Homemade Popcorn

I love me some popcorn. Always have, always will. I think I'll blame my love for popcorn on my dad. He has popped a bag of Act II almost every night for as long as I can remember. I know it's a healthy snack--if done right. And "butter lovers" probably isn't the best option. I've opted for the "light" version of the microwave variety for quite some time. 

Why haven't you tried making your own popcorn, you ask? Well, I must admit, I was under the impression that homemade popcorn was way too much work. After all, I'm a child of the "instant gratification culture" of the US. I want popcorn and I want it now. 

But NO MORE!  Making my own popcorn on the stove top is amazing. I added NO extra butter and I loved it.  The frugal side of me loved the 32oz for $1.49. Probably 10% of the cost of the microwave popcorn. I didn't even mind washing the pot afterwards. 

Ingredients

3 Tbsp oil (I used canola)

1/2 tsp salt 

1/2 cup popping corn

extra salt, optional

melted butter, optional

Directions

Add the oil, salt, and popping corn to the bottom of a heavy bottom 5 quart pot. Turn heat to medium. Cover with a lid, leaving a small opening for steam to escape. Shake pot once or twice during cooking. Allow kernels to begin to pop--about 5 minutes. Wait until popping has almost ceased and remove pan from heat. Transfer popcorn to a large serving bowl and add salt and butter according to your preference. (It's amazing with extra sea salt--low sodium--and no butter. Seriously. I'm a "butter lovers" fan, but it was great as-is.)