POPCORN WITH BROWNED BUTTER

We don't use a microwave so all our popcorn is made in an air popper.

Put a pan on the stove and turn it on high. When it is hot add two tablespoons of butter, cut in half. Make sure the fan is on in case the pan is too hot, which happens to me a LOT.* In that case you can quickly put the pan right under fan and hope it pulls the smoke quickly enough to keep your husband from yelling, "What are you burning?"

Swish the butter around until it is golden brown. Pour it over the popcorn, using a rubber spatula. Using a rubber spatula is one of those happy accidents. It will drip off the sides or the end in a dainty stream and you will be able to coat more individual pieces of popcorn than you could by pouring the butter from the pan. Add one more tablespoon if you like it extra buttery. Season with salt or a nutritional yeast mixture,** which I love and one of my cats love*** and my husband and daughter hate.

There is nothing better than hot popcorn with browned butter unless you have some crisp green apples to go with it. Green, as in not ripe, not green as in ripe Granny Smith's but in a pinch a crisp Granny Smith's will do.

Enjoy! The best popcorn you will ever taste.

*My stove--any stove I ever use has two temperatures. High and Off. You want to heat things, right? So, turn the stove to high and stir like crazy. Then turn it off and you're done. Why can't the rest of my family see how simple that is?

**Put 1/4 cup nutritional yeast and 1/2 tsp. salt (more if you're a salt addict) in a clean coffee grinder. (We have a coffee grinder but it has never ground coffee--we don't drink coffee but we grind things like flax seeds for our homemade bread.) Grind the nutritional yeast until it is a powder. Take the lid off. Cough. It will make you cough every time. Store in a tiny glass jar and sprinkle over hot buttered popcorn.

***Pika--our white Persian--used to beg for my popcorn. She didn't beg for anyone else's so I figured it had to be the nutritional yeast. In the morning when I give the cats fresh food she waits patiently until I sprinkle nutritional yeast on top and then she very daintily eats. I don't use the nutritional yeast with salt added. Just plain nutritional yeast. I buy mine at the health food store in the bulk room.

FUNERAL POTATOES

Here in Utah, after LDS funerals a luncheon is given to family and extended family members. This potato dish is always present, usually with salty ham and salads--many of them Jell-O with whipped cream or cream cheese, followed by every kind of cake you can imagine. It's almost like we were campaigning for more funerals.

There are lots of versions of this. Some have potatoes that have been diced. Some have frozen shredded hash brown potatoes. Some have a bit of green pepper, some don't have cornflakes but have cheese on top. All are delicious but very, very bad for you. Be wary.

6 to 8 large potatoes parboiled and grated or ½ of a bag of frozen southwest hash brown potatoes
1 can cream of chicken soup
1-2 cups Sour cream
1 ½ cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/3 cup chopped green onions
1 ½ cups corn flakes
2 Tbs. melted butter

Mix potatoes with remaining ingredients except corn flakes and butter.Put into 9x13 pan. Top with cornflakes and butter mixed. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes.