What's So Bad About a Popcorn Addiction?

My brother, sister, and I grew up in a small town in Iowa, a state that still calls itself the popcorn center of the USA. And did we ever love our popcorn! We even had a special supply. Our mom liked to go to a certain farm at harvest- time after the mechanical pickers were finished. She would come home with a huge bagful of popcorn ears that would last us all winter long. Our father, who liked to tease her, would say, "Your mother calls it gleaning but some would call it stealing." This always made her smile. Of course, he knew she asked permission from the farmer before taking any.

Mom gave us kids the job of getting the popcorn off the cob. We'd go out on the front porch, sit on the steps and shuck the corn, then scrape the ears together, letting the hard kernels fall into a large pan. Next we'd pour the kernels between two pans while blowing at them to remove the chaff, that papery coating on each kernel. I remember feeling mildly dizzy afterward from all the blowing.

In those days my family sat down for our big meal at lunchtime -- Dad walked home from work and we walked home from school -- which meant that our evening meals were usually something very light. So sometimes we'd just have popcorn for supper (with tons of butter, of course). Then, if there was any decent popcorn left over from the night before, our mother served it to us the next morning just like cereal, in a bowl with milk and sugar. And for a special treat she'd make popcorn balls with melted marshmallows, which we'd eat for dessert. My family was pretty much addicted to popcorn.

I'm still addicted, but unlike the old days I don't use oil, or butter, or salt, or even a pan. I just stick it in the microwave and eat it plain. But every once in a while I say to heck with it, let's have some popcorn balls.

Work: 20 min
Total: 20 min

Cooking spray
14 heaping cups plain popped popcorn
6 tbsp unsalted butter
1 10.5-oz pkg mini marshmallows
2 tbsp light brown sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp salt
3/4 cup chopped salted peanuts, optional

1. Remove any unpopped kernels from the popped popcorn. Lightly grease a large mixing bowl with cooking spray and add popcorn; set aside.

2. Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add marshmallows, brown sugar, vanilla, and salt and cook, stirring, until marshmallows have melted and mixture is smooth, 4 to 5 min. Pour marshmallow mixture over popcorn, along with peanuts, if desired. Mix with 2 lightly greased rubber spatulas until popcorn is evenly coated. Using greased hands, form mixture into 2 1/2-inch balls. Eat immediately or wrap balls individually in plastic and keep for up to 3 days.
Makes 12

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