Homemade Kettle Corn

Making my own popcorn is my new favorite thing! It's so easy and delicious. You don't need any fancy equipment. I first made a batch with 1 tablespoon oil and 1/2 cup of popcorn kernels. After it popped, I topped it with melted butter and sprinkled it with salt and grated Parmesan cheese. Tasty, savory snack--goes well with good beer.

But, my heart really belongs to kettle corn. I found an easy recipe on allrecipes.com and tweaked it a little. I literally ate my first batch by myself, so watch out! It's that good. The website said that white sugar makes it taste like popcorn balls and brown sugar made it taste more like caramel corn. I use a little of both--packed into the same 1/4 measuring cup.

• 1/4 cup vegetable oil (allrecipes called for 1/4 cup; the second time I made this, I used less and it was ok. I may try using an 1/8 cup or less next time.)
• 1/2 cup popcorn kernels
• 1/8 cup white sugar
• 1/8 cup brown sugar
  
• Salt to taste

1. Heat oil over medium heat in a large pot with a lid.
2. Add popcorn kernels, then add sugars and quickly stir--keeping the lid covering the pot as well as possible.
   
3. As the popcorn pops, shake your pot. A LOT. Every once in a while, I lift up the pot and flip it over to try to get the sugar as evenly coated as possible. Any sugar left on the bottom of the pot the whole time will burn.
4. Once popping slows to once every couple of seconds, remove from heat. Keep shaking until the popping stops. I'd recommend removing it a little earlier rather than later, as the sugar will burn quickly if left on too long.
5. Pour into a huge bowl and sprinkle with salt.
   

Potato, Kale and Chorizo Soup

This was a Sunday dinner dinner. I'd never heard of putting greens in a soup like this, so I was a little skeptical. It took a second to grow on me, but the satisfying, hearty deliciousness of this soup sort of took me by surprise.

We made this vegan by using vegetable broth and soy sausages. It definitely worked, but I'm thinking it would be a tad bit more flavorful and amazing with the real deal. Finding real Spanish chorizo is a bit of a challenge--most widely available chorizo in the United States is spicy, mushy ground up parts (like lips, lymph nodes and salivary glands, no joke) that come in a plastic casing. (For dishes calling for that kind of chorizo, I quite emphatically recommend using the very tasty soyrizo instead.) Alternatively, Spanish chorizo--called for in this variation of a Bon Appetit recipe--is made from coarsely chopped pork seasoned with paprika, garlic and herbs.

• 3 tablespoons olive oil
  
• 1 large onion, chopped (about 2 cups)
• 8 ounces fully cooked Spanish chorizo or hot Calabrese salami, casing removed if necesary, chopped
• 2 teaspoons smoked paprika
• 1 1/2 pounds russet potatoes, peeled, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices
• 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/2 pounds kale, stemmed, torn into small pieces (about 16 cups tightly packed)
• Croutons (home-made or store bought)
• Grated parmesan cheese, optional
  

1. Heat 3 tablespoons oil in a large pot over medium heat. Add onion and cook for about 8 minutes, until translucent.
2. Add chorizo and paprika, stir for 1 minute.
   
3. Add potatoes and broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil.
   
4. Add kale and stir until it has wilted and soup returns to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 1 hour, stirring occasionally. (This soup tastes even better when the flavors have had more time to mingle--i.e. the next day.)
6. Divide soup among bowls and serve topped with croutons and finely grated parmesan cheese.