Stovetop Popcorn

When I think about kitchen appliances, I still don't own nor use a microwave for cooking; mostly because microwaves (and dishwashers) are energy hogs. Making popcorn this way is not any healthier than preparing that microwavable stuff. A quarter cup of coconut oil has roughly 470 calories. This recipe ratio makes about 5 quarts of popped corn.

Stovetop Popcorn: what you see is what you get

I used an 8 quart stockpot with its lid to make this. I suppose you could use Alton Brown's method and use two heavy gauge metal mixing bowls instead.

Ingredients

1/4 c organic coconut oil
2/3 c organic popping corn kernels

Directions

0. Add coconut oil and 3 corn kernels to a stockpot and cover with its lid. Heat on stove over medium-high heat until the kernels pop.

1. Remove popped corn from pot. Add remainder of corn kernels. Cover with lid. Occasionally shake the pot (side-to-side, or in a swirl motion) as the kernels are popping.

2. Turn off heat as soon as the kernels slow down to one or two pops. Use a measuring cup or shake popped corn out into a serving bowl.

Kitchen Notes:

• the popcorn has a lightly greasy feel to it (from the coconut oil)
• eaten plain, popcorn can make you feel hungrier
• there are 1-2 tablespoons of unpopped kernels leftover

Stovetop Apple Sauce

This recipe tastes better after the spice and flavors have had time to mellow in the fridge before canning. When I first tasted the batch after using the immersion blender, it tasted sour to me even though I only used the juice of half a lemon. I made this sauce at the same time I was making apple butter because the slow cooker was filled to the brim already with apples for the apple butter.

Red rome apples were used since I was unable to get winesap apples from the Portland Nursery during their apple tasting event last October. The only similarities between the two varieties of apples are that they are dark red in color and are a firm and not sweet tasting apple. The dark red color doesn't have an impact on either of these recipes since the skin is removed and discarded.

For medium-sized apples, one pound of apples with make approximately one pint of sauce (or butter).

Ingredients

at least 2 lbs of peeled, cored, sliced apples (any variety)
1 c. filtered water
1/2 c. brown sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
juice of 1/2 a large lemon

Directions

1. In a lidded pot, add all the ingredients and cook on medium heat for 25 minutes, stirring occasionally.

2. Remove from heat and use an immersion blender to pureé the sauce so that no large chunks remain.

3. Store in the refrigerator, covered, until ready to use. Or, can using hot sterilized jars and lids. Process in a water bath for 20 minutes.

Simple Stovetop Mac and Cheese

There are times when I reach for that 99-cent box of mac 'n' cheese at the store and pause for a long time on the cheese sauce ingredient list. Surely, there must be a better way to get my fix for this besides making a huge batch of it and then freezing individual portions. Besides, this is one dish that doesn't taste all that great reheated, or frozen then reheated for that matter.

Ingredients

1/2 lb elbow macaroni
10 oz shredded cheese, preferably cheddar
2 eggs
6 oz evaporated milk
1/2 tsp hot sauce
3/4 tsp dry mustard
1 tsp kosher salt
4 tbsp unsalted butter
freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Bring to a boil in a large pot enough water to cook macaroni. When pasta is al-dente or almost soft, drain and put back into the same pot. Add butter to pasta and stir until melted.

2. Add egg mixture to the pasta and stir to combine. Add shredded cheese and stir until melted.

Measurements can be halved to make fewer servings. You can make this with unsweetened rice milk. I've read elsewhere that you can simmer a cup of rice milk until it is more concentrated like an evaporated milk substitute; but, why not just use 6 oz of rice milk instead. After all, rice milk is just the byproduct of ground rice and water. I would not go so far as to use a cheese substitute for the cheese part. The texture would just not be the same.

Source: Alton Brown