It’s Friday night. Let’s make some popcorn!

When I was growing up, Friday nights were all about family and T.G.I.F. Hellooo John Stamos (a.k.a. Uncle Jesse)! Now they’re about cuddling on the couch with my crazies and watching movies on Netflix. And it just wouldn’t be a family movie night without popcorn.

First you’re going to need some brown paper lunch bags.

If you shop at a little place I like to call Tar-jay, you too can get the ones that are “packed with love!” Awww…

Then you’ll need a 1/4 cup of popcorn kernels.

Pour the kernels into the bag. Please excuse the poor lighting in all these photos. It’s raining here today, and extremely overcast. Apparently WA missed the memo that it’s July.

Now all your kernels are in the bag.

Lay the bag on it’s side and fold over the top about 1/2″. Repeat two more times. I like to use my fingernail to make sure I get a good crease.

Now stick the bag in the microwave. My microwave is elf-size so I have to lay my bag on it’s side. If you have a normal microwave you can just stand it up.

Every microwave cooks differently. I set mine for 2:30 and wait until I hear the popping slow down. When I get to about five seconds between pops I open the microwave. Just stand there and keep an eye (ear?) on things.

Now you can flavor this up any way you like. Melted butter, a little salt (I recommend regular table salt, or popcorn salt, not kosher salt), some parmesan cheese, herbs, olive oil, or whatever else you like. Try cinnamon sugar sometime, I promise you’ll love it! But tonight we’re having white cheddar.

Now I know you can buy white cheddar powder. Maybe you can even find it locally. I cannot (trust me, I’ve searched). And I don’t like paying ridiculous shipping for a little jar of seasoning. So I just use the powdered white cheddar from a box of white cheddar mac and cheese. It’s cheap, and I can get it just about anywhere. You can just save the pasta for something else.

I’ve tried this with a couple different brands of white cheddar mac and cheese. Some of the powdered cheese is stronger then others. And some sticks to the popcorn better then others, in my opinion. So if you’re using a different brand, you might need (or want) to use more depending on your personal taste. I put in two teaspoons and shake it up in the bag. Open the bag, taste, and add more if necessary.

Time to snack!

Try making some tonight. Grab your kids, husband, wife, a neighbor, or the mailman and have a movie night!

Just joking about the mailman.

Kinda.

Have a great weekend!