If you like salty, crunchy snacks, but balk at the price and ingredients of potato chips, etc., try this!

Popcorn! No, not the microwave kind; I mean homemade.  It’s very easy and can even be healthy (depending on what you put on it!). Compare the price of a bag of plain kernals (especially the store brand) to microwave popcorn and you’ll see what I mean. Then look at the ingredients on the microwave popcorn.

There are several ways to make it and top it:

• Pop in an air popper. I use “PopLite,” which was a gift but I have seen them at Wal-Mart for $15. This air popper lives up to its claim of popping virtually all the kernals. This is my favorite method.
• Pop in brown paper bag in microwave (use the “popcorn” setting).
• Pop in oil in a pot on the stove (be careful not to burn it).

Then coat the popcorn with butter or something to make the seasonings stick (or just eat it plain):

• Olive oil: Use “light-tasting” or regular olive oil (not extra virgin, or your popcorn will taste like vinaigrette) and an olive oil pump sprayer… I found one at Bed, Bath, & Beyond for $10 ($5 with my coupon).
• Pam spray (or store brand)
• Butter or coconut oil, or some of both (melt in microwave & pour over popcorn).

And then sprinkle on any of these seasonings:

• Popcorn salt
• Herbs or spices (any kind you like!)
• Emeril’s Seasoning — my favorite! It’s a whole lot cheaper if you get the big container at Sam’s instead of the little bottles at the grocery store. You can substitute Italian seasonings & paprika for a similar taste… make sure not to accidentally grab the cayenne pepper instead of the paprika, as I did once!
• Parmesan cheese
• Commercial popcorn seasoning (near the popcorn kernals in the store): They come in various flavors.

Yum!