Go Popcorn goes right into my mouth

My darling husband knows me so well, even if he will never fully comprehend my obsession with popcorn. He asked if I could work at home today so that I could be here to accept a package that he had ordered for me for my birthday.

I confess that I saw the Go Popcorn site open on his laptop the other day and was hoping this would be what was on its way. Yay!

Now the trick is to not eat the whole gallon of popcorn before the end of the day. Because that would mean I would have none to eat tomorrow. Also, I'd probably feel awfully sick.

Go Popcorn makes a damn fine cheesy corn. They're based in Philadelphia where they have a small store front that we happened upon one day a few years ago. I had every intention of writing a blog post about them (and I think I still have the photos around here somewhere), but this will have to suffice for now.

Working late dinner

I ate this whole bag for dinner and I'm not the least bit sorry. I'm just sad that I have to wait until next month's NatureBox shipment to get more.

Cape Cod powdery cheesy corn

I went to K-Mart to buy a jar in which to store my new obsession: refrigerator pickles. Afterward, I was going to buy some fresh popcorn from one of the vendors in Penn Station. But then I glimpsed this new line of popcorn from the Cape Cod company and decided to give it a try instead.

I'm a sucker for cheesy corn, so I went for the white cheddar instead of the kettle corn or sea salt varieties. The good news is that I won't be tempted to eat the entire 750 calorie bag in one sitting. The bad news is that's because the semi-salty cheese powder is not cheesy enough. And when I drop one in my lap, the fine white powder clings to my clothes. Don't get me wrong. There is a hint of cheese flavor there, just not enough for my taste. I think I would be better off with one of the other two flavors. Apparently I'm in the minority there, since on the company website it says customers begged them to bring cheddar corn back.

Luckily there aren't any unpronounceable weird ingredients in this popcorn. And there are no preservatives. I guess they knew that that would be unnecessary on a bag of popcorn. Are there actually people who open a bag of popcorn and don't finish it within a day or two?

Not craving hatch down the hatch

Sorry, Crave Canyon, but this popcorn really didn't do it for me. 

I am a spice wuss, it's true. But this popcorn isn't even that spicy. The problem is that the chili powder is just that: powder. It kept making me cough. If there were a way to make it adhere to the popcorn better then I would be absolutely willing to give it another try. I am fond of corn companies that try out unusual flavor combos and these guys obviously do that. 

Also, this could be a regional thing, but I've never heard of a hatch chili and neither has my hot sauce loving husband. So, the name of this snack confused me at first. The rhyme is cute, but I think making the actual flavors in a bigger font would make more sense. Just my two cents. 

It seems they are not the only ones to combine hatch chilies with cheese and Popcorn Indiana calls theirs exclusive. Uh oh! Fist fight?

And now I see Hatch, New Mexico, is considered the chili capitol of the world. I guess you got me there, Crave Canyon.  

All of it fits in my belly

Popcorn is a strange beast since it's either thought of as healthy and blah or unhealthy and decadent. There is not much middle ground unless you're popping it yourself. 

Although most of the Popcorn Indiana products lean more toward the unhealthy (but delicious) side, this is going for the opposite end of the spectrum: people who rank calories before taste. This popcorn is designed for people like the overly made-up woman I overheard berating her boyfriend for eating the outrageous dinner of a grilled cheese with salami. 

The Fit popcorn, unfortunately, suffers from the Snackwells problem, which is that when one is eating a snack labeled as being low cal, one then eats more of it. I never even got a chance to check how many servings there were in this bag since I went through it so fast. And plus, since it wasn't super great tasting I kept eating it in hopes of finally being satisfied by it. 

Don't get me wrong. It's not all that bad of a popcorn. The seasonings are pretty tasty, but there could have been a tad more flavor. Or maybe all the tasty flavors are too high in calories. 

Note that there are five flavors of Fit corn. I had the olive oil one, which I see now includes only tapioca (ew?) and parsley. So that explains the lack of depth to the flavor. 

In any event, I would buy it again, especially to try one of the other flavors, since I wouldn't feel guilty if I ate the whole bagful. 

Butter & Scotch caramel popcorn

Even though we agreed that we weren't doing Valentine's Day presents this year, I got a package at work yesterday from one of my favorite gourmet food sites, Mouth. Mouth sells a number of wonderful popcorns, many of which I've tried although I see there are some new ones and I WANT them in my mouth, Mouth.

In my gift box were two bags of 'corn from Butter & Scotch, one in hot toddy flavor and one in dark and stormy flavor. They both smell amazing. The hot toddy caramel corn is more along the lines of a traditional caramel corn with a hint of lemon and cinnamon. The dark and stormy has a noticeable ginger kick to it, but it's by no means overwhelming.

Butter & Scotch is the partnership of Keavy Blueher of Kumquat Cupcakery and Allison Kave of First Prize Pies. In the cutely illustrated info on the back of the bag, it says that in 2012 they teamed up to create a craft cocktail and dessert bar in Brooklyn. The packaged popcorn is made by hand in small batches (which don't last too long based on the date stamp on the bag, although I doubt that's a problem for many caramel corn lovers) with fresh ingredients, certified non-GMO popcorn, and expeller-pressed organic coconut oil.

