one of america's most POPular snacks is a corny holiday treat (link)
12.2.09 - nj.com - by carly romalino

hey, have you guys/dolls ever heard of this snack called POPcorn? it's CAH-RAY-ZEE! what it is is corn kernels that have been removed from the cob, dried out & heated up until they've POPped! apparently you just take a bunch of corn kernels, toss them in a microwave or a pot or something & heat them on up. after a while, because of science the kernels POP & puff on up & the next thing you know, BAM! you've got yourself a bowl full of snack, slugger! you can even toss some flavoring on it if that's the way you swing. i know! it's absolutely mind-blowing that i'm just learning about the stuff.

when i first read about POPcorn yesterday in an article on nj.com, i was like "how have i never heard of this POP-corn? i need to start living more." then i got on the internet to blog about it. the article, by carly romalino of the gloucester city times, is TOTALLY informative, thanks to the fact that she was able to get a bunch of facts from "wendy rappel, of the non-profit popcorn board funded by u.s. popcorn processors." it's no national corn grower's association, but it's something. since rappel's with the popcorn board, you have to assume that she knows what she's talking about & everything she says is 100% true.

for instance, i learned that POPcorn is "america's favorite movie snack." until i read this article, i thought that it was quail. i also discovered that even though it's a snack, it's "surprisingly nutritious." that's the kind of surprise i like & my rock-hard abs do too! until i read this article, i thought that a tub of buttered movie POPcorn was "the nutritional equivalent of three quarter pounders topped with 12 pats of butter." education! i also learned that corn is called "maize." the indians native americans called it that. fact! the article's not just here to teach us about POPcorn though. it's also here to teach us about what we can do with it this holiday season, despite the fact that "it might seem really tough to expand upon the way that popcorn is prepared." luckily, wendy rappel & the POPcorn board are experts on POPcorn & they're full of good ideas.

since X-mas is right around the corner, it's all about finding ways to fuse your POPcorn into something festive, like a snowman or a wreath. all's you have to do is choose & prepare "what rappel called the 'liquid portion' of the recipe--or the marshmallow, chocolate, or corn syrup" & when you're done doing that, you mix it with the POPcorn & you've got yourself a bunch of sweet-ass sweetened POPcorn. from there, shape it into whatever you want. the POPcorn board suggests making their "holiday popcorn snowman," but POPcorn is "very flexible," so you don't even have to worry about being creative. you can just mold it into balls. it's up to you. it's your POPcorn. do with it what you wish...& enjoy. i know i'm going to enjoy mine. i mean, now that i know about it, i am SO going to buy some POPcorn this holiday season. thanks nj.com!