Make It a Popcorn and Movie Night

There is no denying it, we are homebodies, and one of our favorite things to do is hang out over the weekend and do some binge show watching and snack eating. We are huge suckers for popcorn and are always testing out new flavors. Since I’m always in the kitchen I thought I would test out popping my own popcorn as well as adding in some delicious flavors. I absolutely love the combination of cheese, bacon and scallions.  It doesn’t matter if it’s on my fries, nachos, burgers or on my baked potato, the combo is killer! As I was coming up with some popcorn recipes I figured this would be an incredibly easy recipe to pull off, and I was right, it was. The first key to any flavored popcorn is obviously the popcorn itself. Bob’s Red Mill makes both yellow and white corn kernels. Both pop perfectly and have an incredibly light feel to them, which makes it perfect to soak up some yummy flavors. In the past I had always used a popcorn maker without thinking much of it. After looking for about 2 hours to see where my popcorn maker had gone I decided to do it the old fashioned way, on the stove. I added a bit of canola oil to a large pot with a lid (this is key), and once it began to shimmer and shine I poured in ¼ cup of Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn Kernels. The popping went crazy as I continued to shake the pot with the lid on. Honestly it was super fun to do and, wow, was it easy, I mean why did I even ever have a popcorn maker in the first place?! Once all of the popcorn had popped I set it to the side and got busy making my mix-ins. I melted some unsalted butter in a small pot and whisked in a dried cheese packet from a macaroni and cheese box until it was really smooth. From there I cooked off some bacon, chopped it up, and sliced up some scallions. I simply mixed all of those ingredients together along with the popcorn and boom it was finished. Whoa is this recipe tasty and so easy to make; it’s a must try, and ASAP! The second recipe I did was a sweet and savory trail mix sort of combo. I made some caramel corn with the already popped Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn. I then added in all of those delicious ingredients once the caramel corn was done like pretzels, raisins, peanuts and some colored candied chocolates. The pair was a huge hit and really easy to make.  If you are looking to have a binge night and need some popcorn recipes, it all starts right here! Happy popcorn popping!

Cheddar Scallion Popcorn

• 6 cups of popped Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn (about 1/4 cup unpopped)
• 1 stick Unsalted Butter, melted
• 1 Cheddar Cheese Macaroni and Cheese Packet
• ¼ cup Green Onions, sliced
• ¼ cup crisp cooked Bacon, finely chopped

Whisk together the butter and cheese packet in a small pot over low heat until completely combined and smooth. Toss the popped popcorn along with the cheesy butter sauce, scallions and chopped bacon.

Trail Mix Popcorn

• 8 cups of popped Bob’s Red Mill White Popcorn (about 1/4 cup plus 2 Tbsp, unpopped)
• 1 cup Brown Sugar
• ¾ cup Unsalted Butter
• ½ cup Corn Syrup
• ½ tsp Baking Soda
• ½ cup roasted and salted Peanuts
• 1 cup Pretzel Rods
• ½ cup Raisins
• ½ cup Colored Candied Chocolates

In a medium pot over medium-low heat whisk together the brown sugar, butter and syrup and let cook for 4-5 minutes. Whisk in the baking soda and then fold into the popped popcorn immediately. Spread out on a cookie sheet tray lined with parchment paper and let stand for 45 minutes, or until it has dried out a bit. Toss the caramel corn with the peanuts, pretzel rods, raisins and colored candied chocolates.

Hello, I’m Billy Parisi, but to some I’m known as “Chef Billy Parisi.” I do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, but for the most part I’m a Food & Content Creator, Sometimes TV Host, Digital and Social Strategist, Influencer, Picture Taker, Coffee Drinker, Daddy, Husband, College Sports Enthusiast, Fashionisto, Film & Music Lover!

I’ve been in the kitchen since I started washing dishes in a restaurant at the age of 13, and during that time I knew immediately that I wanted to be a chef. I graduated from Arizona’s Scottsdale Culinary Institute and the University of Missouri, and have logged several years as line cook, sous chef, and executive in some of the Midwest’s finest restaurants. I currently live in the city of Chicago with my wife Lindsay and daughter Olivia and cook up new inventions, mash-ups, fusions, and twists on old classics. I’m incredibly spontaneous and outgoing, and run two small businesses, BPMVC, and my latest venture, 5 Loaves 2 Fish!