Gaslamp Popcorn Puts the Pop in Popcorn and It's Up for Grabs!

I have received what is pictured to facilitate this review.  I have not been paid for my opinions. 

Scrolling through pinterest, trying to be inspired by popcorn I open the bag I received for this review from Gaslamp Popcorn. The one I open is the Cinnamon Caramel because the kids immediately took possession of the two bags of kettle corn I was sent. I pop a few in my mouth and I am surprised by the not so sweet, sweet taste that dances on my tongue and the distinct taste of cinnamon I love.



I grab for some more popcorn, searching for an idea to display this yummy popcorn, maybe in a Mason jar or ice cream cones. I could mold it into balls with some melted marshmallows or chocolate and dunk them in sprinkles for a fun lollipop. I take another handful and pin some more ideas. So many fantastic ideas, but nothing quite right.



The kids and I love popcorn. The kids love kettle corn the best. Whenever we go to an event, the event is a bust if they don't have kettle corn. It is also the first question whenever we go somewhere like a sporting event or a carnival. Personally, I could take it or leave it but since the kids like it so much I attempted to make it for them, one time. I will not be trying that anytime soon.

I have attempted a few recipes over the years that revolve around popcorn but fresh out of our air popper has been keeping our cravings at bay. In fact, the other day Baby Girl laughed herself silly at the thought that popcorn could be made in the microwave.

Hey @Heinens & @GiantEagle! Please consider bringing @Gaslamp_Popcorn to your stores! pic.twitter.com/XDdem41R2T
— MryJhnsn (@mryjhnsn) February 7, 2014

As I shoveled another handful of happiness in my mouth I realized that I ate a pretty good portion of the bag. I clipped it closed and put it away. I went in search of the kettle corn in the guise of needing to taste it to write about but really, I just wanted to eat it and the kids had emptied a whole bag in two days! I can't be mad - two kids, one bag, two snow days – that’s like two weeks in normal munching time.

I found the second bag way on top of the fridge. The husband wanted to keep some for his own apparently. I left it alone. They seem to like it a lot and I had the other bag of yummy to myself.

Then it dawned on me, this popcorn is so good that I would never have to try to make kettle corn at home again and the need to make it cute passed when all I really wanted to do was catch up on my TV shows while snacking on my bag of Gaslight Popcorn.

Unfortunately it is not available in Ohio unless you order it online. In fact, I am pretty sure it is only available in California but no matter! The fine folks at Gaslight Popcorn are giving away two prize packs of three bags of their delicious popcorn for you to try (via rafflecopter)! Or you can order it online.



This popcorn is crazy good. And I only hope that it will be available in Ohio someday soon!

Enter to win via rafflecopter - ends 2/18!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

What do You do With Popcorn? Room Mom Ideas + Dr. Seuss' Birthday

Once I discovered that I had a hot air popcorn maker and that it is incredibly easy to use, you better believe that we have done away with the likes of microwave popcorn. Never mind the kids and I have been making popcorn at least once or a twice a day week and we may or may not have had it for dinner as well (one more, thing bacon salt tastes a-maz-ing on!). With all this popcorn making going on I started thinking… what else can I do with this new found popcorn awesomeness?

First up, Dr. Seuss’ birthday, I wanted to send the first grader to school with something fun in honor of Dr. Seuss’ big day and since I am “room mom” and all I feel like it is a cool perk to get to send things to school for the hell of it.

So, what could I send to school, that was a fun, clever and (mildly) healthy snack? What could I send that would be perfect to honor Dr. Seuss and all his kookiness on his birthday? Why popcorn of course and not just any popcorn but, wait for it, candied popcorn!

I made bookmarks with Dr. Seuss quotes on them and tied them to each bag.

Yep, candied popcorn made from kool-aid no less. Looking at the recipe, I was a little daunted – who uses light corn syrup in their home? Apparently, I do! Alongside the popcorn maker and the Cuisinart I did not know I had, was a long forgotten bottle of corn syrup. All thought not that long ago, you see last summer I thought why buy bubble solution when I can make it? And one of the main ingredients in homemade bubble solution happens to be a key ingredient to candied popcorn – corn syrup! I did not have to run to the store to buy it! Score!

Turns out that not only is this recipe ridiculously easy but it actually tastes like cherry. I opted to go with cherry (red) and then mix it with plain (white) popcorn. I had this fantasy of layering white popcorn and red popcorn for a cat in the hat affect but after the third bag I just started throwing popcorn in the bag. Like the kids will care. They are eating red popcorn that tastes like cherry kool-aid for goodness sakes. On a side note, part of the reason for mixing plain with candied was to stretch the recipe but the bonus was that it was not overly sweet if it was just candied corn. They are in school after all.

Top left: corn syrup, butter and sugar, Top right: Adding the mixture, Bottom left: freshly popped popcorn and Bottom right, the mixing process

Tip: Use a deep (disposable) foil pan and in between “baking” stir, stir, stir and then stir once more. By the third ten minute block it will make sense.

Feel free to print!  Click to enlarge or from Google Drive.

Next up, Snickerdoodle Chex Mix! My new favorite thing to make for PTA bake sales are chex mixes. As it happens, our PTA hosts them during Election Day(s). Vote, buy and you do your part for the red, white and blue. I personally, I hate going to a bake sale at the crack ass of dawn to be offered a brownie so I made pumpkin pie chex mix for the first bake sale this year and for this one I made snickerdoodle.

Overheard: Apparently, during the first Election Day bake sale the PTA kept running out of items so the mom in charge got tired of running home and baking she bought chex mix and put it in baggies.

Back to snickerdoodle chex mix, there are two reasons I went with this recipe, first and foremost, I burnt the caramel batch I had originally intended on making and was worried I would do it again and waste the rest of the ingredients. Mind you, I still ate the burnt chex mix because it really wasn't so bad, but bad enough that I could not ask people to buy it, even for fifty cents. Somehow I thought it would be poor taste to say, really just eat around the black parts. Secondly, since I burnt a batch I needed to make up for what I burnt and the most logical choice – popcorn!

Hooray for popcorn!

What do you do with popcorn?  Microwave, air popped, dripping in butter...?

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