A Nifty Trick

I read about this in an old copy of "Our Iowa" magazine that Daphne's grandma had lying around. (Don't tell her, but sometimes I get bored during grandma visits.)

Turns out you don't need to run to the grocery store if you've run out of microwave popcorn; you can prepare it yourself. I guess that popping bag isn't magic after all.

All you need is:
1. A brown paper lunch sack. (Available at your local liquor store - remove the 40 first - or at bulk at a dollar store: http://www.dollartree.com/Lunch-Bags/p16639/index.pro
2. A 1/4 measuring cup (or 59.2 ml. I'm trying to look fancy here.)
3. Popcorn. (I used the cheapest brand Dahl's sells to see if this would work... pick whatever brand trips your trigger.)

Scoop a quarter cup of popcorn in your bag and fold the top down a few times. I try to avoid having the bag touch the top of the microwave's "ceiling".

All microwaves vary, so you'll have to experiment a little with your popping time. I have found that 1:47 does a good job. Not all the kernels pop at this cooking length, but most do, and they're not burned. Burned popcorn tastes like dirt.

Of course you can season and butter the popcorn all you want after the fact, but Char doesn't know that's even an option, so this is an easy and healthy snack for her.

The cool thing is the bag is even reusable. Just fold it up, and put it next to the popcorn bag. (Or put the 40 back in and go on your merry way...)

Here's a picture of Char at the zoo. This has nothing to do with my post; I just think it's cute.

 Disclaimer: If you burn your house down popping popcorn, then it's your fault, not mine. Please pop responsibly.