Popcorn!

Today is National Popcorn Day so be sure to check out my bodacious caramel corn recipe in Susan's Extras.

Americans love popcorn. We consume roughly 16 billion quarts a year, it's low calorie, and you can use it as a decorative item in so many ways. Popcorn and cranberry garlands come to mind.

We eat most of that 16 billion quarts in the fall, believe it or not. And what do snowflakes and mushrooms have in common with popcorn? Those are the two basic shapes that popcorn looks like when popped. Movie theater corn is of the snowflake variety because the kernels pop bigger and mushroom is used in candy confections because it holds up better when doused with syrups, glazes and other add ons.

Oh, and that "hull-less" popcorn you hear about? No such critter. All popcorn needs its hull or it wouldn't pop. Some has been engineered so the hull shatters when popped. It looks hull-less but that won't fool you, will it?

I hope you try my recipe. It's a great favorite of my family, friends and our lucky backyard crows who get the leftovers, however little there is of it.