Let’s play a little game: Love It or Loathe It, the food edition.
Coconut instantly comes to mind. I know people who love it and I know people who loathe it, but I have never heard anyone say they do not really care one way or the other.
Beets are part of the conversation. I loathe beets. The only nice thing I have to say about beets is that they are a beautiful color.
Melon probably gets an honorable mention. Cilantro is most definitely in the conversation. A few people I know disdain bananas.
And then there is popcorn. A snack so great it is served at every movie theater in America. Yet, some people don’t love it.
I will admit, I am biased in my warm feelings towards popcorn. You see, popcorn is my family’s snack.
Bowls of popcorn would magically appear when I was up in my room reading a book or lounging on the couch watching television. (The magic part was just my dad popping a bag or two in the microwave and then delivering it. But still, magic.)
Somewhere in the course of our family timeline, my grandma started making caramel corn each year at Christmas. Every adult gets a bag of caramel corn, which really is no small task. In my family, popcorn is love.
I am not alone in my love for popcorn. This week, I teamed up with 14 other bloggers to share a variety of popcorn recipes. You can check out everyone’s popcorn creations via the links below, or search for our hashtag #popcornisforbloggers on social media.
Beth at bethcakes // Amy at Club Narwhal // Abby at The Frosted Vegan // Nick at Macheesmo // Linda at Brunch with Joy // Meghan and Cake ‘n Knife // Erica at The Crumby Cupcake // Molly at Hey There Sunshine // Meredith at Meredith Noelle // Katie at Twin Stripe // Sarah at The Sugar Hit // Erin at The Speckled Palate // LeAndra at Love and Flour // Heather at Sugar Dish Me // Susannah at Feast + West
Perhaps more exciting for you all is that we are giving away a movie night prize pack worth more that includes:
- A West Bend Professional On-Demand Hot-Air Popcorn Popper // $80 value
- Two 27-ounce bags Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn Kernels // $7.38 value
- Two 27-ounce bags Bob’s Red Mill Yellow Popcorn Kernels // $7.78 value
- One 8-ounce jar Cabot Cheddar Cheese Shake // $6.95 value
- And a $15 gift card to Amazon.com!
If you do not happen to be the lucky winner this time around, take solace in knowing you have a boatload of awesome popcorn recipes to try including this caramel garam masala popcorn with pistachios. With a nod to Grandma’s tradition, I took a classic caramel corn recipe up a notch with garam masala and threw in some pistachios for good measure.
A spice blend traditionally used in Indian cooking, garam masala can include a variety of spices. The blend I used includes black pepper, cardamom, cinnamon, coriader, and cumin. It is not uncommon to find nutmeg and cloves in the spice blend as well.
Call your friends and invite them to your popcorn party. They need to come help you eat this spiced caramel corn before you devour it all yourself. Enjoy!
Caramel Garam Masala Popcorn & Pistachios
Inactive
Total
Ingredients
8 cups popped popcorn (approximately 1/4 heaping cup of kernels)
1 cup roasted and shelled pistachios
1/2 cup unsalted butter
2 tablespoons garam masala
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon sea salt, optional
Instructions
- Spread the popcorn and pistachios across a large pan or baking dish and set aside.
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Stir in the garam masala and cook until aromatic, about one minute.
- Add the brown sugar and the corn syrup and continue to cook, stirring often, until the sugar dissolves and the mixture comes to a boil.
- When the mixture reaches a boil, begin stirring constantly and cook for another three to four minutes.
- Remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. This will lighten the color of and expand the caramel.
- Pour the caramel mixture over the popcorn and pistachios and stir to combine. It's okay that the mixture will not evenly cover the popcorn.
- If using the sea salt, sprinkle it over the caramel popcorn now.
- Bake the caramel popcorn at 250 degrees F for one hour, stirring every 15 minutes to distribute the caramel throughout the popcorn.
- After the hour, set the caramel corn aside to cool, continuing to stir occasionally to prevent sticking.
- Serve within a few hours or store in an airtight container for a few days.
Courses Snacks
Giveaway Rules:
- Enter the giveaway through the Rafflecopter widget below. Everyone gets a free entry! You can enter multiple times, up to 18 additional entries, by following the giveaway sponsors on social media. (If you’ve followed in the past, that counts! Just enter the info as prompted.) All entries will be verified. No purchase is necessary to win.
- The giveaway is open until Friday, July 17, 2015 at 10 a.m. EST. One winner will be chosen at random and emailed within 48 hours. Winners must claim prize within 48 hours of initial contact. The retail value of the prize is $117. Prizes shown in the graphic are the only ones available.
- Open to U.S. residents with a valid shipping address only. Must be 18 years of age as of July 6, 2015.
A big thanks to Cabot Creamery and Bob’s Red Mill for generously sponsoring our project and giveaway!
Susannah // Feast + West
July 10, 2015 at 1:41 pmLeAndra! You know the way to my heart. Curry and caramel? Oh my gosh. I am thrilled that you introduced me to this combo. I must try it this weekend! I love what you say about popcorn being magical. 100% agree. Thanks for joining me for popcorn week, friend!
Erin @ The Speckled Palate
July 10, 2015 at 6:09 pmOh my goodness, does this popcorn look amazing?! I’m totally with you on the beets… and I totally dig popcorn, so trying this is a no brainer. I would’ve never thought to combine these flavors!
Amy | Club Narwhal
July 10, 2015 at 6:16 pmOh my, this looks amazing! Also, I was in the anti-beet camp for a long time but finally came around. I’ve always been a popcorn devotee, though 🙂