Colorful leaves, crisp cool air, the slightest smell of smoke from neighborhood fireplaces. Ah, cool autumn evenings are here. As the days become shorter there is more time spent gathered in with family members and times spent playing favorite board games or watching movies. A favorite classic snack favorite for the season is popcorn. This treat has been around ever since the Native Americans began growing maize and roasting it over open fires. The flavor and crunchy texture just seem to hit the right snack spot.

        But, what if you could make popcorn even more tasty and fun? What if you could have a night inventing custom flavors with your family? Wouldn’t that be GREAT ?!?! Well, wait no longer, the answer is here! My kids have long known what a popcorn fanatic I am and how I love to try variations of this old favorite.

Try some of these with family and friends and serve apple cider or hot chocolate to go with them and you have yourself an instant party. Have plenty of corn popped (either stove-top-popped or micro-wave) for the recipes and then add any of the following:

Superbowl Popcorn

Combine in a large bowl

(large enough to shake ingredients)

Olive oil drizzled over popcorn

One pkg. Taco Seasoning Mix

1 cup shredded Colby Jack cheese

Dude Ranch Popcorn

Combine ingredients in a large bowl

Olive oil to drizzle over popcorn

1 pkg Hidden Valley Ranch dressing mix

Parmesan Popcorn

Combine ingredients in a large bowl

Olive oil to drizzle over popcorn

1 cup grated parmesan cheese

Easy Cheesy Popcorn

Combine ingredients in a large bowl

Olive oil to drizzle over popcorn

1 pkg of powdered cheese flavoring from

your favorite boxed mac-n-cheese

(save the mac to use in another recipe)

Jell-O Popcorn

(no olive oil—heehee)

1 small pkg. of JELL-O®

any flavor

scant 1\4 cup water

This one is a little tricky, but worth the effort

Dir: Put the popcorn in a large bowl with a lid-

You will be shaking it so make sure the lid is tight-

Put the Jell-O in the water and bring to a boil

Reduce heat and let the mixture simmer until it

Just starts to thicken.

Remove the mixture from the stove and

slowly drizzle it over the popcorn

Here is the fun part:

Put the lid on the bowl and shake well

(You can really get a lot of exercise this way)

Now serve your gourmet treat

By now you get the idea. You can use almost ANY dried sauce or dressing mixes for your own personal variations. The olive oil in the recipes is the key for getting the mix to stick to the kernels. I used to use butter, but it would sometimes leave the corn soggy in spots. Olive oil is better for even coating as well as a heart-smart substitute. Hope you enjoy sharing this with your family.