brown butter & rosemary popcorn

i’m fairly convinced popcorn has some magic qualities. cities rise and fall because of popcorn. ok, maybe not quite that magic, but there’s something about girlie movie nights with a bottle of wine and a big bowl of popcorn nestled in the middle of the couch. or late night poker with mixed drinks and again, a big bowl passed around the table. or just those nights where you don’t want to cook anything for dinner and sit on the couch with a big bowl just by yourself.

tonight was just that for me. i’ve got a lot of evenings to myself as wil conquers the culinary world at work… and while i start out with great intentions in the early evening to conquer the homefront, most of the time the chores get thrown to the side, and instead i grab my book or get the instant netflix going. and any hopes of cooking a real dinner for one also fall on the floor along with the mental checklist, blown around with the tufts of dog hair in the corners.

after having more than one conversation with my mom about her new favorite way to make popcorn, i finally tried it, and upon first taste, was kicking myself for taking so darn long to make it! so many bowls of plain popcorn that were missed opportunities…

so here’s for the next time you feel the need to spruce up your movie or game night.

brown butter & rosemary popcorn
enough for one greedy person, or for two to happily share

1/2 cup corn kernels
2-4* tablespoons butter
1-2* tablespoons chopped rosemary
kosher or sea salt

pop corn, either in air popper, or in a couple tablespoons of oil in a skillet.

while popcorn pops, melt butter in a shallow pan, and slightly simmer until it begins to brown. it will start to smell nutty and delightful! don’t be afraid to let it get fairly brown, but be careful- the transition to burnt butter is quick if you’re not watching it. take off heat and toss rosemary into butter and something fabulous happens: the rosemary will kind of sizzle and pop, crisping up nicely.

pour over the popcorn, tossing and stirring to evenly coat, and finish with salt.

*the range of amounts is for you to gauge how heavily buttered you like your popcorn. i tend to lean towards the lighter side.