No More Microwaving Popcorn!!

 
Let start a movement (yes, another one). Google "microwave popcorn," and for every advertisement site that shows up, you find one telling you how bad microwave popcorn (MP) is for your health. There's even a special "Microwave Popcorn Lung Disease" that MP factory workers can get. I'm not making this up. It's out there.

But MP is so easy and tastes so yummy! True, but it's just as easy and almost as yummy to make it using nothing but a large pot. Stores actually still sell plain, dry popcorn kernels, and the store brand works just as well as the named brand - for around $1 a bag, you'll get plenty of batches of popcorn.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup dry popcorn kernels
3 TBSP your favorite type of oil (I use coconut since it has such a great taste)
 Optional:
3 TBSP melted butter (you can, of course, microwave this)
1/2 to 1 tsp salt
OR
Spray oil (butter or plain flavored)
Popcorn seasoning

Place your oil in the big pot. If it has to melt, turn on the heat and melt if first. Then add the popcorn.

If it's liquid, add the popcorn.

Shake the pot a little so that the kernels are an even layer on the bottom of the pot (like the picture on the right).

Turn the heat on high and place the lid on the pot.  Be patient. Depending on your stove, it may take up to a couple of minutes, but the popcorn will start popping.

Once it starts popping, every now and then, pick up the pot, give it a shake, and then put it back on the heat. This helps the heavier un-popped kernels fall to the bottom near the heat source.

Just like with the older microwaves (the ones without the popcorn button), you can tell when this is done by the slowing of the pops. When the popcorn popping slows down, remove from heat, but keep the lid on. The popcorn will still pop for another half minute or so.

Be careful, at this point, it is possible to burn. If it does, scoop out the top, good popcorn and throw the burnt stuff on the bottom to the birds.

Flavoring: You can eat it plain, but it really is plain.

Or you can melt 2 to 3 TBSP butter and slowly pour over the top while mixing the popcorn with your clean hands.  You can also add a little salt to the process.

Or you can alternate spraying it with spray oil and sprinkling it with a popcorn season (like the ones pictured on the right) or plain salt. Spray, sprinkle, then mix the popcorn with clean hands and repeat about 2 or 3 more times.

If you have all your ingredients on hand, and the pot is clean, all-in-all it takes less than 5 minutes. That's a little longer than microwave popcorn, but not by much. Other than being way cheaper and producing less waste, it's also a good deal better for you.

Just writing about it, I can smell popcorn. I wonder if the kids would wake up if I made a batch!

Enjoy!

Swifter WetJet Refill Recipe - Antibacterial Formula

Yes, I'm frugal. I also believe children should have chores. My children do the sweeping an mopping of the main rooms, but I'm not an ogre. About a year ago, I bought a Swifter WetJet battery operated mop to make mopping a little easier for the kids.

The first time they mopped, they used an entire bottle of the WetJet solution. At $7 a pop, with mopping 2 to 3 times a week, my easy solution quickly turned into a $50 to $90 a month problem.  So I put on my frugal mom hat (cheapskate hat is too vulgar), and I figured out how to refill the bottles and what to refill it with.


First step: remove cap.

The easiest way to do this without destroying the bottle is to use pliers, squeeze the cap like you would a childproof medicine bottle, and twist. I've used the same 2 bottles for the last year now, and I've had no problems with leakage.

Some people say that the rubber center of the cap pops in and out, but when I tried it with my first bottle, it leaked everywhere and I never could get it to work well again.

Cleaning Solution Recipe

• 2 tsp Murphy Oil Soap (found with other cleaning solutions at the store). Has a mild scent and adds that extra soap factor to it.
• 1/2 cup plain vinegar
• 1 tsp Tea Tree Essential Oil (for its antibacterial properties)
• warm water

Pour the ingredients into the open Swifter bottle. Add warm water to about 2" from the top.  Replace the cap by HAND-tightening it. Use a towel if it's slick. Don't use the pliers to tighten it (I broke the top to the bottle right after the picture was taken. The plastic is not sturdy enough to tighten that way.)

Where do I get my Tea Tree Essential Oil? Where I get most of my essential oils: online at Camden Grey. Their shipping time can be a bit slow, but they don't overcharge for either their products of shipping. If you don't like tea tree, you can also use Lavender 40/42 essential oil, Eucalyptus essential oil, Peppermint essential oil, or try a different one. Be careful that some are a little caustic and can eat through things like vinyl floor. Test it first, but remember that it is really diluted.

And DO NOT use fragrance oils. They are not natural and don't have the antibacterial properties that EO's have.