There's a third cocktail corn that Butter & Scotch called Green Chili Margarita made with real tequila. Yum! I'll have to keep an eye out for that so that I can try it as well.

The all-American Farmer popcorn gets back to basics

When I go to my in-laws' house, the first thing I check is the vast array of snacks in their pantry. Jeff's mom is also a big fan of popcorn, so she often has several varieties on hand. The first day I was there, she and I demolished a bag of wonderfully salty 'corn, but I forgot to take a photo before it was gone.

This is the one we demolished on the second day. I'm quite particular about kettle corn. For me, it must slant more toward salty than sweet. It should be salty with a hint of sweetness. And this American Farmer popcorn fits that bill perfectly.

It seems that the American Farmer brand is pretty readily available at Duane Reade, Dean & Deluca, Costco, etc. So, pick up a bag and see if you can't eat the whole thing.

Unfortunately, there is no cheesy option, but there are several other flavors: old school movie theater, crunchy caramel and light kettle corn. I'm curious how they made the light version of the kettle corn since it has the same ingredients except sugar is listed before sunflower on the light one and it's the reverse on the fatty one. Since it's not made lighter with fake stuff, I'm curious to try it now. As long as it's sufficiently salty, of course.

The packaging is pretty neat. Each one has a different dead president or, in the case of the caramel one, the Statue of Liberty, doing something silly like riding a bike or wearing 3-D movie glasses. And the best part of all is that all the ingredients are pronounceable and the kettle corn contains only popcorn, salt, cane sugar and sunflower oil. Of course, who knows what's in the natural flavor that's in the caramel and movie theater ones, but I'm gonna let that slide in favor of delicious 'corn.

American Farmer also supports American Farmland Trust and a portion of their proceeds go toward supporting local farmers. Not too shabby! 

G.H. Cretors: so good I had to leave it behind

Hot damn that's some delicious cheesy corn. I ate half the bag for breakfast, so I left the rest of the bag with Jeff in Portland because I knew having it with me would be bad news. I have zero will-power when it comes to popcorn. Even so-so popcorn I have a hard time stopping eating. But delicious cheesy corn? No way.

Anyway, I would maaaaybe buy it again if I knew that I'd have to share with someone who would keep me from eating so much popcorn I felt sick. And the ill feeling certainly wouldn't be from the G.H. Cretors 'corn being full of additives. Their products are all natural. But it's still cheesy corn and should be consumed in moderation (or so I'm told).

Uh oh. Bad news. I just went to the store locator on their site and it turns out that it's available all over the tri-state area.

I cannot resist!

I cannot resist buying brands of popcorn I don't normally get at home.

I have had 479 before and was a fan, but the white cheddar and black truffle didn't measure up. It was neither cheesy nor truffly enough. It's certainly edible (and half the bag I did eat in one sitting), but it's not a flavor I'd buy again. Then again, maybe I just require more intense flavors. When I make truffle popcorn at home, I spray lots of truffle oil on the popped corn along with truffle salt. Maybe next time I make it I will try adding freshly grated parmesan. Mmmm...

I have high hopes for the sesame and seaweed one, so fingers crossed. 

Joe & Seph's popcorn with goat cheese and black pepper

This is seriously one of the best flavored popcorns I've ever tasted. Exactly as described on the bag: creamy and peppery.

A nice touch is how the bag comes with a built in zip lock. But at the size of a sandwich baggie and with popcorn this tasty there's not much chance you're gonna need to re-seal this bag.

It says on the back of the package that since the product is handmade, it is possible that there will be some unpopped kernels, but I didn't see a single one. Each piece in the bag was perfectly popped and evenly coated with pepper and cheese. Neither the cheese nor the pepper were overwhelming.

I give this popcorn 5 popped kernels for both taste and package design.

For more info: joeandsephs.co.uk  Woah, seriously, check out these flavors. Next time I'm in England, I'm going to buy at least one of each.

Starbucks fail

I certainly did not have high hopes for Starbucks popcorn. But wow, I can't believe how bad it is.

The butter flavor is butter powder which tastes like old oil. The 1 ounce bag had 8 grams of fat and is 150 calories. For that price I expect ACTUAL butter flavor. Tsk Starbucks. I couldn't even finish it. Yes, me! I know! Popcorn!

Little Lad's not bad

I grabbed a big (they have an even bigger one, too) bag of Little Lad's Herbal Corn at Whole Foods for my train ride this evening. It was the most least caloric and fatty option they sell, so I was sold. The Gouda flavored one sounded divine, but the cheese negates the healthy snack aspect.

The herbs are mystery herbs. But they are pleasant tasting. And there is a good amount of salt, too. One of the 365 brand options was lowfat and low sodium. Dis I say I wanted to avoid bloat? Jeebus. We can't forego everything delicious now.

My only real beef with Little Lad's is the messy factor. My shirt was covered with mystery herbs. And I assure you that I'm a very neat eater.

Would definitely eat again but perhaps not in public.