex and a major ingredient. Hello?? The problem with this one is that all the chocolate candy pieces run to the bottom with all the peanuts. So you have to really try and shake up the bag and pulverize the cereal to get everything distributed evenly. This was kind of bland to me. I prefer caramel corn or maybe trail mix. I liked this better than the dark chocolate, but again, I think you can find better versions of all the ingredients. Not very chocolaty at all.

Now this is the one I've been waiting for!!!! Chocolate Peanut Butter Chex! Chex describes this EXACTLY the same as the Turtle Chex. That's pathetic. And I have to say, so is Chex Chocolate Peanut Butter. Bland, weak, not even as good as Turtle. Some of the cereal in Turtle is coated with caramel which is really good. I think this one would work better without the pretzels - they seem to overpower the too subtle peanut butter taste of the cereal. Such a good idea, but such a weak snack. What a tease. Was Jane Fonda involved here?

This isn't bad - the caramel saves it. But it's not very filling - no pretzels or peanuts - I'd rather have something else for 100 calories.

I think if you really like Chex cereal you might really like these. I find Chex bland and boring, so all these seem bland and boring to me. I like Chex mix because of the salt and seasoning - these not so much.

But I am not going to leave you without an alternative! These babies rock the house!!!

These are from http://www.daleandthomas.com/. I discovered them because they have a store by the M & M and Hershey stores on Times Square. I was drawn to the popcorn sign like a moth to a flame. Here's how they describe the Chocolate Chunk N'Caramel: A rich and sensuous combination of our finest, gourmet, fresh-popped corn, topped with buttery caramel and drizzled with deep, chocolaty indulgence. " (Take that, Chex!) The bag goes on to brag that they have the world's first Popcorn Chef - "Chef Ed graduated from the esteemed Culinary Institute of America, where he mastered flavor combinations and creative cuisine. All the while he couldn't stop thinking about his secret obsession: Popcorn, the Delicacy." How great is that?

(I don't think there's a Chef doing anything at Chex. Except maybe contemplating suicide.)

The ingredient list sheds a little light on why this stuff is so good - the number one ingredient is caramel, number two is chocolate. Popcorn, the Delicacy, is third! This is no low calorie snack, mind you, but it is mighty good!

Oh my - these are all but impossible to stop eating. Chef Ed is quoted on the bag, "I take individual kernels of freshly popped Dale's Caramel Popcorn and dip it in rich, creamy milk chocolate for a salty sweet flavor that can't be beat." Not by Chex , that's for damn sure. He also recommends trying them frozen. I just put a bag in the freezer. When Chef Ed speaks, I listen.

Chex, you want the perfect sweet and salty snack for chocolate lovers - this is it! Give up your lame attempts and back away from the chocolate.

Christmas Eve Special - PEANUT BUTTER!!!!