Popcorn Bar

Ok, this is an idea. not a recipe, but it was really fun, so I had to share.  My husband and I made put together this popcorn bar for movie watching last time his grandson’s were here.  It is great for any family movie night and would be great next week to watch the Oscars.

First,  get your toppings together.  Our toppings included melted butter (of course!!!), sea salt, Parmesan cheese, store bought powdered popcorn cheese, truffle salt, a cinnamon sugar mixture, and colorful sprinkles.  I used toppings I already had in the house, but I can think of tons more – other herbs, hot pepper, cheeses, caramel, chocolate, etc.  I think it would be especially nice to have hot versions of some of these like caramel…  And, you could have mix-ins like nuts, chocolate chips, marshmallows.  Really the ideas are endless!

We made a big batch of popcorn.  We have a popcorn maker, but you could make it in a pot over the stove or even use microwave.  If you use microwave though, make sure it is plain because you need a blank canvas for your toppings.   We didn’t do such a good job of this, but if you can get the popcorn on the table while it is still hot, it is better.  Well, come to think of it, we might have done ok.  It probably cooled off while I was taking pictures.

We served ours in white paper bags, but I think I am going to order popcorn bags for next time because the butter seeped through the bags.  But, bags are great for shaking to get the toppings distributed!  I searched them online, and you can get them lined for popcorn really inexpensively.