Short answer: POPCORN.  Longer answer: homemade popcorn with attitude, flavor, and even a theme to go along with your favorite nominee.  Better yet, it won’t cost you $8 for a bucket of trans fat and artificial flavoring!  Movies wouldn’t be the same without popcorn (an interesting tale of how the two became paired can be found here), so what’s a more appropriate snack to Oscar-watch?

Just use the basic plain popcorn recipe at the end of this blog, and add the suggested seasonings with each movie to make your viewing experience 5D!  Oh…and this is my first RecipeRedux contribution – excited to be involved, and to see everyone else’s recipes!  Check them out through the link at the end 🙂

The movie: Les Miserables
The popcorn flavor: Garlic Parmesan
Add to 10c plain popcorn: 1 tsp garlic powder, 1/3c finely grated parmesan cheese
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IuEFm84s4oI]
A 5-cup serving of airpopped popcorn has only 120 calories!

The movie: Beasts of the Southern Wild
The popcorn flavor: Spicy Cajun Blend
Add to 10c plain popcorn: 1tsp Cajun seasoning, or check out Holly’s blend here!
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZF7i2n5NXLo]
A 5-cup serving of plain popcorn has 5g of dietary fiber!

The movie: Life of Pi
The popcorn flavor: Sweet Cinnamon Curry
Add to 10c plain popcorn: 1/2 tsp cinnamon, 1/2 tsp mild curry powder, 1 Tbsp sugar
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7WBfntqUoA]
A 5-cup serving of plain popcorn has 4g of protein!

Throwback nominee: Forrest Gump
The popcorn flavor: Bubba’s Shrimp Special
Add to 10c plain popcorn: 1 tsp Old Bay
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=09KL2HUXE6Q]
Plain popcorn is 100% whole grain.  

Throwback nominee #2: The Mask of Zorro (nominated for Best Sound Effects, and WOULD have been nominated for Hottest Lead by a Male, if the category existed!)
The popcorn flavor: Southwestern Spice
Add to 10c plain popcorn: 1/2 tsp chili powder, 1/2 tsp cumin, 1/2 tsp garlic powder
[youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uczLtpWF_cY]

So, how do you make popcorn on the stove?  Or, how to do it when your microwave inexplicably overheats and shuts itself off, causing you to reset every circuit breaker on the board, to no avail, and have a small panic that you have broken the most-used appliance in the house?

I’ll show you, thanks for asking. (And about halfway through this project, since I’m sure you’re wondering, the microwave started working again.)

Ingredients:

• 1 Tbsp Canola oil (has a higher smoke point than olive, so better for popping!)
• 2/3 c Plain Popcorn Kernels
• seasonings as specified for each movie

Directions:

Heat the oil in a large pan, preferably with a glass top lid.  When the oil flows easily around the pan, it’s ready!  Add the kernels, and move the pot in circular motions to coat them.  Ideally the kernels should

Put the lid on and wait!  (My own cinematic masterpiece below is a short, suspenseful drama, featuring a chilling shriek from me as popcorn wildly flies out of the pot.   DON’T WORRY I’M ALRIGHT.  Just acting.  Anne Hathaway has nothin’ on me…I’d like to thank my friends for their support and my mom for passing on an over-active startle reflex.)

[wpvideo UP6XwyQK]

Keep moving the pot around as they pop to ensure none sit for too long on the bottom and burn.  When the pops become intermittent, immediately remove from heat and take off the lid (don’t get a steam burn!).

Voila, perfect popcorn.  Next, just put the popcorn in a paper bag, add desired seasonings, fold, and shake!  Makes enough for 2 people to each have 5 cups, for less than 200 calories!

Ingredients in mine: 2
Ingredients in store bought: 10, one of which is COLOR.  (Why?!)

Cost of mine: $3.99/26 servings = $0.15/serving
Cost of store bought: $3.99/6 servings = $0.67/serving
(The adventure of popping it yourself: priceless)